Hanson, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

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

Town Clerk
542 Liberty Street Hanson, MA 02341 Phone: 781-293-2772 Fax: 781-294-0884 Email: [mailto:bsloan@hanson-ma.gov bsloan@hanson-ma.gov] Website

Brief History
Hanson was the west parish of Pembroke and thus the area was Plymouth Colony in the beginning. 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. When incorporated, the town was part of Plymouth County where it remains.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Hanson once was called Pembroke West Parish.

Village or section names include Bryantville, Burrage, Gurney's Corners, Indian Head Pond, Monponsett, New State, North Hanson, South Hanson, and Sodom. Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * History of the Town of Hanson (typ., 1959?). Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * E. B. K. Gurney, "History of Hanson" as published in D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men (Philadelphia, 1884), pp. 339-354. Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books (pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3), and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link).
 * Mrs. Elroy M. Avery, "Baptisms in the Second Church of Christ in Pembroke, Mass., from 1748 to 1803" in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 49 [1896]: 286-292, 426-430; 50 [1897]: 177-183, 317-321. Scanned version of these pages found at Hanson, MA USGenWeb.
 * Barbara Merrick, "The Original Church Records of Gad Hitchcock, D.D., 1748 to 1803: Deaths" in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 136 [1982]: 31-42. Scanned version of these pages found at Hanson, MA USGenWeb.
 * Hanson Wikipedia page.
 * Hanson, MA USGenWeb page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records
 * Hanson Town Clerk's Office 542 Liberty Street Hanson MA 02341 Phone 781-293-2772 x104
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Hanson town and vital records to 1846, . 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, 1820-1908, on 19 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * Vital Records of Hanson, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1911). This volume was microfilmed by the Family History Library, ; in digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, Rootsweb, and GooBooGeni. In a database at American Ancestors ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.


 * This includes, in part, church records from the First Congregational Church (C.R.1) and the Baptist Church of South Hanson (C.R.2). Deaths are included from Fern Hill Cem. formerly the Second Precinct of Pembroke (G.R.1), Hobart Cem. (G.R.2), and the Munroe Burying Ground in South Hanson (G.R.3).

Online records Top of Page
 * Hanson town and vital records to 1846 are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.

City Directories
Hanson was published in 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914.

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 ($) has 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914 (under Carver).
 * Boston Public Library has 1914 (under Carver).
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1906, 1910, 1914 on.
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914.

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


 * Fern Hill / Gravely Hill Cemetery, 1745-present. (A, B, Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Hobart Family Burying Ground, 1793-1899. (A, B, Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Howland Family Burying Ground, 1846-1869. (Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Macomber Tomb / Perry Tomb / Winter Street Tomb (Defunct), 19th century. (Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Munroe Family Burying Ground, 1759-1866. (A, B, Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Pomp House Gravesite, 1827. (Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Smallpox Hospital Cemetery, 1778. (Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Old Cemetery / Stetson Family Burying Ground, 1776-1872. (B, C, Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * John Thomas Family tomb, 1832-1904. (A, Hanson, MA USGenWeb)
 * Miscellaneous sites. (Hanson, MA USGenWeb)

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to: (A). Vital Records of Hanson, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1911) [see links above under Vital Records]. (B). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). (C). Stanley W. Smith, "Gravestone Records from the Cemetery in Hanson, Mass., near Monponsett Railroad Station" in the Mayflower Descendant, 9 [1907]: 140-141. WorldCat (Other Libraries);. 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.


 * First Congregational Church in Hanson, 1748, records incomplete (see published records to 1803 under town histories above).
 * First Baptist Church, South Hanson, 1806, records good (1812+).
 * Universalist Church, 1825-1850, records good (in priv. hands, 1889).
 * Spiritualist Church, 1860s.
 * St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1956.
 * Calvary Baptist Church, 1973.

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Newspapers

 * Hanson Reporter, 1984-present.
 * Whitman/Hanson Mariner, 1990-1992.

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

Hanson Public Library 132 Maquan Street Hanson MA 02341 Phone 781-293-2151 Email [mailto:hansonref@sailsinc.org hansonref@sailsinc.org]

Hanson Historical Society PO Box 52 Hanson MA 02341 Email [mailto:hansonhistoricalsociety@gmail.com hansonhistoricalsociety@gmail.com]

Websites

 * Hanson, Mass