Dogs in Early New England: Colonial Canines

Howard M. Chapin's interesting and unusual study offers a look at dogs in the New England region during the 1600-1700s. He offers accounts derived from both Native Americans and incoming settlers, and includes archival evidence and photographs of artifacts. A dog fancier himself, Chapin sheds some light on a somewhat arcane and understudied aspect of animals in the early United States. This is one of the few studies of dogs in the colonial era and provides a foundation for further investigation. Howard Millar Chapin was a prolific writer who was especially fond of colonial American history. He was born in 1887 and attended Brown University, graduating in 1908, and then went into business, running his own jewelry store. Later he worked as a manager at the Providence Evening News, and in 1912, he became the Librarian of the Rhode Island Historical Society, until his passing in 1940.