Westhampton (Mass.) Town Records

The administrative records offer a long perspective on the early history and development of a small town in the Berkshire hills. At the heart of the series is a dense set of records documenting town meetings from 1779 (the second official town meeting) through the late nineteenth century, including copies of warrants to call meetings, agendas and instructions, and in some cases the results of votes. Other key functions of local government in Massachusetts are more or less well represented, including the church, schools, militia, and road maintenance, and there are particularly valuable records for the Overseers of the Poor. Dating mostly between 1825 and 1855, the Overseers' records offer insight into antebellum approaches to public relief for the poor and elderly in a rural town, both through documenting the forms of relief offered and the contracts forged with persons charged with their care.

The records in Series 2 document the town's finances from the time of its incorporation until the end of the nineteenth century, including a thick series of bills and receipts for services rendered to the town, warrants from both Hampshire County and the state authorizing tax collection, highway tax assessments, and detailed records of taxes assessed and valuations of property.