Bellingham, Massachusetts

The area of the town south of the Charles River constituted the southwestern corner of the Dedham Grant, which sprouted much of what has become Norfolk County. The land was swampy, and the town of Dedham did not believe it worthy of settlement. The area north of the river was purchased by Edward Rawson, and due to the settlement of borders with the surrounding communities, these two areas would eventually merge. By 1713, there were enough citizens to warrant village meetings in the area. By 1718, the village petitioned for separation, and the town officially incorporated on 27 November 1719. The village was originally named "Westham" (short for "West Dedham"), but at the time of incorporation, its name was changed to Bellingham. The town is named for Richard Bellingham, an early governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.[3]

The town was founded with a Congregationalist meeting house, like all the towns in the colony at the time. However, this church would dissolve before the middle of the century, replaced with a Baptist church. John Leland, a Baptist minister, who was a major supporter of James Madison and the First Amendment to the Constitution, was baptized in Bellingham's Baptist church in 1775. The town grew slowly, given the terrain and the limited resources. During the Industrial Revolution, several man-made ponds were constructed to support industry in land that had been swamp. Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and enlisted at Bellingham as "Robert Shurtlieff", near the end of the Revolutionary War, to become America's first woman soldier.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham,_Massachusetts

For the full text of History of the town of Bellingham Massachusetts, 1719-1919, go to https://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofb00part/historyoftownofb00part_djvu.txt

Johnson Direct Line Ancestors who lived in Bellingham

Places to visit in Bellingham

  • Partridgetown was the area surrounding the farm established by Eleazer Partridge and Elizabeth Smith Partridge in the valley of Stall Brook. It was on Farm Street and included the town farm and three other farms. Farm Street loops off from Hartford Ave at Caryville, runs by the town farm and back to Hartford Ave. again.

  • Bellingham Town Common - Mendon St.