Medfield, MA
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Medfield, MA
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Boston's financial district. Attractions include the Hinkley Pond and the Peak House. History The territory that Medfield now occupies was, at the time of colonization, Neponset land. As part of the English settlement of the area, it was sold by the Neponset leader Chickatabot to William Pynchon in the late 1620s. In 1633, Chickatabot died in a smallpox epidemic that decimated nearby Neponset, Narragansett and Pequot communities. Because Chickatabot and Pynchon's deal left no written deed, the Massachusetts General Court ordered "those Indians who were present when Chickatabot sold lands to Mr. Pynchon, or who know where they were, to set out the bounds thereof". Fifty years later, Chickatabot's grandson Josias Wampatuck brought a land claim a ...
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Census-designated Place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such as self-governing cities, towns, and villages, for the purposes of gathering and correlating statistical data. CDPs are populated areas that generally include one officially designated but currently unincorporated community, for which the CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions and, occasionally, other, smaller unincorporated communities as well. CDPs include small rural communities, edge cities, colonias located along the Mexico–United States border, and unincorporated resort and retirement communities and their environs. The boundaries of any CDP may change from decade to decade, and the Census Bureau may de-establish a CDP after a period of study, then re-establish it some decades later. Most unin ...
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Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, making it the only human disease to be eradicated. The initial symptoms of the disease included fever and vomiting. This was followed by formation of ulcers in the mouth and a skin rash. Over a number of days, the skin rash turned into the characteristic fluid-filled blisters with a dent in the center. The bumps then scabbed over and fell off, leaving scars. The disease was spread between people or via contaminated objects. Prevention was achieved mainly through the smallpox vaccine. Once the disease had developed, certain antiviral medication may have helped. The risk of death was about 30%, with higher rates among babies. Often, those who survived had extensive scarring of their ...
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Daniel Fisher (Massachusetts Politician)
Ensign Daniel Fisher (1618-1683) was a politician from Dedham, Massachusetts and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Deputies. Personal life Fisher was baptized in Syleham, Suffolk, England in 1618. He came to Massachusetts with his father, Anthony Fisher, and his cousin Joshua Fisher, aboard the ship ''Rose''. He was married in 1641 in Dedham to Abigail Marrett and together they had seven children. Fisher's father, Anthony, and son, Daniel, also served in the Great and General Court. His son was said to be his "heir to his energetic ardor in the cause of freedom." He was a member of the First Church and Parish in Dedham. He died in 1683. The Fisher School, now in Westwood, Massachusetts, was named in his honor. Public service Fisher served in the Great and General Court of Massachusetts as a representative from Dedham. Being elected to the post showed the great esteem in which the people of Dedham held Fisher as it was the one body the townsmen recognized as superior to ...
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John Dwight (died 1661)
John Dwight (circa 1601–1661) was one of the first settlers of Dedham, Massachusetts and progenitor of the Dwight family. Personal life Dwight was born in Woolverstone, England circa 1601 and came to Massachusetts in 1635. He originally settled in Watertown, Massachusetts before becoming one of the original incorporators of Dedham, Massachusetts the following year. He brought his wife, Hannah, and children, including Timothy Dwight. He was married twice, first to Hannah, with whom he had five children: Hannah, Timothy, John, Mary, and Sarah. Hannah was named for her mother, and Timothy was possibly named for a family member or for their minister, Timothy Dalton. Mary was born while at sea on their way to Massachusetts. After Hannah died on September 5, 1656, Dwight married Elizabeth Ripley on January 20, 1658. They did not have any children together, and she died on July 17, 1660 by drowning herself. Dwight died January 24, 1661. As a high ranking family man with strong relig ...
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Henry Phillips (Massachusetts Politician)
Henry Phillips (died 1685) was a wealthy businessman and politician from Boston and Dedham, Massachusetts. Phillips was described as "tender and brokenhearted." Life in Dedham Phillips moved from Boston to Dedham in 1637, two years after the town was first settled and one year after it was incorporated. He was a member of the church and a militia officer. Though he received "better than average" dividends of land, he complained in 1656 that too many people had been admitted to the town commons, diluting the value of his interest. He led a group of dissatisfied settlers in a rare public complaint. He brought his complaint before the General Court, which was an action even more rare in a community whose covenant called for disputes to be resolved by local mediation. He served one term as selectman in 1645. He briefly owned the land that came to be known as Broad Oak. He had a brother, Nicholas, who also lived in Dedham, and was likely related to Rev. George Phillips of Watertown. ...
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Joshua Fisher (Massachusetts Politician)
Lieutenant Joshua Fisher (-August 10, 1672) was a politician from Dedham, Massachusetts and a member of the Massachusetts House of Deputies. He was a blacksmith, saw mill owner, and tavern keeper. Personal life Fisher was born c. 1620 and baptized in April 1621 at Syleham. He came to New England with his uncle, Anthony Fisher, and cousin Daniel Fisher when he was 16 years old. He traveled a year ahead of his father, and Dedham accepted him on November 1, 1637, on the condition that his father arrive the next summer. Soon after he signed the Dedham Covenant. He became a freeman on May 2, 1649. His father, also named Joshua, and his brother, John, left Dedham and moved to Medfield, Massachusetts by 1664. In 1639, he joined the First Church and Parish in Dedham. He married Mary Aldis, the daughter of Nathan Aldis, in 1643. After her death in 1653, he married Lydia Oliver, a widow from Boston in 1654. He had four sons and five daughters. One son, also named Joshua, was involved in ...
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Eleazer Lusher
Major Eleazer Lusher (died 1672) was a politician and military leader from Dedham, Massachusetts. Political career Lusher had unmatched political influence in Dedham and was one of the most powerful men in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of ten men, constituting five percent of the adult male population, who were reelected so many times to Dedham's seven member Board of Selectmen that they filled sixty percent of the seats between 1639 and 1687. He served 29 one-year terms in total. He was town clerk for 23 years, having first been elected in 1641. Lusher was also a signer of the Dedham Covenant. Between the years of 1650 and 1685, Lusher was one of three men elected to serve in the Massachusetts General Court. Additionally, he served on the Massachusetts Council of Assistants from 1663 to 1673. Other positions include being a diplomat, judge, and mediator. He was also on the commission that established the Angle Tree Stone. He led a trainband. In recognition of his se ...
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Edward Alleyn (Massachusetts Politician)
Edward Alleyn (died 1642) was a businessman and early American politician. He served on the first board of selectmen in Dedham in 1639 and was a frequent representative to the Great and General Court beginning in 1638. He was town clerk for two years, having first been elected in 1639. As a businessman, he was involved with establishing an iron foundry. Alleyn was a "pillar of the church" at the First Church and Parish in Dedham. In early records he was given the title of "mister," which typically indicated that he had a university degree. For his service to the community, he was later given the title of "gent." Although several men initially complained that he had offended them, Alleyn's answers were sufficient enough to make him a founding member of the church. He was killed in 1642 in Boston and buried in the Old Village Cemetery The Old Village Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. History The first portion of the cemetery was set apart at the first rec ...
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History Of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635–1699
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635–1699, begins with the first settlers' arrival in 1635 and runs to the end of the 17th century. The settlers, who built their village on land the native people called Tiot, incorporated the plantation in 1636. They sought to build a community in which all would live out Christian love in their daily lives, and for a time did, but the Utopian impulse did not last. The system of government they devised was both "a peculiar oligarchy" and a "a most peculiar democracy." Most freemen could participate in Town Meeting, though they soon established a Board of Selectmen. Power and initiative ebbed and flowed between the two bodies. The settlers then undertook the difficult task of establishing a church, drafting its doctrinal base, and selecting a minister. In early days nearly every resident was a member but, seeking a church of only "visible saints," membership declined over time. Though the "half-way covenant" was proposed in 1657 and endorse ...
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Aboriginal Land Claim
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, the content of aboriginal title, the methods of extinguishing aboriginal title, and the availability of compensation in the case of extinguishment vary significantly by jurisdiction. Nearly all jurisdictions are in agreement that aboriginal title is inalienable, and that it may be held either individually or collectively. Aboriginal title is also referred to as indigenous title, native title ( in Australia), original Indian title ( in the United States), and customary title (in New Zealand). Aboriginal title jurisprudence is related to indigenous rights, influencing and influenced by non-land issues, such as whether the government owes a fiduciary duty to indigenous peoples. While the judge-made doctrine arises from customary internationa ...
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Josias Wampatuck
Wompatuck (ca. 1627 - 1669), also spelled Wampatuck, was sachem, or paramount chief, of the Mattakeesett band of Massachusett Indians. Names Wompatuck was also known as Wampatuck, Josias Wampatuck, and Josiah Sagamore. ''Wampatuck'' translates to mean "snow goose" in the Wampanoag language. Family Wampatuck's father was the sachem Chikataubut. After Chikataubut died of smallpox in 1633, Wompatuck's uncle, Cutshamekin succeeded as sachem and helped to raise Wompatuck. Career After Cutshamekin died around 1655, Wompatuck succeeded him and likewise became an early Native American ally of British colonists. Like his father and uncle, he sold the British colonists the land upon which the city of Boston, Massachusetts, was established in 1629 and other surrounding towns were established. After a harsh attack on his tribe by the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking co ...
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Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when the colonial assembly, in addition to making laws, sat as a judicial court of appeals. Before the adoption of the state constitution in 1780, it was called the ''Great and General Court'', but the official title was shortened by John Adams, author of the state constitution. It is a bicameral body. The upper house is the Massachusetts Senate which is composed of 40 members. The lower body, the Massachusetts House of Representatives, has 160 members. (Until 1978, it had 240 members.) It meets in the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston. The current President of the Senate is Karen Spilka, and the Speaker of the House is Ronald Mariano. Since 1959, Democrats have controlled both houses of the Massachusetts General Court ...
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