| Established in 1759
Francis Daniels was born June 22, 1723 in the Province of Normandy, France. While still a young man, he entered the French Army & was assigned to the West Indies where he became an officer. Taken sick, he spent months in the hospital before returning to duty. The move proved premature, as he became ill once again, so he decided to return to France. The ship was captured by a Colonial privateer & brought to Massachusetts Bay Colony in Boston, where the young prisoner was a source of income to the privateers & was imprisoned for three months. George Hewes, keeper of the jail, spoke French, & took a liking to his young charge. He made him aware of his brother in Wrentham, a wealthy landowner in need of hired help.
With the promise of being paid wages for his services, young Francis went to Wrentham & lived with the Hewes family. Francis was indebted for the cost of his passage, & was 36 years old before it was paid off & he was able to purchase property himself. The Suffolk Registry of Deeds shows that on June 6, 1759 "William Hewes of Wrentham deeded to Francis Daniels 53 acres of land for seven pounds, 18 shillings."
Turning to the land, working with the rudest of elements, he carved a farm from the wilderness. The land which Francis had purchased & started to farm was to be included in an area, set aside from Wrentham & other towns, to form a new community, called Foxborough. Francis died June 23, 1813 & was buried in the Central Burying Ground, a small cemetery outside the center of Foxborough where Memorial Hall now stands. Years later, when Central St. was widened, his grave was moved to Rockhill Cemetery.
As the years have passed, the farm grew in acreage, & each succeeding generation has taken its place at Normandy. From a dairy farm to chickens, then raising sheep, the family has all worked the land first cleared from the wilderness 240 years ago. Now the 7th, 8th, & 9th generations are contributing to New England's finest four season camping resort. |
Normandy Farms Family Camping Resort Campground Web Site
Driving Direction GPS Coordinates:
42.041530, -71.279015
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Campground: Normandy Farms Family Camping Resort in Foxboro Massachusetts *