West Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Plymouth  West Bridgewater

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

Brief History
The area was first settled in 1651 and organized at the West or First Parish of Bridgewater in 1664. The area was in Plymouth Colony. The area was placed in Plymouth County when counties were formed in 1685. For a brief time, the town was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. The town 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 parish became its own town in 1822.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Village or section names include Cochesett, Eastondale, Elmville, Jerusalem, Matfield, Richard's Corner, and Westdale. Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * "History of West Bridgewater" in D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts ... (Philadelphia, 1884), p. 888-937. Digital version at Internet Archive [includes graveyards condensed from Latham's work on p. 903-918].
 * West Bridgewater Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records
 * West Bridgewater Town Clerk's Office 65 North Main Street West Bridgewater MA 02379 Phone 508-894-1200
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, 1774-1905,.
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering town records that included vital records and a few other town records, 1762-1908, on 56 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * Vital Records of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1911) This volume was microfilmed by the Family History Library . Digital versions at Internet Archive and in a database at American Ancestors ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.


 * This includes, in part, church records from the First Church in Bridgewater (now in West Bridgewater) (C.R.1) and the Baptist Church. Deaths are included from Old Grave Yard (G.R.1), Powder House Cem. (G.R.2), Jerusalem Cem. (G.R.3), Alger Cem. (G.R.4), Ames Family Burying Ground (G.R.5), Pine Hill Cem. (G.R.6), Old Cem. near Methodist Church, Cochesett (G.R.7), and Pleasant Hill Cem., Cochesett (G.R.8).

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City Directories
West Bridgewater was published in 1869/70, 1872/3, 1874/5-1880, 1882, 1884-1887/8, 1889-1890, 1892, 1894/5, 1896/7-1919, 1921, 1924/5, 1931 (often with Brockton).

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 ($) has none.
 * Boston Public Library has 1878/9, 1882, 1884, 1887/8, 1890, 1892, 1894/5, 1896, 1898-1903, 1905-1910, 1913-1919, 1921, 1924/5, 1931.
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1874-1880, 1882, 1884-1885, 1887, 1889-1890, 1892, 1894, 1896, 1898-1919, 1921-1922, 1924-1927, 1929-1933, 1935 on.
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1869/70, 1872/3, 1874/5-1880, 1882, 1884-1887, 1889-1890, 1892, 1894/5, 1896/7-1919, 1921, 1924/5, 1931.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1878/9, 1882, 1884, 1887/8, 1890, 1892, 1894/5, 1896, 1898-1903, 1905-1910, 1913-1919, 1921, 1924/5, 1931.

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


 * Alger Cemetery and tomb, 1801. (A, D) [Note: Most graves were re-interred at Pine Hill Cem.] Transcription online.
 * Ames Family Burying Ground, n.d. (A)
 * Dunbar Family or Walnut Street Cemetery, 1749.
 * Jerusalem Graveyard, 1749). (A, D) Transcription online and resurveyed in 1989 online with differences.
 * Methodist Church or Cochesett Cemetery, n.d. (A, C)
 * Old Graveyard, 1683. (A, B, D) Transcription online.
 * Pine Hill Cemetery, 1870. (A, C)
 * Pleasant Hill Cemetery, n.d. (A, C)
 * Powder House Cemetery, 1747. (A, D) Transcription online.
 * Thayer-Fish Family Cemetery, 1818. (A, B, D) Transcription online.

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to: (A). Vital Records of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1911). [See links above for various versions of this source.] (B). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). WorldCat (Other Libraries);. (C). New England Historic Genealogical Society, Manuscripts Dept., Boston, Mass. (D). William Latham, Epitaphs in Old Bridgewater, Massachusetts (Bridgewater, Mass., 1882) -- a digital version at Google Books. 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 (Unitarian) (now The First Church), 1651, records good for 1721-1808, 1836-present.
 * First Baptist Church, 1785-1833, records good. [This church was dissolved and some of its members were founders of a new Baptist Society in the same year. The records are with this new church.]
 * Baptist Church (now West Bridgewater Baptist Church), 1833, records good.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church (now St. Paul's Episcopal Church), Cochesett, 1841, no condition given.
 * The Church of Saint Ann, 1927.
 * New England Baptist Church, 1973.
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, n.d.
 * Gift of New Life Ministries, n.d.
 * Joy of Pentecost, n.d.
 * Temple Baptist Church, n.d.

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Newspapers
There have been no newspapers published in West Bridgewater. Top of Page

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

West Bridgewater Public Library 80 Howard Street West Bridgewater MA 02379 Phone 508-894-1255

Old Bridgewater Historical Society 162 Howard Street PO Box 17 West Bridgewater MA 02379 Phone 508-559-1510