Divided by the Great River is a history of the families who lived along the Connecticut River at Hatfield and Hadley, Massachusetts, between the years of 1658 and 1670. It presents the story of their faith and human motivations coming together amid the establishment of the first government of Massachusetts to create a new town in the Commonwealth in 1670. The words of the actors are recorded in legal petitions and correspondence archived in various libraries, museums, and historical collections in the region.