-PREFACE- by Bradford Kingman 1866 The present volume is submitted to the approval and criticism of the public, after many years of laborious toil and research, with the desire that it may add something to preceding history. It was not undertaken for want of other employment, or for pecuniary profit, but has been a severe tax upon the author's time, as well as purse. The work was commenced about twelve years since, without any reference to its publication, but merely for the gratification of a natural curiosity which must arise in the mind of any one who extends his thoughts beyond the people and scenes immediately around him. None but those who have prepared a work of this kind can have any idea of the amount of labor and time required in its execution. The author has devoted nearly all of his leisure time during the past eight years in examining the records of the town, as well as of the adjoining towns, also the Parish, Probate, and State records, and the ponderous volumes in the State Archives, beside the Registry of Deeds in several counties, muster rolls at the State House, to say nothing of the large number of town, church, and family histories* that have been published, public addresses, sermons, orations, documents, plans, maps, etc. Many an hour has been spent in deciphering the almost unintelligible records of early times. Days and even weeks have been devoted to a careful examination of files of newspapers or other publications, also in copying inscriptions on gravestones and monuments. The matter here embodied consists of a mass of facts, items, and figures, many of them gathered from a correspondence of upwards of twelve hundred letters, as well as by a personal consultation with the people of the town. During the winter of 1860, while the author was engaged in copying and examining the early records at the State House, Hon. Edward Southworth, Jr., then a member of the House of Representatives, from North Bridgewater, first suggested the propriety of publishing the items which had been collected. After much reflection, and consultation with several of the leading people of the town, sufficient encouragement was offered by those interested in such work, and it was commenced. It was originally intended to publish a work of three hundred pages, but that was soon found to be too small to attain anything like completeness, and it has been increasing in size till it has reached upwards of seven hundred pages. The only historical work ever published in the town was that of Moses Cary, issued in 1824, which was an account of some of the early families. The next work was that of Hon. Nahuni Mitchell, of East Bridgewater, which included the early families in the town of North Bridgewater, and was published in 1840. These works, which contained but little beside genealogical accounts of families, have been a great assistance to the author in arranging the early families in the town, and to them he is indebted for many early items. ... In closing, the author has only to add, that, should this work meet the expectations of the citizens of the town, increase their interest and attachment for things that are past, bring to mind those who have gone before them, and serve to keep alive the interest in historical and genealogical matters, then he will feel that his time and the expense incurred has not been spent in vain.