made from time to time when a return was under the eye for
a different purpose, and without strict comparison of one with
another.

Among the imperfections in the Returns, the town clerks
have omitted in many instances the number of the births,
marriages and deaths. Sometimes the number is put down 1
consecutively, and in a few instances the number is erroneously
added up. Also they have often omitted to note the time '^ when
registered," as required by law.

Had the information respecting births been communicated
to the town clerks in the month of May, and of marriages and
deaths between the first and tenth day of each month for the
preceding month, as it is to be hoped has been done since the
publication of the law, the entries on the town record could
easily have been made in chronological order, which would
have been of service hereafter in consulting the record, and
would have facilitated the preparation of the Tables.

The blank forms sent to the town clerks required the re-
turn of births, marriages and deaths for the year next preced-
ing May 1, 1844. In a few instances the town clerks chang-
ed the date from May 1, to June I. In a few instances the
return appears to include some cases occurring in May and
June, 1844. These instances are presumed to be clerical errors.
On one return of births the record purports to commence in
January, 1843, and extends to March 31, 1844. They are all
included on the presumption of a clerical error.

Very frequently the names of children are not given. —
Sometimes the sex also is omitted, and can only be inferred
from the Christian name. Sometimes the sex is not to be in-
ferred from any entry on the record, and we have been obliged
to consider these instances as '*not stated." Again, when the
sex is omitted, and a name is entered, it has been difficult
in some instances to determine the sex, the names having
probably undergone changes in the spelling in the course of
time. This shows the importance of recording both the name
and the sex.

B



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The date of the birth is generally stated, the omissions being
less than 1 in 112.

The name and sumame of the father are generally men-
tioned, while frequently those of the mother are omitted.
Sometimes the name of the mother only is entered. In two
instances neither the name nor the surname of either parent is
mentioned, the children being foundlings. A few children are
entered as illegitimate. The occupation of the father is in a
great majority of cases stated, being omitted in 1 case out of 17.
The occupations are very various, and are such as we should
expect from what we know of the employments of the people
generally in the different parts of the Commonwealth.

The residence of parents is often omitted in the column de-
signed for that entry on the return, and is presumed to have
been in the town from whence the return is made, unless other-
wise indicated.

The law imposes the duty of collecting the information re-
specting births upon the school committees, '^annually in
the month of May." Some town clerks have suggested that
it would have been better to impose this duty upon the Asses-
sors, who are in the habit of visiting every house in May or
June, for the purpose of ascertaining the amount of taxable
property, and the number of taxable polls in each town.

It is to be regretted that there have been so many delinquen-
cies on the part of school committees, in collecting information
respecting births, in consequence of which the returns are im-
perfect in many essential particulars. In some instances the
town clerks have in a great measure supplied these deficien-
cies by their personal inquiries.

The returns of marriages are extremely defective. It may
be well to present a view of this part of the case in some ex-
tracts from letters of town clerks.

The town clerk of Andover says, ** the number of marri-
ages in the town of Andover during the year next preceding
May 1, 1844, was to me unknown — nineteen only recorded on
the town Records. The number of publishments is fifty in the
same time. One of the Pastors of the (oldest) Congregational



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XI

church has not made any return of marriages for the last eight
years, as appears by the record.* Such facts as I knew I have
added."

The town clerk of Eroing says, **the attention of the
minister of this place, has been twice called to this subject by
the town clerk ; but he still neglects to make any return of
the marriages."

The town clerk of Fairhaveii says, ** you will also per-
ceive that there are but eleven marriages returned, and one of
these was in New Bedford, and not included in the Tables.
They are often solemnized by persons living out of town, who
with those living in town, have been very negligent about
making the returns required by law; and many of those that
are made, are extremely deficient in giving the required infor-
mation. There must have been about thirty-eight marriages
solemnized the past year." **I have issued Blanks and In-
structions to most of those persons who are permitted to sol-
emnize marriages, and also to those having the care of burial
grounds in this town, requiring them to bring in an account of
marriages and deaths monthly ; and I think that the present
law will in a good degree be complied with."

The town clerk of Falmouth says, " it is impossible to make
any returns of marriages, as the persons whose duty it is to
report them, have not performed their duty."

Statements of this kind might be multiplied, showing the
negligence of those authorized to solemnize marriages, in fur-
nishing the means of ji record to the town clerk. Consider-
ing the value of this record, and of having it accessible to those
interested, on account of the peace of individuals and of fami-
lies, and also on account of litigated claims to property, it is
surprising that any persons capable of perceiving how much the
rights and the happiness of their fellow men may suffer from
their remissness, should be so grossly negligent. In several
cases which have come under the notice of this office during
the past year, the most serious difficulty has occurred in prov-
ing a title to a valuable pension for revolutionary services, for

* In the First RegistratioD Report for the year 1841-2, it was stated that in Andover,
" one clergyman had made no retom of marriages for six years."



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Xll

want of evidence of the marriage of the widow interested in
the claim.

Besides the neglect to make any returns to the town clerks
by those authorized to solemnize marriages, there are other
causes to produce imperfections in the returns to the Secretary.
In some places the law is not merely not complied with, but
the purposes of a Registration do not seem to have been by any
means fully appreciated.

The condition of the parties is omitted in nearly half of
the cases in the returns. Though the law (sec. 1.) is explicit
in defining what constitutes the condition, (whether single
or widowed,) there have been mistakes in a few instances as to
the meaning of this word in the law, as if it referred to color,
to health, to property, &c. ; for one return has under condi-
tion, "white;" another, " healthy," ** I don't know," "well,"
" sick;" and another, " good," " comfortable," " don't know,"
"ordinary," "not good;" and another, "moderate," "weal-
thy ;" and another has three interrogation points thus : ? ? ?"

Considering that the law requiring the ages of the parties
married, went into operation, March 16, 1844, only about six
weeks before the close of the year embraced by the returns, it
is creditable to the town clerks and others, that the returns
show the ages of 1,141 persons married, which is more than an
eighth part of the whole number, and a larger proportion than
the six weeks bear to the year. The results derived from the
ages of the parties are imperfect of course, but they may serve
as an approximation for a comparison with the results in other
countries.

There seems to be a delicacy on the part of those authorized
to solemnize marriages, as to obtaining some facts required by
the present law, especially the ages of the parties. Had the
law required the parties, to inform the town clerk of the facts
in relation to marriage, before the entry for publishment, and
made it his duty to enter these facts on his certificate of pub-
lishment, they would perhaps have been more easily and more
fully obtained. Then the clergyman or magistrate might have
certified the marriage of the parties within named, together
with the date and the place. The certificate thus endorsed,



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XUl

would then be returned to the town clerk to be recorded by
him among the marriages, by the minister or magistrate.

The returns relating to the occupation of the parties, though
imperfect, show to a great extent the various kinds of employ-
ment pursued in the different parts of the Commonwealth.

As to the Date of Marriage, a most important item, the
omission is total or partial in 113 instances, or in about one
fortieth part of the whole number.

The name, residence and official station of the person by
whom the parties were married, are generally stated, but the
returns are imperfect in relation to the place of residence of
the parties at the time of marriage, and also in relation to
the name and surname of the parents.

In many instances the marriages are not numbered at all ;
in several instances they are numbered wrong, so that it was
necessary to count the number or verify it in other ways, even
when they had their number in the proper column, and when
their number was on the first line of the return. Sometimes
they were numbered simply 1, instead of being numbered in
numerical order, as was obviously the design of the statute.
Sometimes the number on the first line of the return is put
down in figures, instead of being written out at length in let-
ters as it should be.

Almost without exception, there has been manifested a dis-
position and an earnest wish, on the part of the town clerks,
to conform to the requisitions of that part of the law, which
respects marriages, and special pains seem to have been taken
by many of them, to furnish the particulars required. In
many towns, from which the returns are now imperfect, assu-
rances are given that means are in a train for furnishing a
much more perfect return of marriages for the current year.

Generally speaking there seems to be in the towns, a strong
desire for a good system of registration of marriages, and a
disposition to aid in establishing such a system throughout the
Commonwealth.

One cause of the imperfection of the present returns, is the
practice in some of the border towns, of going into the adjoin-
ing states to be married, without being published in this Com-
monwealth.



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XIV

The law requires (Sect. 1.) the towns clerks to mmber the
deaths^ and record them in the order in which they are received,
together with the facts relating to them, and to note the time
when the record is made. There are many imperfections on
the returns in these particulars.

By the fourth section it is required that each sexton, or other
person having charge of any burial ground in this Common-
wealth, shall, on or before the tenth day of each month, make
returns of all the facts required by the first section, connected
with the death of any person whose burial he may have su-
perintended during the month next preceding, to the clerk of
the town or city in which such deceased person resided at the
time of his death.

These facts have been very imperfectly reported to the town
clerks, as appears from the returns and from letters received
from the town clerks. In many instances it is even left very
much to conjecture what the number of deaths has been during
the year.

The town clerk of Hopkinton says, '*the probable number
of deaths that have occurred in this town during the past
year, is some four times the number returned. And I would
suggest that the returns must necessarily be imperfect, until
some means are devised to compel by penalty, or induce by
an adequate compensation, those whose duty it is to return to
town clerks. I refer more particularly to the duty of sextons."
The town clerk of Royalston says, *' I have not been able to
obtain the necessary information in regard to persons deceased,
so as^to answer the requirements of the law in filling up the
columns, as the inhabitants of the town have not heretofore
paid any attention in having births and deaths recorded ; and
in order to make out this return, I have made such inquiries as
to enable me to get at the number of deaths, and to state in the
separate columns in regard to such as I am acquainted with ;
as to place of birth, parents, &c. &c. * # * Hereafter I
think there will be more attention paid to the law in regard to
registration, as soon as the officers and others on whom it im-
poses the duties of making the returns to the clerks, become
acquainted with what is required of them ; and the law shall



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XV

hare my aid and attention in carrying out its designs." The
town clerk of Sutton says, '' I think this not to contain all the
deaths that have occurred in the town of Sutton, for the year
ending May 1, 1844, as I have taken most of them from the
newspapers. There are eighteen burial grounds in the town
of Sutton ; and no overseer to either of them except to the
private burial grounds." The town clerk of Upton says, " This
blank is filled up from a memorandum blank kept by a person
for his curiosity, to know how many deaths there were in
town ; there has not been a death given to me to record for the
last year ; on that account I have no official documents to make
out the return." The town clerk of Shelbume says, ** the re-
turn is believed to be perfectly accurate as to the number of
deaths and ages, and also the date of death. The return for
the date of registration, I have left blank, as I was at the
trouble of gaining the information and particulars required by
the blank, by visiting the families personally, — and they were
registered when the blank was filled out," The town clerk of
Florida says, ** there have been three deaths in the town with-
in the time above specified; but as there is no record of them,
I am unable to fill the blank."

The town clerk of Raynha/m says, " my return of deaths is
imperfect, although correct, I believe, as far as it goes. We
have many places for burial, mostly private property, no super-
intendent of burial grounds or sexton, whose duty it is to give
notice of deaths, or of whom information can be obtained, and
nobody thinks of returning a de^ith to the clerk of the town.
I however, generally get information of the death, of the age
(in years) and by taking the trouble, of the disease or cause
of death ; and I hope hereafter, as the record of births grows
more full, to give the ages more exactly." The town clerk of
Wareham says, " The whole number of deaths that have oc-
curred in this town for the year ending April 30, 1844, is fifty-
eight. I, however, have not been able to obtain information so
as to record but thirty-two." The town clerk of Eastham
says, *' The within blank is filled according to the best infor-
mation that I could conveniently obtain, for there has not been
a death returned within the last year; but it is not as full as I



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XVI

should wish, but I cannot avoid it the present year." The
town clerk of WeUJleet says, " one of the sextons has made a
full and correct report for the year, and one rather an imperfect
one — probably not three-fourths of what came within his lim-
its. The other and last has made no report at all, notwith-
standing I have requested him so to do ; probably the above
list of [24J names are not more than three-fourths that have
died during the year preceding the last day of April last."

The above extracts show the neglect which has prevailed on
the part of sextons, in many of the towns, in reporting to the
town clerks the facts required by the law, in relation to deaths.
They show also the personal exertions of town clerks in some
instances to procure information. There are instances in which
more attention has been given to registration, and a more suc-
cessful result attained. The town clerk of Oxford says, " I
herewith return to your office thirty-two deaths that have oc-
curred in this town for the year prior to May 1, 1844." '* The
deaths and marriages were returned promptly. The town clerk
otPlympton, long well known for exactness in all that pertains
to the duties of his office, says, " In the year ending April 30,
1844, there was an unusual number of deaths in Plympton.
From statistical tables kept in the records of the town of Plymp-
ton, it appears that during thirty years, ending Dec. 31, 1841,
the yearly number of deaths in Plympton during said thirty
years, was I4g. Also that the ages of all the deceased persons
averaged 40 years, 10 months, 25 }J days." The town clerk of
FaXmotUh says, '* the above list [of 33 deaths] is complete and
correct. It is believed every death in the town has been re-
corded."

Two objects seem to be contemplated by the registration
law. One of these is to obtain a record of the Births, Marriages
and Deaths, with certain facts connected with them, in every
town and city ; and to have certified copies of this record em-
bracing the year next preceding May 1, to be annually sent to
the secretary's office ; the record and the copy to be accessible
to those who may have occasion to consult them. This object
has reference chiefly to individuals. '

The other object is to have the facts contained in these re-



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xni

cords, embodied in Buch a form as shall show tte general re-
sults to be deduced from the aggregate of these im][>6rtant facts
throughout the Commonwealth. This object has regard to
those who would take a general view of this important branch
of the statistics of a civilized community.

The law has assigned to town clerks and others respectively
within small limits, the duty of furnishing the materials, and
returning a copy of the same to the Secretary, and requires that
the Secretary shall receive the returns, and prepare therefroln
such tabular results as will render them of public utility, to be
reported to the Legislature. It is left to his discretion to deter-
mine the form best adapted to effect the purposes of the law.

In arranging Tables for the annual report, thoso classes
of facts have been selected which would seem to be most
interesting, and which could be most satisfactorily exhibited
in the present imperfect state of the returns. It was thought
better to have a few facts correctly presented in the tables
than to attempt a more extensive plan which must have been
executed more imperfectly. The particularity in the results
is not so great as is desirable in several points of view, but
is believed to be as great as, on the whole, can be attempted to
advantage in the present state of the registration system in
Massachusetts. The returns must be much more full, before
they will afford a sufficient basis for comparison with the re-
sults in older countries, where a system of registration has for a
long time been carried out to a great degree of minuteness and
exactness.

In preparing the tables, the law has been strictly observed by
including in them only those Births, Marriages and Deaths
which occurred within the respective towns and cities, reject-
ing those which occurred in other towns. It sometimes hap-
pened that they were not found in those towns where the re-
cord of another town represented them to have occurred ; in such
cases they were not included in the tables. The number would
have been considerably larger, had all been included which are
exhibited in the returns. One exception, or seeming excep-
tion was made to this rule, namely, of persons dying '^at sea,"
and where* there was presumed to be no municipal record of
c



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XTlll

Deaths and Burials. By followiDg this rule, it is presumed
that the number from without the limits of this Commonwealth,
subject to registration here, would not diflfer widely from that
of citizens of the Commonwealth, who would be subjects of
registration elsewhere.

The population of each town, according to the United States
census of 1840, has been inserted in the tables, for the purpose
of enabling the reader, at one view, to compare the number of
Births, Deaths and Marriages with the last enumeration of
the inhabitants, and to see the comparative fullness of the re-
turns of the several towns. In some of the towns there has
been a great increase of the population since 1840. while a ma-
jority of them have probably remained nearly stationary.

The greater fulness of the returns required by the law of last
winter, has occasioned a modification of the form of the Tables
which were appended to the first and second Reports. It is be-
lieved, however, that the reader will be able easily to compare
the results of the third with either of the previous years.

Table I relates to Births, and is divided into four parts. In
the Jirst part, under the heads of the respective counties, the
towns are arranged in three classes ; 1st, those whose returns
were considered sufSciently fair to be embodied in the recapit-
ulation by counties, in the second part ; 2d, those which have
made returns obviously imperfect, embodied with the preceding
in the third part j 3d, those which have made no returns.

The Jirst part of table I (pp. 1 — 18) exhibits against the
name of each town its population in 1840, (which it was thought
best to insert in this table, as also in tables II and III, so as to
enable the reader to compare, at one view, the number of births,
marriages and deaths with the number of inhabitants at that
time) ; the number of births or midwifery cases in which a living
child was bom ; the number of living children with the sex of
each; the plurality cases, or births in which more than one child
was born (of which at least one was bom alive) ; the still-bom ;
the number of children in each month ; and finally the number
of fathers whose occupation is stated, and not stated. This
latter entry is made to show the fulness of the returns in this
particular.



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XIX

The second part (p. 19) contains a recapitulation of two hun-
dred and sixty-three towns of the first class, whose returns are
fair. In these towns, containing a population of 537,319 in 1840,
there were 14,439 births, or 1 to 37.28, which is probably not
more than three-fourths of the true number. It is much less
than the proportion in many of the towns ; for example, Chel-
sea, Boxford, Brighton, Cambridge, Milford, North Brookfield,
Leyden, Rowe, Florida, Hinsdale, West Stockbridge, Quincy,
Halifax, &c. The average proportion of births to population
in England, for the four years from 1837 to 1841, was 1 to 32.
In the Prussian states, it is calculated that in the fifteen years
from 1820 to 1834, there was one child born to about 25 per-
sons living. We may presume that there is annually on an
average in Massachusetts, 1 child born to about 25 persons,
according to the census of 1840 ; on this supposition the num-
ber would have been 21,675 in these 263 towns, instead of
14,563, which is only two-thirds as many.

The third part (p. 20), in addition to those in the second
part, contains returns of 25 towns of the second class, and em-
braces two hundred and eighty-eight towns, with a population
of 593,876 in 1840. The remaining 22 towns, with a popula-
tion of 143,824, made no returns. The whole number of births
was 14,633, producing 14,767 children, or 1 birth in 40.46 in
these towns.

The whole number of living children bom in the 288 towns,
was 14,757, of whom 7,399 were males, 7042 females, and 316
whose sex is not stated. The proportion of the females to the
males was as 100 to 105.07, It is worthy of remark, how
closely this result, from returns which are imperfect, agrees
with the proportion of the sexes in other countries.

In the Prussian states, during the 15 years from 1820 to 1834,
there were born 7,693,017, of whom 3,906,544 were males, and
3,686,473 were females, or in the proportion of 100 females to
105.97 males. During this period, the excess of males was
never below 5| per cent., and was only once above 65 per cent,
per annum.

The number of still-born is only 27 on the returns of births.