By Muriel Bristol | October 9, 2022
The Mitchell-Cony directory of 1908 provided a list of Milton Selectmen from its founding until 1907.
Selectman is a term usually reserved for government officers in small New England towns. A group of selectmen make up a selectboard. In contrast to a representative council, the members of a selectboard are usually tasked with administrative duties that in larger towns and cities might be the responsibility of a mayor (Meriam-Webster, 2022).
Many, if not most, towns have three selectmen. Some have five selectmen and even seven are not unknown. Their terms are usually staggered ones, rather than concurrent ones, each selectman serving a staggered term of three years, those with five having staggered terms of five years, etc.
1802 – Will Palmer, John Fish, John Remick, Jr.
1803 – Will Palmer, John Fish, Ezekiel Hayes
1804 – Wm. Palmer, Jotham Nute, John Remick, Jr.
1805 – Wm. Palmer, Eben. Twombly, John Remick, Jr.
1806 – Levi Jones, S.L. Wentworth, Lt. Jotham Nute
1807-08 – Wm. Palmer, John Remick, Jr., Wm Tuttle
1809-10 – Wm. Palmer, John Remick, Jr., Isaac Worster
1811 – Beard Plumer, Wm. Palmer, John Remick, Jr.
1812-13 – Ichabod Hayes, Jas. Roberts, Josiah Witham
1814 – Isaac Worster, T.C. Lyman, Isaac Scates
1815-17 – Jas. Roberts, Josiah Witham, Jos. Walker
1818 – Jas. Roberts, W.S. Nutter, Hopley Meserve
1819-20 – Hanson Hayes, H. Meserve, John Remick, Jr.
1821 – Jas. Roberts, H. Hayes, H. Meserve
1822 – H. Hayes, Jas. Roberts, H. Meserve
1823 – H. Hayes, H. Meserve, Jos. Plumer
1824 – H. Hayes, H. Meserve, I.H. Wentworth
1825 – Jas. Hayes, Jr., I.H. Wentworth, Thos. Chapman
1826 – Jas. Hayes, Jr., Jas. Roberts, Thos. Chapman
1827 – Jas. Hayes, Jr., Thos. Chapman, H. Meserve
1828 – Stephen Drew, W.B. Wiggin, I.H. Wentworth
1829 – W.B. Wiggin, H. Meserve, J.M. Twombly
1830 – John Nutter, T.C. Lyman, Chas. Swasey
1831 – J.M. Twombly, Thos. Chapman, H. Meserve
1832 – J.M. Twombly, Thos. Chapman, J.H. Varney
1833 – J.M. Twombly, W.S. Nutter, H. Meserve
1834-35 – J.H. Varney, Jas. Berry, Israel Nute
1836 – J.M. Twombly, Jas. Berry, Jos. Cook
1837 – Jas. Berry, Jos. Cook, J.H. Varney
1838 – Jas. Berry, J.H. Varney, J.Y. Pinkham
1839 – J.H. Varney, J.Y. Pinkham, Chas. Swasey
1840 – J.M. Twombly, Chas. Swasey, Ephm. Hayes
1841 – J.M. Twombly, R.J. Witham, Ephm. Hayes
1842 – J.M. Twombly, R.J. Witham, Enoch Banfield
1843 – Jas. Hayes, Jr., I.H. Wentworth, Asa Fox
1844 – Jas. Hayes, Jr., Asa Fox, I.H. Wentworth
1845 – Asa Fox, I.H. Wentworth, David Wallingford
1846 – Asa Fox, D. Wallingford, J.C. Varney
1847 – D.P. Warren, Chas. Swasey, J.C. Varney
1848 – Asa Jewett, Jos. Cook, Jos. Mathes
1849 – Jos. Mathes, C.C. Hayes, Jos. Cook
1850 – Jos. Mathes, C.C. Hayes, Asa M. Durrell
1851 – Asa Fox, D.P. Warren, Ichabod Hayes
1852 – Asa Fox, Eli Wentworth, Ichabod Hayes
1853 – Eli Wentworth, J.S. Hersey, J.N. Witham
1854 – J.S. Hersey, J.N. Witham, Lewis Plummer
1855 – Jos. Sayward, Lewis Plummer, J.C. Wentworth
1856 – Jos. Sayward, J.C. Wentworth, D. Wallingford, Jr.
1857 – D. Wallingford, Jr., C.C. Hayes, S.S. Wakeham
1858 – Asa Fox, S.S. Wakeham, J.F. Hart
1859 – C.C. Hayes, J.F. Hart, C.H. Goodwin
1860 – C.H. Goodwin, Jos. Plumer, M.W. Shapleigh
1861 – Jos. Plumer, M.W. Shapleigh, Jos. Cook
1862 – Jos. Cook, Geo. Lyman, J.N. Witham
1863 – Geo. Lyman, J.N. Witham, T.H. Roberts
1864 – T.H. Roberts, Jos. Sayward, D.B. Goodwin
1865 – Jos. Hayward, J.U. Simes, Ebenezer Wentworth
1866 – J.U. Simes, E. Wentworth, Chas. Jones
1867 – Chas. Jones, Geo. Lyman, E.W. Fox
1868 – Geo. Lyman, E.W. Fox, Chas. Hayes
1869 – E.W. Fox, Chas. Hayes, H.B. Scates
1870 – Chas. Hayes, D. Wallingford, Jr., T.H. Roberts
1871 – Geo. Lyman, John Lucas, G.H. Plumer
1872-73 – Geo. Lyman, Geo. H. Plumer, T.H. Roberts
1874-77 – Geo. Lyman, Geo. H. Plumer, J.U. Simes
1878-79 – C.C. Hayes, Asa F. [A.] Fox, M.V.B. Cook
1880 – A.A. Fox, H.B. Scates, D. Wallingford
1881 – H.B. Scates, D. Wallingford, E.W. Fox
1882-83 – Geo. Lyman, W.H.H. Pinkham, J.U. Simes
1884 – Geo. Lyman, W.H.H. Pinkham, C.T. Haines
1885-86 – C.A. Jones, C.T. Haines, Chas. Hayes
1887 – J.H. Avery, C.T. Haines, Chas. Hayes
1888 – J.H. Avery, Chas. Hayes, C.C. Hayes
1889 – C.C. Hayes, Chas. Hayes, C.A. Jones
1890 – O.F. Marsh, L.F. Corson, C.A. Jones
1891 – O.F. Marsh, L.F. Corson, F.P. Jones
1892 – F.P. Jones, C.W. Gross, W.T. Wallace
1893-94 – Geo. Lyman, G.H. Plummer, C.W. Lowe
1895 – Geo. Lyman, G.H. Plummer, J.U. Simes
1896-97 – S.W. Wallingford, J.H. Avery, F.H. Lowd
1898 – S.W. Wallingford, G.E. Nute, F.H. Lowd
1899 – F.H. Lowd, G.E. Nute, E.L. Leighton
1900-01 – F.H. Lowd, W.F. Mills, W.T. Wallace
1902-03 – H.R. Jewett, J.H. Avery, F.B. Roberts
1904-05 – H.R. Jewett, J.H. Avery, C.A. Jones
1906 – J.H. Avery, B.B. Plummer, E.A. Wentworth
1907 – B.B. Plummer, E.A. Wentworth, H. Plummer
To be continued …
References:
Mitchell-Cony. (1908). The Town Register Farmington, Milton, Wakefield, Middleton, Brookfield, 1907-8. Retrieved from books.google.com/books?id=qXwUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA96
Wikipedia. (2022, May 22). Board of Selectmen. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_selectmen
Milton Observer 