History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

462 HISTORY -OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
ing planters :
of meadow ; to Mr. Peter Nojes, l-l acres ; Walter
Haynes, 6;3i acres; Edmund Eice, 4;Jf acres;
Thomas Brown, 34 J acres ; Joini Bent, 30 acres
John Parmenter, 26i acres ;
; :
the comparative taxable estates of some of the lead- to Edmund Eice's farm and the new highway. A
" To Mr. Edmund Browne, 75 acres foot and horse bridge across the river, at tiie point
Edmund Goodnow,
24 acres; Henry Loker, 13 acres; Hugh Griffin,
10^ acres; William Brown, 8 J acres; John Rutter,
3 acres."
In connection witii the allotment of the meadows
to the inhabitants, the town set apart certain lands,
which were to be held sacred " for the use of the
ministry." Two meadow-lots on the west and two
on the east side of the river were thus " seques-
tered," and later two or more lots of upland on
each side were added. These -lots, both meadow
and upland, were let out to individuals, and the
income u.sed for the support of the pastor. The
west-side ministerial lands were sold in 1S17 for
$3,200.96. The ujdands on the east side have
been disposed of, but the two meadow-lots are still
held by the First Parish.
Instead of each man cultivating his own sepa-
rate field, the custom was adopted at the outset,
and continued for two generations, to assign gen-
eral planting-fields. These were located at con-
venient points, and the inhabitants living next to
these points w-ere required to break up and utilize
each his proper share, and each was required to
make and keep in rejmir a part of the fence cor-
responding to his part of the field. At first four
cornfields were laid out, soon after six, and in 1654
the number had increased to ten.
The earliest records name only " the highway."
This was the road from the village over Pine Plain
to Watertown. Every man in town was required
"to come forth to the mending of the highway
upon such time as they shall have lawful summons
by the surveyors, or forfeit for eacii default 5 shil-
wide, was established at the outset, " bet ween the
meadows and the uplands," from Bridle Point to
Concord line, and on the west side of the river
there was a similar road six rods wide. In l(il3
the records name a way from Walertow^n to Mr.
Dunsler's farm, which was laid out as a highway
in KilO. As already slated, the South Street was
extended across Mill Brook, just below the junction
of Pine Brook, and so on the east side of the river
wdiere is now the Town Bridge, was built in 1640 ;
the first cart-bridge was built in the fall of 1643.
Where a town-way was laid across a man's home-
lot he was allowed to put in and maintain gates at
both his bound-lines, and travellers were required
to open and shut them as they passed.
Formalion of the Church. — No record of the
first gathering of the church in this town can be
found. But from the fact that Mr. Brown and
the leading planters were made freemen IMay 13,
1640, it is certain that a church had been organ-
ized before that date. There are reasons for fix-
ing the date March 1, 1640. The next February
Mr. Browne is named as "our pastor," and tradi-
tion fixes his installation in August, 1640. His
salary in 1643 was £30 ; in 164(3, £40 ; in 1647,
£50, "one half of which shall be paid either in
money, wheat, peas, butter, cheese, pork, beef, or
hemp and flax ; and he shall be paid at every quar-
ter's end."
The clny-pit and brick-kiln are named in the
earliest town records. They were situated on the
North Street, and on the east side of Mill Brook.
In April, 1640, a considerable tract, lying be-
tween the streets, towards Mill Brook, was laid out
as "a common pasture for working oxen."
At this date it was ordered " that all hogs and
pigs kept in this town, from the 24th of April to
the Gth of Oct. that shall go about the town with-
out yokes and rings, for every hog so found the
owner shall forfeit 10 shillings, the complainant to
have one-half tlie money, and the town the other
half."
March 20, 1611. " It is agreed that every cart
with 4 sufficient oxen & a man shall have for a
day's Avork 5 shillings : that men shall take for
mowing by the acre 14 pence for every acre, or one
& twenty pence per day : that all carpenters, brick-
lings." The rules for working tlie higliway were
" 1. The poorest man shall work one day; 2. for layers, and thatchers shall have one & twenty pence
every 6 acres of meadow a man hath, he sliall w-ork for a day's work, and common labourers 18 pence
one day." A road for the town's use, four rods
a day : that all sawyers shall take for sawing of
board 3.?. 4r/. the hundred, and for slit work they
shall take 4«. 8^/. the hundred : that a yearly cov-
enanted servant, tlie best of tiiem shall take but 5
lionnds for a year's .service, and ni;iid-servants, the
best of them .shall take but 50 shillings : that none
shall take above 6^/. a busiiel for the bringing up
of corn from Watertown to Sudbury, and 20 shil-
lings a tuun for any other goods."
January 13, 1643, a lange traei of land was