NOTE. The reference, "VIII," on the map, "The North Parish of Sheffield set off to Great Barrington, 1761,” requires a word of explanation. The North Parish, instituted in 1743, embraced the whole of the territory which was, in 1761, incorporated as Great Barrington. The tract VIII," is that part of the Lower Township or the original town of Sheffield, which was included in the North Parish at its formation, and later in Great Barrington. The territorial changes are fully explained in Chapter IX of this history. on the first day of January, 1879, extended over a period of fourteen months. For the purpose of encouraging the publication of the History in book form, the Town at its adjourned annual meeting, April 2d, 1881, on the motion of Merritt I. Wheeler, Esq., voted "That a committee of three be appointed and authorized to procure the writing and publishing, for the use of the town, fifty copies of a Town History, and that a sum not exceeding seven hundred and fifty dollars be raised and appropriated for that purpose;" and Clark W. Bryan, J. Milton Mackie and Justin Dewey were appointed as such committee. This action of the town was taken under an article in the warrant, inserted without consultation with or the previous knowledge of the writer. I then revised and corrected that portion of the History which had been printed, and added to it much new material. The result is this publication. In the preparation of the History, I have made examination-more or less extended-of the town records of Great Barrington and Sheffield; the Proprietary records of the Upper and Lower Housatonic Townships; the records of the Registries of Deeds at Great Barrington, Pittsfield and Springfield; the records of the County and Probate Courts at Pittsfield; and the records and archives in the office of the Secretary of State at Boston. Much material has been gathered from ancient manuscripts and books of accounts in my own possession or which have been furnished me by my townsmen. I have also received valuable assistance from others, to all of whom I wish here to express my thanks. I am particularly obligated to Isaac Seeley, Esq.,-Town Clerk and Register of Deeds—for many acts of courtesy in facilitating the examination of the records in his office; to Merrit I. Wheeler, Esq., for the manuscripts and account books of his grandfather, Capt. Truman Wheeler-the Town Treasurer and Muster Master in the Revolutionary period; and to Mrs. Caleb B. Culver, for a copy of the diary of Rev. Samuel Hopkins. From Henry W. Taft, Esq., of Pittsfield, I have received many kind attentions, copies of records, and of interesting papers from the files of the County Court. Henry Holland, Esq., of Westfield, has assisted with much genealogical information of the early settlers from that town; and Isaac Huntting, Esq., of Pine Plains, N. Y., has contributed many items of Indian lore and history. The Rev. George Mure Smith, formerly of Lenox, now of Edinburgh, Scotland, has rendered valuable aid in notes gathered at the offices of the Secretary of State, both in Boston and Albany. Frank L. Pope, Esq., of Elizabeth, New Jersey-a native of Great Barrington-has taken a great interest in the preparation of this history, and has rendered very material assistance by furnishing abstracts from the state archives and from rare publications, but above all in compiling and drawing, from data gathered by himself, the map which accompanies this work. In the map, the ancient boundary lines of the Upper and Lower Townships and of the Indian Town are delineated from original plats and from the records of early surveys; the geographical features are from Walling's map of the state; the old roads laid down and some of the town lines are from a very well executed-though long forgotten-map of Great Barrington, made by David Fairchild in 1794, which Mr. Pope discovered in the office of the Secretary of State. GREAT BARRINGTON, March, 1882. C. J. T. |