Vital Records of Rehoboth, 1692-1895 *

This section offers marriage, intention, birth, and death records of Blisses of Rehoboth, Bristol County, MA. Due to the number of records, they have been organized alphabetically by the first name of the Bliss. To use, select a tab at the left to locate a record of your Bliss ancestor or use the search engine below or on the home page.  

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Introduction

"Rehoboth is a town whose history and colonial experiences are equalled by few and surpassed by none in the State; a town which long held the position of being the most populous in the Old Colony and for a time the most populous (after the Union), in the two colonies: a town which came very near being chosen for the site of the capital: a town within whose borders commenced and ended Philip's war.  Its people have been more than ordinarily enterprising.  It is therefore becoming that the old town should have her BOOK OF LIFE compiled and published; and it can not fall into better hands than one whose ancestors once lived and flourished here.  This work is therefore undertaken more with a view of preserving this invaluable record than for pecuniary compensation.

When this work was first projected, it was estimated that if Pawtucket and Seekonk were included it could be held within the compass of an ordinary volume, but as the work went on, it was found impossible to publish more than old Rehoboth in this and let the other two towns form another volume.

A very unfortunate thing has happened in regard to this matter in relation to Pawtucket.  The books containing that town's record from 1828-1843 are missing and have not as yet been found.  The compiler is having a thorough investigation made in order to be fully satisfied as to whether or not the books are still in existence, and he hopes to be able to find them.

The work of Intentions in Rehoboth are found to be in very poor condition and the writing faint.  The book had been in a damp place for a long time so that the paper had become very rotten and crumbled badly when touched.  It had to be read very carefully under glass.  Owing to its poor condition the page could not be given, many of the leaves being loosened from the bindings, etc.  We observed that the names and dates when compared with the marriages in many cases disagree.  These matters must be solved by the reader by other evidence than was before the compiler of this work at the time of writing.  Frequently the name of the bride is different, but this the marriage record corrects, because the latter record would be apt to be given more carefully and so recorded.

The volumes in the Vital Records are in fine condition, although the older volumes need binding.  In fact the good people of this town could not do a more graceful thing than to vote an appropriation to bind and rebind the town records.

Before we go further we wish to extend our thanks to Hon. Ellery L. Goff, the Town Clerk, for his interest in, and for courtesies extended to us during our visit at his office in the compilation of this volume.  Our thanks are also extended to all other friends who have bestowed favors and courtesies upon us.

We would call attention to the plan of this work, and say that it is not only an INDEX, but it is also a history as it gives all the vital features of the original record.  This work does not give matter at a venture, but book and page for every line.

It is needless for the compiler to say that he has spared no pains in order to give a grand and reliable work, and while he fully realizes that works of this kind can never be made perfect, he flatters himself there are as few errors in this as there can be found in any other work of this class.

While he regrets that he was not able to include Pawtucket and Seekonk in this volume, as was intended at first, yet he trusts the invaluable tables and lists of the early proprietors, freemen and inhabitants, as well as the soldiers of Philip's War and of the Revolution, and the Colonial Returns, will in a measure compensate for other seeming neglect.

These invaluable lists were taken from Bliss' History of Rehoboth and the Plymouth Colonial Records.

As will be seen by a perusal of our pages, pains have been taken to avoid all ambiguity.  The prime object of the compiler was to so arrange the material that one need not be a professional reader to understand it;  hence the simplicity of the work.

Again, the spelling of many names has been retained while others had to be so changed as to come within a reasonable index.

That the reader may be profited, instructed and rewarded for his labor and time while perusing our pages is the earnest wish of the compiler."

* Source: Vital Records of Rehoboth: Marriages, Intentions, Births, Deaths with Supplement Containing the Record of 1896, Colonial Returns, Lists of the Early Settlers, Purchasers, Freemen, Inhabitants, The Soldiers Serving in Philip's War, and The Revolution by James N. Arnold, Providence RI, 1897.