Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

RULES OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN, COMMON COUNCIL, AND CITY COUNCIL,

A LIST OF EXECUTIVE AND OTHER PUBLIC OFFICERS AND VARIOUS STATISTICS RELATING TO THE CITY.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][graphic][graphic][graphic]
[graphic]

INTRODUCTION,

The City has annually since 1821 issued a volume containing, until 1829, a register of the City Council and a list of the officers. In 1829, the City Charter, in 1830, the Acts relating to Boston and the ordinances, and in 1832, an index, were added. The volume for 1822 contains fifteen pages, and for 1840 eighty-five pages, and three pages of index. The volumes up to and including 1840 bear the title of The Rules and Orders of the Common Council, and since that year the title of THE MUNICIPAL REGISTER. THE MUNICIPAL REGISTER for 1841 contains the Rules and Orders of the Common Council, joint rules, ordinances of the City, statutes of the Commonwealth relating to the City, a list of the public schools, the City Government of 1841, the committees and departments (consisting at that time of the treasury, law, police, health, public land and buildings, lamps and bridges, fire, and public charitable institutions), and a list of the ward officers; from 1842 to 1864, it also contains a list of the members of preceding City Governments, a necrological record of those members, the latest ordinances and the special statutes relating to the City; in 1851 a list of the annual orators was added, and in 1853 a map of the City and the Rules of the Board of Aldermen were inserted; in 1876 statistics of registration and voting were included, and since 1879 in tabulated form ; in 1883 portraits of the Mayor and presiding officers of the two branches of the City Council were included, and in 1888 a list of the members of the past City Governments of Roxbury and Charlestown was added, and continued to 1890. From 1889 to 1896, inclusive, THE MUNICIPAL REGISTER contained a compilation of the Charter and Acts subsequently passed, in the place of which an index of said Charter and Acts was substituted in 1897. The Boston charter and index are again omitted this year; otherwise THE MUNICIPAL REGISTER of this year is in substantially the form of all other MUNICIPAL REGISTERS since 1889.

By the direction of the Joint Committee on Rules and Orders THE MUNICIPAL REGISTER of 1906 has been compiled by the Statistics Department. Text and tables have been revised, and several new tables, with additional text, have been incorporated.

ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF BOSTON,

THE Royal Patent incorporating the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England passed the seals March * 4, 1628–29. At a General Court, or Meeting of the Company, on August * 29 of that year it was voted “that the Government and patent should be settled in New England.” To that end Governor Winthrop led the Puritan Exodus in 1630. Soon after his arrival at Salem on June *12, 1630, he proceeded with a large following to Charlestown, where a plantation had been established the summer before. The Assistants held three Courts at Charlestown in the interval, August * 23 to September * 28, inclusive. At their meeting on September * 7, they “ordered that Trimountaine shalbe called Boston ; Mattapan, Dorchester ; and the towne upon Charles River, Waterton.” Thus Shawmut of the Indians was named Boston, probably out of gratitude to the Merchants of Boston in Lincolnshire, who had subscribed generously to the stock of the Company. In the course of the summer, Governor Winthrop with the patent chose Boston as his abiding place. The first “Court” held in Boston was a “General Court.” on October * 19, “for establishing of the government.” On October * 3, 1632, Boston was formally declared to be “the fittest place for publique meetings of any place in the Bay.” Boston was the first town in Massachusetts to become a city. It was incorporated February 23, 1822, by St. 1821, c. 110, adopted March 4, 1822. This act was revised by St. 1854, c. 448, commonly called the City Charter, adopted November 13, 1854. The neck of land called Boston, still called Boston Proper, contained perhaps 700 acres of land, judging from the 783 acres shown by the official survey of 1794. In the interval 1630–37, Boston acquired jurisdiction over most of the territory now included in Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, East Boston, Brookline, Quincy, Braintree, Randolph and Holbrook, besides certain

* Old Style.

islands in the harbor. From 1637 till May 13, 1640, when “Mount Woollaston ’’ was set off as Braintree, Boston exercised jurisdiction over a territory of at least 40,000 acres. Within its present limits there are only 27,300 acres, including flats and water.

Since 1640, grants of land have been made to Boston by the General Court as follows: (1) October * 16, 1660, 1,000 acres “for the use of a free schoole, layd out in the wildernesse or North of the Merimake River” (in Haverhill), in 1664. (2) June * 27, 1735, in abatement of Province Tax, three townships, each six miles square, or 69,120 acres in all. These townships later became the Towns of Charlemont, Colrain, and Pittsfield. Boston sold its interest in them June * 30, 1736, for 23,660. (3) June 26, 1794, a township of land in Maine (23,040 acres) “to build a public hospital.” This tract was sold by the City April 6, 1833, for $4,200. .

Muddy River was set off as the Town of Brookline on November * 13, 1705, and Rumney Marsh was set off as the Town of Chelsea January * 8, 1739.

The principal annexations of territory included within the present limits of the City of Boston, have been made as follows :

(1) Noddle's Island, by order of Court of Assistants, March * 9, 1636–37. (2) South Boston set off from Dorchester, March 6, 1804, by St. 1803, c. 111. (3) Washington Village set off from Dorchester, May 21, 1855, by St. 1855, c. 468. (4) Roxbury, January 6, 1868, by St. 1867, c. 359, accepted September 9, 1867. Roxbury received its name by order of the Court of Assistants, October * 8, 1630. It was incorporated a City, March 12, 1846, by St. 1846, c. 95, accepted March 25, 1846. (5) Dorchester, January 3, 1870, by St. 1869, c. 348, accepted June 22, 1869. It received its name September * 7, 1630, by order of the Court of Assistants. (6) Brighton, January 5, 1874, by St. 1873, c. 303, accepted October 7, 1873. Set off from Cambridge as the Town of Brighton, February 24, 1807, by St. 1806, c. 65. (7) Charlestown, January 5, 1874, by St. 1873, c. 286, accepted October 7, 1873. Settled July * 4, 1629. It was incorporated a City, February 22, 1847, by St. 1847, c. 29, accepted March 10, 1847. (8) West Roxbury, January 5, 1874, by St. 1873, c. 314, accepted October 7, 1873. It was set off from Roxbury and incorporated a Town, May 24, 1851, by St. 1851, c. 250.

* Old Style.

« PreviousContinue »