Millbury Town

Loan Stack Preface

At the Annual Town Meeting, held March 20, 1905, a committee was chosen, consisting of Mr. George F. Chase, chairman, Mr. John C. Crane, Mr. Ira N. Goddard, Mr. George W. Mallalieu, and the Rev. George A. Putnam, to consider Millbury's past history, especially its industries, with a view to the publication of a history of the town. Accordingly, at intervals in the succeeding years this committee met and made plans for the compilation of such a work. One member of the committee, Mr. John C. Crane, had already for many years been privately gathering literary material pertaining to the industries, institutions, and individuals of the town, and this collection became the nucleus for the present volume. For a year Mr. Crane continued his labors of compilation and read his manuscript to the committee regularly at its meetings and, in recognition of his enthusiastic and patient work, the committee voted to express its appreciation of the "valuable, devoted and loving labors of Mr. John C. Crane in compiling the History of Millbury."

In 1910, two vacancies had been created on the committee, one through the death of Mr. Mallalieu and the other through the removal from the town of the Rev. Mr. Putnam. Consequently, at the annual town meeting in that year Mr. Henry W. Carter and Mr. Henry A. Phillips were appointed to fill these vacancies and they have continued in their service on the committee.

In the year preceding the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the incorporation of the town, Henry W. Aiken, Esq., was added to the committee, making the number composing its membership six. In 1913, Mr. Goddard died and as his place has not been filled the number on the committee has continued to be the same as it was originally.

committee. Owing to the illness of the chairman of the committee Mr. Aiken presided at its meetings for several months, and since the retirement of Mr. Chase from the chairmanship on account of ill health, two years ago, Mr. Aiken has served as chairman of the committee.

Supplementing the labors of compilation performed by Mr. Crane, the Rev. Robert W. Dunbar, after the Centennial Celebration, was chosen by the committee to revise the material and prepare it for publication. In addition to the material collected, however, many old deeds (all the oldest so far as we have knowledge) as well as the Proprietors' Book of Sutton were consulted so as to ascertain, so far as possible, the facts concerning the earliest industries of the locality. The chapters concerning the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the Blackstone Canal were very much enlarged and the entire book has been rewritten or freshly constructed. Thus this history is in a sense a composite production, for eight different men have served on the committee, but the whole compilation has been edited by Mr. Dunbar.

In the preparation of such a history the stoppingplace is largely an arbitrary one, as there is always more description of places, people, or events, that might be included and more painstaking care may ever be exercised in revising the manuscript, but the committee presents the history of the town believing that the book gives a true idea of Millbury happenings, together with such particular chronicles of people, societies, and institutions, as to leave little of importance that remains uncovered.

As the book is a growth, rather than the working out of a previously adopted scheme, the committee feels that, perhaps, the work is even more representative of the life of the town than it otherwise might have been.

The committee wishes to express its thanks to the many persons who have so freely offered what information they may have possessed in order that these chronicles might be complete.

Source changes here: from Centennial History of the Town of Millbury, Massachusetts, by Millbury (Mass. : Town), published 1915; 627 words in this source stream.

Preface

At the Annual Town Meeting, held March 20, 1905, a committee was chosen, consisting of Mr. George F. Chase, chairman, Mr. John C. Crane, Mr. Ira N. Goddard, Mr. George W. Mallalieu, and the Rev. George A. Putnam, to consider Millbury's past history, especially its industries, with a view to the publication of a history of the town. Accordingly, at intervals in the succeeding years this committee met and made plans for the compilation of such a work. One member of the committee, Mr. John C. Crane, had already for many years been privately gathering literary material pertaining to the industries, institutions, and individuals of the town, and this collection became the nucleus for the present volume. For a year Mr. Crane continued his labors of compilation and read his manuscript to the committee regularly at its meetings and, in recognition of his enthusiastic and patient work, the committee voted to express its appreciation of the "valuable, devoted and loving labors of Mr. John C. Crane in compiling the History of Millbury."

In 1910, two vacancies had been created on the committee, one through the death of Mr. Mallalieu and the other through the removal from the town of the Rev. Mr. Putnam. Consequently, at the annual town meeting in that year Mr. Henry W. Carter and Mr. Henry A. Phillips were appointed to fill these vacancies and they have continued in their service on the committee.

In the year preceding the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the incorporation of the town, Henry W. Aiken, Esq., was added to the committee, making the number composing its membership six. In 1913, Mr. Goddard died and as his place has not been filled the number on the committee has continued to be the same as it was originally.

committee. Owing to the illness of the chairman of the committee Mr. Aiken presided at its meetings for several months, and since the retirement of Mr. Chase from the chairmanship on accoimt of ill health, two years ago, Mr. Aiken has served as chairman of the committee.

Supplementing the labors of compilation performed by Mr. Crane, the Rev. Robert W. Dunbar, after the Centennial Celebration, was chosen by the committee to revise the material and prepare it for publication. In addition to the material collected, however, many old deeds (all the oldest so far as we have knowledge) as well as the Proprietors' Book of Sutton were consulted so as to ascertain, so far as possible, the facts concerning the earliest industries of the locality. The chapters concerning the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the Blackstone Canal were very much enlarged and the entire book has been rewritten or freshly constructed. Thus this history is in a sense a composite production, for eight different men have served on the committee, but the whole compilation has been edited by Mr. Dunbar.

In the preparation of such a history the stoppingplace is largely an arbitrary one, as there is always more description of places, people, or events, that might be included and more painstaking care may ever be exercised in revising the manuscript, but the committee presents the history of the town beUeving that the book gives a true idea of Millbury happenings, together with such particular chronicles of people, societies, and institutions, as to leave little of importance that remains uncovered. As the book is a growth, rather than the working out of a previously adopted scheme, the committee feels that, perhaps, the work is even more representative of the life of the town than it otherwise might have been.

The committee wishes to express its thanks to the many persons who have so freely offered what information they may have possessed in order that these chronicles might be complete.