Vital Records of the Town of Auburn, (Formerly Ward), Massachusetts, To the end of the year 1850 / With the Inscriptions from the Old Burial Grounds

by Franklin P. Rice

IN WHOSE HONOR
THE TERRITORY OF AUBURN WAS FIRST NAMED,
AND OF

The First Minister of the Town.

"In this work of bringing original material into form for quick reference and practical use, the list of Births, Marriages and Deaths of a place should first be secured and printed, as personal records are the real and important foundation of local history."

—Extract from letter conferring Trusteeship of Systematic History Fund.

Preface.

The Records of Auburn have a close and important relation to those of Worcester, Leicester, Sutton and Oxford, towns prominent in the history of the early settlement of central Massachusetts. Especially are these Records supplementary to the Town Records of Worcester, which have been edited and printed in full by the Trustee of the Systematic History Fund, and they may be considered in reality a continuation of the work which was comprehended in a plan formed by him for the practical development of the original historical material of this section.

With the exception of brief sketches in narrative form, comprised in certain general works, nothing in the shape of a town history of Auburn has been printed. Its Records are in a fair state of preservation, but accessible only to those who are on the ground. This first publication presents the full personal record (which in every case is the true foundation of local history) so far as it can be gathered from the town books, and added to this are the inscriptions from the two older burial grounds in the town, all in systematized form for reference.

Speaking in a general way, all local records of the early period in New England are incomplete and imperfect, the degree varying to some extent in different places, but none have been found entirely free from omissions, discrepancies and other errors. The Records of Auburn afford about the average number of such instances. But this statement should not carry the implication that the value and practical usefulness of town and other records are seriously impaired by the small percentage of inaccuracies common in all human works, and of which a large proportion can be rectified by effort and patience. The substantial ground-work of the original entries in the Auburn town books is here supplied, and the addition of the burial ground inscriptions will aid in completing the record of deaths.