BRISTOL COUNTY

ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET with COLORED MAP

The early days of Bristol County, MA, and its various towns and townships, are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this NEW 63 Page Booklet, reprinted primarily from two hard-to-find books: the 1839 edition of Historical Collections of Massachusetts by John Warner Barber, and Massachusetts, a Guide to its Places and People, a WPA project. The spiral-bound booklet, sold exclusively on eBay, is printed one-sided on 60# paper, with the print enlarged for easier reading. A sheet of clear vinyl has been added to protect the front cover.

INSERTED IN THE BOOKLET is a color copy of the 1939 Map of Massachusetts.  Originally published by Dorr.Howland & Co. to accompanied the Barber book, the reprint is on a parchment-like paper to simulate the original and can easily be removed for framing, if desired.

The communities mentioned include: Acushnet, Attleboro (Attleborough), Berkley, Central Village, Dartmouth, Dighton, East Freetown, Easton, Easton Center, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, Mansfield, New Bedford, North Easton, Norton, Padanaram, Pawtucket, Prattville, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansey, Taunton, and Westport.

The Barber history covers the development of this area until about 1839, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic glimpse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes, especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities.

The many and diverse topics in the booklet include: Early Settlers of Attleborough, Rehoboth and Taunton; Example of Puritan Justice; Early Industries; Early Churches; Rev. Naphtali Daggett, patriot and president of Yale; Tombstone Inscriptions, including one of a slave; King Philip, his War and his Chair; Indian Encounters; Strange Inscriptions on Dighton Rock; Revolutionary War Incidents; Mystery of Old Warrier's Bones; Liquor Laws; Striped Pig Exhibit; First Forge in America; Poet Robert Treat Paine; the Haunted Hut of Capt. Kidd's Mistress; Gen. Cobb and Shay's Rebellion; Wheaton College; Witches in Norton; the Religious Claims of Jemima Wilkinson; and Capt. Paul Cuffee, wealthy son of a freed Negro slave, who refused to pay taxes unless granted his civil rights; 1940 tour maps for New Bedford andand other interesting bits of history and trivia.

The booklet has no index, but surnames mentioned in the 1839 section include:
ALLEN; ANDREWS; ABELL; AMIDOWNE; ALIN; ALBY; BARNEY; BENNETT; BUCKLAND; BULLUCKE; BROWN; BISHOP; BRYANT; BROWNE; BROOKES; BUTTERWORTH; BLISS; BLOSS; BOWEN; BORDEN; BURT; BLACKSTONE; CARPENTER; CLARK; COOPER;CARRIQUE; CHEEVER; CHEESBOROUGH; COY; CORWITHY; COOKE; CASE; CROSSMAN; CONANT; DOGGETT; DEAN; DOTY; DURFEE; DUFFINGTON; DUNN; DOUGHTY; DRAKE; EARL; ESTABROOKE; EELS; FITCH; FULLER; FEARING; FOBES; FARWELL; GRANT; GILLSON; GROVER; GILBERT; GENGILLE; HUNT; HALL; HOLMES; HUMPHREY; HOPKINS; HARVEY; HOAR; HATCH; HAILSTONE; HOLLOWAY; HOBELL; HOOKE; INGRAHAM; IDE; JOANS; KENDRICKE; KINGSLEY; KILHAM; LEONARD; LUTHER; LOVELL; LEWIS; LOUDEN; LANE; MASON; MARTIN; MYLES; MILES; MANN; MATTHEWES; MAXCY; MACY; McKINSTRY; MILLER; NELSON; NEWMAN; ORMSBY; PAINE; PERRY; PECKE; PECK; PERRIN; PALMER; PENFIELD; PIERCE; PEREN; PAYNE; POOL; PAULL; PHILLIPS; PARKER; ROGERSON; REDEWAY; READWAYS; READE; ROBENSON; REED; ROTCH; RUSSELL; RHOADES; RICHMOND; RANDALL; ROSSITER; SMITH; SABEN; STEPHENS; SAVAGE; STEVENSON; SHORT; SEAMANS; SKINNER; SALE; SHEPHERD; SABIN; STRONG; SCADDING; SLOCUM; STREET; TITUS; TANNER; THATCHER; THURBER; TORREY; TURNER; UXLEY; WALKER; WINCHESTER; WHEATON; WHITTAKER; WILLIAMS; WOODCOCK; WELD; WILDER; WHITE; WELLMAN; WRIGHT; WILLETT; WILLMOT; WEST; WITHERELL; WALES; WILLET; WINSLOW; and WILSON.

Famous and not-so-famous names mentioned in the 1940 section include:
CLEMENT NYE SWIFT, CLIFFORD ASHLEY & WILLIAM BRADFORD (artists), HENRY H. ROGERS, OBADIAH HOLMES, JOSIAH KEITH, DAVID PERRY, THOMAS BORDON, GEORGE CLAGHORN, JOSEPH ROTCH, W. A. STURDY; JONATHAN BOURNE, JUDGE LABAN WHEATON, MARY LYON, ELIZABETH POOLE, AND JOHN CROSSMAN.

ILLUSTRATIONS include Attleborough, Dighton Rock, Fairhaven, Fall River, Ancient Soldier's Skeleton, New Bedford (full page), Pawtucket, Leonard House in Raynham, Annawon's Rock in Reboboth, Taunton (full page), and Monument of Miss Pool. Most are about 1/3 page in size.