Whitman, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the town of South Abington now Whitman. You will find help with town histories, vital records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.

Town Clerk
54 South Avenue, P O Box 426 Whitman, MA 02382 Phone: 781-618-9710 Fax: 781-618-9791 Email: [mailto:dawn.varley@whitman-ma.gov dawn.varley@whitman-ma.gov] Website

Brief History
This area was first called "Little Comfort" as a section of Bridgewater until is was set off as the town of Abington in 1712. The area was set off as the Second or South Parish of Abington in 1808. It is a Plymouth County town, and where it remains today.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Abington at one time was called Little Comfort and South Abington.

Village or section names include Auburnville, East Whitman, Northville, South Abington, West Crook, and Whitman Line Park. Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * David Hickey, Whitman (Charleston, S.C., 2003), 128 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Charles F. Meserve, "History of South Abington" in D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts ... (Philadelphia, 1884), p. 503-522. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Abington and the Revolution and earlier wars : the story of old Abington, Massachusetts (now Abington, Rockland, and two-thirds of Whitman) and the part the town played in securing American freedom in the 17th and 18th centuries ([Abington, Mass.?], 1975), xi, 123 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Whitman Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records There are no published vital records for this town. Online records Top of Page
 * Whitman Town Clerk's Office 54 South Avenue PO Box 426 Whitman MA 02382 Phone 781-618-9710
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Whitman vital records, 1875-1905, . These records are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.
 * 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.
 * Whitman vital records, 1875-1905, are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.

City Directories
Whitman was published in 1889, 1892, 1894, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1904/5, 1906/7, 1909/10, 1912/3, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1932, 1937.

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:

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 * Ancestry ($) has 1904, 1906, 1909, 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1932, 1937.
 * Boston Public Library has 1904/5, 1906/7, 1909/10, 1912/3, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1932.
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1904-1907, 1909/10, 1912/3, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1932 on.
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1889, 1892, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1904/5, 1906/7, 1909/10, 1912/3, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1932.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1892, 1894, 1906/7, 1909/10, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1932, 1937.

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


 * Colebrook Cemetery, 1828. (A, B)
 * Hersey Children's Burying Ground, n.d.
 * High Street or Noyes Family Burying Ground, 1805. (A, B)
 * Jenkins Family Burying Ground, n.d.
 * Mount Zion or Old Cemetery, 1740. (A, B)
 * St. James Cemetery, n.d.
 * Smallpox House Cemetery site, 1778. (A, B)
 * Amos Whitmarsh Cemetery, n.d. (B)

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to: (A). Vital Records of Abington, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1912). [See links on Abington for various versions of this source.] (B). New England Historic Genealogical Society, Manuscripts Dept., Boston, Mass.

Many of Whitman's cemeteries have been transcribed and added to the websiteFindaGrave.com Top of Page

Churches
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.


 * Congregational Church (now First Congregational Church of Whitman - United Church of Christ), 1807, records good.
 * Baptist Church (later First Baptist Church of Whitman), 1822, records good, closed 2009.
 * South Abington Methodist Episcopal Church, 1874, records good. [perhaps continued as the United Methodist Church below]
 * Church of the Holy Ghost (Roman Catholic), 1887. Baptismal records held at the Archdiocese of Boston Archives.
 * All Saints Parish (Episcopal), 1897.
 * South Shore Pentecostal Church, n.d.
 * Whitman United Methodist Church, n.d.

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Newspapers

 * Whitman / Hanson Mariner, 1990-1992.

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Libraries and Historical Societies
The following is a list of research facilities in town:

Whitman Public Library 100 Webster Street Whitman MA 02382 Phone 781-447-7613 Email [mailto:info@whitmanpubliclibrary.org info@whitmanpubliclibrary.org]

Dyer Memorial Library 28 Centre Ave. PO Box 2245 Abington MA 02351 Phone 781-878-8480 Email [mailto:info@dyerlibrary.org info@dyerlibrary.org] Serving the towns of Abington, Rockland, and Whitman