American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > People, Places, Events

People, Places, Events

This is a mini-encyclopedia of people, places and events that are useful to know about when exploring the history of New England.

  • Willis Seaver Adams
    People 1844–1921 Willis Seaver Adams is known for his Connecticut River Valley landscape paintings…More

  • Albany, New York
    Place Located on the Hudson River near the confluence with the Mohawk River, Albany is one of the oldest cities in the United States…More

  • Frances and Mary Allen
    People 1854–1941 In 1901, Frances and Mary Allen of Deerfield, Massachusetts, were praised as being among “the foremost women photographers in America.”..More

  • American Civil War, 1861–1865
    Event 1861–1865 The Civil War in the United States, a result of Southern slavery and other vastly different ways of life between the North and South, lasted four bloody years…More

  • American Revolution
    Event 1775–1783 Many new Americans resented being ruled from a distance by Great Britain, and the colonies went to war to attain their independence…More

  • Amherst, Massachusetts
    Place 1786 Originally part of Hadley, Amherst was incorporated in 1786 and throughout its history has housed many industries and institutions…More

  • William Apes
    People 1798–1839 Pequot William Apes was a Methodist preacher, writer, and orator. He wrote and spoke against racism and injustices toward Indigenous peoples. ..More

  • Ashfield, Massachusetts
    Place Initially settled as Huntstown in 1745, Ashfield was incorporated and given its current name ca. 1765…More

  • Dr. Elihu Ashley
    People 1750–1817 Elihu Ashley was a medical doctor in Deerfield, Massachusetts, in the early years of the American Republic…More

  • Reverend Jonathan Ashley
    People 1712–1780 The Reverend Jonathan Ashley came to Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1732 as the town’s second minister…More

  • Thomas Williams Ashley
    People 1894–1918 Marine Second Lieutenant Thomas Ashley was the first young man from Deerfield, Massachusetts, to lose his life in World War I…More

  • C. Alice Baker
    People 1833–1909 C. Alice Baker, educator and historian, is the author of “True Stories of New England Captives Carried to Canada During the Old French and Indian Wars” (1897)…More

  • Joseph Barnard
    People 1717–1785 Joseph Barnard was a Deerfield, Massachusetts, merchant at the time of the American Revolution (1775-1783), and also a military captain though he was known as “Ensign Barnard.”..More

  • Salah Barnard
    People 1725–1795 Salah Barnard was a soldier, trader, and farmer in 18th century Deerfield, Massachusetts…More

  • Ruth Henshaw Bascom
    People 1772–1848 Between 1819 and 1848, Ruth Bascom traveled through New England creating over one thousand life-size profile portraits using scissors, pastels, and watercolors…More

  • Battle of Bunker Hill. Jun 17, 1775
    Event 1775 After the battles at Lexington and Concord, militiamen like Joseph Stebbins of Deerfield, Massachusetts, hurried to Boston and were at the Battle of Bunker Hill…More

  • Battles of Saratoga. Oct 17, 1777
    Event 1777 The Battles of Saratoga renewed hopes of American independence for colonists like John Fellows (1751-1831) of Shelburne, Massachusetts, who picked up this English musket after British General Burgoyne’s defeat…More

  • Hannah Westcarr Beamon
    People 1645–1739 Hannah Westcarr Beamon (also spelled Beaman) was the first known schooldame of Deerfield, Massachusetts…More

  • Asher Benjamin
    People 1773–1845 Asher Benjamin, the first American-born and American-trained architect, designed some of the buildings in Deerfield and Greenfield, Massachusetts, including a house that became Greenfield’s library…More

  • Bernardston, Massachusetts
    Place Established as Fall Town Plantation in 1735, Bernardston was incorporated in 1762 and named for Massachusetts Royal Governor Fra..More