USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 3
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" At a General Court held at Boston, 11th October, 1666:
"In answer to the Petition of the Inhabitants of Braintree, the Court on Con- sideration of the Reasons therein expressed, judge meet to grant unto them six thousand acres of Land in some place, limited to one place not prejudicing any plantation or particular grant.
"That what is above written is a true copy of the original Petition exhibited to the General Court, and their answer therenuto, as attest, Edw. Rawson, Seet.
"Braintree, 19th October, 1666. We, the Selectmen of Braintree, presenting a Petition in behalf of the inhabitants of to the General Court, by Ensign Moses Pain, our Deputy, Dated the 19th of this instant, as attested by Samuel Bass, Richard Brackett, Edmund Quincy, and William Needom."-Mass. Arch., Vol. 105, p. 7.
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EARLY SETTLEMENT AND INCORPORATION.
their township and Plymouth. The Court sees no cause to grant this petition."
Nothing more seems to have been done about this grant until 1713, when the people waked so far as to choose a Committee to search the records and see if the right had expired ; evidently they came to the conclusion that it had not; for they chose another Committee who appeared before the General Court and got their former grant confirmed.
This time they selected a tract of land where the town of New Braintree now is, in the County of Worcester. The land was sold in lots, and the proceeds divided between the pre- cinets. Some few went from Braintree to settle this new town.
During the revolutionary war, some agitation as to the prob- able value of what were once called the Hampshire grants became perceptible in the older towns of Massachusetts. The opportunity offered of getting lots at a very small price induced many to emigrate from this place ; they formed the town of Braintree in the State of Vermont. .
Another act of colonization took place in 1645, when several inhabitants of Braintree asked the General Court, and were granted a right to settle with Gorton.1
1. Gorton was a religious fanatic, who was banished from Massachusetts and settled in Rhode Island.
" It is ordered that Samuel Gorton shall be confined to Charlestowne, there to be set on worke, and to weare such bonlts or irons as may hind'r his escape, and to continne dureing the pleasure of the Cor't; p'vided that if hee shall breake his said confinem't, or shall in the meane time, either by speach or writing, publish, declare, or maintaine any of the blasphemos or abominable heresies wherew'th hee hath bene charged by the Generall Co'rt, contained in either of the two books sent unto us by him or Randle Holden, or shall reproach repve the churches of o'r Lord Jesus Christ in these United Colonies, or the civill governm't, or the public ordinances of God therein (unless it bee by answere to some question ppounded to him or conference w'th any elder, or w'th any other licensed to speake w'th him privately, under the hand of one of the Assistants) that immediately upon accusation of any such writing or speach, hee shall by such Assistant, to whom such accusation shallbee brought, bee committed to prison, till the next Co'rt of Assistants, then and there to bee tryed by a Jury, whether hee hath so spoken or written, and upon his convic- tion theereof shallbee condemned to death and executed." Dated the 3d of the 9th m., 1643 .- Mass. Rec., II., p. 52.
1643. " The Charge of the Prisoners, Samu : Gorton & his Comp'a."-" Upon
. 4
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EARLY SETTLEMENT AND INCORPORATION.
"Oct. 7, 1645. In answer to a petition of several inhabitants of the town of Braintree, for the approbation of this Court, to go and plant a town in the place where Mr. Gorton did live, it was granted, so as they take not up above 1000 acres and that
. much examination & serious consideration of yo'r writings w'th yo'r answer about them, wee do charge you to bee a blasphemos eneymy of the true reli- gion of o'r Lord Jesus Christ & his holy ordinances, and also of all Civill au- thority among the people of God, & perticularly in this irusdiction."-Mass. Rec. IJ., p. 51.
1645. "This year twenty Families, (most of them of the church of Braintree), petitioned the Court for liberty to begin a plantation where Gorton and his company had erected two or more houses at Shawamet, some part of Punhom's land, but it was challenged by Mr. Brown of Plymouth as belonging to their jurisdiction. This he did without any order from their Court or Council, (as they declared afterwards, but out of some privite end of his own). It might have been of some advantage to the interest of the English on the frontiers of the Narrhagansit Country, but ofttimes regard to particular profit proves preju- dicial to general good. For if there had been a plantation erected there by those of Braintree it might have been as a bulwark against the corruption in faith and manners prevailing in that part of New England about Providence, but it is to be feared that those parts of the country, like the miry places and marshes spoken of in Ezek. 47 : 11, are not as yet to be healed, but to be given to salt."-Mass. Hist. Col., Second Series, Vol. 6, p. 414.
These are the names of the above petitioners of the Church of Braintree :- "Stephen Kingsly, John Garing, Francis Eliot, Thom: Flatman, Henry Ad- ams, Thomas Adams, John Sheopard, Henry Adam, Junior, Samu: Adams, Jolin Adams, Christopher Adams, William Vaysey, Richard Brackett, Chris- topher Webb, Edward Sparlden, Thomas Meakins, Nicho: Woode, Robert Quelues, Thom: Barret, Daniell Shode, William Ellice, Deodatus Curtis, Thomas Waterman, Nathaniell Herman, Humfry Grigs, John Hastings, George Aldridge, John Wheateley, Thomas Wilmet, Henry Madsley, John French, Arthur Waring. They being about twenty of the thirty-two sub- scribers free men."-Mass. Rec. II., p. 128.
1648. " Upon the request of the Earle of Warwick, the Court allowes Sam- uel Gorton now. on shippboard, one full Weeke after the date hereof for the transportation of himself and his goods, through o'r irusdiction, to the place of his dwelling, he demeaning himselfe inoffencively, according to the Contents of the said Earles letter; & that the Marshall, or some other, be appointed to shew him a Coppy of this order, or to fix it to the Main Mast of the ship, in w'ch he is."-Mass. Rec., II., p. 242.
For a more extended account of Samuel Gorton and his various exploits, see Winthrop's History of New England, Palfrey's History of New England, and Sparks' American Biography, New Series, Vol. V., p. 317, where a full account of his life is given. Also, the His. Genealogical Reg. -
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EARLY SETTLEMENT AND INCORPORATION.
seven be freemen, to dispose of town affairs; and that they build ten houses there within this twelve month."
This attempt to settle with Gorton did not succeed for the reason, that Mr. Browne, one of the Commissioners from the United Colonies, without authority being given him by the Court, forbid them going to Gorton's settlement, as Mr. Browne claimed that this territory was within the limits of the Plymouth Colony, and that the Massachusetts Colony had no jurisdiction in the matter. [See note on Gorton.]
It has been claimed that the settlement of Braintree began with the arrival of Capt. Wollaston at the Mount, in 1625. We have carefully searched all written and traditional accounts given in reference to this matter, and have been unable to find any record or even traditional authority to substantiate this point. In fact the written evidence goes to prove that the attempted settlement at the Mount was some three years carlier than the time Wollaston is said to have come here, as Morton in his New England Canaan relates, that he arrived here with thirty servants in June, 1622, and then began to erect his houses. Winthrop's History agrees with this statement of Morton, as he asks of Dr. Young to correct in the next edition of his Chroni- cles of the First Planters of Massachusetts Bay, the mistake he had made in regard to Morton's arrival.
Every one admits that Captain Wollaston remained here but a short time, and from some cause or other, left the Mount and removed to Virginia, before the first year of his arrival had expired ; therefore he could not have carried on the settlement.
Soon after Wollaston left, Morton took possession of the Mount and commenced his free and easy reign, which continued until his demoralizing effect upon his followers, and the Indians, so exasperated the Plymouth Colony, that they ordered in 1628, Captain Standish to march upon Morton's jovial village and capture him. This expedition was successful; Morton was arrested, and, after a trial, sent back to England.
After the Chief was captured and sent abroad, his followers scattered and joined the other plantations, which evidently disin- tegrated and brought to an end this Bacchanalian community, to the great relief of the other plantations, and also happily for the
3
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EARLY SETTLEMENT AND INCORPORATION.
· Mount, in preventing the rapidly increasing population, from being mostly of Indian origin. Another reason that leads us to believe that this settlement was not permanent is, that if there were any settlers located here, the General Court would have had no right or jurisdiction over the land, therefore they could not have granted it to Boston as they did in 1634-5.
The settlers were very tenacious of their rights to the land they had taken up, and the Court sustained all their just claims, as was the case between Boston and Dorchester, in reference to the boundary line between the Mount and Dorchester.
At the time the Mount was annexed to Boston, the question arose, where the northerly boundary line of the Mount should be located. Boston claimed, that it was the Neponset river ; Dorchester dissented.
The dispute grew out of several of the inhabitants of Dor- chester claiming land or farms on the south side of the river. The subject came before the General Court for a decision, the Court not being able to agree upon the matter, referred the whole subject to a committee for a final settlement. This com- mittee reported in favor of the claimants, and the Squantum lands went to Dorchester, and her southerly boundary was established to run a little south of the old Squantum road, and extended to the Milton line.
To our mind, the most conclusive evidence that this settle- ment was not permanent, is, that in September, 1634, when the General Court assessed six hundred pounds upon the several plantations in the vicinity of Boston, to pay the public charges, no mention is made of a settlement at Mount Wollaston, in enumerating the amount of tax that each was to pay, viz .:
"Dorchester, £80; Rocksbury, £70; New Towne, £80; Wa- terton, £60; Saugus, £50; Boston, £80; Ipswitch, £50; Sa- lem, £45; Charlton, £45; Meadford, £26; Wessaguscus (now Weymouth), £10; Barecove (now Hingham), £4."1
From 1634-5, when Mount Wollaston was given to Boston, and she in turn granted land to various persons to come here and settle upon, we can fairly and definitely date the beginning of the first permanent settlement of the town of old Braintree.
1. Mass Rec. Vol. I., p. 129.
LAND GRANTS.
- -
It is proposed to give a full compilation, and general view of the manner in which the territory included in Mount Wollaston and the old township of Braintree was taken up; also of the vaxatious troubles the common lands gave the inhabitants. By order of the General Court, Mount Wollaston was in 1634-5 given to Boston, which in turn granted tracts of land to indi- viduals to come out and settle on. Many persons after having acquired their grants, did not come here to reside, but held them for speculation, to the great annoyance of the actual settlers. We endeavored to locate these allotments, but the indiscrimi- nate, and irregular manner in which the grants were made, and the great uncertainty of the bounds, caused us to give it up .- After having examined some two hundred deeds and wills, we found matters so mixed, that it was useless to proceed further, and preferred that at some future time an expert conveyancer might illustrate his peculiar innate intuition, by establishing bounds, locating blazed trees, finding heaps of stone that have passed out of existence centuries ago, and accounting for rivers that are now inferior brooks, or no brooks at all.
The first difficulty that occurred from the public grants of land, grew out of establishing the boundary line between Boston and Dorchester. In 1634-5, the General Court gave to Boston the whole of the Mount ; previous to this conveyance, several of the inhabitants of Dorchester had taken up farms on the south, side of Neponset river, which caused a dispute, whether these farms belonged to Boston or Dorchester. After consider- able contention the General Court appointed a Committee to settle these differences, consisting of Lient. Feakes, Mr. Tal- cott, and Mr. Woolridge. Ensign Gibbons and William Felps were also directed to accompany them ; all other persons were prohibited from going with them, or being present at their delib-
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LAND GRANTS.
erations. In September, Mr. Feakes and Mr. Talcott made their report, which was accepted, establishing the south line of the town of Dorchester on the sea, at a point in Quincy Bay south of Squantum, and running westerly to Mr. Stoughton's farm, ("Mr. Stoughton's farm consisted of 160 acres, including nearly the whole of Milton Hill, and the front on the river to the bend, where the shipyard of Mr. Briggs was located,"1) giving a large portion of the upland and all the salt marshes on the south bank of Neponset river to the town of Dorchester, an extent of ten miles of shore, and establishing the right of Roger Ludlow, Mr. Rosseter, and Mr. Newbury and others to hold their farms on the south side of Neponset.
Mr. Roger Ludlow, who was chosen Deputy Governor in 1634, had by this decision confirmed to him one hundred acres of land lying between " Musquantum Chapell,"2 and the mouth of Ne- ponset river. A part of this Squantum farm was known for many years as Ludlow's Point. Mr. Edward Rosseter was a person of some note, having been chosen as early as 1629, one of the assistants. The extent of his farm I have not been able to find, but repeated mention is made of it in the old records. Mr. Newbury's grant was much larger than the others, as his farm contained some four hundred acres large measure, bounded on the south by what afterwards was Mr. Wilson's farm; on the east by the sea at low water mark, and on the west (including the old Squantum road) it stretched to the boundaries of Dor-
1. "It is a conjecture of long standing, that, that well known point in Dor- chester (called Squantum, ) received its name from Squanto, an Indian Chief. The rustic legend, that it was so named because an Indian Squaw threw herself from the rocks there, in 'early times,' is not deemed worthy consideration .- For the want of a better derivation, probably, some one converted 'Squaw Tumble' into Squantum. If named for the Indian before mentioned, the time when, and the circumstances which occasioned it, are alike unknown. It is very possible that the name Squantum, however, had nothing to do with this Indian at all."-Drake's Antiq. of Boston, p. 43.
2. " Abrupt pile of rocks, known by the name of 'the Chapel,' at the nortli- east extremity of the peninsular of Squantum.
" Here, for many years, was celebrated 'Pilgrim's Feast,' to which people from all parts of the State resorted, and spent the day in social glce, in memory of the Pilgrim Fathers, and their landing at Plymouth. It has been discon- tinued many years."-Whitney's History of Quincy.
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LAND GRANTS.
chester, now, since 1662, Milton. He also had another farm further up the Neponset river. This large farm was soll to the Hon. John Glover in 1640. As to Mr. Pynchon's and Mr. Wol- cott's, we cannot even ascertain their location, nor have we been able to establish the time these farms were taken up, but it must have been at a very early period.
The first grant was that which provided for the Minister of the first Church of Boston, the Rev. John Wilson, in the place of the former grant at Mystic or Medford. This vote was adopted during his absence to bring over his wife from England.
13th April, 1635. "It is agreed by general consent that our Pastor, Mr. John Wilson, shall have liberty to improve what ground may be for him at Monnt Wollaston, with free reserv- ing unto him his grant at Mystic until his coming home for further agreement with the inhabitants."
Mr. Wilson arrived in Boston in October. By the next vote it appears that this promised gift was burdened with an encum- brance of the Indian right of possession.
4th December, 1635. "Item, - Whereas the greatest part of the ground at Mount Wollaston intended to have been given from the inhabitants to our Pastor, Mr. John Willson in lieu or exchange for his farm at Mystic, has proved to belong unto the Indians and others, whose interest therein he hath been forced to purchase - the inhabitants do therefore relinquish all claim unto his said land at Mystic, and do further confirm unto him his interest in his said land at Mount Wollaston, with further allowance to have by way of purchase from the Indians and others, or otherwise, so much of the upland ground within or about his said grounds there as may make him up a convenient farm there." "The town seems to have had some trouble in buying up the rights of settlers as well as of the Indians, to make good this grant."
It is evident that it was the intention of Boston to grant the Squantum lands to the Rev. Mr. Wilson, as will be seen by the following vote : 16th September, 1636. "Item, -At this Assembly it was agreed upon by common vote and by lifting up of hands, that the five hundred and sixty-five acres, as they are described in a map, and which were formerly purchased of Mount Wol-
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LAND GRANTS.
laston, with the consent of this town, partly of Mr. Pynchon, partly of Mr. Wolcott, partly of Mr. Smith, (or at least his title utterly silenced), and partly of the Indians, should be and is the allotment of the said John Wilson there, together with the lands then in controversey betwixt Dorchester and Boston, if the Court adjudge them to Boston." As the Court adjudged these lands to Dorchester, Mr. Wilson had to receive the more southerly grants.
There can be no doubt that this allotment was made in the northern part of what is now called Quincy, as Dr. John Wilson, one of the first physicians settled in this town, and grandson of the minister, inlierited a large part of these lands. His resi- dence was on the land of Edmund B. Taylor, and now in the possession of his son, and whose house, within a few years, has been taken down. The Wilson grant contained the Taylor and Rawson farm, and also a large part of what is now called Wollaston Heights.
The next grants in regular order were those to Quincy and Coddington. 14th December, 1635. "It is agreed by general consent that Mr. W. Colburn, Mr. W. Aspinwall, Mr. J. Samp- ford, W. Balston and Richard Wright, shall in behalf of the town go and take view at Mount Wollaston and bound out there what may be sufficient for Mr. William Coddington and Edmund Quincy, to have for their particular farms there ; and accordingly as they five or four of them shall agree upon to stand, and the same to be entered in this book."
Immediately after this follows a general anthority to make allotments in the following words : - " Item,-It is agreed that all the allotments at Mount Wollaston shall be set out by Mr. Coddington, William Colburn, William Aspinwall, Edmund Quincy and Richard Wright, or some four of them ; and that every allotment shall have convenient proportions of meadow thereunto, according to their number of cattle that have the same."
The following is the report of the first Committee on the allotments to Coddington and Quincy :
14th March, 1636. "And whereas at a general meeting the 14th of the 10th month last, it was ordered that Mr. W. Col-
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LAND GRANTS.
burn, Mr. W. Aspinwall, J. Sampford, W. Balston and Richard Wright, should bound out Mr. W. Coddington's and Edmund Quincy's farms at Mount Wollaston, and the same accordingly to be entered in this book."
"Now the said five persons have thus given in the bounds thereof, viz. : that Mr. Wilson's lot shall be the northerly bound, and the sea on the east part, with so much of the neck of land towards Nut Island unto the marked trees of the neck, and so to be compassed about on the south and west part as we have marked it out by trees, from place to place, unto the dead swamp next to Mr. Wilson's, excluding a parcel of marsh land, . in which there stands three hummocks with pine trees upon the east side of the marsh near the water." "It will be perceived that this boundary includes both farms, and comprehends the whole of the extensive tract on the seaboard from the dead swamp on the north to Hough's Neck on the south, including what is called Mount Wollaston, but excluding the great plain of salt marsh on the south of it, as well marked by the three hummocks at this day as it was two centuries ago, although the wood has changed from pine to oak and walnut."
The arrival of Mr. William Hutchinson to the Colony, which occurred on the 13th of September, 1634, and one of the great Antinomian leaders, now introduced the seeds of the great schism at Mount Wollaston, which created an exciting religious con- troversy in the. Colonies for some time, or until they were banished.
4th January, 1636. "Item, - That Mr. William Hutchinson shall have a sufficient farm laid him out at Mount Wollaston, beyond Mr. Coddington's farm and Mr. Wilson's into the country adjoining Dorchester bounds, by the aforesaid five persons or four of them, at their discretion."
It would appear from the following, that the collision be- tween Pastor Wilson and the Hutchinsons was not altogether confined to spiritual boundaries :
9th May, 1636. "Item,-It is ordered that William Aspinwall, Wm. Brenton, Wm. Balston, John Sampford, and James Penne, or some four of them, shall lay out our Pastor, Mr. John Wilson's bounds and Mr. William Hutchinson's at Mount Wollaston."
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LAND GRANTS.
9th January, 1637. " And whereas, at a general meeting, thie 4th of the eleventh month, 1635, it was ordered that Mr. W. Coddington, Mr. W. Colburn, W. Aspinwall, Edmund Quincy, and J. Sampford, should lay out Mr. W. Hutchinson a sufficient farm at Mount Wollaston at their discretion. Now the said five persons have at this day under their hands thus given in the laying out thereof, viz. : They have assigned unto him five hun- dred acres of ground lying betwixt Dorchester bounds and Mount Wollaston river from the back of Mr. Coddington's and Mr. Wilson's farm, up into the country, and if there be not sufficient meadow ground within this lot, to have such competent meadow assigned to him as there shall be found most fitting for him."
When Mr. Hutchinson's land was laid out it was supposed to have been within the Braintree line, but when a survey was made in laying out the towns of Braintree and Dorchester, a large part of Hutchinson's lot was found to fall within the line of the latter town ; in fact, including the whole east corner of the town of Milton, or what is now called East Milton, beside a large tract within the Braintree line.
The next grant is to Atherton Hough :
4th January, 1636. " It is agreed by general consent that Mr. Atherton Houghes shall have six hundred acres laid him out beyond Mount Wollaston, from between Monatyquot river to the bound that parts our bound from Weymouth, and if there be not sufficient meadow there for this said farm, then he is to be accommodated with meet meadow for it in the little meadow at the upper end of the fresh brook called the "stand," and to be laid out by the former five mentioned persons or four of them."
" Thus far it has not been difficult to understand the course of the allotments. They appear to have extended coastwise from Neponsite to the Weymouth river, beginning at the north and going southward. But there was yet one great tract left, and this seems to have been granted later to Mr. Hough in exchange for some portion of his first grant. It is the same which has ever since been known by his name, as 'Hough's Neck.'"
4th December, 1637. " Also it is agreed that Mr. Atherton Haulgh shall have all that neck of land (as yet not laid out) join-
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LAND GRANTS.
ing to Mr. William Coddington, north-west of the Brethren's meadow lots there, and to have it made up seven hundred aeres upon the main land, fifty acres thereof to be in the little meadow where Mr. William Hutchinson had hay mown this last year, and if the meadow exceed not threescore acres, then is Mr. Hanlgh to have the whole meadow, and it is left to his choice to begin from the west, either at the little meadow, and so to come downward to the Brethren's lots of seven acres upon a head- or to begin from their lot and so up to the meadow, all upon the north side of the Stony Brook - and for the rocky ground therein to have allowance, as the Brethren have unto their rocky ground there - and to have commonage as the Brethren have there, and if the said meadow do exceed threescore acres, then is Mr. Haulgh to have his fifty acres therein where he pleaseth taking it altogether at which end thereof he will." This allusion to Hutchinson's meadow is explained by the following order :
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