By definition a Chattel Mortgage is a loan used to purchase an item of movable personal property. They include a description of goods and chattels, the terms of agreement between parties concerned, names of vendor and vendee, place, amount, list of goods or chattels, amount paid, conditions and agreement of mortgages, payments, and signatures of vendors. Some volumes include an index listing vendors and vendees alphabetically, along with the year and page number.

Chattel Mortgage books were often ‘catch-alls’, and used to record a lot of miscellaneous town records in addition to the Mortgages, such as dog licenses.

Volume 2 includes a registry of Dog Licenses issued in Southborough, 1849-1864 Volume 3 includes a registry of Dog Licenses issued in Southborough 1864-1874 Volume 4 includes a registry of Dog Licenses issued in Southborough 1883-1893

Dog licenses include the date and number of license, owner's name, and the dog's name along with its age, breed and color.

Volume 4 also includes Appointments of Railroad Police (1883), Assignments of Mortgages (1884), Notices of Women Doing Business in Their Own Names (1884-1890), an opinion of P. C. Bacon regarding the Town of Southborough and the Pilgrim Evangelical Society relative to lands and sheds (1884), Bills of Sale (1885)