The History of Medfield, Massachusetts written by William Tilden in 1887 is a complete history of the town up to publishment. It is arranged chronologically, beginning with the lands of Chickatabot and the early settlement known as Boggestow, and continuing through colonial life, King Philip’s War, the Revolution, and the town’s nineteenth-century development.
Following the suggestions of the Massachusetts Historical Society, church records are presented in detail for the early period when town and parish were one, while later denominational divisions are only briefly noted.
The genealogical section traces families residing in Medfield from 1650 to 1850, with attention to removals and corrections to earlier published errors, relying heavily on original town and probate records. Biographical sketches are deliberately concise, limited to verifiable facts. The work also includes illustrations, portraits, and statistical data, supported through the efforts of Medfield citizens and produced with careful attention to accuracy and typography.
History of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650–1886
This PDF is free to read and download.
Table of Contents
- Introductory, 17
- The Lands of Chickatabot, 21
- The Place commonly called Boggestow, 24
- Glimpses of Colonial Life, 1630-1650, 28
- The Settlement of Medfield, 34
- The Years before King Philip's War, 51
- King Philip's War, and Burning of Medfield, 79
- Rebuilding and Progress, 1677-1699, 93
- Annals of the Town during the Transition Period, 1700-1764, 110
- Medfield in Revolutionary Times 150
- Closing Annals of the Eighteenth Century, 181
- Medfield in the Nineteenth Century, 199
- Town Statistics, 1885-1886, 267
- List of Streams, Bridges, and Localities, 274
- Genealogies, 279
Surnames of Genealogies
Adams, Albee, Allen, Armsby, Babcock, Bailey, Baker, Balch, Barber, Barney, Baxter, Bishop, Bosworth, Bowers, Boyden, Brastow, Breck, Brett, Bruce, Bullard, Bullen, Chenery, Cheney, Clark, Cleaveland, Clifford, Cole, Cooledge, Curtis, Cushman, Cutler, Daniel, Danielson, Derby, Dunton, Dwight, Ellis, Evans, Everett, Fairbanks, Fisher, Fisk, Fiske, Frairy, Fuller, Fussell, Gair, Gammell, Gerauld, Gilmore, Glover, Grant, Grout, Grubb, Hamant, Harding, Harmstad, Hartshorn, Hewins, Hews, Hill, Hinsdale, Hoisington, Hooker, Hutson, Janes, Johnson, Kingsbury, Lane, Lawrence, Lovell, Lowthain, Mann, Marshall, Mason, Metcalf, Moquet, Morse, Newell, Noyes, Onion, Ord, Parker, Partridge, Penniman, Perry, Peters, Plimpton, Pratt, Prentiss, Richards, Richardson, Roberts, Rockwood, Rowe, Ruggles, Russell, Sabin, Salisbury, Sanders, Seaver, Sewall, Sheppard, Shumway, Smith, Stearns, Stedman, Sutcliffe, Thayer, Thebault, Thurston, Tilden, Townsend, Turner, Wallace, Ware, Warfield, Warren, Wheeler, Wheelock, Whiting, Wight, Wilson, and Woods.
Source
Tilden, William S., History of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650–1886, Boston : Geo. H. Ellis, 1887.