USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Groton > The early records of Groton, Massachusetts. 1662-1707 > Part 11
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and again at a meeting, held January 18, 1671, it was
" agreed vpon by the select men for the diuiding of their seuerall sqvadrons and for the calling out of their men to work that is within their seuerall sqvadrons as is exprest in their seuerall papers "
Both of these words are found in the records during many years, in connection with the schools, meaning what is now known by districts.
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GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
There was a second division of land made at a very carly date. In the record of Sergeant James Parker's lands, there is a reference to three acres in Plain Meadow "that was laid out to James Knop in the second division." This tract of meadow is mentioned in Knop's or Knap's grant, which is dated " 6th 5m 1666," and, perhaps, refers to the division au- thorized by the town, October 8, 1665.
At a town meeting held in Groton, December 24, 1662, it was voted that
"all the lands that are or here after shall be granted shall be recorded with these expressions following. viz: To such a one or such a one &c : Ten or: Twenty Acars so & so bounded be it es- teemed more or lesse "
On November 30 of the next year, it was voted that
"every man of this Town shall bring a note of all his lands or their lands Bounded & abutted vnto ye Town-Clark being subscribed by two that helpt to lay them out and then the said clark shall re- cord them in the Town Book and giue to each a Transcript of his land acording to the Towns record which shall be vieued by the Select [men] both originall & coppy and if ye originall Town Rec- ord & ye Transcript be found to agree then each mans Transcript shall be subscribed by the Town Clark "
In accordance with these votes, the grants of land were recorded in the book, which contained also the public acts of the town. This practice was kept up during a period of twenty years, when it became somewhat inconvenient. About this time it was customary for the town to choose a committee to instruct the selectmen in the management of public affairs, and one of the "instructions " for the year 1682 was that
" the salackt men are to tak spashal care that thare bee a town book & a sofishant man chosen to racord our lands as may stand acording to law "
In compliance with this recommendation, John Morse, who previously had been the town clerk, was chosen as the "so-
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EARLY RECORDS OF
fishant man." He was probably the fittest person in town for the position, as he wrote a good hand and was familiar with the duties of the office, having previously recorded in the town book most of the land-grants. He began the work in the autumn of 1683, and in the course of a few months had copied into the new book from the old one all the grants as they stood at that time. After the transcript was completed, the new book was used for the subsequent grants until it was full, when the record was continued in other volumes.
In the year 1664, a controversy sprung up between the town and John Lawrence, about some land. In itself, it was of little moment ; but in its consequences it affected the whole town. The question was referred to an arbitrating commit- tee, which decided against Lawrence, who, of course, was dissatisfied with the result. The matter afterward came up at a town meeting, September 21, 1665, and in substance was reconsidered. It was then voted that -
" John lawranc sen? shall quiatly posese and Inioye a passelle of land in controuersey and allredey within his ffenc and a Joyning to his house lotte contining too acors mor or lesse bounded west and south by the hye way and north and east by his own land & granted to him as a grantiuety "
At the same meeting, it was
" also granted that eury Inhabetant shall haue the like priuledg proposonally "
Some additional action was taken in this matter October 10, 1665, when it was
"voated by the town y' in considration of a grattiaty formerly granted to eury Inhabetante anserable to John lauranc sen his grante y® 21 of the seaventh moth 65 y' eury man shall haue liberty to take vp 6 accors to a twentey accor house lote, and in case it Joine to his house eury man shall take vp pposonabl ther vnto respectng such as haue eyther the holle or any part therof alredy, but if mor remote eury Inhabetant shall haue libert[y] to take vp too for one "
Other instances of gratuities - or accommodations, as they are sometimes called -are found in the records. A brook
139
GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
and a highway in the neighborhood of some of them, have taken their names from the word, and to this day are known, under its contracted form, as "'Tuity Brook," and "'Tuity Road."
Sometimes land was given in order to induce settlers to come and abide in the town. At a meeting, held probably in April, 1669, it was
"by vote granted to Robert parish . . . [Park]er and timothy Couper that th[ey shall be] and now ar free Comoners for wood and timber and for there owne Cat[tle] as other men of this towne haue paying to all towne Charges according to there proportion "
A free commoner was one who had a right to use the common or undivided lands, free of charge. At the same meeting
" the towne did solemlie determine to take in no more but a tay- lear and a smith and Consedering the great Charg that hath bine. vpon the present inhabitants the do now by vote declare that by way of grant or gift directlie or indirectlie as a towne and the townes mind herein declared by vote the second of June 1669. onely a smith and no other "
Immediately afterward, ten of the proprietors gave twenty acres of land to Robert Parish, which was not done
" as a towne act but out of everie mans owne petikuler Right provided hee Come and settell amongst vs a townes man and not other wayes "
At a town meeting held June 8, 1680, there were granted
" to Thomas Beall of linn tanner ten acres of land by the town prouided he come and liue among them and he not alienating nor selling it "
The following extracts from the records show-to say nothing of the town clerk's spelling - what was done fre- quently at the early town meetings.
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EARLY RECORDS OF
Under date of December 11, 1682, -
" it was uotyd and a gred upon that tha that was chosin too sell land for the finishin the meetin hous was too sell no mor "
And again it is recorded : -
" at a gennirall Toown meeting 25d 4 m 1683 A gred upon and uotyd that the Toown wooll sell land for too pay thar present deews and the Comity shall sell no land within too mill of the metin hous and the Comity shall sell no land undr twenty ackr & eck- sept it be furst brought too the Toown at a ginarull Toown meting and if the Town doo determined too sell such land the Comity may Deed it lagully
" The in habitenc of This, Toown have liberty too by land att a uallowabll Prise of the Comity so noe land shall be soald undr Twell penc A nacker"
The law authorized the proprietors of lands lying in com- mon to dispose of or divide them ; but it was not until March 25, 1713, that an act was passed, prescribing the mode of call- ing a meeting of such proprietors for this purpose. Under the provision of this statute, a meeting of the proprietors of Groton was called, March 4, 1717 ; and, from that time, sepa- rate records were kept. Before the passage of the act, there was no distinction between the inhabitants of the town and the proprietors.
At a meeting held September 5, 1721, by adjournment from April 28, a division of the common land was made, allowing two acres to each acre-right, of which one half was to be laid out on the cast side of the Nashua River, and the other on the west side. Another division was voted January 17, 1726- 27, giving the same proportion of land to the owners ; and subsequent divisions followed, on February 9, 1741, November 14, 1748, and a final one on February 4, 1760. After this last division, the proprietors continued to hold meetings at varying intervals until November 28, 1829, when they confirmed the sale of land made March 21, 1828, to Phinehas Nutting. This was the last tract of common land belonging to the original grant, and contained about six acres and a half. It was situ-
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GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
ated somewhere between Cady Pond and Brown Loaf, and fetched sixteen dollars.
The association known as the Proprietors of Groton is now dissolved, and the meeting on November 28, 1829, is the last one that ever will be held.
The following land-grants are copied from "The Indian Roll," and comprise some that are not found in the proprie- tors' records. These grants, with a few trifling exceptions, were made before the town was burned by the Indians ; and the entries of them in the record-book are now on loose and detached leaves. Considerable interest and value belong to them, as they indicate the sites of the house-lots where the earliest settlers lived, which, in some cases, can be identified. The families of Allen, Barron, Boyden, Cady, Clary, Crisp, Elluee, Fisk, Garfield, Knop, Martin, Onge, Parish, and Strat- ton, - names mentioned in these grants, - are no longer rep- resented in this neighborhood by living descendants. Cady Pond, Knop's Pond, and Martin's Pond, however, perpetuate three of the names. It is thought that the surname of Elluee no longer exists in New England. In this word the a had the force of a v, and the name was pronounced as if written Elvy. Perhaps it has passed into another form. The surname Onge is also believed to have died out in New England. It may have been changed to Young, as it is sometimes spelled Oung in the County records. The names of certain hills, meadows, and ponds, familiar to us as household words, are mentioned, showing that they were given in the earliest days of the town. Among them are the names of Gibbet Hill and Brown Loaf, Broad Meadow and Half-Moon Meadow, Martin's Pond and Baddacook Pond, and others equally well known. Many places, then called by names which are now forgotten, can be recognized from the description of them. Cow Pond, Massa- poag Pond, Sandy Pond, and Spectacle Pond, all were named at a very early period in the town's history. Nonacoicus was an Indian name given to a place now included in Ayer. It is a little singular that Squannacook, also an Indian word, is not found in these records ; it was in use, however, as early as the year 1683. I am unable to identify Pine Hill, or Barralock
1.42
EARLY RECORDS OF
Hill, mentioned in Samuel Woods's grant. Indian Hill, or Hills, as the expression frequently is, was probably the range of hills beginning near James's Brook, a mile south of the village, and running in an easterly direction, on the south side of the "Great Road " to Boston. Horse Hill, spoken of in Mr. Willard's grant, lies mostly in Dunstable, overlooking Massapoag Pond. Cow-pond Brook, Massapoag Brook, James's Brook, Sandy Brook, Hawtree Brook, and Unqueternorset Brook, sometimes called Unquety, are familiar to the present generation. The meadows are more numerous, but not many of them have kept their designations ; though perhaps a few are still known by the old names in their immediate neighbor- hood. Among them are the following : Accident, Angle, Brook, Buck, Burnt, Cow-pond, East, Flaggy, Flax, Ferney, Little Half-Moon, Lodge, Long, Maple, Pine, Plain, Pretty, Providence, Quosoponagon, Reedy, Rock, Round, Sallo (per- haps sallow, a species of willow), Sedge, Sledge, South, Spang, Spot, Spruce, Swamp, and Wcavers. Angle Meadow and Plain Meadow were situated in the northerly part of Groton, and Burnt Meadow in the vicinity of Cow Pond. Cold Spring was "on ye Left hand of the high way that goe to Reedy medow,"-which meadow, also in the northern part of the town, still keeps its old name. Flaggy Meadow and Ferney Meadow were near Brown Loaf, and Rock Meadow in the neighborhood of Snake Hill. Quosoponagon Meadow was "on the other sid of the River," perhaps toward Squanna- cook, and Buck Meadow in the eastern part of the town. Among these entries, no allusion is made to woodland, for the reason, doubtless, that wood was so cheap and common.
The "general field," frequently mentioned in these grants, refers to land owned in severalty by a number of persons, who turned it into one field, for reasons of mutual advantage. The terms "sergeants field " and " Sargeants field medow," also mentioned, I do not fully understand ; perhaps they refer to Sergeant Parker's field.
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GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
EARLY LAND-GRANTS.
A Record of the sevcrall Propriators of Groton, their Names and Lands, which hath been orderly psented to the Towne Clark. Revised & aproved by the Selection, acording to an Order of Towne bearing date Novem. 30, 1663.
THE LANDS OF WALTER SKINER.
1. His Vplands. To his house lot with som adition therevnto, twenty & eight acres by estimation, more or lesse, bounded on the north with the vpland of Timothy Allen, and on the west with Timothy Allen, and on all other poynts with the hie-way and town's comon.
2. Three acres & a halfe by estimation, more or lesse, bounded south-west with the hie-way, north-west wth Joseph Parker, north-east with comon land, south-east with Timothy Allen and Walter Skiner.
3. His Medow. In fflaggy Medow, six acres by estimation, more or lesse, bounded on the north with ya medow of James Parker, and all other poynts on comon land.
4. In Broade Medow, two acres by estimation, more or lesse, bounded north with the land of John Nutin, east with the lands of James Parker, south with the lands of John Baron & Benjamine Garfield, west with the towne comon.
5. One acre of medow, more or lesse, lying in two parsells, bound- ed west with the pond, & all other poynts with the town's comon.
6. In Maple Medow, two acres by estimation, bounded south- west with the medow of Samuell Woods, north-west with the medow of Joshua Whitny, and all other poynts on ye towne comon.
Jan. 21, 1663. Revised, aproved, & confirmed (according to order of towne) by the Selectmen.
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EARLY RECORDS OF
This Indenture wittnesseth that Water Skinner hath sold, giuen, granted, and exchanged, his six acres [of ] meadow, more or lesse, lying in Flaggy Meadow, bounded on the north by the medow of James Parker, and on all points wth ye town's vplands, to and with Samuell Woods, his heirs and executors and administrators, for cuer. And also, this Indenture wittnesseth that the sd Samuell Woods hath sold, alienated, giuen, granted, and exchanged, to and with the above- sd Water Skinner, his three acres of meadow, more or lesse, lying in Vncattenorset Meadow, bounded west southwardly with Richard Blood's, and on all other points with the town's vpland and riuer ; and with three acres, more or lesse, lying in Mapple Meadow, bounded south west with the meadow of Just. Holdin, and on [all ] other points with the town's vplands and Wa[lter] Skinner's owne meadow ; for him, the sd Walter Skinner and his heirs, executors, and administra- tors, for euer. For the true pformance, the pties abouesd haue entere . .. set to their hands, 27th 2to 1666.
his marke WATER U [SKINNER], his . . . SAMUELL [WOODS].
[I]n the psence of vs, WIEb LONGLEY, NATHANIL LAWRANCE.
THE LANDS OF CHRISTOPHER HALLE.
1. His Uplands. And ffirst, his hous-lot, with that we adjoyns to it, thirty acres, more or lesse, bounded north w ye lands of Jonathan Crisp, south w ye lands of Daniell Metup, east with the hie-way, west with the town's comon.
2. In the Generall Field, three acres & a halfe, more or less, bounded north with the land of Allexander Rouse, southerly with ye lands of James Blud, westerly w ye river, esterly wt ye hie way.
2. His Medow. And ffirst, in Broade Medow, two acres, more or lesse, bounded northerly with the medow of Benjamine Garfield, southerly with the medow of Joseph Parker, esterly with the land of James Parker, westerly w ye town's comon.
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GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
2. In Pine Medow, two acres, more or lesse, bounded southerly with the medow of Benjamine Garfield, northerly wth the medow of John & Nathaniell Lawranc, or one of them, easterly and westerly with the town's comon.
3. In fferny Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded westerly with ye medow of Jacob Onge, esterly with the medow of Daniell Metup, and on all other poynts with the towne comon.
4. In fflaggy Medow, three acres, more or less, bounded esterly wt James Parker, westerly with Jonathan Crisp, northerly with ye medow of James Parker, and southerly with the town's comon.
5. In Reedy Medow, two acres, more or lesse, bounded west with the medow of John Lakin, esterly with the medow of John Baron, northerly with the town's swamp and vpland, southerly wh the hieway.
6. Two acres of medow, more or lesse, bounded esterly with ye medow of Jacob Onge, & on all other poynts w the town's comon.
Decem. 2, 1664. Revised, aproved, & confirmed, by the Select- men, acording to order of towne.
One pcell of thirteen and a halfe acres of vpland, bounded with [th ]ree lines, I on the south, the 2 north east, and the third nor[th we]st. And also, this writing wittnesseth that Christopher [Ha]ll hath laid downe for common land, fiue acres & a quarter ... in the Gen- erall Feild, it being his owne pportion, and an . . . quarter that the sd Hall bought of Elexander [Rouse] . . act and deed delivered into the Towne Clerk hands.
THE LANDS OF CHRISTOPHER HALL.
I. Medows. In fferny Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded westerly with the medow of Christopher Hall, and on all other poynts with the town's vplands.
2. In Spot Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded on all poynts with the town's vpland, and the nearest medow to it is John Clary's, his Cow-pond Medow, which psell of medow is alienated by Joseph Morsse for two acres in fflagy Medow which was somtimes the sd Christopher Hall's, as is specified in the record of the sd Joseph Morsse, vnto which alienation the wiues of them both doe giue their consent to the giuing vp their thirds.
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EARLY RECORDS OF
THE LANDS OF DANIELL METUP.
1. His Iplands. And ffirst, his houslot, twenty acres, with an addition, more or lesse, bounded southerly with the land of Benjamine Garfield, northerly with the land of Christopher Halle, esterly with the hie-way, northerly w ye town's comon.
This is 2. In the Generall Field, one acre and three roode, bounded westerly with the riuer, esterly with the hie-way, southerly with the land of James ffisk, northerly with ye comon.
more or
lesse as
the rest.
2. His Medowes. And ffirst, in Broade Medow, one acre, more or less, bounded southerly with the medow of Benjamine Garfield, northerly with the medow of John Baron, westerly with the town's comon.
2. In Pine Medow, two acres, more or lesse, bounded north esterly with ye medow of Ralph Reede, southerly with yª medow of Benjamine Garfield, east & west with the town's comon.
3. In fferny Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded westerly with the medow of Christopher Halle, & on all other poynts with the town's vpland.
4. In Spot Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded on all poynts with the town's vpland, and the nearest medow to it is John Clary, his Cow-pond Medow.
5. One acre of medow, more or lesse, bounded north esterly w ye land of John Mos, south west with the town's swamp, & on all other poynts with the town's vpland.
December 2, 1664. Revised, aproved, & confirmed by the Select men, acording to order of ye towne.
A further grant vnto these aforsaid lands as a gratuity only, the aforsaid lands lying in the Generall Feild, being laid downe as common land for the town's vse, and then the grant is foure acres and three quarters, bounded on all poynts with common lands.
THE LANDS OF JOSEPH PARKER.
His Vplands. And ffirst, his hous-lot with som additions there vnto, forty & eight acres, more or lesse, bounded north on the land of James Roberts, & on all other poynts w ye hie-wayes.
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GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
2. Eleven acres, more or lesse, of vpland & swamp, bounded southerly on the land of James Roberts, west northerly on the land of William Longly, & on all other poynts with the town's comon.
3. In the Generall Field, six acres, more or lesse, bounded west- northerly with the land of James Knop, westerly with the lands of John Mos, & on all other poynts wt ye hie-wayes.
4. ffourteene acres, more or lesse, bounded north on ye land of James Parker, south & west w ye land of William Longly, & on all other poynts wt ye town's comon.
[This last paragraph is erased in the original.]
2. His Medowes. And ffirst, in Broade Medow, six acres, more or lesse, bounded southerly with the medow of John Page, north with the medow of Christopher Halle, east with the medow of James Parker, west w ye town's vpland.
2. In Browne-Loafe Hill Medow, eight acres, more or lesse, bound- ed north easterly with ye brooke, & on all other poynts w ye town's vpland.
3. At Vnquetenorset Brooke, lyeing on both sides of it, two acres, more or lesse, bounded north westerly with the medow of Joseph Gilson, & on all other poynts w ye town's vpland.
4. Lieing on Vnquetenorset Brooke, one acre, more or lesse, bounded south-easterly w ye medow of William Longly, & on all other poynts w ye town's vpland.
5. Lieing on Vnquetenorset Brooke, four acres, more or less, bound- ed south-easterly w ye lands of William Longly, & northwesterly & on all other poynts with the town's vpland.
6. Two acres of medow in Swamp Medow, more or lesse, lying in two parcels near together, bounded on all poynts with the towne's comon.
7. In Angle Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded westerly with the medow of James Parker, & on all other poynts with the towne's vpland.
8. In a hole neare the Angle Medow, one acre, more or lesse, bounded on all poynts w ye town's vpland ; and was given him over & aboue with respect to the badnes of his other medow.
9. In Swamp Medow, four acres, more or less, [bounded] cast with ye medow , of William Lakin, & [on all other] poynts with the town's vpland.
10. In Prety Medow, four acres, more or lesse, bounded westerly
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EARLY RECORDS OF
wt ye medow of John Lakin, easterly w ye medow of James Parker, & on all other p . . .
II. Of vpland, fourteen . . . [ much torn. ]
13. One acre of medow, more or lesse, [bounded] south with the medow of James Parker, west with the medow [of] Benjamine Garfield, [and] on all other poynts with the town's vpland.
December 2, 1664. Revised, aproved, and confirmed by ye Select- men, according to order of towne.
THE LANDS OF JOHN PAGE.
1. His Iplands. And ffirst, his houslot, twenty acres, more or lesse, bounded east with the hieway, west with the town's comon, north with the land of Joseph Blud, south with the land of Nathaniell Laranc.
2. Twenty acres, more or lesse, bounded east with the land of John Page, west with the town's comon, north with Joseph Blud his land, south w ye land of Nathaniell Laranc.
3. Seaven acres, more or lesse, bounded east with the land of Richard Blud, west with the hieway, north with the land of James Parker, south with the land of Nathaniell Laranc.
4. ffifteene acres, more or lesse, bounded west with the river, east with the land of Samuell Davis, & on all other poynts with the town's comon.
Generall Field.“
I. ffour acres, more or lesse, bounded south west w ye land of Nathaniell Laranc, and vpon all other poynts with the river.
2. ffour acres, more or lesse, bounded north east with ye land of Nathaniell Laranc, south west w ye land of John Longly, & on all other poynts w ye river.
2. His Medowes. And ffirst, in Broade Medow, four acres and a halfe, more or lesse, bounded east with ye medow of Timothy Allen & the medow belonging to the minestry, west with the town's comon, north w ye medow of . .. Parker, south with the medow of Richard B[lood].
2. In Rock Medow, six acres, more or less, bounded north with the medow of Thomas Boyden, south with the medow of John Barron, east & west with the town's comon.
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GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
3. In South Brooke Mcdow, three acres and a halfe, more or lesse, lying on both sides of the brooke, bounded south with the medow of Richard Holden, & vpon all other poynts with the town's comon & Long-medow way.
4. Lying vpon both sides of Sandy Brooke and vpon both sides of the Major's brooke, eight acres, more or lesse, bounded east with the medow of James Knop & Ellis Baron, south with the medow of William Longly, west with Major Willard's line, & vpon all other poynts with the town's comon.
5. At Vnquetenorset four acres, more or lesse, lying in severall spongs or angles, bounded north w yª medow of James Blud, and vpon all other poynts with ye town's comon.
[In the margin.] This psell of medow at Vnquetenorset alinated to William Lakin.
Decem. 2, 1664. Revised, aproved, & confirmed by the Select men, acording to order of towne; provided y' if the towne shall see good to view his acomodation of medowes, & shall finde that his medowes be not equivolent . .. medowes. Then .. . to make it equiv . . . But if his medowes be found much be[low] eyther for quantyty or quallyty, then the overplus is by agrement to be desposed of by the towne, provided allso, that Nathaniell Laranc haue his acre & halfe (we is involued with in the eight acres at Sandy Pond & the Major's brook) made as good for its part as any acre & halfe John Page hath or shall haue with in the foresaid eight acres. As John Page hath promised before the Select men. Decem. 2, 1664.
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