How

Indian Captivity Narratives

1 Comment / Native American, America, Featured, Military / / 7 minutes of reading

This collection contains entire narratives of Indian captivity; that is to say, we have provided the reader the originals without the slightest abridgement. Some of these captivities provide little in way of customs and manners, except to display examples of the clandestine warfare Native Americans used to accomplish their means. In almost every case, there was a tug of war going on between principle government powers, French, American, British, and Spanish, and these powers used the natural prowess of the Indians to assist them in causing warfare upon American and Canadian settlers. There were definitely thousands of captivities, likely tens of thousands, as the active period of these Indian captivity narratives covers 150 years. Unfortunately, few have ever been put under a pen by the original captive, and as such, we have little first-hand details on their captivity. These you will find here, are only those with which were written by the captive or narrated to another who could write for them; you shall find in a later collection, a database of known captives, by name, location, and dates, and a narrative about their captivity along with factual sources. But that is for another time.

Indian Captivity Narratives Read More »

Families of Ancient New Haven

Leave a Comment / Connecticut, Featured, Free Archives, Genealogy / 12 minutes of reading

The Families of Ancient New Haven compilation includes the families of the ancient town of New Haven, covering the present towns of New Haven, East Haven, North Haven, Hamden, Bethany, Woodbridge and West Haven. These families are brought down to the heads of families in the First Census (1790), and include the generation born about 1790 to 1800. Descendants in the male line who removed from this region are also given, if obtainable, to about 1800, unless they have been adequately set forth in published genealogies.

Families of Ancient New Haven Read More »

Ancestors of John Richardson Bronson of Attleboro, MA

Leave a Comment / Genealogy, Massachusetts / 12 minutes of reading

JOHN RICHARDSON BRONSON, M. D., who for over half a century was one of the best known practitioners of medicine in southern Massachusetts and part of Rhode Island, and who for upward of fifty years was a resident of Attleboro, was a native of Connecticut, born in the town of Middlebury, New Haven county, June 5, 1829, son of Garry and Maria (Richardson) Bronson.

The Bronson family was early planted in the New World. John Bronson (early of record as Brownson and Brunson) was early at Hartford. He is believed, though not certainly known, to have been one of the company who came in 1636 with Mr. Hooker, of whose church he was a member. He was a soldier in the Pequot battle of 1637. He is not named among the proprietors of Hartford in the land division of 1639; but is mentioned in the same year in the list of settlers, who by the “towne’s courtesie” had liberty “to fetch woods and keepe swine or cowes on the common.” His house lot was in the “soldiers’ field,” so called, in the north part of the old village of Hartford, on the “Neck Road” (supposed to have been given for service in the Pequot war), where he lived in 1640. He moved, about 1641 to Tunxis (Farmington) He was deputy from Farmington in May, 1651, and at several subsequent sessions, and the “constable of Farmington” in 1652. He was one of the seven pillars at the organization of the Farmington Church in 1652. His name is on the list of freemen of Farmington in 1669. He died Nov. 28, 1680.

Ancestors of John Richardson Bronson of Attleboro, MA Read More »

Richard Dexter Genealogy, 1642-1904

Leave a Comment / Free Archives, Genealogy, Massachusetts / 5 minutes of reading

Being a history of the descendants of Richard Dexter of Malden, Massachusetts, from the notes of John Haven Dexter and original researches. Richard Dexter, who was admitted an inhabitant of Boston (New England), Feb. 28, 1642, came from within ten miles of the town of Slane, Co. Meath, Ireland, and belonged to a branch of that family of Dexter who were descendants of Richard de Excester, the Lord Justice of Ireland. He, with his wife Bridget, and three or more children, fled to England from the great Irish Massacre of the Protestants which commenced Oct. 27, 1641. When Richard Dexter and family left England and by what vessel, we are unable to state, but he could not have remained there long, as we know he was living at Boston prior to Feb. 28, 1642.

Richard Dexter Genealogy, 1642-1904 Read More »

Vital records of Southborough, Massachusetts

Leave a Comment / Massachusetts, Free Archives, Vital Records / 6 minutes of reading

The list of vital records of Southborough, Massachusetts, comprised in this volume includes all which were entered in the Town Books during the period from the earliest date there found to the end of the year 1849. Some additions and corrections of names and dates have been made from the records of the First Church, these being indicated in each instance by proper reference. There are a total of 6,297 births, marriages, and deaths recorded. This book is free to read or download.

Vital records of Southborough, Massachusetts Read More »

Genealogy of John Howe of Sudbury and Marlborough, Massachusetts

1 Comment / Genealogy, Free Archives, Massachusetts / 12 minutes of reading

The compilation of this Howe Family Genealogy is due to the researches of Judge Daniel Wait Howe of Indianapolis, Indiana. Begun many years ago, the greater part of the work was done by him and under his supervision. It proved to be a stupendous task and involved much labor and expense. Originating in a desire to make a short record for his children, the work gradually expanded, taking in all known descendants of John How of Sudbury and Marlborough and later welcoming with equal care and research the other lines; and, in fact, all material relating to the name of Howe.

Genealogy of John Howe of Sudbury and Marlborough, Massachusetts Read More »

Narrative of the Captivity of Nehemiah How

Leave a Comment / Canada, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Military, New Hampshire, New York, South Carolina / 27 minutes of reading

A Narrative of the captivity of Nehemiah How, who was taken by the Indians at the Great Meadow Fort above Fort Dummer, where he was an inhabitant, October 11th, 1745. Giving an account of what he met with in his traveling to Canada, and while he was in prison there. Together with an account of Mr. How’s death at Canada. Exceedingly valuable for the many items of exact intelligence therein recorded, relative to so many of the present inhabitants of New England, through those friends who endured the hardships of captivity in the mountain deserts and the damps of loathsome prisons. Had the author lived to have returned, and published his narrative himself, he doubtless would have made it far more valuable, but he was cut off while a prisoner, by the prison fever, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, after a captivity of one year, seven months, and fifteen days. He died May 25th, 1747, in the hospital at Quebec, after a sickness of about ten days. He was a husband and father, and greatly beloved by all who knew him.

Narrative of the Captivity of Nehemiah How Read More »

Handbook of Historical Data Concerning Leicester, Massachusetts

2 Comments / Free Archives, Massachusetts / 31 minutes of reading

This post contains a brief outline of the history of the town of Leicester, Massachusetts. However, at the bottom of the page, it provides extensive additional free material on historical and genealogical research within Leicester Massachusetts. If you have ancestors in Leicester, do not miss this!

Handbook of Historical Data Concerning Leicester, Massachusetts Read More »

Pin It on Pinterest

Scroll to Top