Taunton, MA (Day Two)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Old Colony Historical Society library didn't open until 10am, so I had some time in the morning to explore Taunton.  I drove to the area where most of the family lived, known as "The Wier."  I had found information from the 1970's in the "Burt box" about an old family house that was still standing.  After spending some time being thoroughly lost I located the spot but the house was long gone.  "Still standing" in the 1970's didn't mean it would still be standing in 2010.  Oh well.

On my way back to the library I suddenly saw an old cemetery, and then saw the sign, "Neck-O-Land."  I was amazed.  I had planned to visit the cemetery while I was in Taunton, but I didn't expect it to be where it was.  It's a tiny little plot of land right next to the road with houses all around it.

From across the street it looked like the gate was chained and locked, but of course I had to find a way in.  When I got to the gate I saw that the chain ended in pliable links that could be opened by hand, so in I went.  This is a very old New England cemetery, the kind of place I've wanted to see for a long time.  Family historians love cemeteries for the information found on the stones, and just for the sense of being in a place that is linked to their ancestor.  I had found this place listed as the last resting place of a number of early Burts.

I only found one Burt stone still legible, that of my 7th-Great Grandmother, Grace (Andrews) Burt.  It reads "Here lies the body of Grace Burt the wife of Abel Burt aged 43 died 179 (possibly 1709) Sept. ye 19."

When I arrived back at the library Andrew was true to his word and brought me the "Briggs box."  I should explain that these boxes are filled with research done by both amateurs and professionals, and donated to the Society.  Within this box I found a copy of an article published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register from April 1971 entitled "Richard, William, and Hugh, Sons of John Briggs of Taunton, Massachusetts."  This fascinating article shows that before 1660 there were at least five men in the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies who bore the name "John Briggs."  By careful examination of records including wills and land records, these five men can be distinguished from one another.  This article gives the descendents of John Briggs of Taunton, which include one Thomas Briggs whose children include: SARAH, b. 10 Dec. 1693; d. 22 Nov. 1783; mar. ABEL BURT.  Genealogy Happy Dance!  I had found "my" Briggs line, and from a well-respected source!

The unexpected extra day spent in Taunton forced a change of plan.  I had planned to spend that day in Wrentham and Upton, exploring more family history.  But the treasure trove that is the Old Colony Historical Society was well worth the extra time spent there.

Taunton, MA

[It's taken me a long time to get back to this blog. Part of the delay was from trying to figure out how to present the time spent in genealogical research. Hopefully, things will flow better now.]

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I love family history because:

1. I love my family.
2. I love puzzles and mysteries.
3. I love research, and research environments.
4. I love figuring out how to find a tiny thread of information and follow that thread to new discoveries.
5. I love the interesting people I meet along the way.
6. I love the discovery that history was made by real people, in real places, living their lives the best they could and sometimes doing extraordinary things along the way.
7. Etc., etc., etc.

A short review of the steps that brought me to Taunton, MA:

1. Many hours spent reading reels of microfilm at the Santa Barbara Family History Center, pouring over the births, marriages, deaths and censuses for Eaton County, Michigan, where my Dad was born and raised.
2.  Discovering from those reels that my Dad was descended from Jonathan Searles and his wife Sally Burt who were among the first settlers in the area, and the first to settle on the prairie that is now Charlotte, Michigan.
3. Discovering in the Michigan State Library in Lansing, a book entitled "They Left Their Mark", about William Austin Burt who surveyed much of Michigan, in the process discovering the rich iron ore deposits in the Northern Peninsula.  He also invented the solar compass and the first typewriter.
4. Discovering from "They Left Their Mark" that William Austin Burt was the brother of "my" Sally Burt (#2 above), and therefore the lineage of William Austin that was included in the book applied to Sally (and me) as well.  That ancestry led back to Burts in Taunton, MA in the early 1630's.
5. Verifying through internet sources that the ancestry presented in the book is generally accepted and therefore possibly correct.  Discovering that there is a book that includes a section on "The Taunton Burts", but not having immediate access to the book.

So, visiting Taunton (about 40 miles south of Boston) was one of the key goals of this trip.  I discovered through the AAA Tour Book for the area that the Old Colony Historical Society Museum and Library had genealogical holdings, so I checked them out online and found that they specialize in Southeastern Massachusetts and particularly the Taunton area prior to 1850.  Just what I was looking for!

As soon as I entered the building I was greeted by a very nice woman, and told her I was there for genealogical research.  She asked me what family I was researching and I told her "Burt."  Her immediate reply was, "You've come to the right place."  She then showed me into the office and introduced me to their Director, Jane Hennedy.  She gave me a handout regarding their rules and holdings to look over while she called their archivist to let him know I was there.  When she got off the phone with him she said, "I don't want to scare you, but he said he'll get out the Burt boxes."  Scared by boxes of materials?  I was delighted!

Soon the archivist, Andrew D. Boisvert, arrived.  He asked me which Burt I was descended from, Richard or James.  When I immediately responded "Richard" he seemed pleased that I had some familiarity with the subject.  He led me up a beautiful staircase (oak?) to the library, gave me a place to work, and showed me where the items he thought would be of use were shelved.  I was in heaven.

My workspace with my laptop and the "Burt box."

I spent the morning and early afternoon entering data from town vital records books directly into my laptop (a great time saver), poring through the Burt box, and reading "The Taunton Burts" section of the Burt book mentioned earlier.

Andrew came by to check on my progress, and I asked for help on one item I'd found in the Burt book.  Regarding George Burt it said, "He settled on the easterly side of Norton avenue in Taunton, about 1757, on part of the farm of his grandfather, Thomas Briggs, having bought the rights of two of his mother's sisters."  I knew that George's parents were Abel Burt and Sarah Briggs, so this Thomas Briggs must be Sarah's father.  I was having trouble linking him to the Briggs family in several published Briggs histories on the shelves.  Andrew suggested that I check the Probate Records.  There I found the will of one Thomas Briggs of Taunton, naming his wife, sons, and daughters, including "Sarah Burt."  Voila!  This was clearly the "right" Thomas Briggs, but he still didn't link to the published Briggs material.

When Andrew stopped by again at the end of the day I told him my dilemna.  He said the Briggs books were mostly about the Briggs families further north, but if I came back the next day he would bring me the "Briggs box" that contained items more local to Taunton.  Oh yeah, I would definitely be back tomorrow!