The title page of this 1831 book is illustrated with a woodcut showing a town elder telling stories to a circle of children. History in this author’s view was not a science but a way of one generation passing along “Tales, Sketches, Anecdotes and Adventures” from the past. This image of the town historian as a venerable elder was perpetrated by Deerfield, Massachusetts, historian George Sheldon, who was photographed in a similar scene talking to a young boy on the steps of the Sheldon homestead. This History of New England includes an account of the early European settlers, known as the Puritans. The school teacher who wrote this book found the Puritans to be “a remarkable set of men, and everything that relates to them is interesting.” The account is very anti-Catholic, and the religion is referred to in the book as “Popery” after the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. TNegative feelings against the religion were deeply rooted in 19th century North America and became stronger as larger numbers of immigrants from predominately Catholic countries immigrated to America.
Lambert, Lilly. The History of New England. William Hyde, 1831. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l99-013/. Accessed on October 11, 2024.
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