USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Canaan > The history of Canaan, New Hampshire > Part 12
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The time for recording was again and again extended until Nov. 13, 1809, at six o'clock, "after which time no former pitches shall avail the holder." It was not until July, 1812, that the proprietors were able to make their fourth division of upland of seven acres. The pitching was to begin at six o'clock in the morning, "by cutting or girdling trees and by Marking the first two letters of the owners name on a tree, and the one making his return first to the Proprietors Clerk shall be intitled to said land until the first day of October by that time to be surveyed or to forfeit his pitch."
On the tenth of March, 1814, it was voted to lay out the second division of intervale of one acre. The manner of pitching was the same as before, but each person must have his land surveyed by a certain time. In June, 1816, the fifth division of upland was voted to be pitched of seven acres. In June, 1823, it was voted to lay out six acres of upland as a sixth division to each proprietors' right. This was the last division of lands.
An examination was made of the records and the surveys cor- rected and computed by Daniel Blaisdell, and many small strips and gores, marshy and swamp land, were found not yet divided. John M. Barber, in 1823, was the owner of four rights, and asked that a strip be set off to him to satisfy those rights. It was done. Barber deeded the rights to the proprietors and they were cancelled, as having received their full share of lands in Canaan. Daniel Blaisdell asked that land might be set off to him. This was done and twenty-two rights were cancelled, and afterwards four more rights were cancelled in the same manner.
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HISTORY OF CANAAN.
In 1824, Moses Lawrence deeded five rights to the proprietors for thirty-five acres of land and these rights were cancelled.
At the time of his death, Daniel Blaisdell was the owner of all the rights uncancelled, excepting the rights of Richard Wibard, George and William King, Daniel Rogers and William Went- worth, which meant that he owned nearly all the undivided land in town. In 1845, Elijah Blaisdell and Joseph Dustin, son and son-in-law of Daniel Blaisdell, called a meeting of the proprietors and appointed themselves a committee to dispose of all the remaining land and to account to the proprietors for their equal share in the proceeds. This was the last meeting of the proprietors. Many deeds are found recorded from these two men, nearly all of them small parcels and of irregular shape.
There are still many farms in town that have remained in the possession of the descendants of the first owner, in the same form. The farm of John Currier, upon which his grandfather, John Currier, settled, is the first hundred acres of George Lamphere. The farm of Warren E. Wilson, and the farm now owned by Mrs. Colburn, were settled by her grandfather, Wil- liam Harris.
What was known as the "Barber Farm," was the first hun- dred of Isaiah Rathburn and was laid to John M. Barber. It extended from the Mascoma River to the line of his father, Robert Barber's farm on the east. The latter's farm extended from the shores of Hart Pond to Indian River, beginning near the corner of L. B. Hutchinson's and O. H. Perry's land, ex- tending down the shore of the Pond to the Wells line, then southerly, including the Pinnacle, to the river, where Barber's mill was located, then around on the Cochran farm, where Ezra Nichols settled, to the corner of the fifty acres of Allen Whit- man's, then in a straight line to the pond, three hundred acres.
The fifty acres of the first hundred of Allen Whitman extended from the shore of the pond to the Dustin farm and from what is now the north line of O. H. Perry's, on the west side of Broad Street (the line on the east side was changed) to the north line of R. H. Haffenreffer. North of Whitman's was the first hun- dred of Phineas Sabine, extending to the south line of F. B. L. Porter's land. Then came fifty acres of Samuel Dodge, 3d, to the North Church, then the first hundred of the Mill Right.
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123
THE PITCH BOOK AND PROPRIETORS' SURVEYS.
Joshua Wells' farm lay on the east side of Hart Pond to Richard Whittier's land, extending towards the east, five hundred acres. The proprietors' surveys also give us the clew to where the old settlers lived, as the surveys are described by bounds on adjoin- ing owners and occupants. A map of the old pitches has been made, so far as possible.
The difficulty to be overcome is to join the lots lying along the banks of the rivers. Both the Mascoma and Indian, because of their extremely irregular and winding courses, made it very difficult to measure their banks, and in many instances the dis- tance must have been averaged, for lots on one side of the river do not have corresponding lengths on the other. The farm of Simon Blanchard, upon which John Scofield, Jr., lived, lying northerly of South Road, and at the westerly end, and extending, around the vicinity of West Canaan, consisted of 340 acres, bounded by the river on the north and Mud Pond Brook on the south. It is not possible to close the plot by allowing the dis- tances on brook and river. It may be interesting to know who owned the rights of the grantees during all those years, while the land was being divided, when some of the proprietors, failing to pay their taxes, their rights were sold at auction for non-pay- ment. There was so much land it would seem that no one would be anxious to have more than he could use, but such was not the case. There was as much desire to be a large landowner as today. There was little change in the ownership of the rights from the original grantees, for the first few years. In 1780, Ezekiel Wells owned four rights, Eleazer Scofield two, Capt. Robert Barber one and one half, John Scofield, Jr., one, George Harris nine, Charles Walworth six, Samuel Jones one, John Scofield two, Caleb Clark nine, Jehu Jones one, Thomas Miner four and one half, besides several hundred-acre lots amounting to 2,500 acres; Joshua Wells two rights, James Treadway and Jonathan Dustin fifteen. In 1786, Joshua Harris owned one right, Ezekiel Wells five, John Harris one. In 1823, Daniel Blaisdell was the owner of forty-five rights, John M. Barber of four, William Richardson two, and Moses Lawrence five. In accordance with an act of the legislature, passed December 30, 1803, to cause the several towns to make surveys, in order to make a map of the state, the town at their next annual meeting
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HISTORY OF CANAAN.
dismissed the article approving of such survey, but at a meeting in March, 1805, they voted to put the making of the survey up at auction, and reconsidered their previous vote. John Currier made the survey, and this old map on file in the office of the secretary of state is a very interesting relic. The "plan is a present actual survey by careful admeasurement horizontally." The principal roads are given, not all of them. The road to Eames' mill is left out. This does not, of course, include the gores, subsequently annexed to the town.
The first recorded survey in the Proprietors' Book bears the date August, 1773, and the last July 6, 1837. After that date the deeds of the proprietors' committees were recorded in the county clerk's office. Most of the land in town was surveyed and allotted before 1806. Daniel Blaisdell, John Currier, Eze- kiel Wells and Moses Dole made most of the surveys. The "Lot laying Committee" between those dates embraces the names of Ezekiel Wells, John Currier, Joshua Wells, Joshua Harris, Sam- uel Jones, John Scofield, John Scofield, Jr., David Blaisdell, Robert Barber, Charles Walworth, William Richardson, Nathan- iel Bartlett, Caleb Clark. The leading men among the proprie- tors were Daniel Blaisdell, John Currier and Ezekiel Wells. The land surveyed and set off, so far as it is possible to deter- mine, amounted to 22,254 acres. Of this 417 acres was made in allowances for roads. The allowance for roads to each hundred acres ranged from three to nearly thirteen acres. The largest allowance was to the first hundred of Isaiah Rathburn, the "Barber Farm." Surveyors, in settling boundary lines and partitioning land, have not taken these allowances into account.
The Proprietors' Book of Records is still in existence, badly dilapidated, every leaf separated from the binding and yellow with age and use. Its leaves had to be ironed to bring out the ink, which from much handling had become very dim. It was bound in sheepskin, with two leather straps, one at each end, to tie it together. The records of the proprietors are mixed in with the surveys; nor are the surveys in order. Spaces were left by different clerks and these spaces were filled up by subsequent ones. Deeds from the owners of the original grantee rights to the propriety are inserted at different places.
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THE PITCH BOOK AND PROPRIETORS' SURVEYS.
After all the divisions of upland and intervale had been laid out on the rights, for certain considerations, the owners of them conveyed them back to the propriety. In some instances, the conveyance was made to the selectmen. So that now, should there be found any undivided land left in town, the town might be the owner of a part of it by reason of being the owner of some of the rights.
CHAPTER X.
PUBLIC RIGHTS.
The charter of the town provided that one share should be given to the "First Settled Minister in said Town." In 1773 the proprietors of the town voted to lay out the school and min- ister's lot. In 1781 they voted "a one hundred acre lot in the first division and a one hundred acre lot in the second division and one ten acre lot of Intervale" to three public rights, the Church of England right, the first settled minister's right and the school right. Samuel Jones, John Scofield, Caleb Clark and Ezekiel Wells were appointed a committee to "pitch and lay them out." In 1782 this committee were requested to lay out the third hundred-acre lots to the same "Publick Rights." In 1797 the "laying out" had not been completed, and it was voted "to. compleat laying all the Publick Rites mentioned in the charter." The first settled minister's share was set off and assigned to Rev. Thomas Baldwin in 1783, the year he was ordained an evangelist and placed in charge of the newly organized Baptist Church. In 1790, when Mr. Baldwin dissolved his connection with the church and people of Canaan, a town meeting was called to make a final settlement with him and the following vote was passed :
Voted that we do hereby ratify and confirm a vote passed in the year 1783 (which vote is now lost) regarding the settlement of Elder Thomas Baldwin, in which vote the town voted to approve and confirm what the church had done in calling Eldr Baldwin to be ordained as an Evangelist, and to exercise pastoral care over the Church and Con- gregation so long as he should judge it duty to continue here, by which he was considered as the minister of said town, though not confined for any certain time.
At the same meeting Elder Baldwin, as testimony of his kindly regard for the people with whom he had lived and labored for twenty years and from whom he was about to separate, tendered to the town a deed of one half of his land, which was accepted in the language following :
Corner and North End of Street from Currier Hill
** ****
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PUBLIC RIGHTS.
Voted to accept a deed of Eldr Baldwin of the right of land allowed or granted by Charter to the first Ordained Minister, excepting the first and half of the third hundred acres which is considered as one half of sd right.
Elder Baldwin had sold the hundred acres of the first division on November 1, 1783, to Samuel Noyes for 58 pounds, 10 shil- lings, soon after he became the owner of the right. According to the Proprietors' Records, this land was surveyed to Samuel Noyes November 5, 1805, and he lived on it. It was located in the southwest corner of the town, adjoining Grafton and En- field. Half of the third hundred he had sold to Daniel Blais- dell and was included in a survey of 288 acres laid out October 26, 1805, and lay along the northwesterly corner of the first hun- dred and was a part of Blaisdell's old farm. This half interest was offered by the town to Rev. Aaron Cleveland to induce him to settle here in 1799, but he did not accept. Mr. Baldwin did not at this time give the town a deed because the town owed him for preaching. The excuse for not paying the claim was the hard lot of the people and the scarcity of money, cattle, calves, wheat and other grains, which formed the circulating medium. The claim ran along until 1800, when it was voted "to make a settlement with Elder Baldwin agreeable to his request." John Currier, Richard Whittier and Ezekiel Wells were appointed a committee to settle. Mr. Baldwin came up from Boston, met the committee and conveyed to the town by deed dated October 1, 1800, all his interest in the minister's right, excepting the first hundred and half of the third hundred acres, they agreeing to pay his claim and account, which had been unsettled for nearly eleven years. The remainder of the minister's right was then parceled out and sold.
Fifty acres of the second division was surveyed to John Worth, Jr., July 6, 1807, and is where the present village of East Canaan is. Forty-five acres of the same division were laid out to Ezekiel Wells October 8, 1807, and began at a "stake on the east side of the highway leading from Canaan to Grafton, about two rods south of the bridge over the Indian River, thence about 200 rods by the road to Orange line, then on the Orange line N 34 E 14 rods to a small pond, then by the waters of the pond and the brook that runs out of it 131 rods"; then in a very devious
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HISTORY OF CANAAN.
course "to the first bound." This is the land through which the railroad now runs on the west side of Mud Pond. Twelve and three-quarters acres in the third division was laid out to Nathaniel Barber on February 10, 1809. It extends from the Turnpike bridge, near C. O. Barney's, up the river, and is the meadow land north of his house. It was a part of Dea. Josiah Clark's farm. Five acres of the third division was laid out to Ezekiel Wells, "near where Captain Arvin lives," now owned by George W. Davis, adjoining the old Howard farm. Fifteen acres of the third division was laid out to Daniel Blaisdell November 13, 1808, on the east side of Goose Pond and adjoining on the easterly line of school lands. Seven acres of the third division were laid out to Simeon Arvin October 11, 1810, near Barber's sawmill. Seven acres of the fourth division were laid out to Israel Harris June 14, 1814, on West Farms, near Hanover line.
One acre of the second division of intervale was laid out to Charles Church of Lebanon May 27, 1814, and thirteen acres of the third division were laid out June 3d to the same. Seven acres of the fifth division were laid out to Moses Dole September 16, 1816, on the Mascoma River, below the paper mill site. Ten acres of intervale of the first division were laid out to Na- thaniel Barber October 16, 1801. This was sold by Barber to Josiah Clark and is a part of Carey Smith's farm. Two and one-fourth acres of the third division were laid out to Nathaniel Barber May 15, 1817. This piece is between C. O. Barney's house and the river, extending down "Orange Pond Brook." One hundred and seventy-five acres of this land was the property of the town and was sold by them, there being 325 acres laid out to the right altogether. This right, as well as the school right, became the property of Daniel Blaisdell. Neither right received any land in the sixth division of upland because Blaisdell deeded them back to the proprietors and they were cancelled before the sixth division was laid out.
The charter granted "One Share for the Benefit of Schools in said town." And it will appear that our school never received the benefit of a dollar from the sale of the 325 acres laid to that right. The land was distributed as follows: The first hundred acres of upland was laid out November 28, 1782, "on a hill east of upper Goose pond, beginning at a stake, marked No. 33, thence
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PUBLIC RIGHTS.
S 15 W 100 rods to a stake, thence S 75 E 163 rods to a beech tree marked, thence N 15 E 100 rods to a spruce tree marked, thence N 75 W 163 rods to the first bound with an allowance of three acres for roads." This lot remained unoccupied for sev- eral years. In 1796 the town voted "to sell the improvement of the School Lot (on Sawyer Hill) for three years to the high- est bidder." "The Above said improvement struck off to Dud- ley Gilman for seventeen dollars for three years, said sum to be Paid in Clearing and Fencing on said Lot." Mr. Gilman did but little and at the expiration of his lease in 1799 it was voted "to sell the income of the School Lot for four years to the High- est bidder and rent to be laid out on sd lot in Clearing and Fenc- ing yearly." "Struck off to Mathew Greeley for fourteen dol- lars and five cents yearly." Mr. Greeley made a good trade, cleared the great pines and spruces off to his mill, pastured the open field and with stones and brush built a fence.
Mr. Greeley's lease having expired in 1803, the lot was again put up and bid off to Jacob Tucker for $20 a year for three years, "to be paid in building a stone wall in front, acceptable to the selectmen." Mr. Tucker made good use of the land in a way profitable to himself. Before his lease expired Warren Wil- son, whose lands adjoined, asked the selectmen to sell him a part of the lot. The town voted in 1805 "that the selectmen may sell a piece of land off the school lot to Warren Wilson." But he did not get the land at this time. In 1806 the town voted "to leave the school lots for the selectmen to dispose of." And now comes in another factor which caused great discussion and con- tention in the town for many years.
On June 21, 1804, the Grafton Turnpike Company was in- corporated, with thirteen incorporators, residents of the towns of Lyme, Orford, Canaan, Grafton, Orange and Dorchester. Three of the incorporators were from Canaan : Daniel Blaisdell, Ezekiel Wells and Moses Dole. They were given the power to make by- laws, build a toll road with gates and establish the following rates of toll: For ten sheep or swine, one cent; for ten cattle or horses, one cent; for one horse and rider, one cent; for a sulky, chair, chaise with one horse and two wheels, two cents; for a chariot, coach, stage, wagon, phæton, with two horses, four cents ;
9
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HISTORY OF CANAAN.
for the same with four horses, five cents ; pleasure parties in pro- portion to their size; a cart or carriage of burden, one and a half cents; and when drawn by two beasts, two cents. Daniel Blaisdell was the treasurer; the other officers were from other towns. There were two toll gates in town. The first gate was erected at Worth's Tavern, which Dr. E. M. Tucker tore down and erected a more pretentious mansion. The facility for evad- ing toll was more than the company could bear, so the gate was moved down near the house of Elijah Whittier, nearer the Orange line. The second gate was at Gates's Tavern, near Han- over line; George C. Bradbury's. The Turnpike approached Canaan across a corner of Orange and took possession of the old highway, "beginning at the center of two stakes, standing in the westerly line of Orange, near Orange Pond," surveyed in 1789 by Ezekiel Wells, and covered nearly the same ground as it traversed the town to the northeast corner of Hanover. The Turnpike was freely advertised as a bonanza, which, with its toll gates and bridges, was to fill the empty pockets of its proprietors. In 1806-'07 its books were still open and subscriptions solicited. Many people had great faith in its future profits and took shares of its stock. On the fourth day of July, 1807, a meeting was held at the inn of Moses Dole and action was taken as to how the Turnpike should be constructed. Contracts for construction were let to Thaddeus Lathrop, and John Currier agreed to build one hundred and thirty rods for two hundred dollars, the pay- ment to be made upon his shares. The Pike was to be thirty feet, excepting causeways, which were to be twenty-four feet wide. It was first to be cleared two rods from the center each way of stones, trees and stumps. The road should be two feet higher in the center than the sides.
Dr. Caleb Pierce in the Pinnacle House subscribed for fifty shares, but it does not appear that he paid for them or was even a stockholder, but to please the doctor the company changed the route of the Pike from the north side of his house next the pond, laying a new road from near the Bickford road to the corner at A. W. Hutchinson's. Daniel Blaisdell subscribed for fifty shares, but took only six. Micaiah Moore owned eighteen shares, Moses Dole six, Nathaniel Barber four and one half, Robert Barber two, Jacob Dow three, Reynold Gates two, Simeon Arvin
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PUBLIC RIGHTS.
eight and one half, Clark Currier three, Joseph Bartlett two, John Bean three, Phineas Eastman one and one half, Joseph Wheat two, Richard Clark, Jr., eight, Josiah Clark two, Thad- deus Lathrop three, Jacob Trussell two and one half, Thaddeus Lathrop, Jr., two, John Currier two, Thomas H. Pettingill one half, Amasa Howard one half, John Fales two, John M. Barber, Caleb Seabury, Jonathan Carlton, Amasa Clark, Abel Hadley, Samuel Noyes, John Worth, Jr., Joseph Wheat, Jr., Wales Dole, John Currier, William G. Richardson, Mathew Greeley, Benja- min C. Sawyer, Moses Shepard, John Hoyt, Moses Lawrence, Eze- kiel Wells, Daniel Carlton, Samuel T. Gates and William Rich- ardson one share each. One hundred and seventeen shares were owned in Canaan of the three hundred issued. The stock was to be paid for in assessments, as the money was needed in the construction of the road. The par value was one hundred dol- lars, ten dollars of which was paid by the subscriber upon his agreeing to pay all future assessments and on receiving his stock. In 1807 the public confidence in the success of the Pike was un- diminished, and the subject got into town meeting. The dispo- sition of the school lots was again in the warrant and the people voted "to sell the School lots and lay out the money in a turn- pike road." Later, at an adjourned meeting, Jacob Trussell moved to reconsider the late vote and proposed to sell all the public rights, school, minister's, glebe and propagation of the gospel, and invest the money in some safe fund, the income of which should be appropriated to the use of schools and the sup- port of the gospel forever. But the "pike" had possession of the meeting and Mr. Trussell's proposition was voted down. They then voted "To sell all the public rights unsold." "To purchase shares in the Grafton Turnpike road to the amount of the sums for which the Public rights may be sold for." "That the se- lectmen be agents to take care of the sale of the Public Rights, and see to the laying out of the property arising from the same." "To sell all the remaining part of the Ministers and School Rights." "That the selectmen give notice of the sale of the Pub- lic Rights at publick vandue by giving six weeks notice, by an advertisement in the Dartmouth Gazette, and take notes for one half for one year, the other half in two years with interest." And "to purchase as many shares as the lands can be sold for
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HISTORY OF CANAAN.
Hundreds of Dollars." "That the sale be the Monday preced- ing the sitting of the Supreme Court at Plymouth."
The "Public Vandue" was held on the 30th of June, 1807, by the selectmen, John Currier, Hubbard Harris and Amos Gould, who, for the consideration of $503, conveyed the first hundred acres of the school right to Nathaniel Barber. On the same day Barber quitclaimed the same to Warren Wilson "for a valuable consideration." Wilson lived on the present Lov- erin farm. Soon after he sold sixty-three acres to William Rich- ardson. The land is now owned in part by Eugene A. Shepard and John D. Loverin. The second hundred acres was laid out December 12, 1784, and surveyed as follows :
Beginning at a stake standing in the south line of the town, thence S 58 E 84 rods to a stake marked No. 3, thence N 32 E 200 rod to a stake and stones, thence N 58 W 84 rods to a stake and stones stand- ing by a brook, thence S 32 W 200 rods to the first bound. With an allowance of five acres for roads.
The brook referred to is Beaver Brook. This had remained wild and unoccupied up to the time of the "Vandue," when the selectmen conveyed it to Richard Otis for the sum of $290. This land lies about one hundred rods southwesterly from Henry H. Wilson's old farm.
The ten acres of the first division of intervale was surveyed to Nathaniel Barber October 16, 1801, and was included in an eighty-acre intervale farm, which he sold Josiah Clark. Barber had occupied this land for several years when a misunderstand- ing in regard to the title occurred and the same selectmen sold it by auction to Micaiah Moore, and also ten acres in the first division of intervale of the minister's right for $158. This title was quitclaimed to Barber August 21, 1807.
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