Middlesex County, Massachusetts

“ The first English settlers in America were familiar with the county as a district for the administration of justice, and they brought with them coroners, sheriffs, and quarter sessions. In 1635 the General Court of Massachusetts appointed four towns—Boston, Cambridge, Salem, and Ipswich—as places where courts should be held quarterly. In 1643 the colony, which then included as much of New Hampshire as was settled, was divided into four "shires,"—Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, and Norfolk, the latter lying then to the northward and including the New Hampshire towns. ”

“ MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex County, Stoneham, Wiley, Caleb, House (Stoneham MRA) , 125 North St. (04/13/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex County, Stoneham, Williams, Micah, House (Stoneham MRA) , 342 William St. (04/13/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex County, Stoneham, Williams-Linscott House (Stoneham MRA) , 357 William St. (04/13/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex County, Stoneham, Wood, Charles, House (Stoneham MRA) , 34 Chestnut St. (04/13/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex County, Stoneham, Wright, Elisha, Homestead (Stoneham MRA) , 170 Franklin St. (04/13/84)
MINNESOTA, Ramsey County, St. ”

“ At the time of the Domesday Survey the population of Middlesex, exclusive of London, was 2302. The extra-metropolitan area is 149,668 acres, with a population in 1901 of 798,738. The part of the ancient county transferred to the county of London under the Local Government Act 1888 was 31,484 acres in extent, and 771 acres were then transferred to Hertfordshire; while under the London Government Act 1899 the southern part of Hornsey was transferred to London. The area of the administrative county is 148,700 acres. The county contains six hundreds. ”

“ Middle Passage, in the slave-trade the part of the Atlantic stretching between Africa and the West Indies.
Middlesbrough (99) , iron manufacturing and shipping town at the mouth of the Tees, in the N. of Yorkshire, 45 m. N. of York; has also shipbuilding yards and chemical works, and exports coal. It owes its growth to the discovery of one of the largest iron-fields in the country in the Cleveland hills, near at hand, in 1850.
Middlesex (560) , a small county on the N. of the Thames, adjacent to and W. of London; has no hills and no rivers, only undulating pasture land and small streams. ”

“ It is as well we are not bound to enter the County of London, since there the Lea would bring us to Hackney Marsh, perhaps the most unlovely spot of Middlesex soil—one which some examiners, indeed, might propose to bracket with Staines Moor, that at least deserves a proxime accessit.
Such blotches, however, are exceptional, and between those dismal flats on the most distant edges of the county so recklessly libelled as “all ugly,” it has been shown how one can find much pleasant and not a little charming scenery of a truly English type. ”

“ These courts are held by the judge of probate and insolvency appointed for the county; but the judges of the several counties may, in ease of necessity or convenience, interchange services.
Local Government. The General Court establishes municipal governments in towns exceeding 12,000 population, with the consent and upon the application of a majority of the inhabitants. All bylaws of such city governments, however, are at all times subject to annulment by the General Court. Sheriffs, registers of probate, and clerks of the courts are elected by the people of the several counties. ”

“ The railroad was opened to traffic from Grants Pass to Phoenix in 1884. The name was apparently applied shortly before that date . Mr. Loring who was for many years later a resident of Portland , was a native of Massachusetts and selected the name of Medford in honor of Medford , Massachusetts . MEDICAL SPRINGS , Union County . Medical Springs is a descriptive name applied to the hot sulphur springs at this place . MEDICINE CREEK , Wallowa County. ”

“ Middletown, a city of Middlesex county, Connecticut, on the west bank of the Connecticut river, and thirty-four miles from its mouth, is a pleasant place, and has considerable trade and manufactures. In 1816, it owned a larger shipping than any other town in the state. In the neighborhood is a lead mine, which was wrought during the war. A college, under the name of the Wesleyan University, was opened in this city in 1831. Population, seven thousand two hundred and ten. ”

“ His labors were unremitting to weaken the bonds of relationship between the County Society and the State Society. The abolitionists of Essex, generally, saw not the tendency and design of these efforts. They could be made without suspicion, as the National Society had ever been a favorite with Massachusetts men, with whom it originated, and who constitute the largest portion of its efficient members. Such men could not readily conceive of the possibility of acting in their County capacity or their National capacity, in opposition to themselves in their State [Pg 61] capacity. ”

“ The hundreds all over the country have not altered their boundaries to any great extent until quite recently. In Hampshire to-day there are thirty-seven hundreds; in Hertfordshire there are only eight; and Middlesex has now the same six hundreds which it had twelve centuries ago when a good part of the county was forest land. ”

“ SIR Being accidentally present in this Town, when his Excy Genl Washingtons Letter of the 18th was receivd by Governor Trumbull, the Contents of which he was pleasd to communicate to us, we judgd it necessary to write a Letter to Brigr General Fellows of the County of Berkshire in the State of Massachusetts Bay, a Copy of which is inclosd. We indeed have no Authority, from the State we have the Honor to represent in Congress, to take this Measure, but we considerd the Circumstances of Affairs too pressing to admit of Delay. ”

“ Although the living had been held by one family for nearly 300 years, and is a very rich one, the writer adds: “I venture to affirm that a family could not prove its descent for three generations from its parish register.” It is also stated that parchment registers, having one side vacant, were sometimes cut up for directions for game!
A report has been received from the committee appointed with reference to the preservation of the ancient records of the county of{146} Middlesex. ”

“ CONNECTICUT, Hartford County, Windsor, Bissell Tavern-Bissell's Stage House, 1022 Palisado Ave. (08/23/85)
CONNECTICUT, Hartford County, Windsor, Mills, Elijah, House, 45 Deerfield Rd. (08/23/85)
CONNECTICUT, Middlesex County, Essex, Hill's Academy, 22 Prospect St. (08/23/85)
CONNECTICUT, Middlesex County, Essex, Pratt House, 19 West Ave. (08/23/85)
CONNECTICUT, Middlesex County, Middlesex, Old Middletown High School, Pearl and Court Sts. (08/23/85)
CONNECTICUT, Middlesex County, Old Saybrook, Whittlesey, Ambrose, House, 14 Main St. ”

“ MASSACHUSETTS, Essex County, Methuen, Methuen Water Works (Methuen MRA) , Cross St. (01/20/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Essex County, Methuen, Morse, Moses, House (Methuen MRA) , 311 Pelham St. (01/20/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Essex County, Methuen, Nevins Memorial Library (Methuen MRA) , 305 Broadway (01/20/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Essex County, Methuen, Nevins, Henry C., Home for Aged and Incurables (Methuen MRA) , 110 Broadway (01/20/84)
MASSACHUSETTS, Essex County, Methuen, Old Town Farm (Methuen MRA) , 430 Pelham St. ”

“ This system, like the simple county system everywhere, is a representative system; the people take no direct part in the management of affairs. In one respect it seems obviously to need amendment. In states where county government has grown up naturally, after the Virginia fashion, the county is apt to be much smaller than in states where it is simply a district embracing several township governments. Thus the average size of a county in Massachusetts is 557 square miles, and in Connecticut 594 square miles; but in Virginia it is only 383 and in Kentucky 307 square miles. ”

“ He was graduated at Harvard in 1751, studied law with Jeremy Gridley, became attorney-general of Massachusetts, was appointed judge of probate of Lincoln county. Me., in 1768, became judge of the Massachusetts superior court in 1772, chief justice in 1777, and in 1780 was chosen the first chief justice of Massachusetts under the state constitution. At the beginning of the Revolution he stood almost alone among the superior officials in supporting the cause of independence. ”

“ QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT. Give an account of the modern county in Massachusetts under the following heads:—
1. The county a corporation. 2. The county commissioners and their duties. 3. The county treasurer and his duties. 4. The courts held in a county. 5. The shire town and the court-house. 6. The register of deeds and his duties. 7. Justices of the peace and trial justices. 8. The sheriff and his duties. 9. The force at the sheriff's disposal to suppress disorder.
Section 3. The Old Virginia County. ”

“ It lies in the southwestern corner of Norfolk county, is eight miles long from north to south, from three to four in width. The brooks and ponds in the southern part have their outlet into the Blackstone river; those of the north into the Charles, which is the natural but tortuous bound between eighteen towns and cities of the county. It was named for one of the Provincial governors of Massachusetts, Richard Bellingham—a fine name. Farming is the chief occupation of the inhabitants at present as it always has been. ”

“ This density gives her 221.78 persons to a square mile, a far greater ratio than any state except Rhode Island. This neighborly proximity has its social tendencies, which may account in part for the hospitable amenities which are a rightful part of Massachusetts' well known loyalty to a higher regard for the purest type of home, a comparative statement of the density of population of a few states.
As inseparable as night is from day, so also are the ills of life from life itself. Massachusetts is no exception to the inexorable law which defines the conditions [pg 445] of human society ”

“ A fine view is afforded. The town has a trade in garden stuff and ice, and there are granite quarries, paper mills, chocolate and cracker factories, rubber cement works, etc. The government is administered by town meetings. Population, in 1890, 4278; in 1909, 6578. Settled in 1637, Milton was a part of Dorchester until, in 1662, it was incorporated as a separate township. It was the home for many years of Jonathan Belcher, a colonial Governor of both Massachusetts and New Jersey, and of Thomas Hutchinson, the historian and colonial Governor of Massachusetts. ”

“ CONNECTICUT, Litchfield County, Litchfield vicinity, Bull, Capt. William, Tavern, CT 202 (06/30/83)
CONNECTICUT, Middlesex County, Middletown, Main Street Historic District, Roughly Main St. between College and Hartford Ave. ”

“ The actual incorporation of the village did not occur until April 7, 1848, when the preliminary proceedings in regard to the incorporation were approved by Judge D. W. Bates. The first president of the village was Stacey Beakes, and associated with him as trustees were Coe Dill, William Hoyt, Israel Hoyt, Israel O. Beattie and Daniel C. Dusenberry. John B. Friend was clerk. Of the above named trustees, Daniel C. Dusenberry is still living (1908) .
The growth of Middletown has always been gradual, and it has never been what might be called a "boom town." In 1807 the population was forty-five ”

“ That town, in 1735, because of its large expenditures for public schools, support of poor, and contribution to the State treasury, petitioned the General Court for a grant of three or four townships within the "Hampshire wild lands." Three lots, each six miles square, were given, subject to certain conditions. Within five years, sixty Massachusetts families must be settled, each possessing a house (at least eighteen feet square and seven stud) , with five acres of improved land. A house for public worship must be erected, and a learned Orthodox minister be honorably supported ”

“ The number of these people amount in Massachusetts to about one fifth part of several populous counties, and to them may be collected people of similar sentiments from the States of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, so as to constitute a body of about twelve or fifteen thousand desperate and unprincipled men. They are chiefly of the young and active part of the community. ”

“ Moreover, many of the States are divided into several marshalships from considerations which do not at all enter into the taking of the census. Thus, New York has three districts, the largest of which contains more than two and a quarter millions of inhabitants, while Florida has two districts, the smaller of which, but by far the more important so far as the legitimate duties of the marshal are concerned, contains scarcely six thousand inhabitants. Massachusetts is a district with over a million and a third of people: so is Arizona, with less than ten thousand. ”

“ Middletown was settled from New York and New England, it is a large Township, there is no such thing as Church or Religion amongst them, they are p'haps the most ignorant and wicked People in the world, their meetings on Sundays is at the Public house, where they get their fill of Rum, and go to fighting & running of races which are Practices much in use that day all the Province over. ”