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Archiver > GenMassachusetts > 2009-04 > 1239938021


From: Sue Richart <>
Subject: Re: [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Mass Vital Records 1841-1915 volumes part 1
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:13:41 -0700
References: <fe44d8710904160819o7de22ad9x4e572888133a10c6@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <fe44d8710904160819o7de22ad9x4e572888133a10c6@mail.gmail.com>


Greetings,
I've been working with my spreadsheet so long now, that I didn't even
think to make the Barnstable to Hampden, Hampshire to Plymouth, and
Suffolk to Worcester clear.

> 42 Birth 1850 Barnstable Hampden
> 43 Birth 1850 Hampshire Plymouth
> 44 Birth 1850 Suffolk Worcester

Barnstable to Hampden, in this case means it includes the counties:
Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, and Hampden.

Hampshire to Plymouth, means it includes Hampshire, Middlesex,
Nantucket, Norfolk, and Plymouth.

Obviously, the last volume only includes Suffolk and Worcester.

As you have seen from the list, the last county in the first volume
for a year fluctuates and correspondingly the first county of the
second volume changes. Things really change in 1899, when Suffolk
gets its own volume and Worcester moves in with Nantucket, Norfolk,
and Plymouth. Then, another big switch comes in 1903 when the death
records switch to by town name with no consideration of county, and
low volume numbers. All images (births, marriages, deaths) starting
in 1903 have to have the year match the volume and page number for it
to be viewable. Part of my check of a volume is for a valid entry
with an earlier year that needs a special image number to be viewable.
If you happen to spot one, please let me know, so a second image file
can be created and the image for that specific entry is viewable.
Don't be surprised to find that it is just a scanning error. I've
gone through three post-1902 volumes so far, and only found one with a
prior year that needed a separate image.

Sue Richart
My goal since November has been to make a thousand corrections a week.
The fact that I have succeeded in doing so, only means that the
phrase "They're everywhere, they're everywhere" still applies to
errors in the database.>g

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