Book Description

Excerpt from History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts: With Genealogical Registers More than two years have now elapsed, since the writing of this work was commenced by the Author. That the matter which he then began to collect would ever, or at least in so short a time, be submitted to the press, was a thing unthought of. As no opportunity was passed by for adding to the stock, which soon became gradually to increase, he had accumulated at the end of this time such a store of historic and genealogical information, that it was deemed advisable by many to whom the manuscripts were shown, that they should be put into a more durable form in print. With their request he was induced to comply, and although conscious of its many imperfections, he now submits it to them in their desired form, and also to those for whom it was more especially designed, the inhabitants of the town, and to professed antiquaries elsewhere, it is now given emanating from himself alone, and entitled to what consideration each may be persuaded to confer upon it. The work has been one of much care and research. To the Author it has been one of amusement, though oftentimes subjecting him to considerably labor and toil; yet it has been more than recompensed, when with feelings of pleasure he has traced the nearly obliterated and illegible records of the past, and discovered in the language of their writings the spiritual character and heroic nature of the actors, in their struggles for religious freedom and civil independence. Where is the land that can look back to a race of founders worthy of a higher and truer distinction, than can the people of New England? and where should there be their existing influence, mightier and more effectual, than among the descendants of that Pilgrim band, in whose midst were the abodes of a Brewster, a Standish, and an Alden? May they cherish that natural character of their inheritance, may they preserve it in its original purity, guard it with the watchfulness of their christian fathers, make their lives, as theirs, an example, and their end a monument of worldly excellence, worthy to be cherished. In regard to the arrangement vi the work it seems scarcely necessary to say a word. The matter embraced on the first eighty-eight pages seemed to be better placed by itself, distinct from the General History, than embodied in the latter. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.