Name/Title
Taunton Proprietor's RecordsEntry/Object ID
MSS-05-001_Rec. Group 1Scope and Content
This collection is comprised of documents dating from 1640 through the early 1900s. These documents include, but are not limited to: tax records, land purchases, correspondence, town, church and government records.Context
Original Settlement of what would become Taunton began with the Cohannet Purchase in 1638/39. The first Purchasers and their shares appear in the Proprietor’s Records, and their names include Huxley, Williams, Wilson, Coy, Hall, Bryant, Slocum, Dean, Streete, Hoar, among others. The Records also include the names of “12 Shilling Men,” who paid into a Common Fund for the right to share in future land divisions. These names include Tisdale, Walker, Leonard, Lincoln, Thrasher and Babbitt. Earliest Industries include the first Gristmill, operated by Thomas Lincoln. A Sawmill on the Mill River was built in 1659 and operated by John Macomber and Henry Andrews. Equally important were the Herring/Alewives, and Millers were not allowed to restrict their passage in any way up the River.
Industrial advancement took shape in 1652 with the discovery of large deposits of bog iron along the Two Mile River. James and Henry Leonard set up a Bloomery on the Two Mile River, with additional Bloomeries created over ensuing years. The Leonard family flourished in Taunton, and John Adams referred to Taunton as “The Land of the Leonards.”
The center of life was the Meetinghouse, first constructed in 1647. Town Meetings, a basic element of Puritan life, were held at the Meetinghouse. The earliest Roster of Selectmen dates to 1645/46 and includes prominent citizens Henry Andrews, George Hall, Edward Case, William Parker, John Strong, Richard Williams, and Walter Dean.Archive Details
Archive Size/Extent
This series contains 3 Volumes:
Volume 1 - 132 total Documents
Volume 2 - 229 total Documents
Volume 3 - 117 total Documents
