This is a well-written and colorful history of Cheshire, Massachusetts, from approximately 1767 through 1884. The town itself was incorporated March 14, 1793. Covering a period of tremendous growth, this work includes information on a variety of interesting topics including religious life, manufacturing, agriculture, and war. It also provides some biographical sketches of some of the more interesting townspeople. There is an entire chapter devoted to the Reverend John Leland. It provides a list of the names of pioneers who took up land in the "new" settlement, a petition by the inhabitants of Cheshire requesting the punishment of British prisoners (dated July 8, 1814), payroll of the soldiers of the Revolutionary War, a listing of soldiers who fought in the Civil War, and a section that identifies the town officers in decade blocks ranging from 1793 to 1884. There is an appendix, which acts as a chapter reference, and an original combined full-name plus subject index. Raynor and Petitclerc have broken the gender barrier typically present for female authors of this time, and, in so doing, have created a book that is not only a valuable and informative resource, but one which is also a pleasure to read.
Ellen M. Raynor and Emma L. Petitclerc
(1885, 2002), 2016, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, index, 220 pp.
ISBN: 9780788421051
101-R2105
