The settlement of Hadley, Mass., was commenced in 1659, by a company of persons residing in Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford, Conn., and is, therefore, one of the oldest towns of the Connecticut valley, and has an interesting history. The original territory of Hadley included the present town of Hadley, Hatfield, Amherst, Granby, South Hadley, and a part of Whately. A portion of the town was called “Patrick’s Swamp,” possibly after some Irishman who resided there. Among the early settlers we find the families of Thomas Coleman and John White. Among the early settlers of Middlefield, Mass., was Col. David Mack, who defined the boundaries of the town. It was incorporated March 12, 1783. John Ford built the first grist-mill about the year 1780. Here also settled the families of Malachi Loveland, J. Taggart and M. Rhodes. The district of Williamsburg, Mass., set off from Hatfield, was incorporated a town, Aug. 23, 1775. Early tax lists show Irish names, such as Joseph Carey, Thomas Finton, George Dunn, James Ludden, Edward Curtis, William Finton and Joseph Ludden. The settlement of Worthington, Mass., was so rapid that from the time the territory was sold at auction, June 2, 1762, the settlers flowed in and became so numerous that the town was incorporated in 1768. Among the first settlers are such names as John Kelley, Thomas Kinne, James Kelley, Jeremiah Kinne, Mathew Finton, and N. Collins. The inhabitants of this, like many other towns, were composed of a mixed population from England, Ireland, and a few from Scotland and France. The first settlement of Bernardstown, Mass., commenced about the year 1738, and it was here, on May 18, 1676, during the Indian troubles, occurred what is known as the “Falls Fight,” when Capt. Turner with only a comparatively small body of men, attacked and destroyed hundreds of Indians at what has been called in honor of the commander of the forces, Capt. Turner,—who lost his life during the engagement,—Turners Falls. Major John Burke built one of the first four houses erected in the town, and among the first settlers are the names of Griffin, Lee, King, Gleason, Baker, and Bradshaw. Major Burke was clerk of the town for twenty-two years, and became the first representative in 1764. The history of many of the towns of western Massachusetts shows that several of them had been set off and named in the first years of the eighteenth century. They had very few inhabitants previous to the coming of the Irish in considerable numbers about 1718. Several towns laid out and named after that time, like Colerain, Montgomery, Gill, and Charlemont, Conway, Monroe, Huntington, were called after places in Ireland from whence the early settlers immigrated.