Morning All, I had found this on AOL, a few moons ago. :) Thought all with Mendon ancestry might be interested in a little history of Mendon. Alice MENDON: Incorporated on May 15, 1667, Mendon is the oldest town in Worcester county except Lancaster. Mendon was originally settled by people from Weymouth and Braintree in Norfolk county. The following men all had land allotted to them before their removal to the town: George Aldrich, Josiah Chapin, John Gurney Nathanial Hareman, John Hasber, Daniel Lovett, John Moore, Joseph Penniman, Alexander Plumley, Matthias Puffer, John Scammell, Ferdinando Thayer and John Woodland of Braintree; and Goodman Bolter, Sen., Thomas Bolter, Walter Cook, William Holbrook, Goodman King, Samuel Pratt, Goodman John Raynes, Sen., Abraham Staples, Goodman Thomson and Joseph White of Weymouth. (******* note) not all of the above came) At a general court held in Boston, October 16, 1660, "in further answer to said Brantry petition, the court declare that they judge meete and proper to grant a plantation of eight miles square, and that the persons named have liberty to enter upon and make a beginning thereat." This tract of eight miles square was afterwards purchased of the Indians for the sum of "twenty-fower pounds sterling," as set forth in a deed given by "Anawassanauk, alis John, Quashaamait, alis William of Blewe hills, great John, Namsconont alis Peter, and Upannbohqueen, alis Jacob of Natick," to Moses Payn and Peter Brackett, "both of Brantre," the deed bearing the date of April 22, 1662 and witnessed by John Elliot, Sen., John Elliot, Jr., and Daniel Weld, Sen. At the time of the above grant the court also ordered "that Major Humphrey Atherton, Lieut. Roger Clap, Eliazur Lusher and Deacon Parke, or any three of them, shall be and are hereby impowered to make a valid act there." These men were "the committee for Nipmug," which seems was the original name of the town. On October 30, 1663, this committee ordered that all those persons who had been accepted to allotments of land in the plantation should remove there with their families by the middle of November, 1664 "upon penaltie of forteituer of all their grants there." At a general court held at Boston, May 15, 1667, the plantation of Nipmug, which was now called Quinshepauge, was incorporated by the name of Mendon, and attached to the county of Middlesex, May 12, 1670. Moses Payn and Peter Brackett, the original grantees, assigned all their right, title and interest in the territory to the selectmen of Mendon. The first meeting house was "set on the highest side or part of the land, which is a highway, neere to Joseph White's san pitt, in his house lott," but it is uncertain where Mr. White's sand pit and thus the first meeting house actually were located. There was no magistrate among the first settlers, as on January 1, 1669, "the town men chose the colonell to be returned to the general courte to gain power to take the virdict of ye jury upon ye death of John Lovett - to marry - and to give the present constable his oath." These powers were conferred upon Colonel Crowne at the general court held May 19, 1669 in Boston. Joseph Emerson was the first minister and began his ministry December 1, 1669. He was the son-in-law of Concord's minister, Rev. Mr. Bunkly. He left Mendon when the town was destroyed during King Philip's War in 1675 and never returned. One inhabitant, Richard Post, was killed at the outset of the war and became the first man killed in King Philip's War within the bounds of the Massachusetts colony. When the surviving inhabitants returned to Mendon after the war about 1680, they elected Samuel Read as first "clark of the scrits," rebuilt the meeting house, and asked Mr. Grindal Hanson to become their new minister. In 1726, a great sickness ran through town. "Sept. 16, 1726. In consideration of the great sickness which is now in the town, it passed by a clere vote to lett swine run at large the remainder of the year, being yoked and ringed as the law directs." It is possible that this sickness was dysentery and many died of it. Mendon parted with portions of its territory upon the incorporation of every town along its borders including the towns of Bellingham, Milford, Upton, Northbridge and Uxbridge. Ancestry's Redbook: American State, County & Town Sources, Revised Edition; edited by Alice Eichholz, Ph.D., C.G; Ancestry; Salt Lake City, UT, 1992 Historical Collections, Being a General Collection of Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, &c., relating to the History and Antiquities of Every Town in Massachusetts with Geographic Descriptions; John Warner Barber, published by Warren Lazell, Worcester, MA, 1844 thma098 February, 1999 [email protected] - Message From Massachusetts

Hi Alice Are we allowed to put this in our notes and our files that we put online. Thanks Peggy > Morning All, > I had found this on AOL, a few moons ago. :) Thought all with Mendon > ancestry might be interested in a little history of Mendon. > Alice > > MENDON: > Incorporated on May 15, 1667, Mendon is the oldest town in Worcester county