A History of Westford, Massachusetts in Its Place Names The first settlers arrived in what is now Westford, Massachusetts, about 1664. Like new settlers every-where, they named the things around them. They named the hills, brooks, ponds, and swamps. They named the roads they used, the homes where they lived, and the schools they built for their children. They brought names with them, they borrowed names from the Native Americans, and they invented names. What can we make of those place names today? When we examine Westford's historical and current place names closely, we find that they embody our town's history. In The Westford Gazetteer Robert Oliphant collects over 2,000 such names, locates the places, dates the names, documents their changes with time, and explains their origins. Quotes from local histories, memoirs, town reports, newspapers, and other documents help bring the names, and the people who used them, alive. There is a great chasm between knowing the name of something and knowing something. For Westford place names, The Westford Gazetteer bridges that chasm.
About the Author: Robert W. "Bob" Oliphant was born and raised in Oberlin, Ohio, a small college town with a rich history. He fell in love with history as a boy. He also enjoyed the sciences and pursued a career in metallurgy and materials science. As a junior in college he discovered genealogy and found that genealogy and local history go hand in hand. Bob has been an avid genealogist and local historian since then and particularly enjoys helping others find their ancestors. After college Bob worked in an integrated circuits laboratory in Texas for 8 years before switching careers and moving to Westford, Massachusetts, in 1977. He came to appreciate Westford's long and varied history and has enjoyed helping to bring that history to his fellow residents. Bob served on the Westford Historical Commission for five years and then joined the board of the Westford Museum and Historical Society, where he has served since 2004. He has been an active member of the town's Records and Archives Management Committee since it was formed by the selectmen and town manager in 2002. In 2008 Bob took over responsibility for writing the Museum Musings column in The West-ford Eagle weekly newspaper. The column features extracts from The Westford Wardsman newspaper of 100 years ago, as well as information on current activities at the Westford Museum. The Wardsman is filled with references to place names. Many of them were foreign to Bob. He didn't know where they were located or why they were so named. Unfortunately, there was no single place to find the answers. Now there is. Bob brings the research skills of a scientist, genealogist, and local historian to the compilation of The Westford Gazetteer. Bob and his wife, Bonnie, have three sons, all raised in Westford and graduates of West-ford Academy. They have five grandchildren.