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! width="88%" scope="col" | Events
! width="88%" scope="col" | Events
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|-
| in 1607
| 10 Apr. 1606
| The Plymouth Company granted between 38°N (near Md.-Va. border) and 45°N (near Me.-N.B. border) which overlapped with the Virginia Company of London below 41°N (near Conn.-N.Y. border). After a failed attempt to colonize at the Popham Colony near present-day Phippsburg, Me., in 1607 (the settlers all left one year later), the patent fell into disuse. The London Company was re-chartered in 1609 for exclusive use up to 41°N.
| The Plymouth Company granted between 38°N (near Md.-Va. border) and 45°N (near Me.-N.B. border) which overlapped with the [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/va01.asp Virginia Company of London] below 41°N (near Conn.-N.Y. border). After a failed attempt to colonize at the Popham Colony near present-day Phippsburg, Me., in 1607 (the settlers all left one year later), the patent fell into disuse. The London Company was re-chartered in 1609 for exclusive use up to 41°N.
|-
|-
| 3 Nov. 1620
| 3 Mar. 1619/20
| The Plymouth Council for New England granted a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass01.asp royal patent] for land between 34°N and 45°N. Plymouth Colony settled at Plymouth in that year, though not initiated by the Council.
| Petition for a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/charter_002.asp Chart of New England] by the Northern Company of Adventurers settling between 40°N and 45°.
|-
|-
| 10 Aug. 1622  
| 3 Nov. 1620
| The Plymouth Council for New England granted a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass01.asp royal patent] for land between 34°N and 45°N. Plymouth Colony settled at Plymouth in that year, though not initiated by the Council.
|-
| 1 June 1621
| The Pilgrims acquired a new land patent for the settlement they created at Plymouth.
|-
| 10 Aug. 1622
| The Council granted a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/me01.asp patent for the Province of Maine] to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason that covered between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers. The men agreed to split this patent and Mason received the portion south of the Piscataqua River on 17 Nov. 1629 in a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nh01.asp grant]. This grant was [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/charter_007.asp reconfirmed] on 3 Feb. 1634/5. Gorges obtained a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/me02.asp royal charter] for his portion in 1639.
| The Council granted a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/me01.asp patent for the Province of Maine] to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason that covered between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers. The men agreed to split this patent and Mason received the portion south of the Piscataqua River on 17 Nov. 1629 in a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nh01.asp grant]. This grant was [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/charter_007.asp reconfirmed] on 3 Feb. 1634/5. Gorges obtained a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/me02.asp royal charter] for his portion in 1639.
|-
|-
| in 1624  
| in 1624
| The Council established a fishing village at present-day Gloucester financed and governed by the Dorchester Company. The Company withdrew their support at the end of 1625. A few settlers remained and eventually moved further south.
| The Council established a fishing village at present-day Gloucester financed and governed by the Dorchester Company. The Company withdrew their support at the end of 1625. A few settlers remained and eventually moved further south.
|-
|-
| in 1628  
| in 1628
| The Council created the "New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay" (commonly called the Massachusetts Bay Colony) was established at Salem first with the remaining settlers from the Dorchester Company and 100 new settlers. This grant was for the land between the Charles and Merrimack rivers with a buffer of three miles above and below these borders. In 1629, 300 more settlers were sent to Salem. Concerned about the conflict in land claims, this group sought a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass03.asp royal charter] for the colony which it received on 18 Mar. 1628/9. The shareholders decided to move the board to the colony (a first in the North American colonies), and the majority of the shareholders bought out those who did not want to emigrate. They elected John Winthrop to be the Governor of the new colony.
| The Council created the "New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay" (commonly called the Massachusetts Bay Colony) was established at Salem first with the remaining settlers from the Dorchester Company and 100 new settlers. This grant was for the land between the Charles and Merrimack rivers with a buffer of three miles above and below these borders. In 1629, 300 more settlers were sent to Salem. Concerned about the conflict in land claims, this group sought a [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass03.asp royal charter] for the colony which it received on 18 Mar. 1628/9. The shareholders decided to move the board to the colony (a first in the North American colonies), and the majority of the shareholders bought out those who did not want to emigrate. They elected John Winthrop to be the Governor of the new colony.
|-
|-
| 7 June 1635  
| 13 Jan. 1629/30
| The Plymouth Council for New England [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/charter_007.asp surrendered its charter] to the King.
| The [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass02.asp Charter of New Plymouth] defined the colony as east of Narragansett Bay and south from the mouth of the Pawtucket River [''now Blackstone River''] to the mouth of the Cohasset River.
|-
| 26 June 1630
| The Council for New England patented the '''Province of Lygonia''', being southwest of the Sagadahoc River [''now Kennebec River''] 40 miles long and 40 miles wide.
|-
| 7 June 1635
| The Plymouth Council for New England [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/charter_007.asp surrendered its charter] to the King. Basically, all land outside of Massachusetts Bay was under the authority of the Crown.
|-
| 3 Apr. 1639
| King Charles I granted the [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/me02.asp Province of Maine] to Ferinando Gorges as a proprietary colony that included the land between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers inland 120 miles plus the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Thomas Gorges, a distant relative of Ferdinando Gorges, established a government there in 1640, creating counties, and conducting the colony until its annexation by Massachusetts Bay in 1652.
|-
| 14 June 1641
| New Hampshire voluntarily accepted the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay since the dissolution of the Council for New England and the death of John Mason.
|-
| in Oct. 1641
| Thomas Mayhew, father and son, of Watertown purchased the title to Nantucket Island, Martha's Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands from Lord Stirling and Ferdinando Gorges. These islands were not part of the Massachusetts Bay.
|-
| in 1642
| The southern boundary west for Massachusetts Bay was set per the charter of 1629/30 as 3 miles south of the Charles River thus defining the border between it and the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
|-
| 27 Aug. 1645
| For its participation in the Pequot War (1636-1637), Massachusetts Bay claimed the land between the Thames and Pawcautck Rivers plus Block Island. It tried to secure a patent for this area but was deemed invalid.
|-
| in Mar. 1646/7
| '''Lygonia''' gained the overlapping territory with Maine and reduced Maine to a few settlements.
|-
| 26 May 1652
| Massachusetts Bay interpreted their 1628/9 charter's northern line as 43° 40' 12" North claiming from the Casco Bay in Maine west through central New Hampshire and Vermont to the New York border.
|-
| 20 Nov. 1652
| Using the interpretation above, Massachusetts Bay established '''Yorkshire County''' covering the land between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers thus eliminating the '''Province of Lygonia'''. This county went into abeyance in Nov. 1664, reinstated as '''York County''' on 27 May 1668, eliminated by the creation of the District of Maine on 17 Mar. 1679/80, and reinstated again under the new Massachusetts Bay royal charter of 7 Oct. 1691.
|-
| 18 Sept. 1658
| The Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England settle the border dispute over the '''Pequot Country''' settling the border between Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay as the Mystic River, thus leaving Massachusetts Bay with a claim to land between the Mystic and Pawcatuck Rivers. Massachusetts Bay gave up its claim to this land and also Block Island on 19 Oct. 1664.
|-
| 23 Apr. 1662
| King Charles II grant a charter to Connecticut that gave its eastern border as the Narragansett Bay, eliminating the claim by Massachusetts Bay and overlapping with Rhode Island's patent.
|-
| 7 May 1662
| Massachusetts Bay created '''Hampshire County''' out of unregulated area being roughly the center of present-day Worcester County west to the New York border, being all territory within 30 miles of the settlements of Springfield, Northampton, and Hadley.
|-
| 8 July 1663
| King Charles II granted [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/ri04.asp Rhode Island a new charter] that moved present-day Cumberland, R.I., out of Massachusetts Bay and some eastern lands out of New Plymouth, but these lines seemed not enforced. New Plymouth protested the infringement of its patent. A royal commission set this boundary as the Blackstone River and the east side of Narragansett Bay pending a royal decision on 27 Feb. 1664/5. The same commission made the '''Narragansett Country''' a separate entity ending Connecticut's claim, but having Rhode Island govern the area on 8 Apr. 1665.
|-
| 12 Mar. 1663/4
| King Charles II granted the Duke of York all land between the Delaware and Connecticut Rivers; the islands of Long Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket; and the [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/me03.asp land between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers] inland to the St. Lawrence River. In the fall of 1664, royal commissioners arbitrated the conflict with this grant and suggested the border between New York and Massachusetts Bay as 20 miles east of the Hudson River. Though never codified, this was the generally accepted border.
|-
| 23 June 1665
| Royal commissioners placed Ferdinando Gorges' land under royal authority.
|-
| 5 Sept. 1665
| New York created '''Cornwall County''' covering all the land between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers.
|-
| 19 May 1669
| The town of Westfield was laid out extending into "the jog" south of the colony line.
|-
| 7 Oct. 1673
| Massachusetts claimed an area east of the Kennebec River that included the Pemaquid settlement later named this '''Devonshire County''' on 27 May 1675, but this county ceased when the war with the Abnaki Indians in that area broke out in Sept. 1675.
|-
| 3 June 1674
| Massachusetts Bay created the town of Suffield that now lies wholly within Connecticut.
|-
| 15 Mar. 1677/8
| Massachusetts Bay purchased the grant made to Ferdinando Gorges from him.
|-
| 18 Sept. 1679
| New Hampshire made a royal colony separate from Massachusetts Bay. '''Old Norfolk County''' was dissolved and the towns of Amesbury, Haverhill, and Salisbury added to Essex County of Massachusetts Bay.
|-
| 16 May 1683
| Massachusetts Bay created the town of Enfield that now lies wholly within Connecticut.
|-
| 1 Nov. 1683
| New York created '''Dukes County''' that included Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands until a new royal charter gave these islands to Massachusetts Bay on 7 Oct. 1691. The latter created the '''new Dukes County''' for Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands and '''Nantucket County''' for Nantucket on 22 June 1695. On this day, New York also recreated '''Cornwall County''' in Maine.
|-
| 18 June 1684
| The High Court of Chancery of England cancelled the Charter of 1629 for Massachusetts Bay. This places Massachusetts Bay and Maine under royal authority, though in practice nothing changed until the governor arrived on 17 May 1686.
|-
| 17 May 1686<br>18 Apr. 1689
| The '''Dominion of New England''' was established as the first royal govern arrived bringing together Massachusetts Bay, Maine, and the Narragansett Country. New Plymouth and the Pemaquid Country was added on 20 Dec. 1686. New York (thus eliminating '''Cornwall County''') and New Jersey were added on 1 Apr. 1687. King James II was overthrown on 18 Apr. 1689 by King William III and Queen Mary II in England and Bostonians imprisoned the royal government and others to end this consolidation in North America. Previously forms of government resumed.
|-
| 15 Mar. 1689/90
| Massachusetts Bay created the town of Woodstock that now lies wholly within Connecticut.
|-
| 7 Oct. 1691
| The new [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass07.asp Charter of Massachusetts Bay] issued that included land between 40&deg;N and 48&deg;N. - explicitly stating this being all of the former Colony of Massachusetts Bay, territory called '''New Plymouth''', territory called the '''Province of Maine''', and the territory between the Sagadahoc River and Nova Scotia, and specifically excluded the charter to John Mason now in the hands of Samuel Allen of London, merchant (i.e. New Hampshire) and the colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the Narragansett Country. Also included were the Isles of Cappawock (i.e. The Elizabeth Islands) and Nantucket (which seemingly included Martha's Vineyard).
|-
| 1 Mar. 1691/2
| A royal governor was sent to New Hampshire effectively separating it from Massachusetts Bay, but did not further define its borders beyond the 1679 charter.
|-
| 22 June 1695
| Massachusetts Bay established '''Dukes County''' for Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands and '''Nantucket County''' for Nantucket Island.
|-
| 20 Sept. 1697
| The Treaty of Ryswick ending the King William's War between England and France transferred Acadia to France and separating it from Massachusetts Bay. The formal transfer followed after the Treaty of Utrecht on 15 Apr. 1713 and ended the nominal jurisdiction over Acadia [''Nova Scotia''].
|-
|-
| 18 June 1684
| 13 July 1713
| The High Court of Chancery of England cancelled the Charter of 1629 for Massachusetts Bay.
| Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay accepted a 1702 survey that confirmed the line between them (the current line minus the jogs) and gave Massachusetts Bay jurisdiction over the border towns of Enfield, Suffield, and Woodstock.
|-
|-
| 7 Oct. 1691
| 26 June 1716
| The new [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mass07.asp Charter of Massachusetts Bay] issued that included land between 40°N and 48°N. - explicitly stating this being all of the former Colony of Massachusetts Bay, territory called New Plymouth, territory called the Province of Maine, and the territory between the Sagadahoc River and Nova Scotia, and specifically excluded the charter to John Mason now in the hands of Samuel Allen of London, merchant (i.e. New Hampshire) and the colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the Narragansett Country. Also included were the Isles of Cappawock (i.e. The Elizabeth Islands) and Nantucket (which seemingly included Martha's Vineyard).
| The jurisdiction of York County extended east beyond the Kennebec River to the St. Croix River, though never defining the northern limit.
|-
| 5 Aug. 1740
| King George II settled the border dispute between Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire for the latter being up the Piscataqua and Salmon Falls Rivers due north 120 miles or to the end of the colony and 3 miles north of the Merricmack River to Pautucket Falls [''now in Lowell, Mass.''], then straight west and these are the borders in effect today.
|-
| 28 May 1746
| King George II decided (and implemented on 17 Feb. 1746/7) the border between Massachusetts Bay and Rhode Island so that Massachusetts Bay lost the Attleborough Gore [''present-day Cumberland, R.I.''] and a 3-mile strip of land on the east side of Narragansett Bay starting at the head of the bay.
|-
| In May 1749
| Connecticut annexed the Massachusetts Bay towns of Enfield, Somers [''created from Enfield''], Suffield, and Woodstock. Note that the line was now straight except for the "Southwick jog" that exists to this day.
|-
| 7 Oct. 1763
| When the new royal province of Quebec was created with its southern border being the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean, the northern border of Cumberland, Lincoln, and York counties was established.
|-
| 18 May 1773
| Massachusetts Bay and New York agreed that their boundary was a straight line roughly parallel to being 20 miles east of the Hudson River - in accordance with the informal agreement of 1664.
|-
| In 1774
| Connecticut took over a small part of land of Southwick that extended below the 1713 provincial boundary.
|-
| 3 Sept. 1783
| The Treaty of Paris defined the northern boundary as the watershed between the St. Croix River and the Atlantic Ocean.
|-
| 24 Nov. 1817
| By the Treaty of Ghent, islands in the Passamadquoddy Bay being Moose, Dudley [''now Treat''], and Frederick [''now Dudley''] were assigned to the United States and made part of Washington Co., Me.
|-
| 15 Mar. 1820
| Maine was set off as an independent state as part of the Missouri Compromise.
|-
| 3 Nov. 1826
| There was a slight straightening of the border between northeastern Connecticut and Massachusetts.
|-
| 11 Jan. 1855
| Boston Corners, the southwestern corner of Berkshire County, annexed to New York.
|-
| 1 Mar. 1862
| Implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court settlement of the boundary between Bristol County and that of neighboring Rhode Island.
|}
|}


[THIS CHART ABOVE IS CURRENTLY BEING RESEARCHED]
<center>[[#top|Top of Page]]</center>
<center>[[#top|Top of Page]]</center>  
 
=== Massachusetts Counties  ===
=== Massachusetts Counties  ===


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