Treasure Chest Thursday (April 25, 2013)

Invitation to the 200th Anniversary of the Town of Attleborough, Massachusetts (Incorporated 1694)

The Town of Attleborough, Massachusetts celebrated its Bi-Centennial Anniversary on Thursday, October 18th and Friday, October 19th, 1894.  Above is the invitation to the festivities that was sent to citizens of the town and to "absent sons and daughters and all others interested in the occasion . . ."

The Town of Attleborough was originally incorporated from Rehoboth, Massachusetts in 1694 and was comprised of what is now the Town of Cumberland, Rhode Island and the Town of North Attleborough, Massachusetts.  Cumberland was part of Attleborough until 1747 and North Attleborough was part of the Town of Attleborough until 1887.  In 1914 the Town of Attleborough changed the spelling of its name to Attleboro and at the same time reincorporated as the City of Attleboro.

Attleboro is located in Bristol County, Massachusetts.  In 2010 it was reported to have a population of 43,593.  Attleboro is about 10 miles from Providence, Rhode Island and 39 miles from Boston, Massachusetts.  At one time, due to the number of jewelry manufacturers in the city, it was known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World."  Many people over the last 100 years have worn high school, college, fraternity, sorority, military and championship rings made by the L.G Balfour Company.  Balfour was founded 100 years ago on June 13, 1913 in Attleboro.  Balfour is probably the most famous of the jewelry manufacturers located in Attleboro and at one time Balfour had contracts with 90% of all national fraternal societies to serve as their official jewelers for rings and other jewelry. 

The invitation above was devised by the Committee on Invitations, of which Lucy B. Sweet was a member.  Lucy was Lucy Bliss Carpenter, daughter of Joseph Carpenter and his wife Nancy Mason (Bullock) Carpenter, who have been written about here on The Prism and in American Ancestors magazine (vol. 12, no. 4, fall 2011) as reproduced with permission here.  Joseph and Nancy Carpenter are my 3x great grandparents.  Their daughter Lucy married Everett Leprilete Sweet on March 6, 1851.  Lucy is my 2nd great grand aunt. 

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Invitation photograph is of the original invitation in the possession of the author. 

The Seal of the City of Attleboro is an official logo of a governmental entity and it use here is believed to qualify as fair use under the copyright laws of the United States as further explained here.

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Copyright 2013, John D. Tew

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