Graven Images




Lost Towns of Quabbin Valley




Connecticut Valley Venacular

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Franklin County


Vital Records

Greenfield Vital Records to 1850; Published in 1915 by the New-England Historic Genealogical Society, at the Charge of the Eddy Town-Record Funds. About three hundred pages of Births, Marriages and Deaths.

Town Profiles & Histories

Deerfield: Old Pocumtuck Valley, by George Sheldon. Adapted from Historic Towns of New England, 1898. An illustrated twenty-page history of Deerfield.

History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, written by Louis H. Everts, published in 1879, Philadelphia, PA. This lengthy two-volume set of books covers the history of three western Massachusetts counties: Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin. In addition to general county histories, Everts also has individual town histories. It is clear these histories are written by more than one person, and in some cases the author is cited for their contribution. Typically, each town history covers the topics, of geography, settlement, town organization, church history and includes revolutionary and military history. The topics covered vary between towns —some are more detailed than others— but each town history is filled with names of early settlers, prominent citizens, ministers and citizens active in civic organization. Some illustrations. Direct links to the Franklin County towns in this book:—

Ashfield BernardstonBuckland Charlemont Colrain Conway DeerfieldErving Gill Greenfield Hawley Heath Leverett Leyden Monroe Montague New Salem NorthfieldOrange Rowe Shelburne Shutesbury SunderlandWarwick WendellWhately.

Other Franklin County Articles

An Old Deerfield Letter edited from New England Monthly, 1890. Four page letter by Ebenezer Grant written sometime after 1710 from events relayed to him by Lieutenant Childs and Mr. Hoit regarding a company led by Mr. Write [sic] who left Deerfield in 1710 to pursue Indians in Canada.

George Fuller, by Sidney Dickinson, 1884. Originally published in New England Monthly. George Fuller was born in Deerfield in 1822 and went on to become a well-respected painter. This article was published shortly after Fuller's death in 1884, in recognition of his life and work.

The Little Brown House on the Albany Road, by George Sheldon. Originally published in 1898, this narrative that focuses upon several owners of the same house in Deerfield. Interesting profiles of a few Deerfield residents and of social-cultural vignettes appropriate to the time.

World War I Memorial, Wendell, MA. Monument in honor of people from Wendell who served in WWI. Photographs and a transcribed list of names.

World War II Memorial, Wendell, MA. Monument in honor of people from Wendell who served in WWII. Photographs and a transcribed list of names.



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from a private collection of vintage books & magazines.
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© Laurel O'Donnell, 1996-2006.