Thanks a bunch Glider. That does clear things up amazingly. Leslie Quist Gilder337@aol.com wrote: > Hi, In recording dates from various sources, except for Vital Records, that > lists a birth, death or marriage date using the word "Abt" can mean anything > from 1 to 5 or more years either way, so I usually use the Abt. date with a > grain of salt because I find other genealogists will have two, three or more > dates for that person than my Abt. date. This is true especially with the > very early dates as even church and/or Bible dates can be off. However, I > have these notes taken from the Roxbury church which i have used, pertaining > to William (1) Chase: In Roxbury he became a member of the first church. The > record of Rev. John Eliot, the Indian Apostle, pastor of this church, has > this entry. "William Chase,he came with the first company, bringing with him > his wife, Mary, and his son William". William applied for freemanship > October 19, 1630 and was admitted May 14, 1634. He was a town officer of > Roxbury and served against the Narragansetts in 1645. > > So it seems that his arrival in America was several years prior to 1630 , > rather than "Abt". > > Yarmouth, MA was divided into other small towns i.e. Harwich and Dennis. > Each of whom were identified by areas called West Harwich or West Dennis. In > 1676 the house of the town clerk was destroyed by fire, leaving an absence of > 37 years of its existence asa town. Hope this helps to set things straight. >