Place:Sheffield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States

Sheffield, also known as Houssatannock Lower Plantation, Schaghticoke, Skatecook and Scaticook, was founded in 1733. It had no parent town.

• January 22, 1733, established as a town.
• June 19, 1753, certain lands lying west of Sheffield annexed.
• January 21, 1760, certain estates annexed.
• June 30, 1761, part established as Great Barrington.
• February 22, 1790, part annexted by Egremont.
• June 19, 1796, part annexed by New Marlborough.
• February 7, 1798, part annexed by New Marlborough.
• February 16, 1824, part annexed by Egremont.
• June 4, 1869, bounds between Sheffield and Egremont established.
• April 19, 1871, part annexed by New Marlborough and bounds established.

Modern Sheffield

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,327 at the 2020 census. Sheffield is home to Berkshire School, a private preparatory school. The former resort town includes the village of Ashley Falls, and is bordered by various other towns and villages, such as Egremont and Great Barrington. Its southern border is the Massachusetts-Connecticut state line,

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The land was purchased on April 25, 1724, from Chief Konkapot and 20 other Stockbridge Mahican Native Americans. Its price was 460 pounds, 3 barrels of cider and 30 quarts of rum. The lower township of Housatonic (as Outhotonnook would be corrupted) was first settled by Matthew Noble of Westfield, who arrived in 1725.

But New York claimed the land west of the Housatonic River under the Westenhook Patent, dated July 11, 1705, and insisted that Massachusetts cease encroachment. Indeed, one early settler was arrested and incarcerated at Albany as a trespasser on Westenhook land. Nevertheless, Sheffield, Massachusetts, was officially incorporated on June 22, 1733, the first town incorporated in what is now Berkshire County. Its north parish was set off and incorporated as Great Barrington in 1761. Located on the fertile floodplain of the Housatonic River valley, the principal industry was agriculture.

The Sheffield Resolves, or Sheffield Declaration, was an early Colonial American petition against British rule and manifesto for individual rights, drawn up as a series of resolves approved by the Town of Sheffield on January 12, 1773, and printed in The Massachusetts Spy, Or, Thomas's Boston Journal on February 18, 1773. Sheffield was also the site of the bloodiest (and last) battle on February 27, 1787, during Shays' Rebellion.

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source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog