History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1659] NON-RESIDEFTS—FREEMEN—HIGHWAYS. 87
thentick and othei-s not tlier shall loose ther votes. And allsoe be fined
1'* if they bee not at the beginning of the meeteing when it is orderly
begun."
This order remained unchanged for twenty years, when
the nnniber constituting a quoriini was increased to thirty,
and absentees were fined 12d. each.
First Sale of Home Among the arrivals in 1659, were George
^°ts- Sumner, Enos Kingsley and Ralph Hutchinson.
The first two named came from
Dorchester, and the last from Boston. To each of these men
was granted for a home lot eight acres of upland, lying
on the " westerly side of y® Mill River." But by a special
vote they were each required to pay twenty shillings to the
"Townesmenat demand thereof," and were also to build
upon the lots and hold them four years, before obtaining a
title. At a subsequent meeting the amount to be paid for
them was reduced to ten shillings, and the condition of
four year's possession repealed. This was the first instance
in which the town demanded payment for land granted to
settlers. These were among the first home lots taken up
on South Street. They were double the size of ordinary
home lots, situated at some distance from the settled por-
tion of the town, and by reason of the intervening river
much more difficult of access. With these drawbacks it
is not easy to understand why parties would be willing to
pay for land when everybody else had obtained it for nothing.
It is possible that the size of the lots may have been
the reason why a price was put upon them.
William Smead, who came from Dorchester, had a grant,
the next year, of eight acres of land for a home lot, on
condition that he should pay ten shillings for it, as had the
three men the year previous. His lot was laid out on South
Street, adjoining that of Ralph Hutchinson. Capt. Cook,
Ensign Wilton and John Strong, were granted thirty acres
apiece over Manhan River, in a parcel of land lately purchased
of the Indians, or the same amount each, up Mill
River ; they were also to have twenty acres apiece of upland
upon the plain beyond the mill. Here were 150 acres
of land given away almost in the same vote that ordered
Smead to pay ten shillings for his home lot.