Hanover, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Guide to Hanover, Plymouth County, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, town histories, vital records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.

Description

 * Hanover, Massachusetts at Wikipedia

The area of Hanover was first settled in 1649 when it was part of Scituate in Plymouth Colony. The area was placed in Plymouth County when counties were formed in 1685. For a brief time, the area was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. The area is still in Plymouth County, though was in limbo, until the "Colony" was merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 that became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The area was set off from Scituate and some parts from Abington in 1727.

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Adjacent Towns
Plymouth Co: Hanson | Norwell | Pembroke | Rockland

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Hanover Town Clerk
550 Hanover Street Hanover, MA 02339 Phone: 781-826-5000 x 1079 Fax: 781-826-5239 Email: [mailto:catherine.harderbernier@hanover-ma.gov catherine.harderbernier@hanover-ma.gov] Website

Vital Records
Published records Online records
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the FamilySearch Library, Hanover town and vital records, 1712-1779, . These records are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering vital records, 1712-1895, on 47 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * A Copy of the Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths and of Intentions of Marriage of the Town of Hanover, Mass., 1727-1857, as recorded by the several town clerks for the said town of Hanover ... (Rockland, Mass., 1898). This volume was microfilmed by the FamilySearch Library, . Online at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Hanover town and vital records, 1712-1779, are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries

 * Hanover Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Plymouth County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Hanover. For location of cemeteries, see PlymouthColony website. For more details regarding these cemeteries, see the state guide under cemeteries for books on the subject.


 * Assinippi Cemetery, 1789. (A)
 * Darling Cemetery, 1829.
 * Hanover Center Cemetery, 1727. (A, B)
 * Hatch Family Cemetery, 18th Century. [Note: Plowed up in the 19th century.]
 * Hobart Cemetery, 1793. (A)
 * Union Cemetery, 1794.

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to: (A). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). WorldCat (Other Libraries);. (B). L. Vernon Briggs, ed.,History and Records of the First Congregational Church, Hanover, Mass., 1727-1865, and Inscriptions from the Headstones and Tombs in the Cemetery at Centre Hanover, Mass., 1727-1894, being volume I of the Church and Cemetery Records of Hanover, Mass. (Boston, 1895), vi, 316 pp. Internet Archive and Google Books.

Church Records
The following is a list of churches established in town in order of organization date (if known) and condition of records in the 1889 survey if listed.


 * First Congregational Church of Hanover [United Church of Christ], 1728, records good. L. Vernon Briggs, ed.,History and Records of the First Congregational Church, Hanover, Mass., 1727-1865, and Inscriptions from the Headstones and Tombs in the Cemetery at Centre Hanover, Mass., 1727-1894, being volume I of the Church and Cemetery Records of Hanover, Mass. (Boston, 1895), vi, 316 pp. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church (now called St. Andrew's Episcopal Church), 1780, no condition given. [Note: Church in Scituate from 1731 to 1811.] L. Vernon Briggs, ed., History and Records of St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church, of Scituate, Mass., 1725-181, of Hanover, Mass., 1811-1903, and other items of historical interest, being Volume II of the church and cemetery records of Hanover, Mass. ([Boston], 1904), ix, 188 pp. Digital version at Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Baptist Church, 1806, records good.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church, 1850, no condition given.
 * Second Congregational Church, Four Corners, 1854, records good.
 * Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (now called St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Church), n.d., no condition given.
 * Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1961.
 * Fellowship Baptist Church, 1984.
 * Coastal Church, n.d.
 * Living Hope Foursquare Church, n.d.

City Directories
Hanover was published in 1892, 1898, 1902, 1904, 1911/2, 1919 (usually under Rockland).


 * 1892-1937 Massachusetts, U.S., City Directories, Hanover at Ancestry - index & images, ($),some years may be missing
 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images, ($) some towns and years may be missing

The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.

Other holdings:


 * Ancestry ($) has none.
 * Boston Public Library has 1902-1916, 1919-1931 (under Rockland).
 * FamilySearch Library (Salt Lake City) has 1892, 1898, 1902, 1904, 1911/2, 1919 (under Rockland) on.
 * fold3 ($) has 1892, 1898, 1904.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1892, 1898, 1902, 1911/2, 1919 (under Rockland).
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1892, 1898, 1902, 1911/2, 1919 (under Rockland).

Local Histories
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Village or section names include Assinippi, Curtis Crossing, Drinkwater, Hanover Center, Hanover Four Corners, Mann's Corner, North Hanover, South Hanover, West Hanover, and Winslow's Crossing. Border changes

Works written on the town include:


 * John Stetson Barry, A Historical Sketch of the Town of Hanover, Mass., with Family Genealogies (Boston, 1853), v, 448.


 * Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.


 * The family sketches include the families: Bailey, Baldwin, Barrell, Barry, Barstow, Bates, Beal, Benner, Binney, Blanchard, Bonney, Bowker, Briggs, Brook, Burgess, Cary, Chaddock, Chamberlain, Chandler, Chapman, Church, Clark, Corthell, Crooker, Curtis, Cushing, Cutler, Damon, Darling, Davis, Dawes, Delano, Dill, Doten, Donnell, Dunbar, Duncan, Dwelley, Dyer, Eells, Ellis, Estes, Farnham/Farnum, Foster, Gardner, Garrett, Goodrich, Groce/Gross, Gurney, Hall, Hammond, Harding, Henderson, Hersey, Hollis, Holmes, House, Howland, Jacobs, Josselyn/Joslin, Killam, Lindsey, Litchfield, Little, Magoun, Mann, McLauthlin, Morse, Munroe, Nash, Percival, Perkins, Perry, Peterson, Phillips, Pocorny, Pool, Pratt, Prouty, Puffer, Ramsdell, Randall, Reed, Rice, Richards, Ripley, Robbins, Rogers, Rose, Russell, Salmond, Sampson/Samson, Simmons, Slason, Smith, Soper, Soule, sprague, Stetson, Stockbridge, Stoddard, Studley, Sturtevant, Sylvester, Taylor, Thayer, Thomas, Thompson, Torrey, Tower, Tubbs, Turner, Vinal, Vining, Wade, Wardrobe, White, Whitwell, Whiton/Whiting, Wilder, Winslow, Wolcott, Wood, Woodman, and Wright.


 * Jedediah Dwelley and John F. Simmons, History of the Town of Hanover, Massachusetts, with Family Genealogies ([Hanover, Mass.], 1910, 291, 474 pp.


 * Digital version at Internet Archive. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link).


 * The family sketches found in the second half of the book include the families: Adams, Ahearn, Alger, Allen, Anderson, Andrews, Appleford, Arnold, Bacon, Bagan, Bailey, Baker, Baldwin, Balleaster, Banister, Banks, Barker, Barrell, Barry, Barstow, Bass, Bates, Beal, Benner, Binney, Bisbee, Bishop, Blanchard, Bonney, Bourne, Bowers, Bowker, Bray, Breck, Brewster, Briggs, Brooks, Brooks, Brouthers, Brown, Bruce, Bryant, Buffum, Burbank, Burgess, Burpee, Burrell, Butler, Callaghan, Campbell, Carey, Cashman, Chaddock, Chamberlain, Chapman, Cheney, Christie, Chubbuck, Church, Churchill, Clapp, Clark, Cobbett, Cole, Collingwood, Condon, Cook, Cooley, Cooper, Corbin, Corlew, Corthell, Crane, Crocker, Crook, Crosby, Cross, Cudworth, Cummings, Curtis, Cushing, Cushman, Cutler, Dagan, Dame, Damon, Darling, Davenport, Davis, Dawes, Day, Deane, Delay, Dillingham, Disbrow, Donnell, Donnelly, Donovan, Dowden, Downes, Downing, Drew, dunbar, Duncan, Dwelley, Dyer, Ednie, Eells, Elliot, Ellis, Ernest, Estes, Everett, Everson, Farnham/Farnum, Farrar, Farrell, Finney, Fish, Fisher, Fitzgerald, Flavell, Flynn, Ford, Forsythe, Foster, Freeman, French, Fuller, Gallagher, Gannett, Gardner, Gates, Gay, Gerrish, Gibson, Gilman, Gleason, Gooch, Goodrich, Gray, Green, Griffin, Grose, Gurney, Guth, Hackett, Hall, Hamilton, Hammond, Handy, Haney, Hansen/Hanson, Hardy, Harlow, Harnden, Harraden, Harris, Harvey, Hatch, Havens, Hayes, Hawward, Head, Henderson, Henry, Hersey, Hicks, Hill, Hinckley, Hines, Hoban, Hobill, Holbrook, Hollis, Holmes, House, Howard, Howes, Howland, Hunt, Hurley, Hussey, Inglis, Iris, Jacobs, Jewett, Johnson, Jones, Josselyn, Joyce, Kane, Keene, Keith, Kenney, Kiley, Killam, Kingman, Kirby, Knight, Lafountain, Lambert, Langdon, Lantz, Lapham, Larkum, Leavitt, Leggett, Leonard, Letourneaux, Levings, Lindsey/Lindsay, Litchfield, Little, Lovice, Lowell, Lucas, Luther, MacDonald, MacMillan, Maglathlin, Magoun, Mann, Marsh, Massey, McClary, McCloskey, McDonough, McDougal, McEnroe, McLauthlin, McLean, McNayr, Merrill, Millet, Morehardt, Morel, Morse, Mullin, Munroe, Murphy, Nash, Nelson, Nichols, Nielson, Niles, Oakman, O'Connell, Oldham, Olson, Orcutt, Overton, Packard, Paine, Plamer, Pardy, Parkinson, Paulding, Paxton, Peaslee, Percival, Perkins, Perry, Peterson, Phillips, Phinney, Pinson, Pocorny, Poole, Pope, Power, Pratt, Prentice, Priest, Prince, Prouty, Puffer, Purchase, Putnam, Ramsdell/Ramsden, Randall, Reed, Richardson, Richmond, Ridgeway, Ripley, Robbins, Robinson, Rogers, Rome, Rose, Rothmund, Russell, Ryder, Salmond, Sampson/Samson, Schofield, Scholz, Scott, Shean, Shepherd, Sherman, Sides, Simmons, Slade, Slatcher, Smith, Snell, Soper, Soule, Spaulding, Spear, Spiller, Sprague, Sproul, Standish, Stearns, Stetson, Stockbridge, Stoddard, Stone, Struthers, Studley, Sturtevant, Sutherland, Sweeney, Sylvester, Taylor, Thayer, Thomas, Thompson, Tilden, Tindale, Tobey, Todd, Tolman, Torrey, Totman, Tower, Tribble, Tribou, Tripp, Tubbs, Tuck, Tucker, Turner, Vail, Ventres, Vinal, Vining, Wade, Walker, Wardrobe, Warner, Waterman, White, Whiting, Whitman, Whitmarsh, Whittaker, Whyman, Wild, Wilder, Williams, Willis, Wing, Winslow, Winsor, Witt, Wolcott, Wood, Woodman, Wright, and Young.


 * Hanover Wikipedia page.

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Hanover at HomeTownLocator
 * Hanover at FamilySearch Places
 * Hanover at Google Maps
 * Hanover at Mapcarta
 * Massachusetts County Map at Mass.gov
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Massachusetts at Old-Maps.com
 * Massachusetts Maps State Page

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * Hanover Branch and Norwell News, 1964-1965-present.
 * Hanover Mariner, 1983-present.

Libraries
John Curtis Free Library 534 Hanover Street Hanover MA 02339 Phone 781-826-2972

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Franklin Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Hingham Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Mount Hope Massachusetts Family History Center
 * David Allen Lambert Library - an affiliate library
 * General Society of Mayflower Descendants - an affiliate library
 * Middleborough Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thayer Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thomas Crane Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Hanover Historical Society Box 156 Hanover MA 02339