-PREFACE- by Bradford Kingman 1866 The present volume is submitted
to the approval and criticism of the public, after many years of
laborious toil and research, with the desire that it may add
something to preceding history. It was not undertaken for want of
other employment, or for pecuniary profit, but has been a severe
tax upon the author's time, as well as purse. The work was
commenced about twelve years since, without any reference to its
publication, but merely for the gratification of a natural
curiosity which must arise in the mind of any one who extends his
thoughts beyond the people and scenes immediately around him. None
but those who have prepared a work of this kind can have any idea
of the amount of labor and time required in its execution. The
author has devoted nearly all of his leisure time during the past
eight years in examining the records of the town, as well as of the
adjoining towns, also the Parish, Probate, and State records, and
the ponderous volumes in the State Archives, beside the Registry of
Deeds in several counties, muster rolls at the State House, to say
nothing of the large number of town, church, and family histories*
that have been published, public addresses, sermons, orations,
documents, plans, maps, etc. Many an hour has been spent in
deciphering the almost unintelligible records of early times. Days
and even weeks have been devoted to a careful examination of files
of newspapers or other publications, also in copying inscriptions
on gravestones and monuments. The matter here embodied consists of
a mass of facts, items, and figures, many of them gathered from a
correspondence of upwards of twelve hundred letters, as well as by
a personal consultation with the people of the town. During the
winter of 1860, while the author was engaged in copying and
examining the early records at the State House, Hon. Edward
Southworth, Jr., then a member of the House of Representatives,
from North Bridgewater, first suggested the propriety of publishing
the items which had been collected. After much reflection, and
consultation with several of the leading people of the town,
sufficient encouragement was offered by those interested in such
work, and it was commenced. It was originally intended to publish a
work of three hundred pages, but that was soon found to be too
small to attain anything like completeness, and it has been
increasing in size till it has reached upwards of seven hundred
pages. The only historical work ever published in the town was that
of Moses Cary, issued in 1824, which was an account of some of the
early families. The next work was that of Hon. Nahuni Mitchell, of
East Bridgewater, which included the early families in the town of
North Bridgewater, and was published in 1840. These works, which
contained but little beside genealogical accounts of families, have
been a great assistance to the author in arranging the early
families in the town, and to them he is indebted for many early
items. ... In closing, the author has only to add, that, should
this work meet the expectations of the citizens of the town,
increase their interest and attachment for things that are past,
bring to mind those who have gone before them, and serve to keep
alive the interest in historical and genealogical matters, then he
will feel that his time and the expense incurred has not been spent
in vain.
General
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