Hannah Mather Crocker's early 19th-century work presents a unique history of Boston and its environs from the 1620s to the 1820s. A leading female writer and women's rights advocate, Crocker pays special attention to women's work and culture, providing a significant resource for women's historians, scholars of feminist political thought, and early-American historians alike. This book contains a masterfully transcribed and annotated version of the text and appendix from the original manuscript, which has been housed at the NEHGS archives for over 130 years. Crocker's history chronicles everything from Puritan law, colonial and provincial history, the establishment of Boston churches, Boston's economic growth, and interactions with British, French, and Native American populations. Crocker was the granddaughter of well known Puritan minister Cotton Mather. This book also presents Crocker's treasury of poetry, including a poem by Phillis Wheatley dedicated to Hannah, and even a comical recipe for chowder!

Edited by Eileen Hunt Botting and Sarah L. Houser
Foreword by Conrad Edick Wright
Published by NEHGS in June 2011