Document · book

The history of Roxbury town

Ellis, Charles M. (Charles Mayo), 1818-1878, 1847. A public-domain text about Boston, accessioned whole so the archive can quote it.

Document

Type

book

Author

Ellis, Charles M. (Charles Mayo), 1818-1878

Publisher

Boston : Samuel G. Drake

Published, as stated

1847

Language

en

Media type

text/plain; charset=utf-8

Size

294431 bytes

Preservation

preserved

Digest (SHA-256)

536bc14b10a5261f2c00c22c4883cdbf7b26137b9b1a08cd22887eaa0ad3263f

Text

Extracted text, as held. Quoted without alteration.

^ ^ox--^' ► the; HISTORY O F EOXBURY TOWN. BY CHARLES M. SLLJS. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL G. DRAKE, 1847. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, By (/HARLES M. Ellis, 5n t2ie Gletk's OMce of "t^e IDistrict Court of Massachusetts. H. Mann, Printer, Dedham, Mass. PART I. THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE TOWN. NOTICE. Another volume will complete the history of the Town, down to the date of the City Charter. The object has been, in this, to give the Early History. But no distinct line of division can be drawn. Much matter has necessarily been reserved for the ap- pendix which will be added to the second part. The plan of the work has been, in order to secure for it the only merits such an one can ever have, accuracy and completeness. The materials that exist for gaining these ends are so much scattered, they are so often found where no one could have supposed they existed, that no diligence could ferret them out ; but they are glad- ly furnished when it is known that use can be made of them. Since the last pages of the manuscript were sent to press, I have to acknowledge the receipt of several valuable communica- tions. Any sach is a great favor. It is my hope that all who can procure me access to materials that will aid in completing or correcting the account of the Town, will do so, so that the ends of this work will be secured. C. M. ELLIS. January 8, 1848. filSTORY OF ROXBURY CHAPTER I. Introduction. — Sources of the History of the Town. The object of a town history is to gather up and record family, local, village details. Part are those of every day life. Part belong to general history, but are so minute or multitudinous as to escape its ^rasp. Yet all history is made up of these, and each, and the group of each town, may illustrate it, as the life of each man will give some insight into the spirit of his time. There is an interest attached to these accounts of small places, of the same sort as that which is ex- cited by the biography of an individual. We like to know the motives, reasons and method of a man's ac- tion, as every child wishes to see a watch opened. In general men care less for the result, however great, than for the petty moving causes in operation. And the idea that each man is a wheel in the great ma- chine, weighs more with men than they think. But, after all, the chief interest attached to these matters is of a very different sort, and, if this were the place, (^ HISTORY OF ROXBURY. [PaRT I. it might be shown to be somewhat rational and not altogether useless, apart from all historical specula- tion. We love to know the origin of those we spring from, what thej did, how they dressed, labored and worsliipped. Most men have local attachment so strong that it invests some spot, endeared by associa- tion, with controlling interest. The old ckurch, the old homestead, the old school, or something of the sort, bring back dear recollections to every man, and he will find pleasure in all that relates thereto. I have endeavored to collect here such facts as may gratify these natural feelings, and such as may illus- trate history, without pretending to assume its digni- ty, or be more than the incidents in the life of a little town. There is in the town, in the records and papers of the town, church and school, much new matter, though they are very meagre

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Identity

Identifier

urn:lemay:boston:document:the-history-of-roxbury-town

Canonical URL

https://boston.fyi/document/the-history-of-roxbury-town

As JSON

https://boston.fyi/document/the-history-of-roxbury-town.json

Version

1 · last changed 5 September 2026