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

1653.] COMMENCING THE SETTLEMENT. 15
haiie power to lett or sell ^iiy sucli land withont the consent of the to-v\nie,
and in case that any man shall depart away from the said place before
he hath dwellt there foiire complett years as afore specified, all such
lands shall fall into the towne's hands, vnles the person remotiing shall
giue the towne stich sattisfiing re sons that the towne shall giue gi'ant
Liberty to the persone or persons remoning to dispose of there lands.
It is also agreed that in case any man that hath a proprietty in the said
place shall dye either before he shall goe to the said place or hath dwelt
there foiu-e yeares, then the heires of the Deceased peartty or persone
shall hane Liberty to make the best of any such lauds of the deceased
person or persons paying the Charges and Desearts of the said land."
It is quite probable that the j)aragraphs of the above document
which were erased or crossed, never went into effect.
The proposed division of one-quarter of the lands to the
twenty men' who were present at the first meeting apparently
was not carried out, as only eight of the number
ever came here, and only two of the five men appointed to
admit inhabitants and divide the property, settled in Northampton.
Under these rules and regulations the planters took possession
of the new territory. No movement was made
towards a settlement, however, till the next year. Winter
was too near at hand when they were adopted to admit of
emigration, though some of the proprietors undoubtedly
came to spy out the land in 1(353. The main object of the
emigrants was to make good their claim, and provide some
means of shelter before the commencement of another win-
ter.
Forty-five names, including those whose surnames are
blank because of the dilapidation of the records, as well as
both the Roots, were signed to the first petition and to
the formal agreement concerning the plantation.'' At the
October meeting for consultation and organization, only
eight of the signers tfi the petition seem to hai^e been jDresent,
but thirteen new. names, counting the blanks, were
appended. Only foui^'^'jen of the whole number—eight of
the petitioners and six,(iof those who attended the October
meeting—ever became residents here, and some of these men
did not come till the placeir'iiad been several years settled.
1 It should be understood that the division as stated above did not mean that the
inhabitants should be restricted to four or five acres of meadow land, but that none
should have less. Many of them had much more. The agreement seems also to have
meant that to the twenty men who paid the Indians for the land, should be given
one-fourth part of the meadow, but that part of it was not consummated.
2 See pages 6 and 13.