Philip Goss IV and Mary left Granville and headed north to Becket, known as No. 4 at the time. Philip settled on Lot No. 56 northwest of Center Pond near Becket Center. We know he was there in Becket by 1758 because correction deeds found in Simsbury state that he was a resident of No. 4 in Massachusetts. I have shared these deeds in recent past posts on this blog.
Becket Athenaeum
At the time I was planning to visit Becket I did not have access to the catalog and so I was flying blind when I went there, relying on Paul H. Goss’s manuscripts and descriptions of his time there. http://www.becketathenaeum.org/
You apparently need a library card to use the catalog and get to the information. I suggest you call or email them about their historical collection which they had put upstairs due to water damage at that time. I was told access to that collection was only by appointment with the director of the library. None of this information is on their website so call them before you go.
Becket Athenaeum upstairs historical records
Becket is about 35 minutes from Pittsfield and I drove their on a pleasant day arriving at the Beckett Athenaeum a little impatiently. This library is in the North area of Becket. Here is a little of my visit from my 2011 trip.
I mentioned to the librarian that Paul H. Goss had visited years ago and he was my cousin. He knew about Cathaline Archer the author of several Becket histories and knew she was preparing them for publications. He also knew Cecilia Snow who had done an unofficial list of Becket births, deaths and other vitals records. The Librarian knew what I was talking about and said they had photocopied this vital record compilation because the original was really fragile. She pulled the copy for me to look at. It was very large and she laid it on a table. She found the entry for Ebenezer Goss’ birth.
Inside the Becket Library
The very large pamphlet like book was titled:
Genealogical Records of the Inhabitants Town of Becket.
Becket Genealogical records
Pamphlet with the Genealogical records of Becket, MA
Finding the entry for Ebenzer Goss’s birth: to Philip & Marah, Becket Sept. 8, 1760. He is about 5 lines up from the bottom of the page. It made it worth it to travel to Becket to see this.
Ebenezer Goss’s Birth in Becket, MA
There is a published vital record book for Becket here is the information:
Source: Vital Records of Becket, Massachusetts to the year 1850, Published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA, 1903, page 19 for Ebenezer Goss. This book is readily available in most large genealogical libraries and is also online at Internet Archive.
The Becket Athenaeum is a must stop. It is a lovely library and I enjoyed my short visit there. Combine this with the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield and you will probably find something of value in your searches.
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