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Did an ancestor travel the '''Bay Road''' of Massachusetts? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources. | Did an ancestor travel the '''Bay Road''' of Massachusetts? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources. | ||
=== History | === History === | ||
[[Image:New England Migration Routes.png|right|400px|New England Migration Routes.png]]The '''Bay Road''' stretched about 62 miles (99 kilometers) from Massachusetts Bay to Buzzard's Bay. It went from the city of Boston in Suffolk County through Norfolk County into Bristol County to the city of Taunton, and thence to the city of New Bedford in Massachusetts.<ref name="HBG">''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America'', 9th ed. (Logan, Utah: Everton Pub., 1999), pages 531 and M-48. {{WorldCat|48077118|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|740321|item|disp=FHL Book 973 D27e 1999}}.</ref><br><br> | [[Image:New England Migration Routes.png|right|400px|New England Migration Routes.png]]The '''Bay Road''' stretched about 62 miles (99 kilometers) from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay Massachusetts Bay]] to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzards_Bay Buzzard's Bay]]. It went from the city of [Boston,_Massachusetts Boston] in [Suffolk_County,_Massachusetts Suffolk County] through [Norfolk_County,_Massachusetts Norfolk County] into [Bristol_County,_Massachusetts Bristol County] to the city of [Taunton,_Massachusetts Taunton], and thence to the city of [New_Bedford,_Massachusetts New Bedford] in Massachusetts.<ref name="HBG">''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America'', 9th ed. (Logan, Utah: Everton Pub., 1999), pages 531 and M-48. {{WorldCat|48077118|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|740321|item|disp=FHL Book 973 D27e 1999}}.</ref><br><br> | ||
Part of the '''Bay Road''' followed the exact same route as a part of the '''[[Old Roebuck Road]]''' at least as far as Dedham. Moreover, this was also used as one of several routes of the '''[[King's Highway]]''' or '''[[Boston Post Road]]''' from Boston to New York City. | |||
=== Route === | |||
A partial description of the Bay Road (the northern portion) is found in Wikipedia as follows.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Road_(Bristol_County,_Massachusetts) Bay Road (Bristol County, Massachusetts)] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 3 October 2014).</ref> Bay Road is a 17+ mile north-south road in southeastern Massachusetts. The road is in parts a very old road, dating to colonial times, when it was known as the [[King's Highway]]. Bay Road begins at the town line of Canton and Sharon, Norfolk County just north of an intersection with Route 27 at Cobb Corner and ends in Taunton as Bay Street. The road heads south along the Sharon side of the Sharon/Stoughton town line in Norfolk County. The road enters Bristol County in the town of Easton. Bay Road runs along the east side of Borderland State Park and passes through the intersection of Routes 106 and 123 in the neighborhood of Five Corners. The road then enters into the town of Norton. There, Bay Road runs along the eastern shore of Winnecunnet Pond just before entering the Taunton neighborhood of North Taunton, where Bay Road becomes Bay Street, and intersects Interstate 495. The street runs alongside Lake Sabbatia and Watson Pond State Park. It then enters the Whittenton section and terminates at Broadway (Route 138). | A partial description of the Bay Road (the northern portion) is found in Wikipedia as follows.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Road_(Bristol_County,_Massachusetts) Bay Road (Bristol County, Massachusetts)] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 3 October 2014).</ref> Bay Road is a 17+ mile north-south road in southeastern Massachusetts. The road is in parts a very old road, dating to colonial times, when it was known as the [[King's Highway]]. Bay Road begins at the town line of Canton and Sharon, Norfolk County just north of an intersection with Route 27 at Cobb Corner and ends in Taunton as Bay Street. The road heads south along the Sharon side of the Sharon/Stoughton town line in Norfolk County. The road enters Bristol County in the town of Easton. Bay Road runs along the east side of Borderland State Park and passes through the intersection of Routes 106 and 123 in the neighborhood of Five Corners. The road then enters into the town of Norton. There, Bay Road runs along the eastern shore of Winnecunnet Pond just before entering the Taunton neighborhood of North Taunton, where Bay Road becomes Bay Street, and intersects Interstate 495. The street runs alongside Lake Sabbatia and Watson Pond State Park. It then enters the Whittenton section and terminates at Broadway (Route 138). | ||
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'''Modern parallels.''' The modern roads that roughly match the old Bay Road from Boston to New Bedford are: | '''Modern parallels.''' The modern roads that roughly match the old Bay Road from Boston to New Bedford are: | ||
:*From Boston head southwest on Washington Street bound for Dedham. | :*From Boston head southwest on Washington Street bound for Dedham. | ||
:*From Dedham go south on the Providence Highway to Norwood. | :*From Dedham go south on the Providence Highway to Norwood. | ||
:*At Norwood transfer onto Neponsit Street bound southeast to Canton. | :*At Norwood transfer onto Neponsit Street bound southeast to Canton. | ||
:*At Canton turn south onto Washington Street which shortly becomes the Bay Road or Bay Street on its way to Taunton. | :*At Canton turn south onto Washington Street which shortly becomes the Bay Road or Bay Street on its way to Taunton. | ||
:*From Taunton take Summer Street/MA-140 to the southeast. This becomes County Street or County Road bound for Clifford. | :*From Taunton take Summer Street/MA-140 to the southeast. This becomes County Street or County Road bound for Clifford. | ||
:*Near Clifford the County Road merges going south with MA-18/Acushnet Avenue/Ashley Blvd into New Bedford. | :*Near Clifford the County Road merges going south with MA-18/Acushnet Avenue/Ashley Blvd into New Bedford. | ||