History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

staked out on two streets, known as the North
Street and the South Street, corresponding in the
main to highways now in existence. The number
of house-lots provided for was fifty-four, each con-
taining nominally four acres, but varying consid-
erably to conform to the lay of the land.
Coming from Watertown, the travelled way at
that date ran from the Alpheus Bigelow estate,
over Pine Plain, as at present. The home-lots
began at the middle of the plain, near the fork of
the roads, twenty rods west of the house of James
S. Draper. From this point the North Street ran,
as now, by Clay-pit Hill and to the Training-Field,
turning near the house of Abel Gleason, and thence
bearing southwesterly as near the south margin of
the ponds as the ground would admit, and sfi
towards the town bridge. The South Street ran
from the before-mentioned fork on Pine Plain,
bearing southerly so as to strike the old mill-dam ;
then turning northerly on the margin of the pond,
crossing Mill Brook at \A' bale's Bridge ;
WAYLANR 461
then turn-
ing southerly and southwesterly, lending by the
Parmenter estates and the house now owned by
Alden "Wellington, formerly the Bridge Parsonage;
then following nearly the present street by the
cemetery, and uniting with the North Street some
distance to the west of the residence of Charles A.
Cutting. From a point near the old Parmenter
tavern the South Street parted into two, the south-
erly branch running towards Bridle Point.
The majority of house-lots appear to have been
located on the northerly side of the North Street
and on the southerly side of the South Street. The
space enclosed between the two streets was laid out
into the meeting-house lot, the ox-pasture, the
sheep-pasture, general planting-fields, and the
training-place ; the latter, however, extended a
considerable distance on the north side of the
street.
All the original planters had lots assigned them in
the village plot. And it is believed that all of them
who came in 1638, 1639, and 1610, with families,
built on their lots. But within three years indi-
viduals began to sell their homesteads to new-comers,
and to build on the newly granted uplands at vari-
ous desirable points. The reasons for selecting
this as the village site were, conveniency of way to
Watertown, the general lay of the land and the
only available mill-seat, as well as proximity to
the choicest river meadow. And it was the laying
simultaneous extension of the Bridle Point road
southward to connect with this new highway, that
attracted Edmund Eice (who first built on the
North Street in 1639) and a few others to locate
that year near "the spring"; and induced Parson
Browne, two years later, to erect his dwelling-house
on the peninsula south of Mill Brook.
The next step was to provide a corn-mill. It
was set up in the spring of 1639 by Thomas Cake-
bread, and the stream on which it Avas placed was
called Mill Brook, according to the custom of the
times. Among the first public grants there was
" given to Thomas Cakebread, for and in consideration
of building a mill, 40 acres of upland now
adjoining to the mill, .and a little piece of meadow
downwards and a piece of meadow upwards, which
may be 16 or 20 acres. Also there is given, in
addition, for his accommodation of his estate, 30
acres of meadow and 40 acres of upland." Mr.
Cakebread died January 4, 1642 - 43, and the mill
was purchased or leased by John Grout, who sub-
sequently married the widow, and came in possession
of the entire mill property. It was held in the
Grout family for two or three generations.
The next step was to apportion the meadows to
the settlers. The home-lots, being of equal size,
without regard to the pecuniary ability of the
grantee, represented the common venture of the
planters, and their civil and political equality, and
were not taxed for ordinary town charges. The
meadows represented individual estates, and were
the basis of taxation, as they were the main source of
income. In the act of November 20, 1637, it was
provided that " the said persons appointed to set
out the said plantation are directed so to set out
the same as there may be 1,500 acres of meadow
allowed to it, if it be there to be had with any con-
veniency, for the use of the town." And Septem-
ber 4, 1639, it is ordered, "that Peter Noyes,
Edmund Browne, Edmund Rice fif ah. have com-
mission to lay out lands to the present inhabitants,
according to their estates and persons, and their
abilities to improve their land."
The following rule of division of the meadows
was adopted " : To every Mr. of a ff'amilie, 6 akers
to every wiffe, 6^ akers; to every child, \\ akers;
to every mare, cow, ox, or any other cattle that
may amount to £20, or so much money, 3 akers."
Under this order the meadows were allotted in
three divisions, — the first under date of Septem-
out of a new highway from the Alpheus Bigelow ber 4, 1639 ; the second, April 20, 1640; the third,
corner to Mr. Dunster's farm in 1643, and the November 18, 1640. The following will indicate
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