Who We Are

    Founded in 1892, the Colonial Society of Massachusetts is a non-profit educational foundation designed to promote the study of Massachusetts history from earliest settlement through the first decades of the nineteenth century. The central mission of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts is to publish documents and other resources related to the early history of Massachusetts, broadly defined, from colonization to c. 1830, and taking in local, regional, transatlantic and other perspectives.

    The Publications Committee of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts accepts proposals for publications made by CSM members and others, in accordance with the Society’s central publishing mission. In considering proposals, the CSM is committed to achieving greater diversity in its publications, particularly in regard to documents and sources relating to Indigenous peoples, women, people of color, and LGBTQ history, and to increasing the diversity of its editors. Projects accepted for publication may be made available in print or in digital form, or both.

    All ninety-eight volumes of the Society’s publications are freely available to the public either for download or consultation through this website. (See Publications for the full list.)

    Please visit Activities for a more complete description of the Society's activities. 


    The Colonial Society is pleased to announce two new publications. The Minutes of the Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Monthly Meeting of Friends, 1699---1785, edited by Thomas D. Hamm, and The Correspondence of Thomas Hutchinson, Volume 5: July 1772 ---May 1774 edited by John W. Tyler and Margaret A. Hogan. Both are available from the University of Virginia Press and Amazon, and can also be seen online on our Publications page).


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    Forthcoming Publications

    The Papers of John Hancock, volume 1
    edited by Jeffrey Griffith

    The Writings of Daniel Gookin
    edited by Adrian Chastain Weimer and David D. Hall

    The Journal and Letters of Nathaniel Cutting
    edited by William Stinchcombe and Micah Alpaugh

    William Bradford: Correspondence, Dialogues, and Other Writings
    edited by Francis Bremer, Kathryn Grey, David Lupher, and Kenneth Minkema

    The Diary of William Bentley
    edited by Thomas Knoles

    William Hubbard's A General History of New England
    revised and annotated by Christopher Jedrey and Kenneth Minkema

    The Memoirs of Josiah Cotton & Allied Documents
    edited by Douglas Winiarski

    The Account Books of John Hull
    edited by David Hancock and Mark Peterson

    News

    Wednesday April 8, 2026, 7-8:30pm, 87 Mount Vernon Street, Boston. The Partnership of the Historic Bostons and The Colonial Society of Massachusetts present Linford D. Fisher, Professor of History at Brown University on “Surviving Slavery: The Sale of Indigenous People in King Philip’s War."

    One of the lesser-known aspects of King Philip's War was the intentional campaign to enslave Native peoples. Combatants and non-combatants alike—including women and children—were captured and forced into servitude. Colonial governments offered clemency to Natives who surrendered but instead shipped many out of the region as slaves or parceled them into English households for decades of servitude. Individuals were trafficked to destinations like Barbados, Jamaica, the Azores, and even Tangier. This presentation explores the lived realities of family separations and the long shadow these events cast on Native communities, who continue to press for their sovereignty today.

    Professor Fisher specializes in the religious and cultural histories of early America and Native America. His forthcoming book, Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Enslavement in US History (Liveright, 2026), will be available for purchase in advance of this talk at a 50% discount (see below).

    Seating is limited. To registerIN PERSON: Surviving Slavery: The Sale of Indigenous People Tickets, Wed, Apr 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

    If you are unable to attend in person, join the live stream by clicking on this link: CSM Live Stream

    Book purchase instructions The discounted price to purchase Stealing America is $26.25 (includes mailing costs) or $20 if you are picking it up in person at 87 Mount Vernon Street.

    Payment

    * via PHB"s PayPal/credit card, here.  

    * checks to the Partnership of Historic Bostons, 23 Mount Pleasant St, Cambridge MA 02140. 

    Please indicate in the 'notes' in PayPal or on the check that this is for the purchase of Stealing America

    Enquiries: [email protected]

    April. 16, 2026 • Stated Meeting at 3:00 p.m. Roger L. Hall, Director, Center for American Music Preservation, will speak on “More than Yankee Doodle: Songs of Patriotism and Protest in the American Revolution.”

    May 22-23, 2026 - 2026 Graduate Student Forum. Proposals are due February 20, 2026. For further Information see https://www.colonialsociety.org/forum

    June 4, 2026 • Donald R. Friary Symposium at 6:00 p.m. A conversation on the Material Culture of African-American History among three leaders in the field: Kabria Baumgartner, Dean’s Associate Professor of History and African Studies, Northeastern University; Alexandra Chan, archaeologist, author of Slavery in the Age of Reason: Archaeology of a New England Farm; and Kyera Singleton, Executive Director, Royall House and Slave Quarters. Thank you to Robert A. Hall for suggesting we host this conversation!

    June 29-July 1, 2026  • Summer Seminar 2026 "Using Colonial Society Sources in. Early American History ." Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 20, 2026. Details are at this link

     

     

    All events take place at 87 Mount Vernon St., Boston MA 02108 and (unless noted otherwise) are free and open to the public.