History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

490 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUXTY.
range of lots on the south side of the highway. " The
first lot in the range, adjoining the Sudbury Line,
was that of Bryan Pendleton, by him sold to Peter
Noyes, and very early purcJiased by George Mun-
ning." Adjoining this on the east were tlie lots
of Daniel Pattrick, Simon Eire, Jolm Stowers,
Abraham Browne, Jolm Whitney, Edward How,
Jeremiah A'orcross, and Thomas Mayhew, who
thus appear to have been the earliest proprietors
of lands in Weston. The allotment committee
seem to have provided farms for themselves and
a few friends in advance of the general allotment
of May, 1643.
From 1647 to 1G63 there was much dissatisfac-
tion and contention about the early allotments of
the Kemote Jleadows, the lands in lieu of township
and of the farm lands, and in the latter year this
portion of the town was re-surveyed and plotted
by Captain John Sherman for a new allotment.
It contained 1,103 acres, bounded on the south by
Dedham, west by Natick and Sudbury, and on
other sides by the farm lands. This "district is
fi'eqnently referred to in early deeds as " the laud
of contention."
The westward growth of tlie town — particularly
the taking up of the farm lands (in Weston) — removed
the farmers so far from the meefinu-hkrd I,, be ,A,n,|.lrd IVnui
the lax Inr tbr su,,|„,rl ,,1' a ••buirb uhirl, ihev
.•ould not all.'ud.
In lr,'.)3 a toun-m.Mtin- wav brld I,, d.rlde
upon a .site for a new mceliMg-hoiise, but the free-
men were too much divided in sentiment to come
to an agreement. An exciting controversy fol-
lowed, and the governor and couacil were called
upon to settle the matter.
Their decision did uot please all, and at a town-
meeting held May 9, 1691.^ an earnest protest,
signed by eighty-two men and women residing in
the eastern part of the town, and by thirty-three
men and women residing at the western part, in
the Farms, was presented against following the ad-
vice of the governor and council. At an irregular
town-meeting held October 3, 1694, Beaver Brook
was made the eastern boundary of the Farmers'
Precinct ; but the General Court, at their May ses-
sion, 1699, fixed it at Stony Brook. At this meeting
it was stated that the farmers were "upon
endeavors to have a meeting-house among them-
selves."
January 9, 1694-9.5 tlie farmers met, and
agn'ed to build a meeting-house thirty feet square,
and ti. jilace it on the land of Nathaniel Cooledge,
Sr., liy the side of the road, at the head of Park
burst's nicadnw, a little to the west of the present
tlag-jHilc. The iii-xt year agents were chosen to
contract with workmen to buihl the liouse, which
was to be called the Farmers' ileeting-house.
Tile «(irk was begun by subscri])tion, money being
contributed " Some time in August, 169.3," bv sun-
dry pii-soiis for the purpose of ])resentiiig a petition
to thr (leiieral Court, jirayiiig for leave "to set up
the pulilic worship of (iod amongst the inhabitants
of tbe west end of said to«n " (Watertown). This
petition was granted at the May session of 1698.
In February, l(i'.t7, the farmers were exempted
from ministerial rates in the town. Votes were
passed at precinct meetings in A^ovember, 1698,
August, September, and November, 1699, making
provision for completing the meeting-house. February
14, 1700, the precinct voted to have a min-
ister to ])reaeh in the meeting-house, to begin the
second Sabbath of tbe ensuing Marcli, so that it
was five years from the time the farmers voted to
build a, meeting-hoiise bebu'e it was so far eom-
jileted as to lie usable; and from a vote passed
Mai-eli -'Sll, 1710, granting money to finish the
meet iiiu-housr, it ajipears not to have been fully
liiiisbed until ten years later, fifteen years being
thus eoiisniiied in erecting a building thirty feet
March U, 1700, money was granted lo support
]ireaching, and grants continued to be made at
successive periods for the same purpose, but it was
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