xt7xpn8xdn5h https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dipstest/xt7xpn8xdn5h/data/mets.xml Historical Records Survey (Mass.) United States. Work Projects Administration. Division of Professional and Service Projects. Massachusetts Historical Records Survey (Mass.) United States. Work Projects Administration. Division of Professional and Service Projects. 1939 ii, 76 p.: charts, maps 28 cm. UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Library Program libraries and the Federal Information Preservation Network. Call Number FW 4.14:M 382/3/no.11/v.2 books  English Boston, Mass.: Historical Records Survey  This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Massachusetts Works Progress Administration Publications Bellingham (Mass)--History--Sources Norfolk County (Mass.)--History--Sources Inventory of Town and City Archives of Massachusetts, no. 11 Norfolk County, vol. II Bellingham, 1939 text Inventory of Town and City Archives of Massachusetts, no. 11 Norfolk County, vol. II Bellingham, 1939 1939 1939 2020 true xt7xpn8xdn5h section xt7xpn8xdn5h UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

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30H HES 52:10:] I] l

 

 

 

Inventory of Town. and CityArchives
a?
Mas sachmgetts

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Prep axed €be
The. HistOIiCEfl REED E'sfis Survey

 

 

Division of Professional: and Service Projects
Works Progresg ldministration

No.11. Norfafééa; County
VOLJI. BELEJENGHAM

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The Historical Rasmfis Survey
Boston “I‘e/iag-zzachusetts
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iHVENTORY OF CITY AND ”Ohd

 

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ihe Histcricz
Boston, I-

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£1121

Sc. 11 Lcrfclk County

Vol. 1:. EELLIUGEAH

    
   
   
  
  
     

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Luthc‘ l1 1H1 ns,Ln:1011aI Director
Sax out 1 Child, iociona]. Supervisor
: ,‘ Carl J. Henncrblad, State Director

 

 

7'11 S T, 15‘: L) (7 I‘

Supcrv Ls Regional and Stat eAdmiin S“1utcr

 

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By authority of a Presidentia “torical Records Survey
of the Wor s Progress Administration was es abli had in Tanuary,1936 as
part of Federal Project #l uiider the national direction or Dr. Luther H.

Evans. In lulfillment of its purpose to preserve historical source mater-

1915 and render them accessible to ‘Ie scholars and the public, it has laid

emphasis upon its survey of public archives of state, county and local

units of government; upon the Am rican Imprints Inventory, a compre—

hensive recording of the early products of ‘she printing pre 5 in each state;

upon its survey of historical ranuscript collections and up n its inventor—
1

 

 
 
 
   
   
  

res of church records and ghee e of business, labor and soci organizations.
In hassa husetts, a catalogue 01 early American portraits n.s recently been
completed, togotler with an index to the Hampshire Gazette of Northampton.
For a complete list of the pu‘lications of the Historical Records Survey in
fiassaehusotts, see page 59.
The aresent volume continues the series of town inventories of which
r ft the editorial sta;e. It purports to present
th cry and government of Be ellingham. a report on its
"ions under which they are housed and cared for.
. ‘e records of ca ch cff'ce or department within
the t-wn i short account of ‘ ' f hat office Three indexes
provid d: A chronologica e records app_earing in
decade a Chronoozaan1ca ' ‘ “ -, he sane ini o1 nation in

 

another form, and a general s

ry will be helpful first of all to the town
tor to all those interested in local rec—

rl histcrv and government, or economic or

 

1 H r by Mr. Patric I: G. Colleran under the
Paul honor, supervisor of the Survey in Hor1olk county. The
volume has been edited by Hr. horris Marten, editorial supervisor; the historical
sketch written by Mr. liau‘ic o S‘ aLd.“;ieogr aphing done under the direction of
Hr. Ralph Kahn. The binding o. 1 has been aeoomin lished tIrough the Mas sa—
ehuse ts Geodetic Survey Prcjoe Cl the Works Progres 5 Administration by courtesy
of Mr. George F Delano, chief engineer 01 the Massachusetts Department of Public
“ks. The Surve ey is indebted to all tILe tOJn oiiicials of Bellingham who have
riven their cooperation but especially to Hr. Leo A. Gosselin, town clerk.
Inquiries concerning this and other Juol ications of the H storical Records Survey

j

in Massachusetts should be dares sod to the state office, 221 Columbus Avenue,

 

(I)

  

 

Carl J. Wennerblad
State Director

    
 
 
  
   
  
   
   
        
    
  
  
    
 
 
 
    
 
  
    
  
       
   
    
  
    

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INTRODUCTION

As town clerk for the past five years I am happy to commend to the
public this inventory of the archives of Bellingham, together with its
sketches of the history and government of the town. The inventory will
not only be an aid to town officials in finding records, but it will,

I hope, make it possible for them to see the records system of the town
as a whole. Too often is it true that individuals who occupy town of-
fices are aware only of the records tfl ich they keep themselves. E‘re
:1ently they consider their records personal property, and, when they
leave office, take their records with them, so that they are lost to
future generations. This inventory which pres ents the records of the
town as a whole should make each of: icial reali1ze that his records are
"art of the Tewn-srecord—keeping system and should be considered as
such.

3)
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the broader us es of the in1 t
cholars, I am happy 11 the records \f Be
light on these aspects of our past. Bell

1 ical and other
nqham can serve to throw
ingham is in many ways unique

among the towns of Norfolk County, as a careful reading of the following
historical sketch will Show. Its two centuries of corporate existence
-ould throw considerable light 0L the developz:‘.ent of town government

and social institutions in Mas sa achusetts.

Ijtherefore,heartily endorse t
Records Survey of the Works Progr-ss Acmin'
book for town officials as well a f e

lication of the Historical
st ration as a useful hand~
pu ublic generally.

(,7 0

Lee A. Gosselin
Town Clerk, Bellingham, Fess.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part A. Bellingham and its Records System

 

. Eisfi ice] Sketch........................... 1,,1 . .. ... ,..,..3
Hop of“ Bellingham..................a. ..1._.... . .... 1..1. ll
luo

' 1
Leroy

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vv-o-uc-c

.n..--rvcooauoo-

Ionic...

ttec................
Care of Inuigent Soldiers' and

Sailors' Greves..............i.........

I'llloqllv

.uo-u--..-.

ablishment
ham-
re
and Wife

usury-o...

coo-0o...

, Illeg
13; Religious

-.-.-..

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Burial of Inligent Soldiers and

tutti.

...n..

of New

e1 Town

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..... PO

 

 

   
 
   
  
   
  
   
   
    
  
 
 
 
  
    
 
   
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  

w}: i c h
t own C
The fi
Land,
1696,
cordcé
been C
record

the S(

 

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Henw

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Bell
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dist
Gene
of H
”Re:
Acts

 

 

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Part A. BELLILGHAM AND ITS RECORDS SYSTEM

oag Indians, sold the land

time considered part or the

 

In 1669 King Philip chief ~f the
~mich is now Belling11am, ' .,

 

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town of Dedham to the white settlers “Jr twent3— ~two pounds, eight shillings.l
territory, which was then called Ho Man's

The first white settler in this 6
Land, was Jacob Bartlett of lro ,
1696, for five pounds from James Alb
corded just forty years laterf’3 o

been confirmed by the vote of the town of Der:
recording of the early d u
the southern part of the town

c s plot on Oct. 29,
n. -h deed of sale was re—
6, thong,“r the purchas had
an on June 7, 1698. The lat

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hetero cf the common land setxeen Hrentham and Ilendon,
finding the distance from Dedham Center too great to attend ch urch conven—

iently and to conduct town business, and desiring to ottai in relief irom

their shale 01 church and school eIpenses i iDedham, petitioned the General
Court for permissi_on to settle the land not TICOH their holdings and Wrentham.é
-he tern of Dedham had alrcclv con nted : and the petition was duly granted

se

a

on condition that the new town agree to have a settled orthodox minister
within three years.

The town, called Bellinghsl by order of the Gener Court alter the
original order calling the town Westham was changed, 7 was supposedly named
for Richard Bellinghax, one oi the twent3 siI original members of t
ernor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay and its third governor.8 At the

 

 

   
 
 

 

l. D'r‘“idsc, George 3., H'story of Bellingham, 1719—1919, Bellingham’
1919, p. 15-

2. Suffolk Regi str of Deeds, (iranscribed Proierty Records), Bk. 54,

‘7)
. s .

5. Dedham Town Records 'men, 1672-1706, 601s. , Hill,
ion G., ed., vols. 1—5, 6, Dedhan, 1886— 99, 1956; V,
pp. 252, 255; hereafter

BetJeen Hr entham and liendon, (see
i From 1659 to 1880, com—

4. Records of the
entry 18) p. 75; Annals a; th

 

 

 

iled by Hetcalf,1.q., Pro ilence .1 , 3; 185—184. Hereafter cited as
ncndon Records a nd Mend iAnnals, respectively.
5. Dedham Recoids, V1, p 187

6. Rartridge, og;_cit., p. 76; Hendon Ann; ls, p. 184
7. Mendon Annals, p. 184; _assac1usetts House Journal, 1718—1720,
rls show the original order for the name West—
'1

 

 

pp. 200—205. Thes two reco
ham and the change to Bellingham. ihe followinr two records, ho owever, show
Bellingham as the name ord ore and no mention is made of Heather : Mas sa—
chusetts General Court Records, 68 vols., :1ss., X, (1715—1719), pp. 450~ 451;
these are sometimes referred to as "Legislative Records 0 the Con n01 1" as
distinguished from ”Executive ReCOi ds of the Council"\ Mass
General Court, The Acts and Resolt ves, Public and Private, of the Pr iovince
of Massachusetts Bay (1.6924780), 21 vols., Boston 1869— 1922 , IX (1708—1719),
”Resolves, Orders, Votes, etc.”, 0 96 s, 1719. Hereaftei cited as Province
Acts and Resolves.

8. Fairbanks, Rufus G., "Bellingham", in History of Norfolk County,
Kurd, D. Hamilton, ed., Philadelphia, 188/, pp. 144, 145.

 

 

,3

 

 

 

    
  

 

Historical Sketch Historl

     
    
    
     
 
   
    
     
     
   
  
  
  
     
 
  
   
    
    
  
    
   
  
    
    
 
    
      

 

time of incorporation on November 27, 1719,9 the town was made up of a sec— Th
tion called Rawson's Farm, comprising thirteen families, in the northeastern four 05
part; the northwestern part taken from Hendon, comprising four families; and SiSth
the remaining two— thirds of the area taken from Dedham, comprising twenty- tate to
three families_lo Cariville was the first village to be settled, and North ’- ”WiCh t
Bellingham the second. l _“1 ninety—
,‘ pounds

At the time of its incorporation in 1719, Bellingham was included in .i on PeTS
Suffolk county. lo This county, with its seat at Boston, xtended south to »i[ dents C
the borders of Plymoutii county and of the Providence plantations. Proposals I: The tOW
to create a new county in the southern portion of Suffolk were made in :1 showed
173813 and 177511 but met 171th defeat. When Nerfoll: county was finally cart 5-? first U

out of this area in 1795',15 the townspeople 01 Bellingham, which was include .
in the new county,-protested the change but to no avail.16

Though lacking a charter, the town was built up around the Congregatior
a1 church, and much of its early history is identified with that institutior
In 1726 the Reverend Jonathan Mills was called to the pastorate, serving for
the following twelve years. He was, however, the only settled orthodox
clergyman the town ever had.l7 The Congregational church was supported by
law', although the ruling was hated by Baptists and Quakers. In 1728 a law
was enacted that Anabapti sts and Quakers should not be taxed to support the
torin church, provided they attended their wn church and lived within five
miles of it,1 Even then there were fiery disputes betwe en Congregational—
ists, Anabaptists, Qua1:ers, Independents and members of the Church oi Eng-

land 19 With the incorporation of the new West Parish of Meduay in 1747/8,
Bellingham vas relieved of its obligation to support a church of its own 20
1he town cliurch of Bellinghan, a Baptist institution after the closing a:
the Congregational church in 1744,2 ontinued its feeble e: cistence until
1756, when it 2 s disbanded.22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      
 

9. Mendon Annals, pp. 185 —184.
10. Mendon Records, I, p. 44,,flendgn_Anng1§, pp. 183—184. _ nurse 3
11. Partridge, on. cit., p. 22. g to the
12. Massachusetts General Court Hanua1,1911, p. 155.
13. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Secre ary of Sjate, Massa—
chusetts Archives, 418 vols. in 417, variously titled mss., VI, 39. Here— é?
after cited as.jgsS'.1chusetts Archives. 25
14. Fa'rbanhs, on. cit., p. 147. 27
15. Massachusetts General Court, Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of SE
Has achusetts (1780—1805), 15 vols., Boston, 1890—1898>.§§B§ 1792, ch. 72. 2g
Here a.fter the 1a1;s.;111 be cited as follows: The session laws of 1780—1858 1543-17
as Lam sz etc.; of 1859—1914, Acts, etc . 1915— 1919, General Actsz etc., or $35357:
§2e01a1 Acts, etc.; 1919 to date Acts, etc. Resolves will be cited as 39- ____—§g
selves, etc. or Specie 1 Resolves, etc. taining
16. Fairbanks, eo. cit,, p. 150. 13 ff) 1,
17. Dartridge, on. cit., p. 78. 31
18. Province Acts and Resolves, II (1715—1741),ch.,4 of 1728—29. taken 1
19. Massach mu ‘ sArchives, X11,p. 637; XIII, p. 504. 32
20. Partridge, op. cit., p. 35. ' 33
21. lbid., p 49. 54
22 '

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. fi" ,.
four other Leet inns the first year.’U In 3: erly days, :ne
sisted tha' town meeti 115$ follow a regular procedure, snd tley
tote to tLtion the Ge WHO? 1 COur t to ennui the roeeedi nvs ‘f

()G
which they Considered irre egular.2’ In 1701
ninet; six taxpayers, he were a 0
pounds iL taxes on their real and p . p
on personal 5nd real rs tste was a p nny oer pound. rens
dents of the tow: apper ently were taxed, but were no'
_

1
-1 " auer xirete

.1.“ .2

      
  
  

 

The 11 st town meeting was held} on 2, 1719/20, and I
e

t ;us1ified 0 vote.’
The town showed g stendy increase in :opulation. rhe state cen us in 1765
showed the gopu1etion to be J‘nge in 1776 it fies 627.50 I, 1790 "he“ the
?irst United 3 :tes census was taken, 7‘ 51
town voted to have s or a ECTal of
Fix different homes. 0 s to have been is
was voted down the next two years, renexed in 1740,
Tears, but supported the that.52 In 1744 it we:
s:no 01 districts to iLclude tLe fifty iluniliesj3 Che
was b11ilt in 1790?3 and the first so. 021 com;ittee W“:
after its founding, 301lin5hsm suffered fro: uncer—
‘e bounddij lines. inis co- nfusien, ennanced by in::r
ee kne_sos and religious differer noes, inoeded its grorz;
In 1756 the town petitioned the General Court to not
is of inhabitan‘s and of “roe hundred acres of land to
t“ pos ed Change of the western soundurj line of :h:t
fixed in 1661 had caused many disputes, but we: :inelly
In 1740, as the result of a eentreversy begun in 1737,
n "ts to Rhode Island. Boundurr

  
  
 

oftbffiT

7
petition a"

 

 

 

1011'Ttrrv‘

to

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

: 1111b:

o _ town church and Meetin

1; desired relief from the necessity of contribut

supp: ’ t1 11o tow- milister and Church. They wished to be el

2? _(Tox‘n Records) entry 16, I, p. 1-

?6. Partridge, on. 913., p. 90.

37. Hts“nchusetts Archives, CXIV, ‘p. 5:9, 408—410.

28. 1E1Q:, pp. 108~410.

29. Benton, Sr., J.H., Early Census Eskiie in MassachuSCtts
1645—176r U1t1_i Re~roduetion of the Lost Census of 1765 (Pecently
Faungl, Boston, 1905, unnumbered pages fello.v11ng p. 71 of text.

30. Co llootions of the American Sts"sticel _As29£igtign Con—
taining Statistics 01 Population in Hassseguggtfs, Boston, 1845, part
II, I, p. 158-

31. Heads of Iemilies at the First Census_ of tne United States
taken in “11o_xgnr1790 in Mase'xsusetts, Jss shington, 1908, p. 10:

 

 

 

Partridre, on. Cit., p. 95.
Ibid. , p. 99-
Ibi1., p. 91-

{J 01

11> 03 To
.

C21

   
 
  
   
      
    
   
        

     
    
   
   
 
 
  
  
  
 
  
   
  
  
  
  
      
  
  
  
   
 
 
  
  
 
 
   
 
 
  
   
 
  
  
 
 
   
  
    
       
    

Historical Sketch

 

Histor1cc

either to join another toivn or to become a separate t wn or precinct and 1
support their own church.:5 The dividin5 lines of Bellin5ham, Franklin and _:j ELOUEh t1
edway were str rai5htened in 1832. 56 That bet"een Mendon and Bellingham was ‘* ham was E
iinally estebl1 ished in 1872.0 57 f' whi,h was
‘r 1281 in I
During the Revelutionan y‘ period, the town kept a representative in the _'j tory o§_l
Provincial Congress and paid his expenses. In the town mectin5 of July 4, '1 Manufactl
1776, as if anticipatin5 the h1stcric event in Mh ladelphi a that some day, If with 200
the people of Bellingham declared that ”if the Continental Con5re should 'f 260 empL

.0

an
OUU
think it necessary for the safety 01 the United Colonies to decla are them—
selves independent of Great Bri in the inhabitants of tliis tovrn with
’ 8
thei‘.‘ lives and fortunes will cheerfull; support the measure ."b The town

voted a bounty to its soldiers. In 17 a committee of seven was chosen
to report that more could be done for the arm men of the town, and in 1779

another committee was named to hire soldiers to serve the colonies at
the expense of the town.v

A description of the town in a gazetteer of 1784, :uuo ted b" Dar wid5e,
gives the following word picture of Bellingham; ”There are two 5ris t mills
and one fulling mill but of little use in winter 1 f ter, nor all
used even then. Roads are tolerably good but in s he places ve ry rutty.
The trade is vei small; people depend on the land and some mechanical em—
ployments. Almost every family is provided with a pair of looms by which
they make nearly enou5h clothes for themselves. The numoer of :erms is
about 80. The inhabitants are about equally divided oetween the Con5re5e-
tional and Be ptist persuasions. The latter have a house and a settled
minister."40
_,ce11tury 0. its existe c the people of Bellingham were,
of necessity, iarmers. Beginning with t;e econd decade of the nineteenth
century, however, farmin5 ae5an to give way to manufacturire. Boots ind
shoes, cot‘on and woolen goods, farm utensil , brushes, car‘iagcs, glue,

law and lumber were among the most imports t articles made, and
steady grant1 in these industries for year .41 The North Bellingham mill,
a cotton 11111, was built in 1810.42 The Car y ville Hill, the second textil e
mill in town, was started in 1815 .43 In 1814 t1eBellin5ham Woolen and Cotter
1 a

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Hanuiactory was 'ncor:o ated T 11th a ca pit l oif $15,000.”;5 By 1828, even
46.
47.
35. Kassachusetts Archives, XII, pp. 197, 226—228, 252- 255, 23?, 428, 48
431~455, L711, pp. 21—22, 638, 682; {T (B), p. 778; CXV, 2p. 262 265, 267— - 4
268, 27‘—271, 27 a, 27?, 273a, 078— 284— 286; CI \fl, p‘. 651, 657; *‘ 50.
01711, p. 4. n “l
50. Laws, 1832, ch. 48. >‘ i“ “”1,
5?. égts. 1872, ch. 69. For the preser t boundaries, see map, p. 11. '” 52.
58. Partridge, pp;_git., p. 126. ‘ . for Yea]
39. Ibid., p. lUQ. BL
4C. 1bid., pp. 156—1”7. 54
41. lpld., p. 141.
4? lbid., p. 145.
4?. Ibid., p. 148.
.* 814
4“ ?fi“tr' he

    

     

      
 
 
    
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
  
    
 
 
   
  
   
  
 
  
    
 
 
  
  
  
 
  
  
   
 
 
 
   

Historical Sketch First entry p. 22

 
 

:hough the mills had been in Operation a comparatively short time, Belling—
ham vm s an active and flourishing manufacturing town.46 The population,
which was 704 in 1800 and 766 in 1810, had increased to 1054 in 1820, and
1281 in 1850.47 By 1950 manufacturing had declined considerably. The Direc—
tory of Massachusetts Manufacturers of 1950 shows that the following large
:enufacturing establishments were in operation: The Bellinghanv vIoolen Comp an7,
with 200 employees and the Taft Woolen Company with capital of 8550, 000a nd
260 employees.

As the town grew, the Baptist church built in 1761, which had been used
:1 the second 1n meeting house, proved to be unsatisfactory. In 802
n town hall was built at a cost of $1000 near the center of the town.
”s new building use in turn to be used by the Baptists and churches of
ier denominations as a place of worship. 58 With the new building came new
disputesa nd arguments between the Baptists, Congregationalists and Jniversal—
: regarding its use and the support of the minister 49 Th.e Baptists fi~
decided to iaise funds and ‘suild a church for themselves, an enter
_ which was Ho1plet ed in 1826. tNorth Bellingham, a mill hall was used
as a chapel iron 1847 to 1910, 50 when the new Baptist church was completed.
lie to own new has two Rome 11 Catholic churches also. A pualic library cestin
~,OOO and a Comm nityB ilding, costing $21,575, were opened in 1950.71

  

 

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r senool committee reports, the first of which was made in 1858,
t year three hundred an twelve pupils attended the schools
1 t Net of BellinghaEI. The total cost of the schools for that
$1,225.78. In the report of 1866 there occurs the firs t nention of
chool evidently privately organized and managed. By 1875 agitation
h gr school he d begun, but the re commendations of the school com—
r gnored. Shortly after this, the trend toward the centraliza—
f the own school system began to mani:est itself. Althougl1 the num—
ils and teachers 111icreased, the number of schools decreased. 1:
wn accept ed the St te Liirary Act, 52 based on an eailier act of
95 an? was er.powered to unite 11th the towns of Hendon and Hopedele to
a superintendent 01 schools.54 In 1951 lopeda- 1 withdrew f.rem the

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'60
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L6. Partridge, on. Cit., p. 141.
47. 1.8. Census deserts. For full tations, see aibliography.

 

Cl
48. Partridge, en. cit., pp. 114-115.
M ssa Chusetts ~_A_ chives XIV, p. 592.
50. Partridge on. cit., p. 167.
51. 212th Annual Report of the Town Officers of the Town of Bellinghag,
119sc1, pp. 99—100.
52, 176th Annual Report of the Town Officers of the Town of Bellinghag
for Year Ending Feb. 1, 1895, p. 12.
55. .Agts, 1888, Ch. 451.
54. Acts, 1894, Ch. 246.

 

 

 

 Jn' £uiwkx:¢wwm:wli%fi ... .

  
  
    
   
  
  
 
  
    
     
   
 
  
  
  
 
   
 
   
    
   
    
     
    
     

  
       

      
 
  
 

 

Historical &1e ch

  

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union. The town high school held its first{;1aduauion f: a 2 year ‘igh
school course in 1898, but after a few years the high schoolq ‘ up 11s were

sent to other towns.‘30 This arrangement continued until 193 m1e11 on Oct
ober 24th, a new high school a s opened, with a registration8 of 1 0 pupils 55

[TA FROM ANNUAL RTPORTS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

’Year 1841 1859 1868 1883 1893 1903 1913 1923 1932 1937

No. of Schools 9 10 11 a 3 3 3 3 3

No. of Pun11s* 275 512 268 2”2 261 :17 273 111 718 582

No. of Teachers 13 17 13 9 ll 16 19 20 :

Toual Expend. 81,? 2,878 3,433 7,692 9,392 23,319 43,693 47,329 _ 73
#112 o in 1932 school att en ndance Ligures after 1882 do not include I
highOOr parochial school pu upils.

 

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d
0

Until the nineteenth. century, travel by ca r coach ov or the roads
laid out by the t01.'n i self was the only means >ransportation. In 1804
the Hartford and Dedham Turnpike Corporation was chartered to build a1d
operate a turnpike from Mendon or Bellingham to Dedham 57 This was followed
in 1803 by the chartering of the Winsoket 1urnpike Corporation to construct

1r,

road from the state line near Noons ocl cet, Rhode Island, through Belling ham.

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to e Norfolk and Bristol turniike in Jediam.‘8 A few decades 'ater, in 1846.

tLe act of 11corpora tion of the Wrentham and. Foxborough Railroad authorized

the construction of a line fiom_narsn11etd Massachusetts to Cumberland, Rhoda
Hsla d, to pass through Bellingham.59 In 184 9 tlie Norfolk County Railroad

Com1pany was author“3ed to build and maintain a branch railroad running from

Bel 1’1 ngham to woon:.o." , Rhode Island;60 and in 1831 this company was authw

 

M

orized to contract with the Noonsocket Union? ai 1road Company for the building
of the road.’31 After the Norlolk Count:/ Railroad Company had failed to build
the branch authorized, the Bellingham Branch Railroad Coxnpany we.s hartered

in 1852 to build the road. 62 Not until 1898 .:hen the I'iili ord, Att_leborou5h
and Noonsocket et Railway Company was incorporated was Bellingham served
br a street railr 7/ 55

.1

 

85. oport of the School Committee and Superintendent of Schools of
thewlognfio;_joll 381$ for the School Year 189 5~96, pp. 5—6.

56. Annual Rep no it of the Town Officers, 1938, in two parts, 11, 26.
.7. Eggs, W8 ch. 146.

58. Laws_. 1804. on. 140.

59. fete, 18é6, ch. 381.

60. d_,1bi 1849, ch. 184.

61. 1bid., 1851, ch. 272.

62. Ibid., 1852, ch. 130.

1p;g., 1898, ch. 329.

 

  

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Historical Sketch First entry p. 22

'n“ of Rhode Island was
ngham and Franklin

The Woonsockot Electric Machine and Power Co
authorized to furnish electric lifht and po or to
0

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in l895.64 Telephones were in use as early as C , o-i gas pipes from
Woonsocket were laid in 1905. 55 Since 1606 tee sewave disposal systems of
nglingham, Mendon and Eopw ale have been authorized to be part of the ex—
tended system of the town of Mil? 0rd. 66 In 1932 the city of Woonsooket,
jrode Island was empowered to supply water to the inhabitants of Belling—

 

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s1uare miles68 and a population
seventh large —:eeond most populous town in

It is situated :bo t thirtV—one miles southwest of Boston
miles northwest of Pro vi

 

 

 

   
     

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