The History of Bridgewater, Massachusetts - Nahum Mitchell. This is a facsimile reprint of the author's 1840 "History of Bridgewater, in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, including an extensive Family Register." Bridgewater was the first interior settlement in Old Plymouth Colony, and as such has great historical and genealogical interest. The first 84 pages of this fascinating volume recount the early history and settlement of the town. Some topics receiving attention include land divisions, ecclesiastical affairs, wars and various physical features; the information ranges in date from the initial land grant to the early years of the 19th century. The initial grant was made to Duxbury in 1645, and settlement began soon after 1650. There were 56 original grantees; each of these has been named and other than William Bradford (son of the Governor), all were from Duxbury. Eighteen members of this original group became permanent settlers. In 1656 Duxbury New Plantation, as it was then called, was incorporated as a separate town with its present name, Bridgewater. The bulk of the book is comprised by its "Family Register," more than 300 pages of genealogical material on the settlers and their descendants down to about 1800. Entries are arranged alphabetically by surname. Information commonly found within entries is data on marriages, often including maiden names, and names and birth dates of children. Also included may be death dates, details on families and occupations, and names of towns from which individuals located to Bridgewater from, and where, if applicable, they emigrated to. About 270 pages are allocated to town residents, which are supplemented by about 35 pages of genealogies of non-resident families with strong ties to the town. If the original edition of this fine history had one significant deficiency, it was the complete lack of an index. Heritage Books, Inc. has remedied that flaw in this edition, by the addition of a complete everyname index. (1840, 1983, 1997), 2009, 5½x8½, paper, new index, 456 pp.
ISBN: 9780917890369
101-M9036
