Puritan Village: The Formation of a New England Town

by Sumner Chilton Powell

An award-winning study of Puritans and the formation of their towns.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Sociology

255 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

SUMNER CHILTON POWELL is a 1946 graduate of Amherst and received a doctorate from Harvard ten years later. A teacher of history on the secondary level (Choate, Bernard School for Boys), he has done much experimental work in tape teaching.

Reviews

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The time-span of this history is not as broad as I anticipated. From the title, I judged this would be a history of the town of Sudbury from its founding in the 17th century as a Puritan settlement through its transformation into the more prototypical New England town in the 18th and 19th centuries. The error of this assumption is the crux of Powell's argument. This history is confined to the 1600s, meticulously documenting the formation of the town of Sudbury, Massachusetts from its roots in England. Powell finds that the essence of the New England town - which he defines as "a respect for the orderly processes of law, an alertness to social justice, and desire to improve society by forming, ever and again, [and] self-governing .." (138) - in the 1600s inland settlement of towns such as Sudbury. An element of 1960s concern for American social order underwrites this text, as revealed in Powell's closing admonishment to not forsake "our New England heritage."

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read though somewhat technical in places. Very factual. More of a comparison of life in England in the 1630's and the traditions of law, land and other customs used by the adventurers to set up towns in New England.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a descendant of Mayflower Puritans, I wanted more information about how my forebears came to the so-called "New World" and what life was like for them. This book was okay but not as accessible as other books I've read concerning the Puritans. The author is a distant cousin; we have a Mayflower passenger as a common ancestor.

[Patrick O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not for everyone. It is a history of a New England Village reconstructed from probate records. Some people may find the recurring probate lists a bit tedious, but I found the process of reconstructing the past very interesting.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book to read for pleasure. It's extremely well researched and well written in an academic style. If you want to know where the Puritans came from (both geographically and socially) and how they coped in New England, this certainly has to be one of the books you read.

[Justin Salisbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad work, but a rather slow read. I know, I know most history is, but it was slower than normal.

[Mhd]

recomended by Nancy Carlberg