This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/4EB.2ACE/1047.1 Message Board Post: Pamela, My knowledge of Cary's in Franklin County is restricted to the eastern part of the county, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised to hear of Cary's in Colrain (previously spelled Colraine). I grew up in the area, and continue to conduct research in the area. Colrain is in western Franklin County, tucked up against the Vermont border. Colrain is in the Green and North River valleys. As in much of New England, Carpenter is a common name around the area. My family, Fish, is connected to the Carpenters from Guilford. If memory serves me correctly, the Carpenters were a founding family in Guilford, which would place them in the area between 1740 and 1780. (Colrain was also settled around 1740.) Your Carpenter ancestor likely has a connection to this family, either direct or indirect. Benjamin Carpenter was Lieutenant Governor of the Republic of Vermont (pre-statehood) from 1779-1781. There is a hill in the Hinesburg area of Guilford called Carpenter Hill, which has a cemetery near the top of the hill. (If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a journey to this cemetery, even if your Carpenter is not connected!) The house is located at the top of the hill. Geography is always key to research in this area. Often a topographical map is your best friend (a DeLorme's Gazetteer is very helpful), as the farms and roads (and village and cemetery locations) are often determined by topography. The census and cemetery records available might reference the wrong town or state, as many of the families in the area married folks over the border, had family there, held land commonly in both states, or all of the above. Therefore, any research of cemeteries, etc., should be sure to include Windham County, VT (especially Halifax, VT and Guilford, VT) and the towns of Heath and Leyden, MA. Additionally, check records for Buckland and Shelburne, MA (down the North River from Colrain to the Deerfield River, they comprise Shelburne Falls) and Greenfield, MA and Brattleboro, VT (county seats and the largest towns in the area). If you are in the area, the Brooks Library in Brattleboro has an excellent special collection that you might be able to view. The Arms Library in Shelburne Falls might also have some good reference material. Colrain, Guilford and Halifax all have active historical societies. These challenges are balanced by the diligence of record-keeping or reconstruction over Colrain's history. The birth, marriage and death indicies put together by Katherine Holton Cram and Oscar Frank Stetson are an excellent resource, and Lois McClellan Patrif has also done some excellent research on the founding families of Colrain. These indicies are available, along with a cemetery index at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society website (http://www.nehgs.org). You will need to be a member to access the items online, but they are a terrific organization with a great collection and support services. Here are some other points that are helpful when conducting research in the area: Some family farms had private cemeteries, so that a public or church cemetery might not be your ancestor's burial spot (the Amidon farm cemetery and the Fish/Packer family cemetery on the Colrain/Guilford line are examples). As land has been subdivided and may have grown over, it can be hard to find a family cemetery. Persons were sometimes, as my father would say, "buried where found". I am not aware of the origins or significance of this practice, but my father recounted a couple of occasions where it was used in the event of suicide or murder, where some religious or social stigma might be attached to the person's death that made burial in the family plot or churchyard undesirable. These are examples where knowing the location of a family farm or which area of Colrain (Wilson Hill, Christian Hill, Adamsville, Griswoldville, Shattuckville, Lyonsville, Elm Grove, East Colrain), or an adjacent town might aid your search. Also, the availability of a local resource can really help. I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your search!