This book recreates the lost world of 17th-century Charlestown and the lives and work of the first three generations of its townspeople. By using a variety of surviving records, Thompson presents a colorful history of the town’s settlement and governance, its relationship with the land and sea, the church, local crime and vio­lence, the role of women, and ultimately its involvement in the Glorious Revolution.

So much more than a dry chronicle of names and events from a typical early town history, this is a fascinating view of the layered relationships between and among individuals and their fledgling society. . . From Deference to Defiance: Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1629-1692 is a superb book deserving a wide readership.

—National Genealogical Society Quarterly

By Roger Thompson