Hi- Can anyone tell me of a text which tells of the early families of Swansea, Rehoboth and nearby communities (some of which I'm guessing are now in RI)? I have just learned of my Humphrey family living in this region as far back as the late 1600s. Similarly, I have not been able to find the cemetery containing my Humphrey family and I would be happy to just find my Samuel Humphreys. One was the father who married Elizabeth Smith Bosworth in Swansea 1820 and they had a son named Samuel born ca. 1821. Help with either would be appreciated. Thank you, Scott

At 12:59 AM 9/26/2006, Scott Humphrey wrote: >Can anyone tell me of a text which tells of the early families of >Swansea, Rehoboth and nearby communities (some of which I'm guessing are >now in RI)? Since Swansea was formed from Rehoboth the best starting point is probably Richard LeBaron Bowen, "Early Rehoboth Families and Events" (NEHGR, 98 [1944]:163-177, 234-248, 317-330; 99 [1945]:93-109, 227-242). The magazine series was expanded and published as Richard LeBaron Bowen, "Early Rehoboth: Documented Historical Studies of Families and Events in this Plymouth Colony Township," 4 Vols. (Concord, MA: The Rumford Press, 1945-1950). There is also Otis O. Wright, "History of Swansea, Massachusetts, 1667-1917" (Swansea, MA: Published by the Town, 1917), but I have not seen that work and do not know how much genealogical information it contains. I checked Frederick Humphreys, "The Humphreys Family in America" (New York: Humphreys Print, 1883) but found no help there. Dale H. Cook; Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants; Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project http://members.cox.net/plymouthcolony/index.shtml

Dear Scott, In addition to the books that Dale recommended, there is a small book (about 150 pages) by John Raymond Hall, *In A Place Called Swansea*. This book has several lists which give the names of the first settlers and a survey of the 1675 families including their ranks. Swansea was one of the few, or maybe the only town which gave the male inhabitants "ranks" which were used for land distribution. There were three ranks, the first rank of nine being the minister and eight of the most prominent men of the town. According to Hall, the second rank was the "sturdy, energetic, and skilled practitioners who make up the productive infrastructure of a community." The third rank was "the young marrieds, with an emphasis on sons, younger brothers, cousins, and in-laws of those in the higher ranks." I don't really know if you can find a copy of this book; I borrowed it from the NEHGS circulating library years ago and copied what I thought were the pertinent pages, but alas, the circulating library no longer exists. Best wishes, Karen -----Original Message----- From: mabristo-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:mabristo-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of scott humphrey Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 1:00 AM To: MABRISTO@rootsweb.com Subject: [MABRISTO] Books on early Swansea, Rehoboth, etc Hi- Can anyone tell me of a text which tells of the early families of Swansea, Rehoboth and nearby communities (some of which I'm guessing are now in RI)? I have just learned of my Humphrey family living in this region as far back as the late 1600s. Similarly, I have not been able to find the cemetery containing my Humphrey family and I would be happy to just find my Samuel Humphreys. One was the father who married Elizabeth Smith Bosworth in Swansea 1820 and they had a son named Samuel born ca. 1821. Help with either would be appreciated. Thank you, Scott ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MABRISTO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message