is an historic pastoral community in Bristol County incorporated in 1745. The town never had a large amount of agricultural land because of its extended marshy terrain and hills, but there was always good fishing on the Palmer River and an annual herring run provided abundant food. The first settlement of the town was about 1652 on the southern portion of the river. The colony suffered a good deal of damage in the King Philip war but the earliest house in town, Kingsley House, built 1680, still remains a part of the town. By 1704 there was an iron forge in town and by 1714 the Goff Inn was handling travelers coming through on the stage to Taunton, Providence or Newport, Rhode Island.
Sawmills were established in 1747 and the primarily agricultural economy was supplemented in 1809 by the opening of two cotton yarn mills at Rehoboth Center. One of these is thought to be the first to spin very fine cotton yarn. In the Perryville section of town, historians conjecture that Era Perry was the first in the country to manufacture bobbins for the area's cotton factories about 1850. The 325 farms of the town grew Indian corn and potatoes and fattened beef cattle. Rehoboth retains dozens of Colonial and Federal houses and cottages and there is a remarkably wide spread of historic houses and buildings preserved throughout the community.
It is located in southeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Seekonk on the west, Attleboro and Norton on the north, Taunton and Dighton on the east, and Swansea on the southeast and south. Rehoboth is about 9 miles east of Taunton; 13 miles north of Fall River; 42 miles south of Boston; 10 miles east of Providence, Rhode Island; and 186 miles from New York City.
Location: The Village area is located around the intersection of Locust Avenue and Bay State Road.
History: The Bliss gristmill stood near this dam for 180 years, starting sometime before 1690. By the time of the American Revolution, the pond and dam also served a sawmill, a fulling mill owned by Joseph Goff, a cooperage, and a blacksmith's shop. There were a slaughter house and tannery around the corner on Locust Avenue and an iron mill on County Street at Route 118. In the early 1800's, Thomas Carpenter III bought the gristmill and sawmill and built a cotton mill on the north side of the street. This cotton mill, and also Goff's fulling mill, were then sold to Nelson and Darius Goff, who manufactured cotton wadding.
Although most industry in the village area died out around 1880, these mill owners and their families continued to live here. The Town meeting hall was here (in the American Legion Hall), and the present day Congregational church was built in 1838. Joseph Goff's tavern stood on the site of the present Goff Hall. The fulling and cotton mills stood across the street until 1846. Many of the houses in the village were built during these early industrial times.
In the spring of 1859, the village was severely damaged when the dam at Bad Luck Pond broke. The cotton mill was rebuilt and remained in operation until 1884.
The Providence and Taunton Street Railway Co. built a line through the village in 1901. The railway's shops, car barns, and power station were located about 500 feet north of the bridge. They were sold to a porcelain-enamel firm when the line was abandoned in 1918. G&W foundry bought it after World War II and has operated there ever since
Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots Vol 2 - thanks to Lee Ann, blazing eyes
|
James Goff |
Auburn |
ME |
|
Samuel D. Goff |
Bradford Co. |
PA |
|
Roswell Goff |
Chemung Co. |
NY |
|
Thomas Goff |
Clark |
KY |
|
James Goff |
Geauga Co. |
OH |
|
Samuel Goff |
Homer |
NY |
|
Ezra Goff |
Lenawee Co. |
MI |
|
DavidGoff |
Ostego Co. |
NY |
|
Abel Goff |
Rehoboth |
MA |
|
Israel Goff |
Rehoboth |
MA |
|
Lovell Goff |
Rehoboth |
MA |
|
Nathan Goff |
Rehoboth |
MA |
|
Richard Goff |
Rehoboth |
Ma |
|
Samuel Goff |
Rehoboth |
MA |
|
Hezekiah Goff |
Richford |
VT |
|
James Goff |
Sangerville |
ME |
|
James Goff |
Scott Co. |
KY |
http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~cm1822/goughroh.htm#revolutionarywar
Notes for PRESERVED BULLOCK*:
VITAL RECORDS OF REHOBOTH 1645-1895 MARRIAGES, INTENTIONS, BIRTHS, DEATH NARRAGANSETT PUBLISHING CO. 1897
3 353 Preserved Bullock and Sarah Goff, both of Rehoboth, married by Elder John Hix Nov. 26, 1772 Int. Nov. 10 1772.
