Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts Genealogy
Contents
Town Hall[edit | edit source]
Amherst Town Hall
4 Boltwood Avenue
Amherst, MA 01002
Ph: 413-259-3002
Email: info@amherstma.gov
Town Clerk[edit | edit source]
4 Boltwood Ave
Amherst, MA 01002
Phone: 413-259-3035
Fax: 413-259-2499
Email: townclerk@amherstma.gov
Website
Quick History[edit | edit source]
Named for Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
Establishment and former town name(s) [1][edit | edit source]
13 February 1759: Part of Hadley established as the district of Amherst. (Prov. Laws, Vol. IV, p. 173.)
23 August 1775: Made a town, by general act under which districts became towns.
Archiac name:
Hadley Third Precinct
Section/Villages within the town: Amherst Fields, Amherst Woods, Cushman, East Amherst, Echo Hollow, Factory Hollow, Flat Hill, Hampshire Village, Mill Valley, North Amherst, Orchard Valley, The Curragh, South Amherst
Extinctsection/villages within the town: Amherst City, Blackbird Island, Broad Gutter, Centre Village, Clark's Mill, Crow Hill, Depot, Amherst East Parish, East Village, Fairgrounds, Irish Hill, Kelloggville, North Amherst City, Amherst North Parish, Nuttingville, The City, The Patch, Slab City, Struthersville, West Amherst, Westville
The earliest known document of the lands now comprising Amherst is the deed of purchase dated December 1658 between John Pynchon of Springfield and three native inhabitants, referred to as Umpanchla, Quonquont and Chickwalopp.[3] According to the deed, "ye Indians of Nolwotogg (Norwottuck) upon ye River of Quinecticott (Connecticut)" sold the entire area in exchange for "two Hundred fatham of Wampam & Twenty fatham, and one large Coate at Eight fatham wch Chickwollop set of, of trusts, besides severall small giftes" [sic]. Amherst will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2009. The Amherst 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee has been established to oversee the creation and implementation of Town-wide activities throughout 2009.
Boundary Changes [1][edit | edit source]
15 January 1789: Part of Hadley annexed.
28 February 1811: Part of Hadley annexed.
18 February 1812: Part of Hadley annexed.
17 February 1814: Part of Hadley annexed.
17 February 1814: Part of Hadley annexed
01 March 1815: Bounds between Amherst and Hadley established and parts of each town annexed to the other town.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Many annual town reports for Amherst have been digitized and are available on the town's website. Search the year and "annual report."
Biography[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- Town of Amherst Cemetery Records, covering North, West and South Cemeteries
- Wildwood Cemetery
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Congregational
- A record of the observance of its two hundredth anniversary by the First Congregational Church in Amherst, Massachusetts: November 4-5, 1939
- Amherst, Massachusetts, its history and its people: with manual of Second Congregational Church of Amherst, its membership list from 1782-1924
History[edit | edit source]
- History of Town of Amherst 1731-1896
- Google Books
- Family History Library
- Essays on Amherst's history
- The handbook of Amherst, Massachusetts
Maps[edit | edit source]
Minorities[edit | edit source]
- The history of the Black population of Amherst, Massachusetts, 1728-1870
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Societies, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Historical data relating to counties, cities, and towns in Massachusetts (Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), [FHL book 974.4 H2h 1997].
Adjacent towns: Hampshire Co.: Belchertown | Granby | Hadley | Pelham | South Hadley | Franklin Co.: Leverett | Shutesbury | Sunderland
| ||||||||
