Mattapoisett, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

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

Town Clerk
Town Hall, 16 Main St, Box 89 Mattapoisett, MA 02739 Phone: 508-758-4103 x 207 Fax: 508-758-3030 Email: [mailto:townclerk@mattapoisett.net townclerk@mattapoisett.net] Website

Brief History
Mattapoisett is a "recently" created town in Massachusetts that was the southwesterly portion of Rochester before 1857 and was first settled about 1750. The area was first 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. Mattapoisett became a town in 1857.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Village or section names include Antassawomock, Antassawomock Neck (extinct), Aucoote, Brant Island, Cannonville, Crescent Beach, East Mattapoisett, Hammondstown, Hollywood, Mattapoisett Neck, Ned's Point, Pico Beach, Pine Island, Ram Island, Randall Town (extinct), and Tinkham Town. Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts: being a History of these Towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham ([Mattapoisett, Mass.], 3rd ed., 1950), 426 pp. Digital versions of the 1907 edition at Internet Archive and Google Books WorldCat (Other Libraries); ;.
 * Charles S. Mendell Jr., Shipbuilders of Mattapoisett ([New Bedford, Mass., 1937]), [35] pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries).
 * "Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers ... from the town of Mattapoisett during the rebellion begun in 1861,".
 * Mattapoisett Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records There is no published book of vital records. Top of Page
 * Mattapoisett Town Clerk's Office 16 Main Street PO Box 89 Mattapoisett MA 02739 Phone 508-758-4103 x2
 * There are no microfilms of the originals created by the Family History Library.
 * This is not part of the Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 on Ancestry.
 * 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.

City Directories
Mattapoisett was published in 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9.

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 ($) has none.
 * Boston Public Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9 (under Wareham).
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9 (with Wareham) on.
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1916, 1919, 1928/9 (with Wareham).

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


 * Barlow Cemetery, 1756.
 * Cushing Cemetery, n.d. (A)
 * Ellis-Bolles Family Cemetery, 1872. (A)
 * Fairhaven Road Cemetery, n.d. (B)
 * Hammond Cemetery, 1740.
 * Mattapoisett Friends Meeting House Cemetery, 1827. (B)
 * Pine Island Cemetery, 19th century.
 * St. Anthony's Cemetery, n.d.

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to: (A). New England Historic Genealogical Society Manuscripts Dept. (B). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). 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.


 * Sippican Meeting [then Rochester Meeting, and now Mattapoisett Monthly Meeting] of Friends, 1702, records condition not given [records with the Sandwich Monthly Meeting to 1793 and New Bedford Monthly Meeting after that].
 * Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 1736, records good.
 * Universalist Church, 1831, records good. [extinct?]
 * St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 1880s?
 * St. Anthony's Church, n.d.

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Newspapers
There are no newspapers that have been published in Mattapoisett. Top of Page

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

Mattapoisett Free Public Library 7 Barstow Street PO Box 475 Mattapoisett MA 02739 Phone 508-758-4171

Mattapoisett Historical Society 5 Church Street PO Box 535 Mattapoisett MA 02739 Phone 508-758-2844 Email [mailto:mattapoisett.museum@verizon.net mattapoisett.museum@verizon.net]