Hello, In Janice's recent posting - coming from the "History of Chelmsford," was something which, to me, sounds confusing ! Today, Pawtucketville is a part of Lowell which is on the northern shore of the Merrimack River, and is bordered on the north by the Town of Dracut ! However, a small part of Lowell on the southern shore of the River might also be considered Pawtucketville ! But, before 1820, "East Chelmsford" was that area south of the Merrimack River and west of the Concord River, sort of bordered on the west by "the old Middlesex Canal." And, technically, I believe, it was "East Chelmsford" which became the Town of Lowell in the 1820's ! So, I can now see why my trying to learn more about .. which land in Chelmsford became the Town of Lowell - - is hindered by terms I'm confused about. I can remember a few years ago when a HILDRETH researcher told me about a reference to my ancestor, John KIDDER, buying an additional lot of land "near the Pawtucket Falls" .. "for a few bushel of corn" !! But, he had already been one of the 50 purchasers of TYNG land .. "on the western shore of the Concord River where it intersects with the Merrimack River ! The former TYNG (HINCHMAN) land would have been what we now call "South Lowell." Slightly northwest of there is "the Downtown Lowell" area, in today's terms, and then the (now) Pawtucketville area would have been on the other side of the Merrimack from there ! (But, "Downtown Lowell" and "South Lowell" might have both been included in "East Chelmsford" in the 1700's !) Is it possible that in the 1600's (or around 1700), what we now know as "Downtown Lowell" was included in "Pawtucketville," and thus John KIDDER might have lived in the area we now know as "Downtown" rather than in what we now know as "South Lowell?" During the winter I borrowed a book from the Library, "the Illustrated History of Lowell .......," and I copied a few pages from it. I'm going to have to read those pages .. with that word, "Pawtucketville," having new meaning ! See below for part of Janice's posting. Betty (near Lowell, MA) P.S. I believe I read that the Town of Dracut was originally part of Chelmsford. So, again, in the 1600's, Chelmsford would have bordered on NH ! (A reminder of something I mentioned earlier in the week ! A children's book on the history of NH shows only a few towns in NH in 1660 ! There were 4 along the coastline, Concord along the Merrimack River and Charlestown along the Connecticut River ! So, when Chelmsford was incorporated in 1655, there were no NH towns near it !) P.S. I just remembered another question ! If you note below, in 1820, when some citizens of "East Chelmsford" were "set off .. to the Pawtucketville Society," the KIDDER name is not mentioned ! John KIDDER (1655-1731) had been dead around 90 years, and possibly his sons who remained in Chelmsford who were born between 1687 and 1706 were "long gone." So, this possibly means that, when the Town of Lowell was incorporated, John's descendants were living in other parts of Chelmsford. (possibly the other side of the town on the Westford line) FYI: Pawtucketville (Dracut) In 1820, Feb. 1st. the General Court passed an act by which a number of the citizens of East Chelmsford were for parochial purposes set off from Chelmsford to the Pawtucketville society. They were "to enjoy all the parochial privileges of the society and pay their proportion of all necessary charges that may arise for such purposes." The names of those set off were: Joel Dix Phineas Whiting Nathaniel Wright John Ford Silas Hoar Artemas Holden James Bowers Jonathan Bowers Samuel F. Wood Nathan Tyler Josiah Fletcher John C. Hall Otis Tyler Nathan Tyler, Jr. Nathan Hunting Nathan P. Ames Joseph Dane Ephraim Osgood Simeon Parker Lewis Butterfield Zebulon Parker Jeduthan Parker Osgood Worcester Varnum Spalding Robert Spalding Micajah Bowers Bradley Varnum John Goulding Samuel Hunt Moses Chever, Jr. Amos Proctor.