The history of Waterbury, Connecticut - citizen hylbom blog

HISTORY OF WATERBUET. T9
Assembly's confirming cact of 1703, and to the town patent of
1720. By the confirming act "the lands sequestered and
given to public and pious uses [were to] remain forever for the
same ;" while the patent declared that the sequestered lands,
so called, should " never be impropriated, granted, divided, or
taken up in severalty, until three quarters of the proprietors
shall agree thereunto." In the recorded votes ordering the
divisions which have been referred to, nothing is said about
" three quarters of the proprietors " being in the major vote.
Other tracts of land were sequestered at difl:erent times, to
prevent a too rapid appropriation by individuals. There was a
large tract in the northwest quarter, next the Woodbury line,
at a place which became known as " the Village," and afterwards
as " Garnsey Town," which was thus reserved, (I know
not when.) It embraced some of the more valuable lands of
the town. It was finally divided among the proprietors, the
first division being in l^ov. 1722.
March 13th, 1733, a tract of land in the northwest quarter,
" one mile and a half each way from the centre," was seques-
tered for the town's use. The tract embraced the present vil-
lage of Watertown. Soon, however, the restriction was taken
oft' this territory.
CHAPTER YII.
MILLS.
In all new settlements, mills for grinding grain and sawing
logs are considered as things of the first necessity. Tbey are
a part of the labor-saving machinery which civilization invented
at an early period. They perform the w^ork of many
men, and do it more perfectly than it can be done by hand.