The Tafts of Mendon and Uxbridge

The American Taft family began with Robert Taft, Sr who immigrated to Braintree, Massachusetts circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge, after the King Phillip's War ended.] Uxbridge is the center of the Blackstone Valley, the earliest industrialized region in the United States. It is part of the John H. Chaffee, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Samuel Slater, who built his mill in (1790), at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on the Blackstone River, was credited by President Andrew Jackson as the father of America's industrial revolution.

Mayor Henry Chapin: an Uxbridge "Taft" story

In 1864, Judge Henry Chapin, a three term Worcester Mayor, and Chief Judge, quoted a well known Uxbridge story as follows: A stranger came to town, met a new person and said, "Hello Mr. Taft". Mr Taft said, "How did you know my name?" The stranger replied, "I presumed that you were a Taft, just like the other 12 Tafts I have just met!"cite book |last= Chapin |first= Judge Henry |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Address Delivered at the Unitarian Church in Uxbridge; 1864 |publisher= Charles Hamilton Press (Harvard Library; from Google Books) |year= 1881 |location= Worcester, Mass. |pages= |url= |doi= |id= |isbn= ] . This story was repeated in a poem form by Mayor Chapin, at a famous Taft family reunion here, recorded in the Life of Alphonso Taft.. A young future President, likely heard this.

External links

*Uxbridge, Massachusetts
*Mendon, Massachusetts
*Taft family

Notes