History of the Town of Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, From Its Settlement in 1742-1910 #244902

At a town meeting: held Nov. 3, 1908, it was "Voted that a town history be published by the town, and that Frederick G. Howes, John M. Sears and Charles A. Hall be a Committee of publication."<br><br>It is due to the care and vigilance of our late veteran town clerk for fifty years, Henry S. Ranney, Esq., that the records of our town have been so well preserved. Not only the books of record, but scraps of paper relating to the history of the town have been treasured up.<br><br>The manuscript history written by Dr. Shepard over seventy years ago, when the early events were fresh in the minds of the older people then living, was carefully preserved by Mr. Ranney and is published here entire.<br><br>In 1888, Dr. E. R. Ellis of Detroit, Mich., published a book of nearly 500 pages, giving a gcnealog of the descendants of Richard Ellis, the first settler of Ashfield, also many historical sketches of this town. Mr. Ranney and the writer furnished considerable matter for the work, also for the "Centennial Gazette," and in this book we have quoted from them quite freely, sometimes without giving credit. Dr. Ellis kindly presented our library with two copies of the book.<br><br>Mr. Barnabas Howes, in his "Sketches of Ashfield," has preserved many scraps of our towns history of which we have made use.<br><br>Mrs. Amanda F. Hall, with her rich store of historical lore, has been very generous in the lending.<br><br>Mr. A. W. Howes and Mr. A. L. Wing have furnished items of interest which they noted down as gathered from Mr. George Howes and other old people. The town officials have been obliging in giving free access to the old records and people in general have been very helpful in giving information sought for.<br><br>It could hardly be expected that genealogies of all the families would be given.