PREFACE. 



TN the year 1827 a History of Hingham was compiled 

 by Solomon Lincoln, Jr., which was published by- 

 Caleb Gill, Jr., and Farmer and Brown, of Hingham. It 

 was a small volume of one hundred and eighty-three 

 pages, the work of private enterprise, and only three 

 hundred copies were printed. Many of the copies have 

 been destroyed or lost, or distributed among the families 

 of persons who have removed from Hingham ; collec- 

 tors of rare books have also contributed to make the 

 work still more scarce, and of greatly enhanced money 

 value ; so that it has been difficult to secure information 

 concerning the early annals of the town. Moreover the 

 last half-century has been prolific with changes in our 

 local affairs as important as any in all our previous 

 history. It therefore became a matter of sufficient public 

 interest for the town to take some action in relation to 

 the publication of its history, and at the annual meeting 

 in 1882 a committee was appointed to consider the expedi- 

 ency of publishing a History of Hingham. This committee 

 made a report at the annual town meeting, in 1883, recom- 

 mending " that the town cause a History of Hingham 

 to be prepared and published, and that a committee be 

 appointed to have entire charge of the publication." 



