Sorry, I just remembered that the first paragraph of the "History of Billerica" offers a good description of the early days: "The Pilgrims came to Plymouth in the year 1620. Dover and Portsmouth were occupied in 1623. Then five years passed, and Endecott, with the first Puritan company, arrived at Naumkeak and laid the foundations of Salem. In 1629, the charter of Massachusetts was granted by King Charles, and other settlers occupied Weymouth, Mishawum (or Charlestown), and Saugust (or Lynn). The arrivals in 1630 were more numerous, fourteen "sail" and fifteen hundred passengers, with Winthrop and Dudley among them. Some of the Charlestown people moved across the Charles river to Shawmut, or Trimountain, where, for some years, a solitary Episcopal clergyman named Blackstone had been living a hermit life, and thus Boston was born. Mattapan (or Dorchester), Roxbury, Watertown and Meadford were occupied the same year. Connecticut was chartered in 1631, and Newtown was occupied with the intention of fortifying and making it the chief town of the Colony. Governor Winthrop and Assistant-Governor Dudley began to build there, but Winthrop and some others becoming dissatisfied or convinced that it was an error to leave Boston, returned, and the early rivalry between Cambridge and Boston resulted in favor of the latter town. The year 1633 was memorable for the coming of John Cotton, the eminent divine and friend of Cromwell, who brought the name of his own English Boston, and gave it new fame by supplanting the Indian name, Shawmut. Thomas Hooker and his company also arrived that year and settled in Newtown; but after three years, finding that they had not room enough, removed to Hartford. Agawam (or Ipswich) and Hingham were also settled. With 1635 Newbury was occupied, and the first plantations were made inland. ......" Just noticed that there is disagreement .. whether 1630 or 1631 is when "Newtowne" (Cambridge) was first settled. Here is a web page I just came across which state it was first mentioned in records in 1631: http://web.mit.edu/21w785/F96/cambridge/history.html And here is another web page which describes the histories of the Public Libraries in Cambridge and Boston: http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/%7ECPL/about/welcome.html Betty (near Lowell, MA) "There are two lasting bequests we can give our children; one is roots, the other is wings." Hodding Carter, Jr.