Hello, The original residents of Charlestown aren't mentioned on the Lists too often. I was wondering if there was more information on my ancestor, George HUTCHINSON, who was a resident of Charlestown in 1638. I looked on-line yesterday, and found the "history of Charlestown" on-line. I haven't finished browsing the book, but I thought I would remind researchers of the information in this paragraph: 1614 to 1628. - Early Boundaries of the Town. - Discovery by Smith. - Visit of Plvmouth Settlers. - The Fishermen. - Grant to Robert Gorges. - His Colony. Charlestown is a peninsula, formed by the Mystic and Charles rivers and a small tract on the main land, with which it is con- nected by a narrow isthmus. So far as it regards territory, it is the smallest town in the State. But, originally, Charlestown was far more extensive. It included Maiden, Woburn, Stoneham, Burlington, and Somerville, a large part of Medford, and a small part of Cambridge, West Cambridge and Reading. Woburn, comprising Burlington, was incorporated in 1642 ; .... Maiden, in 1649 ; Stoneham, in 1725; Somerville, in 1842. In 1724 and 1725, a large tract called "North Charlestown," was set off, part to Maiden and part to Reading. In 1754, another tract, includinor several large farms, was set off to Medford, and now forms the eastern part of that town. A tract was set off to Cambridge in 1802, and to West Cambridge in 1S42. The only one of these towns whose history, to the present day, is connected with Charlestown, is Somerville. (My note: Remember that West Cambridge was the original name of Arlington, and South Woburn was the original name for Winchester, both getting renamed in 2nd half of 1800's. So, the histories of those towns would include Charlestown.) Another paragraph: In 1629, when Graves and Bright arrived here, a few settlers had located themselves in the neighborhood. Samuel Maverick, early noted for his hospitality, had a residence at Noddles Island. "William Blackstone, an Episcopal clergyman, lived at Shawmut, now Boston. At Mishawum, now Charlestown, Thomas Walford had built his "pallisadoed and thatched house." The precise date when these pioneers of civilization first pitched their tents, is not known. The following is the record of their first proceedings : - " The inhabitants yt : first settled in this place and brought it into the denomination of an English Towne was (were) in Anno 1628 (1629) as follows, viz: Ralph Sprague, Abra. Palmer, Richd. Sprague, Walter Pamer, Nicholas Stowers, John Stickline, Tho. Walford Smith ... On quick look, this report doesn't get up past 1635, so the people arriving in 1637-1640 are not mentioned. Betty (near Lowell, MA)

At 07:07 AM 2/28/2010, Betty wrote: >The original residents of Charlestown aren't mentioned on the Lists too >often. I was wondering if there was more information on my ancestor, >George HUTCHINSON, who was a resident of Charlestown in 1638. Betty - A useful guide to early settlers of the town is Ralph J. Crandall and Ralph J. Coffman, "From Emigrants to Rulers: The Charlestown Oligarchy In the Great Migration" (NEHGR, 131 (1977):3-27, 121-132, 207-213). The article consists primarily of a table of settlers, and George is found on p. 126. He is shown there as a Boston church member in 1630 and a freeman in 1634. A great more detail can be found in his sketch in Volume II of Robert Charles Anderson, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants To New England 1620-1633, "3 Vols. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995; CD-ROM, Orem, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2000). Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants; Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net