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[Colonial America]. Bridgewater Massachusetts Burial Record.... (Total: 2 Items)
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Description
[Colonial America]. Bridgewater Massachusetts Burial Record. Twenty-four pages bound in contemporary calfskin, measuring approximately 5 x 8 inches. A paper label affixed to the upper cover reads: "Record of the Interments in the South Precinct Burying Ground Made by Lieut. John Washburn from 1739 to 1797."Lieutenant John Washburn III, who maintained this record, served in the Revolutionary War in Captain Andrew Sampson's Company from Plymouth. Stationed at Gurnet Fort in 1777, he was promoted to sergeant and appointed commander of the garrison in 1781 before being discharged on April 1, 1782.
Spanning nearly six decades, Washburn's manuscript lists the names of those buried in the South Precinct Burying Ground at Bridgewater, Massachusetts, from 1739 through 1797. Each entry records the deceased's name and often includes identifiers such as "wife," "child," or "negro." The final entry, written in another hand, notes Washburn's own death on June 3, 1797. The closing page includes a separate list titled "Peopel that ware not buered in this place."
Bridgewater, incorporated in 1656 as the first inland town of the Plymouth Colony, was an early agricultural settlement that later became a center of education and industry. It is notable for the founding of Bridgewater State University in 1840 and for the Keith House (built 1662), believed to be the oldest extant parsonage in the United States.
Together with a manuscript document dated May 30, 1803, addressed to Jonah Benson, "one of the surveyors of High ways and Town ways in the town of Bridgewater." The document outlines the budget for "amending and repairing" the town's roads and highways, including a ledger of residents who contributed funds toward the work. Signed by Solomon Hayward, Abel Kingman, and Daniel Howard as assessors and selectmen of Bridgewater.
Condition: Some wear to calfskin binding including cockling and minor chips or scuffs; paper label on front cover creased at edges. Inner pages just holding with moderate wear, including scattered staining, foxing, and long separations, occasionally affecting legibility of text. Ink erosion due to spilled ink on final page and rear cover, resulting in some loss affecting text. Document somewhat age-toned and creased at folds, with a few small separations thereat; some foxing and staining throughout.
Auction Info
2025 December 15 Rare Books Signature® Auction #6323 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
15th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 18
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