Early New England Towns; a Comparative Study of Their Development .

"Early New England Towns; A Comparative Study Of Their Development" by Anne Bush MacLear. The excerpt surveys New Hampshire as a royal province in the 17th–18th centuries, focusing on three interconnected spheres: finance, justice, and military affairs, and showing how imperial policy and local action shaped money, law, and defense on the frontier. The finance section traces war costs, the shift toward paper money, depreciation, redemptions, and eventual partial transition to metallic currency, set against assembly–governor conflicts and evolving taxation. The justice section traces governance from Massachusetts control to a separate royal authority, the creation of courts and appeals, and the growing role of the assembly in funding, appointments, and law administration. The military section outlines provincial militia organization, major campaigns (Louisburg, Crown Point, Quebec), frontier garrisons, and partisan forces, with imperial reimbursement shaping defense. The analysis situates key actors, places, and boundary disputes, arguing that New Hampshire developed a robust administrative and military framework within imperial oversight, laying groundwork for the Revolutionary era.