Jim, If you have the time, and are within reasonable driving distance, Attleboro City Hall and Rehoboth Town Hall provide access to original town records--selectmen's and town meeting. They provide a wealth of information. They weren't necessarily written in chronological order. I think that the town clerk, at first, attempted to put meeting notes concerning the same issue together, but that didn't last. As space became a premium, and the books were evidently expensive and hard-to-come-by, it appears that any empty page was utilized. Still, the records provide a fascinating glimpse into the colonial past. For example, there is an on-going dispute with an early minister, I believe his name was Sweet (but don't hold me to it). He wants a higher salary, a meeting house and a dwelling. He threatens to leave if he doesn't get it. They talk about what the town can provide, but he doesn't get what he wants. He leaves and they search for, and then hire a new one. Charlotte

Unfortunately, it's a little over 2000 miles to drive, so I don't often make the trip to Bristol County. I have visited the area and loved it and people were very friendly and helpful. After being there a while, I even picked up a bit of their language <grin>. Regarding the original town records of Rehoboth: apparently the town didn't have a book in which the town clerks kept records for the first few decades. My paternal ancestor, Richard Bullock, was one of the early town clerks (following William Carpenter and Peter Hunt), so I employed the NEHGS research staff to try to get samples of his hand writing. What they found was a transcription of the original records (probably kept on loose sheets of paper) into the town book made sometime later. It's possible that the town hall has those original records that were copied into the town's book, but they aren't available on microfilm. What I use for researching the early Rehoboth town records is Richard Bowen's "Early Rehoboth" (1945). There were also proprietors' records which were often intermingled with the town records. Bowen also included tax records which can be used as unofficial census records for the property owners. I also have "The History of Rehoboth" (1836) by Leonard Bliss, Jr., but Bowen is more recent and more accurate. Two of the books I have on Swansea are "History of Swansea" (1917) by Otis Olney Wright and "Sowams" (1908) by Thomas W. Bicknell. These are in addition to the towns' vital records that I have. Melissa mentioned the change of the RI-MA boundaries. It's true that what was the original Rehoboth settlement is now Rumford (part of East Providence), RI. The Newman Congregational Church and the early Rehoboth cemeteries are there and not in MA. Likewise, the Little Neck Cemetery used by early Swansea settlers is in Riverside (also part of East Providence). That's where Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, Thomas Willet, many of the family of John Brown, and other early Swansea residents are buried. Jim Bullock Littleton, Colorado -----Original Message----- From: Charlotte Scozzafava [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, December 21, 2002 6:12 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [MABRISTO] Western Bristol County Jim, If you have the time, and are within reasonable driving distance, Attleboro City Hall and Rehoboth Town Hall provide access to original town records--selectmen's and town meeting. They provide a wealth of information. They weren't necessarily written in chronological order. I think that the town clerk, at first, attempted to put meeting notes concerning the same issue together, but that didn't last. As space became a premium, and the books were evidently expensive and hard-to-come-by, it appears that any empty page was utilized. Still, the records provide a fascinating glimpse into the colonial past. For example, there is an on-going dispute with an early minister, I believe his name was Sweet (but don't hold me to it). He wants a higher salary, a meeting house and a dwelling. He threatens to leave if he doesn't get it. They talk about what the town can provide, but he doesn't get what he wants. He leaves and they search for, and then hire a new one. Charlotte ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237