New
Ashford Massachusetts, 1890
New
Ashford
is a small farming town of mountainous, wild and broken land,
presenting much beautiful scenery, situated in the northwestern
part of Berkshire County, about 130 miles from Boston. The long
mountain ridge of which Greylock, at the northeast angle, is the
highest summit, separates it from the valley of the Housatonic
and its railroad on the east, so that the nearest railroad stations
are the Fitchburg in Williamstown, eight miles north, and the
Boston and Albany at Pittsfield, 12 miles south. Williamstown
bounds it on the north, Adams and Cheshire on the east, Lanesborough
on the south, and Hancock on the west. The assessed area is 7,570
acres, including 3,917 acres of forest, consisting of maple, beech
and birch. Sugar Loaf Mount, south of the centre, is the most
notable eminence in the town; and on the western border are the
outposts of the Taconic range. Marble and calcareous schist abound,
and have been quarried. There is in this town a cave 130 feet
in length, with some apartments 20 feet in height, glittering
with stalactites. The Green River, which flows north to the Hoosac
River, rises in the northern section of this town; and in the
southern part an affluent of the Housatonic has its source. The
town abounds in springs and trout brooks.
The
30 farms in 1885 yielded products to the value of $32,087. Much
charcoal is made, and there is one saw mill. The population was
163, including 47 legal voters. The valuation m 1858 was $82,695,
with a tax-rate of $14 on $1,000. The dwelling-houses numbered
37. There were two public school-houses and a Methodist church.
The place was incorporated as a district February 26, 1781, and
as a town February 6, 1801. The village and post-office is New
Ashford, at the centre.
pp.
487-488 in Nason and Varney's Massachusetts Gazetteer, 1890
|
RESOURCE
|
CONTRIBUTOR |
|
New
Ashford Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Originally
published in 1916 by the New England Historical and Genealogical
Society this item is assumed to be in the public domain and
has been reproduced here. Browse through the Birth, Marriage,
and Death Vital Records. Be sure to begin with a look at the |
|
Courtesy
of Laurel O'Donnell
|
|
Courtesy
of Laurel O'Donnell
|
|
Courtesy
of Laurel O'Donnell
|
CEMETERIES
|
New
Ashford Cemetery |
courtesy
of Ed Lefebvre and Richard White |
|
A
warm thank you to Ed LeFebvre of New Ashford, Massachusetts,
who transcribed and contributed these files to the web site.
Please take the time to read the introductory page.
|
|
The
Census of 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860,
1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 are covered here.
|
MAPS
|
|
|
|
from "County Atlas of Berkshire, Massachusetts. From actual
survey by and under the Direction of F. W. Beers, Published
by R. T. White & Co., 36 Vesey Street, New York, 1876."
Some maps have names of residents.
|
MILITARY
|
RESOURCE
NEEDED!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please
send in your New Ashford-related photos for posting
|
|
|