History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

272 HISrOBY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
son of William, is recorded as to^yll-clcrk " for the
ensuing year."
Surveyors of fences and higliways were first
chosen in 1648, and a constable in 104'9. The
town-meetings, as might be inferred from the
manner of calling them, occurred at irregular pe-
riods till 1657, when it was ordered that there
should be two amuial meetings, — one on the 1st
or 2d of December, the other on the 1st or 2d of
February. The selectmen were chosen in December
and the minor officers in February. In 1674
the December meeting was discontinued.
In October, 16.51, the court granted to the in-
habitants of Reading, in addition " to their former
fower miles, .... about two miles content," the
territory that is now North Reading.
A division of lots on Woburn line was made in
1652 among thirty-four male inhabitants whose
names are given, and are supposed to be all the
adult males belonging to the town.
It was ordered, in 165-'3, that "no man shall
fall any Oak, Spruce, or Pine trees, fit for boards,
within three miles of the meeting-house, except for
his own use, under a penalty of five shillings for
every tree." Measures were taken in the follow-
ing year for preventing unnecessary waste of trees
for fuel. Thomas Browne, the dish-turner, had
liberty to fell ash and majjle trees on condition
that he paid " scott and lotte^ to the town of Red-
ding.'' Walter Fairfield had " free liberty " to
fell trees for his trade on the same terms.
A county highway was laid out from Andover
to " Reddinge," four rods wide " except through
the common fields of Reddinge, and the renot to
be less than two rods wide."
Henry Felch, " for departing the publiquc as-
sembly when the ordinance of baptism was about
to be administered, wa.s admonislicd by the Court
of his sin, and was ordered to pay costs to Jonas
Eaton, two shillings."'
William Cowdrey was empowered, in 1654, "to
sell wine of any sort, and strong iiipiors to the
Indians, as to his judgment shall seem most meet
and necessary for their relief in just and urgent
occasions, and not otherwise, provided he shall not
sell or deliver more than one pint to any one In-
dian at any one time upon any pretence whatever."
Ensign John Smith, having been licensed to keep
an " ordinary," was fined two shillings for not
having a sign.
' " Scot t and lottc
to lliclr -AiWWy.
1 on persons arrnrdinp
The town received a complimentary notice at
a very early date. Johnson's Wonder-Worlinff
Providence, \>\M\?\\tA about 1654, says: "Read-
ing is well watered and situate about a great pond,
besides it hath two mills, the one a Saw-Mill, the
other a C'orn-i\Iill, which stand on two several
streams ; it hath not been so fruitful for children
as her sister Woburn hath ; her habitation is fallen
in the very center of the country ; they are well
stocked with cattle for the number of people.
They have gathered into a church, and ordained a
pastor from among themselves at the same time ;
a young man of good abilities to preach the word,
and of very humble behavior, named Mr. Green,
he having finished his course, departed this life
not long after, whose labors are with the Lord.
After him succeeded in the place one Mr. Hoph, a
young man, one of the first fruits of New England,
a man studious to promote the truths of Christ."
In 1655 there were twenty slaves in town, four-
teen males and six females.
The town ^yas vigilant in regard to all that
afi^ected the morals of the people, and in 1662
ordered that " no woman, maid, nor boy, nor gall
shall sit in the south alley and east alley of the
meeting-house, upon penalty of \%d. for every day
they shall sit there And every dog that
comes to meeting either on the Lord's day or lec-
ture day, except it be their dogs, that pay for a
dog-whipper, the owner of these dogs shall pay six-
pence for every time they come to meeting."
Rev. John Brock, third pastor of the First
Church, was ordained November 13, and on the
following day married the widow of his predeces-
sor who (lied a few months before.
In 1667 it was agreed "that all the privileges of
land, timber, and commons shall belong unto the
present houses now erected, and to no other that
shall be erected hereafter." There were at this
time fifty-nine houses. The next year it was ordered
" that no man after this date shall come
into tlie town here to inhabit, without the consent
of the town ;
but he shall put in security, to secure
the town of all charges that siiall come thereby."
That part of the town now called Reading was
styled, in 167.S, "Wood End," probably witli ref-
erence to the large amount of wood growing there
in comparison with that in the First Parish, where
the lands had been cultivated by the Indians.
Fre(|uent votes by the town indicate a scarcity of
wood and timber, and stringent measures were
a(loj)ted for their preservation.