Samuel Kinsley, south of Fox Hill and near Mr. Harding's place.
John Marshall was "partly on and partly off the towneship," on the
east side, beyond Ash Swamp, and south-east of Mr. Kimball's.
Golden Moore bought James Parker's place, before mentioned ;
James Paterson, "on the north side of the township," between the
late Dr. Pillsbury's place and Mr. Sanborn's ; John I'oulter, on
- See picture of it elsewhere.
26 HISTORY OF BILLERICA.
Andover Street, near Mr. Kimball's ; and John Sheldon bej'ond
him, near Mr. Johnson's place ; John Trull had lived, before 1659,
on Captain Gookin's farm, and perhaps in the " Shawshin House" ;
he then received a grant at the Bridge place, east of Long Street ;
George Willice sold in 1659 his place south of the Baptist Church to
Daniel Shed. Web has left his name on "AYeb's Brook," and lived
beside it, near Mr. Maynard's ; Simon Bird was west of Long
Street and south of the corner, (his grant included most of the
Spalding Farm and Mr. Stackpole's) ; and beyond were John
Bracket, between the two brooks ; John Durrant, whose grant
extended to Mr. Jones's north line ; and William Haile, whose
grant was farther on towards the "Great Bridge," or Ford way.
Thomas Foster was east of Bare Hill, near Mr. McKay's ; Joseph
Tompson, at the Tuft's place, south of the north-east corner of
the Dudley Farm ; Peter Bracket, east of Tompson and south of
Marshall ; John Kittredge, near Mr. Knowles's, south of Bare Hill ;
Thomas Hubbard, west of Long Street and north of the Township,
or between Dr. Pillsbury's place and Mrs. Wild's ; Dr. Roger
Toothaker, at the old Rogers' place, near North Billerica ; and
last, but not least. Rev. Samuel Whiting, whose place was east of
Concord Road and north of Charnstaffe Lane. His house stood
opposite the old Deacon Whiting place, just where Charnstaffe Lane
descends from the west to the brook.
Forty families are here enumerated having homes in Billeri(;a
in 1660. It is a matter of interest to note the places froni which
thev came and the various relationships and interests which drew
them together and helped to compact the rising community. In
examining this subject it will be convenient to anticipate dates a
little and group with these names several others who came in the
next twenty years.
The larger number came naturall}' from Cambridge. Fifteen of
the flftv-five earliest names belong to the mother town. Champnej',
Crosby, Danforth, French, Frost, Hamlet, Hide, Hubbard, Kidder,
Manning, More. Parker, Patten, Ross, and Willice ; and probably
John Parker and Poulter should be added to this group, and by his
marriage, at least, John Trull. Samuel Champney was a son of
YAder Richard Champne}', one of the foremost men of Cambridge,
and a large proprietor in Shawshin. He married a sister of Thomas
Hubbard, who died here in 1662 ; and his sister married Jacob
French. Jonathan Danforth married a sister of John Poulter, whose
FIRST SETTLERS LOCATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS. 27
widowed mother had become the wife of John Parker. James
Fi'ost married a daughter of William Hamlet, who had married Mrs.
Hubbard, the mother of Samuel Champne^'s wife. Jonathan Hyde
married Dorothy, daughter of James Kidder, but did not long stay
in Billerica. Kidder married a niece of Golden More, who had
himself manned the widow of John Champne}-. Samuel Manning's
wife was Elizabeth, sister of John Stearns, and Isaac Learned, one
of three purchasers of the Dudley Farm, married another sister.
The connection of the Parkers, John and Robert, can not be
affirmed, but is probable. Thomas Willice married Grace, daughter
of William Ta}', who came from Boston to Billerica, and John
Trull manied Sarah French, niece of Lieut. William French, of
Cambridge, and sister of Joseph French, the son-in-law of Thomas
Foster, who lived near him.
The contribution next in number and importance to the Billerica
compan}' came as naturally from Woburn. It includes eleven names :
Bacon, Baldwin, Brooks, Chamberline, Fai-ley, Hill, Jefts, Richard-
son, Walker, Wilson, and Ay3'man. .
Michael Bacon and John Baldwin married daughters of Thomas
Richardson, of Woburn, and their brother Thomas became the
occupant of the Church Farm after the death of John Parker in
1668, and a leading citizen of Billerica. William Chamberline was
probably- connected with Thomas, one of the Dudley Farm purchasers,
who afterwards manned Danforth's mother-in-law, the widow of John
Parker. George Farley and Henry Jefts married sisters, we need
not doubt, as they bore the unusual name of Births. Ralph Hill,
Sen., had taken a second wife, Margaret, the mother of Roger
Toothaker; and in his will he calls William French, "brother."
Ralph Hill, Jun., married Martha Toothaker, his step-sister. Joseph
Walker was the son-in-law of John Wj^man, of the family which
held much land in Billerica as well as Woburn.
Braintree gave to Billerica an important circle of eight families.
The mother of Simon Crosb}' had married, some years before, the
Rev. Joseph Tompson, of Braintree, his second wife. In his
parish, Capt. Richard Bracket lived, an active and exemplars-
deacon in his church. Naturally enough, the minister's son Joseph,
and step-son Simon Crosby, found wives in the deacon's family, and
one Samuel Kinsley was equally fortunate. These sisters had
twin brothers, John and Peter, and the five brothers and sisters all
came to Billerica and formed as many homes here. John Bracket
28 HISTORY OF BILLERICA.
had another attraction here, as his wife was a daughter of William
French. Thomas Foster, Daniel Shed, who married Ruth More,
daughter of Golden, and Christopher Web, make up the Braintree
families, most of whom were located south and east of the village.
John Rogers came with John Stearns from Watertown, and Job
Lane from Maiden. He was the purchaser of the entire Winthrop
Farm, which he divided b}- his will between his son. Col. John, and
two grand-sons, Samuel Fitch and Mathew Whipple. His wife
was the daughter of Rev. John Reyner, pastor of Plymouth and
Dover, whose son Jolin became his father's colleague and successor.
A few came from England direct to Billerica. Richard Daniel,
"Gentlemen," as he is often called in the records, and mentioned
with deference, bought the farm of the Cambridge Church of seven
hundred acres and Samuel Champney's farm of five hundred acres,
in 1669. His wife was daughter of Sir John Pye ; and about 1678
they returned to England. Edward Farmer came from Warwick-
shire, ancestor of a notable family ; and John Kittredge, whose
descendants have been man^^ aijd honorable, came in the service of
John Parker, who is called his "master." James Paterson was a
Scotchman, of whom Savage says : "He is one of only four or five
that prospered here among the great crowd of romantic young
followers in Scotland of Charles II, who in the blood}' days * *
of 1650 and 1651 were captured on the fields of Cromwell's glory at
Dunbar and Worcester, and transported to the colonies to be sold."
Several hundreds were brought to Boston. Paterson and Richardson
married sisters, daughters of Andrew Stevenson, of Cambridge.
Some years later another Sccjtchman, John Levistone, brought also
good blood to Billerica. And if we could trace the connections of
other names, as Bird, Dunkin, Durrant, Dutton, Fasset, Grimes,
Haile, Kemp, Marshall, Sanders, Sheldon, and Trull, they would no
doubt furnish points of similar interest.
Facts like these taken sepatatel}' have little intez-est ; but group
them and they show that the men and women who laid the founda-
tions in Billerica were no random collection of adventurers. They
formed from the outset a community bound together b}' a network of
ties which assured mutual sympathy and helpfulness. This was an
essential condition of their success. Societ}' is not a mere conglom-
erate of individuals. Throw men and women together of diverse
antecedents and inharmonious qualit}', and they will not be long in
falling out and going asunder. Man}' an ambitious and promising
FIRST SETTLERS LOCATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS. 29
attempt at planting a colony in America, and elsewhere, has made
shipwreck for this reason. Pl3-mouth and Massachusetts were more
successful, because the}' sought carefully and held tenaciously such
elements as coiild be moulded together, and repelled those which
were foreign and discordant. And what was true of the colony
was true of the town. Such a union of harmonious and desirable^
elements could not be had at short notice ; and the delay of a few
years, during which neighbors in Cambridge and Woburn were
consulting and corresponding with the design of planting a company
of settlers in the Shawshin wilderness, was well used in securing the
growth and combination of such germs. It was better to make
baste so slowly that the town might prove, as it did, homogeneous
and successful.
CHAPTER III.
LAND DISTRIBUTION.
The equitable apportionment of the lands of the town among the
settlers was a matter of sufficient importance and difficulty to engage
much attention and tax their wisdom. The whole town included,
after its enlargement west of the Concord River, about thirty thou-
sand acres. The adjustment of what the first settlers should receive,
with wise reservations for later grants as others should join them,
and for future distributions, must have been very carefully debated.
Their territory embraced the three large grants to Mrs. Winthrop,
Governor Winthrop, and Governor Dudley, (5,760 acres in all) ;
one thousand acres reserved b}^ the Church in Cambridge ; five
grants of live hundred acres each to Captain Gookin, Reverend Mr.
Weld, Reverend Mr. Mitchel, President Dunster, and Mr. Collins ;
and other grants, to more than one hundred citizens of Cambridge,
amounthig to 10,300 acres. About two-fifths of the whole town
only was really free and common land, open to the occupancy and
disposition of the settlers, when they first came to Shawshin ; but
the subsequent grant from the General Court of eight thousand acres
at Naticott enabled them, b}^ purchase and exchange, to secure most
of the small Cambridge titles, and hold about eight thousand acres
more for their own benefit and that of future proprietors.
The Dudle}' Farm exerted a vital influence in giving shape to the
settlement. Extending two and a half miles down the river from
the Two Brothers, its north-east boundary fixed the position of
the four hundred acres "granted b}- the Church in Cambridge for
the Towneship," or village part of the town, Charnstaffe Lane
being the line between them. And the first settlement has the
practical aspect of an agreement between the Woburn men who
had bought the larger part of the "Farm," and the Cambridge
men who had received the Township grant.
LAND DISTRIBUTION. • 31
The Farm, containing fifteen hundred acres, was divided into
twelve lots of one hundred and twentj'-flve acres each, and this
number became the unit of measuring shares throughout the town.
Each share was called a ' ten-acre lot,' and consisted of one hundred
and thirteen acres of upland and twelve acres of meadow, and
carried with it the right to "all town priviledges, after additions
and divisions of land and meadow." Only six proprietors held
more than a single share. Ralph Hill had a twenty-eight-acre
lot ; his father and Elder Champne}', twenty-five-acre lots ; and
Farley, French, and Stearns, twenty-acre lots. There were thirteen
ten-acre lots, and thi'rtj'-six smaller: eight, six, five, and two-and-
one-half-acre lots, the larger part being five acres. The twelve
shares of the Dudley Farm were held : two and one-half, by Elder
Charapney ; two, by John Stearns ; one and one-half, by Ralph
Hill, Sen. ; and one each, by William Chamberlain, George Farle}-,
Lieut. William French, Ralph Hill, Jun., Henr}' Jefts, and Robert
Parker.
It can hardly have been accidental that the rights on the Town-
ship were granted b}- Cambridge in so nearly the same number of
shares. Four P"'arm proprietors, Farley, Stearns, Ralph Hill, Jun.,
and Robert Parker, had also lots on the Township. Omitting
these, the lots on the Township were also twelve in number. Their
owners were Jacob Brown, who soon sold to Stearns, John Baldwin,
Jonathan Danforth, Captain Gookin, of Cambridge, a non-resident,
James Kidder, John Marshall, Golden More, William Patten, John
Rogers, John Trull, George Willice, and Reverend Mr. Whiting.
Of this number, Baldwin onl}' was a Woburn man ; while but a
single Cambridge man, French, had his home on the Farm. In
the outset, the Township and the Farm thus nearly represented
Cambridge and Woburn in the settlement, which proceeded on the
basis of the following agreement between them: — ^
*'A Transcript of a Covenant or Agreement between tugs which
WERE Proprietors vpon Mr. Dudley's Farme and they that
were inhabitance on y^ township, which is yet a standing
Order in the Towne.
'•'■9. 9m. 165S. The proposition is as followeth: —
"That such as either have ah-eady, or hereafter shall take up any
alotinent in the towne, (vpon grant,) shalbe equally accomiuodated with
1 See Grants, p. 169.
32 HISTORY OF BILLERICA.
upland & meadow Avith thos vpon Mr. Dudley's farme; to have the
one-half of their lands about home, either adjoining to their house-lots,
and, in case their benot sufFetient for them there, then to have it made
up vpon the first next convenient place. And as for their second divitions,
they shall have it laid out to them remote from the towne, acording as
they have their second divitions, which are vpon Mr. Dudley's farme.
Provided allways^ That all such persons takeing up such alotraents shall
contribute to them vpon Mr. Dudley's farme (according to the proportion
they sliall take vp. whither a tenne-acre, eight, six, or five-acre lot, or
any other proportion.) vntill they on Mr. Dudley's farme have received
half so nmch as their first purchase cost; and as for any moneys that
shall come in to y« towne, vpon this account afterward, it shalbee disposed
of to ye publick use of the towne, acording as y^ towne shall order;
all which payments shalbe made within two yeare after their perticular
grants, and the first half within one yeare. Provided allwarjs^ That no
person shall have any proportion more than a single share of Mr. Dudley's
farme.
"This was voted on y« afffermitive & subscribed.
"William ffi-ench. John Parker.
John Rogers, Sen. John Poulter.
Will"! Pattin. Jonath. Danforth.
Will'". Hamlett. John Marshall.
Jacob BroM^ne. John Baldwin.
William Tay. Henery Jeiffs.
John Sheldon. George ffarley.
Golden More. Will™. Chamberline.
James Kidder. John Sternes.
"It was also, at y^ same time, agreed vpon by y® towne: That a
ten-acre lot on j^ towneshlp, and a single share, or twelfe part of
Mr. Dudley's farme, should be equall, both civill and ecclesiasticall ; and
that all lesser grants (as an eight, six, or five-acre lot, or any other lesser
or greater grants,) should all pay in proportion to their grants, to all
publick charge as aforesaid."
In fulfillment of the agreement that the other inhat»itants should
pay to the Farm proprietors one-half of what it had cost them, we
find the following : —
'■'• 10 :9 :'59. Ye Rate for ye half e payment of ye purchase.
£ s. d.
"Jonathan Danforth, 2- 5-10
John IFrench, 2-5-10
Willi Pattin, 1-16- 8
John Marshall, 1-7-6
John Baldwin, 1-16- 8
Daniel Shead, 1-16-8
John Sheldon, 2- 5-10
Will' Sheldon, 1-16- 8
LAXD DISTRIBUTION. 33
John Rogers, 1-16- 8
Willi Tay. 2- 5-10
Goldinge More, 2- 5-10
Jacob Browne, 1-16- 8
James Kidder. 2-5-10
John Poulter, 1_16_ 8
Willi Haralett, 2- 5-10
Willi BrowTie, 1-16- 8
James Paterson, 1_ 7_ 6
Simon Burd. 2- 5-10
• Tho: fibster, 1-16- 8
Christopher Web,^ 1_ 7_ 6
John Gurney, 2- 5-10
Samuell Kinsley, 2- 5-10
Y« 6 acor Lott, 1_ 7_ 6
44-18- 4"
The price of the Dudley Farm was one hundred and teu pounds.
The balance of the fift3'-five pounds, which would make up the half,
was probably assessed on later purchasers in the town.
The earliest settlers whose house-lots were on the common
land of the town, or off the Township and the Farm, were William
Hamlet and William Tay, in 165G. The grant to Hamlet exhibits
the common form used, with slight variations, in case of all the
early settlers ; and I quote : —
•'They have granted to him and assignes forever, one tenne-acre lot,
or one single share ; that is, one hundred and thutene acres of upland and
twelve acres of meadow land, together with all towne priviledges, after
additions and divitions of lands and meadows made or to be made, or
granted by the towne, acording to any their *^^owne orders, covenants, or
agreements, to anj' free denison amongst them, acording to y^ proportion
of a ten-acre lot, and on this account are the following grants."
His first grant is of fiftj^-six acres, more or less, "on the
North-East corner of bare hill, and on y'^ south of hogrooten
meadow." This meadow of unsavory name lies south-east of the
Tompson or Tufts place, and the hill is between the Boston and
Lexington Roads, south-east of the village, and east of Dr. Noyes's
house. Hamlet's house must have stood near the Crosby place.
Ta}' was on the west of the same hill, at Dr. Noyes's place.
The Braintree compan}" came soon after, and, bj- 1G60, had well
occupied the line south and east of the village, along Loes^ Plain as
2 Framlingham, in England, the native town of Danforth, was in "Loes Hundred."
He gave the name to the plain and a meadow south of Fox Hill, and extending as far as
the Church Farm.
34 HISTORY OF BILLERICA.
far as Fox Hill. North from the Township ran another line of the
earliest farms, Paterson, Hubbard, Bird, Durrant, and Haile, who
was near the Great Bridge, or Fordwa3% with Toothaker at the
extreme point, the old Rogers place of a later da}', by the canal.
The allotment of the common lands to the settlers began
promptly, and it was almost one hundred j-ears before this land
fund was exhansted. The earliest assignments were made to
several of the Township proprietors in Loes Plain ; bnt the first
general distribution was of meadow land, which was specially
important and valuable, before clearing and culture had made
higher grounds productive of the needed supply of grass for winter
use. The Farm settlers did not share in this first meadow
distribution, which was intended to equalize the privilege of the
Township men with these Farm purchasers.
There were twenty-one shares in the first distribution in 1658,
in a total of onh' thirt^'-nine acres, and these were located in two
places. The first lot began between C'helmsford line and Concord
River, on the west side, and, running up the river through Broad
meadow, the last of the thirteen lots was just south of the Great
Bridge, or Fordway. The other eight lots of this first division of
meadow began at the mouth of Long Pond, and, following the
Alewife or Content' Brook, the last lot, John Baldwin's, was near
Pattenville, and Danforth's lot at the right hand of the Andover or
Depot Road. The agreement for this division and the following
stands thus : — *
"It is agreed by the joynte consente of the Towne, that for the
devition of meddows for the several inhabitants [ ? ] to begin at the
Lower end of the medow on the other side Concord [river] Next toward
Patuckett at Chelmsford corner, and so upward to the [?] above the
Bridge, and so to begin again at the pond below foxes hill, and so down
Alewife brooke. and so to take the spanges of medow to the Colage
meddow, and so down to Andover Line, and take all the lueddow on both
sides Shawshin river, to be devided by lott according as shall be adjudged
by A co^itee, for what is rubish nieddowe to be layed out quantitive,
y' every man may be aco"'idated alike, as nere as the said comittee can
judge; the eomitee apoynted for the meshuringe and Laying out the said
meddow lands and Lots of uplande are •
"Jonathan Danforth,
[Other names torn off.'] " [Henry Je]ftes."
2 Tlie earliest name of this brook was "Alewife." The plain beyond soon probably
received the name "Content"; then the meadow, and before long brook, meadow, and
plain were all "Content." * Records. Vol. I, p. 8.
LAND DISTRIBUTION. 35
"For the first devitions: y*' devitiones of meddow to begin as afore-
said, on the other side Concord river, soe upward ; & from y«= ponde down
the brook to Content bridge; & so Lay out the several lotts, crosse the
meddows on both sides the brool<.
The second devitione to begin on the South side of foxes
Meadowii jjju . gQg taking all the spanges before vs untill we come
lying in Lotts , , r^, ... ,,.,,.
of upland for prt. dowuewarde upon Shawshm river, on both sides the river,
of proportions of ^q tijp Lower eaudc of the collage fanne: then to extend
meadows. , , ,^, , . . ,,.,,.
downewarde upon Shawshin river, on both sides the river,
taking in all that is meadow before vs y*^ is in o"" Boundes to Woeburne
line, vntill we come to Alewife brooke, and so to run vp that brooke vntill
we come to Contente bridge; then to extend from ye mouth of Alewife
Brooke upon Shawshin river untill we come to heth Brook; then to take
all the medow y' is on that Brooke, so far as there is any toward contente
meddow ; then to begin again where we left of upon the river, and so to lay
out the meddow, till we come at the mouth of Strongvvater brooke, and so to
Andover Boundes ; then to take all before us who^ewards, untill we come
at the great meadow; then to begin at the Bound pine upon Hors brook,
between Andover and o'' Towne, takeing all before us toward merimake
river ; and for such meddows as I.ye in any man's Alotment of upland, he
shall [have it as part] of his first devition [of meddow], any nere meddow
conven[ient to other] men, it is left with the Com[mittee to dis]pose of
to acomidate such [persons with] the said meddows, (upon [?] as afore-
said,) dividing them [with '?] equalitie, acordinge to ther [own] discretione.
without respect of [persons] .
•'It is agreed that the second lot in order shall begin at the stake at
ye Lower end of Concord river meddow ; and it is also agreed that the second
devition of the several alotments of meddow shall be a third part of there
proportione, and what is yet remaining shall be made up in the third
devetione.
"The Lotts were drawne by the severall inhabitantes, whose Names
are here underwritten, to the Number of Twenty and three Lotts, besides
the meddows for the minister; which Lots of meddow for the minister
were joyntly agreed upon to be Layed out, in the firste place, acordinge to
the best disci'etione of the Comittee apoynted for the worke.
1th. 2th. 3th.
•'William Tay drew
Jacob Browne
Jonathan Danforth
Will' Patten
Will' flfrench
James Kidder
Goldinge More
John Sheldon
John Rogers
Will' Hamlitt
John Poulter
2
13
23
3
15
13
20
7
3
9
8
6
17
16
22
5
11
4
15
9
24
11
5
10
22
6
8
23
22
18
21
4
19
!4 lU
8 19
20
36 HISTORY OF BILLERICA.
John Baldwin
John Marshall
George Willowes 10 20 20
"9 lots drawn for by the Towne, that were then vndisposed of, and
taken up since, as tolloweth : 3 ten-acre lots, and 3 8-acre lots, and 3
6-aere lots.
" [10] acor lot Simon Bird.
" [G aco]r James Paterson."
The second division began on the Shawsliin below tlie College
Farm, at a place called by the Records the "willow spang" ;
and including twent\'-foar lots on botli sides the river, extended
nearly to Strongwater Brook, or half way tlirough Tewksbnrj.
The third division of meadow was made also in 1658, and, after
assigning four lots farther down the Shawsliin to Andover bounds,
passed over to tlie great meadow south-east of Prospect Hill, which
is a mile north of Tewkslnuy Junction, and follows the meadow on
Strongwater Brook back to the Shawshin River again. Tliis remote
division was as large as the other two, and gave all the settlers. an
average of ten acres of meadow in the tliree widely separate fields.
The conditions of this pioneer farming were certainly not the most
attractive, when the Townehip farmer must travel three miles north
one da}', and four miles east the next, by roads which consisted
mostl}' of blazed trees, to bring home the meadow hay, on which his
cow and horse were to subsist when winter came. This process of
taking possession of the wilderness, in the name and for the benefit
of civilization, tested and developed the manhood of these brave
men and women.