People of the Wachusett : greater New England in history and memory, 1630-1860

Nashaway became Lancaster, Wachusett became Princeton, and all of Nipmuck County became the county of Worcester. Town by town, New England grew—Watertown, Sudbury, Turkey Hills, Fitchburg, Westminster, Walpole—and with each new community the myth of America flourished. In People of the Wachusett the history of the New England town becomes the cultural history of America's first frontier. Integral to this history are the firsthand narratives of town founders and citizens, English, French, and Native American, whose accounts of trading and warring, relocating and putting down roots proved essential to the building of these communities. Town plans, local records, broadside ballads, vernacular house forms and furniture, festivals—all come into play in this innovative book, giving a rich picture of early Americans creating towns and crafting historical memory. Beginning with the Wachusett, in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, David Jaffee traces the founding of towns through inland New England and Nova Scotia, from the mid-seventeenth century through the Revolutionary Era. His history of New England's settlement is one in which the replication of towns across the landscape is inextricable from the creation of a regional and national culture, with stories about colonization giving shape and meaning to New England life. | Nashaway became Lancaster, Wachusett became Princeton, and all of Nipmuck County became the county of Worcester. Town by town, New England grew—Watertown, Sudbury, Turkey Hills, Fitchburg, Westminster, Walpole—and with each new community the myth of America flourished. In People of the Wachusett the history of the New England town becomes the cultural history of America's first frontier. Integral to this history are the firsthand narratives of town founders and citizens, English, French, and Native American, whose accounts of trading and warring, relocating and putting down roots proved essential to the building of these communities. Town plans, local records, broadside ballads, vernacular house forms and furniture, festivals—all come into play in this innovative book, giving a rich picture of early Americans creating towns and crafting historical memory. Beginning with the Wachusett, in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, David Jaffee traces the founding of towns through inland New England and Nova Scotia, from the mid-seventeenth century through the Revolutionary Era. His history of New England's settlement is one in which the replication of towns across the landscape is inextricable from the creation of a regional and national culture, with stories about colonization giving shape and meaning to New England life. Nashaway Became Lancaster, The Wachusett Became Princeton, And All Of Nipmuc Country Became The County Of Worcester. In People Of The Wachusett The History Of The New England Town Becomes The Cultural History Of America's First Frontier. Integral To This History Are The Firsthand Narratives Of Town Founders And Citizens - English, French, And Native American - Whose Accounts Of Trading And Warring, Relocating And Putting Down Roots Proved Essential To The Building Of These Communities. Town Plans, Local Records, Broadside Ballads, Vernacular House Forms And Furniture, Popular Festivals - All Come Into Play In This Innovative Book, Giving Us A Rich And Intimate Picture Of Early Americans Caught Up In The Process Of Creating Towns And Crafting Historical Memory. Introduction: New England Begins -- Pt. I. Town Settlement In The Seventeenth Century. 1. Indians, English, And Missionaries: The Plantation Of Nashaway. 2. Indian-fighters And Town Founders: The Resettlement Of The Wachusett, 1675-1725 -- Pt. Ii. Town Settlement In The Eighteenth Century. 3. Lancaster And Its Offspring: Serial Town Formation Enters The New Century. 4. Narragansett No. 2: Reproducing Families And Farms -- Pt. Iii. The Creation Of Greater New England. 5. New England Moves North: The South Shore Of Nova Scotia. 6. Town Founding And The Village Enlightenment: Walpole, New Hampshire. Epilogue: The Myth Of Town Settlement. David Jaffee. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 291-295) And Index.

Nashaway became Lancaster, Wachusett became Princeton, and all of Nipmuck County became the county of Worcester. Town by town, New England grew—Watertown, Sudbury, Turkey Hills, Fitchburg, Westminster, Walpole—and with each new community the myth of America flourished. In People of the Wachusett the history of the New England town becomes the cultural history of America's first frontier. Integral to this history are the firsthand narratives of town founders and citizens, English, French, and Native American, whose accounts of trading and warring, relocating and putting down roots proved essential to the building of these communities. Town plans, local records, broadside ballads, vernacular house forms and furniture, festivals—all come into play in this innovative book, giving a rich picture of early Americans creating towns and crafting historical memory. Beginning with the Wachusett, in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, David Jaffee traces the founding of towns through inland New England and Nova Scotia, from the mid-seventeenth century through the Revolutionary Era. His history of New England's settlement is one in which the replication of towns across the landscape is inextricable from the creation of a regional and national culture, with stories about colonization giving shape and meaning to New England life.

Frontmatter (page N/A) Illustrations and Tables (page ix) Acknowledgments (page xi) Introduction: New England Begins (page 1) I Town Settlement in the Seventeenth Century (page 23) 1 Indians, English, and Missionaries: the Plantation of Nashaway (page 25) 2 "Indian-Fighters" and Town Founders: The Resettlement of the Wachusett, 1675-1725 (page 73) II Town Settlement in the Eighteenth Century (page 101) 3 Lancaster and its Offspring: Serial Town Formation Enters the New Century (page 103) 4 Narragansett No. 2: Reproducing Families and Farms (page 127) III The Creation of Greater New England (page 163) 5 New England Moves North: The South Shore of Novia Scotia (page 165) 6 Town Founding and the Village Enlightenment: Walpole, New Hampshire (page 200) Epilogue: The Myth of Town Settlement (page 239) Notes (page 251) Bibliographical Essay (page 291) Index (page 296) "Nashaway Became Lancaster, the Wachusett became Princeton, and all of Nipmuc Country became the County of Worcester."--BOOK JACKET. "In People of the Wachusett the history of the New England town becomes the cultural history of America's first frontier. Integral to this history are the firsthand narratives of town founders and citizens - English, French, and Native American - whose accounts of trading and warring, relocating and putting down roots proved essential to the building of these communities. Town plans, local records, broadside ballads, vernacular house forms and furniture, popular festivals - all come into play in this innovative book, giving us a rich and intimate picture of early Americans caught up in the process of creating towns and crafting historical memory."--BOOK JACKET.