TWO CHAPTERS IN TIIK EARLY HISTORY OF GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS. THE SAME AUTHOR. George E. Littlefield, 67 Cornhilt., Boston, Will send by post, on receipt of the price, any of the following publications :—• An Historical Address, Bi-centennial and Centen- nial, delivered at Groton, Massachusetts, July 4, 1876. Octavo, paper cover. 86 pages. Price $ 1.00. An Historical Address delivered at Groton, Massachusetts, February 20, 1880, at the dedication of three monuments erected by the town. Octavo, paper cover. 56 pages. Price 50 cents. CountWilliam de Deux-Ponts’sCampaigns in America, 1780-1781. Translated from the French Manuscript, with an Intro- duction and Notes. Octavo, paper cover. Pp. xvi. 176. Price $2.00. Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Groton, Massachusetts. With Notes and an Appendix. Illustrations. Octavo, cloth. Pages xix. 271. Price f.'LOO. The Early Records of Groton, Massachusetts, 1662- 1707. With Notes. Octavo, cloth. 201 pages. Price $2.00. History of Medicine in Massachusetts. A Centennial Address delivered before the Massachusetts Medical Society at Cambridge, June 7, 1881. Octavo, cloth. Ill 1 pages. Price $1.00. TWO CHAPTERS IN TIIK EARLY HISTORY OF GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS. SAMUEL ABBOTT GREEN, M.D. BOSTON : PRESS OF DAVID CLAPP Jfc SON. 1882. TO THK MEMORY OF THE liHAVE MEN AND HARDY WOMEN WHO FIRST SETTLED THE PLANTATION OF GROTON, THESE PAGES ARE INSCRIBED BY THE WRITER. I turpose to write a history of my native town, beginning with her earliest settlement and coming down to the present day. During many years she stood in the midst of a wilder- ness, and was exposed to all the trials of frontier life. She suffered much from hardships and want, as well as from the savage warfare of the Indians. Her original territory has been cut up, and now she is a mother of towns. In for- mer years she exerted much influence in the neighborhood, and her experiences make a story worth telling. [Reprinted from “The New-England Historical and Genealogical Register ” for Januaryand April, 1882.] CHAPTERS IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS. No. L rpiIE town of Groton lies in the north-western part of Middle- X sex County, Massachusetts, and is bounded on the north by Pepperell and Dunstable; on the east by Tyngsborough and West- ford ; on the south by Littleton and Ayer ; and on the west by Shir- lev and Townsend. The First Parish meeting-house—or " the ta 11- spired church ”—is situated in Latitude 42° 36' 21.4" north, Longitude 71° 34' 4" west of Greenwich, according to the latest observations of the United States Coast Sur- vey. It is distant nearly thirty-one miles in a straight line from the State House at Boston, but by the travelled road it is about thirty- four miles. The village of Groton is situated principally on one long street, known as Main Street, which was formerly one of the principal thoroughfares between Eastern Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. The "Worcester and Nashua Railroad passes through it, and traverses the township at nearly its greatest length, running perhaps six miles or more within its limits. It is reached from Boston by trains on the Fitchburg Railroad, connecting with the Worcester and Nashua road at Ayer, three miles distant from the village. The original grant of the township was made in the spring of 1655, and gave to the proprietors a tract of land eight miles square; though subsequently this was changed by the General Court, so that its shape varied somewhat from the first plan. It comprised all of what is now Groton, nearly all of Pepperell, Shirley and Ayer, parts of Harvard and Westford, in Massachusetts, and a small por- tion of Nashua, in New Hampshire. The present shape of the town is very irregular, and all the original boundary lines have been changed except where they touch Townsend and Tyngsborough. There were two petitions for the plantation of Groton, of which one was headed by Mr. Deane Winthrop, and the other by Lieuten- ant William Martin. The first one is not known to be in existence, but a contemporaneous copy of the second is in the possession of the New England Historic, Genealogical Society. The names append- ed to it vary in the style of handwriting, but they do not appear to be autographs, and may have been written by the same person. The answer to the petition is given officially on the third page of the 6 EARLY HISTORY OF GROTON. paper, and signed by Edward Rawson, secretary of the colony, which fact renders it probable that this is the petition actually pre- sented to the General Court as the original one, after it had been copied by a skilful penman. This interesting document was found many years ago among the papers of the late Captain Samuel Shep- ley, by Mr. Charles Woolley, then of Groton, but now of Waltham, and by him given to the Historic, Genealogical Society. It is written on the first page of a folio sheet, and the answer to it by the General Court appears on the third page ofthe paper. Near the top ofthe sheet are the marks of stitches, indicating that another paper at one time had been Listened to it. Perhaps the petition headed by Deane Winthrop was attached when the colonial secretary wrote the deci- sion of the General Court, beginning, "In Ansr to both theise peti- cons.” The grant of the plantation was made by the Court of As- sistants on the 25th of May, 1G55—as appears by this document—- though subject to the consent of the House of Deputies, which was given, in all probability, on the same day. In the absence of other evidence, this may be considered the date of the incorporation, which is not found mentioned elsewhere. In early times, as a rule, the proceedings of the General Court were not dated day by day,—though there are exceptions to it,—but the time of the beginning of the session is always given ; and in the printed edition of the "Records” this date, in the absence of any other, is frequently carried along without authority. For this rea- son it is often impossible to tell the exact day of legislation in the early history of the colony. The petition is as follows :— To the honored Generali Courte asembled at Boston the humble petion of vs whose names ar here vnder written humbly shoeth That where as youre petioners by a prouidence of god haue beene brought oner in to this wildernes and liued longe here in : and being sum- tiling straightned for that where hy subsistance in an ordinarie wane of gods prouidence is to be had, and Considdering the a lowance that god giues to the sunes of men for such an elide: youre petioners request there fore is that you would he pleased to grant vs a place for a plantation vpon the Riuer that runes from Nashawav in to merimake at a place or a boute a place Caled petaupaukett and wabansconcett and youre petioners shall pray for youre happy prosedings Willi*m Martin Richard Blood John witt Willi'm Lakin Richard Hauen Timothy Cooper John Lakin John Blood MATHU FARRINGTON Robert Blood. EARLY HISTORY OF GROTON. 7 ~ JtOM0X*& (p-oujef* ~ / 7t * - 4-J?*-JImjk/F* 9? or j.4,0X- of A}£~’JH*f/>P»—MaLtmo/ atr- H»nkrix_ v outer- ppinnttrZ^'Hf a notce*'V*rt*+' o£j£*V ft***- £htL* Otctv- /h *-• pJ/li/Uvei- m, a* .AiW Woi'#- i/ JH>| A) //- &» ajiir 6 OH-/'* K rr> 2fo pZ/u-**- ■ / JitficLr/.Jzh rviU- — A VAC-SIMILE OF TIIE PETITION, SOMEWHAT BEDUCED. 8 EARLY HISTORY OF GROTON. The petilion is written on the first page of the sheet, and the an- swer to it is given on the third page, which runs thus : In Ansr to both theise peticons The Court Judgeth it meete to graunt the peticoners eight miles square in the place desired to make a Comfortable plantation well henceforth shall be Called Groaten formefy knowne by the r th name of Petapawage : that f\I Damfortli of Cambridge w such as he shall Asossiate to him shall and hereby is desired to lay it out wilh all Convenj- ent speede that so no Incouragement may be wanting to the Peticoner s for a speedy procuring of a godly minister amongst them. Provided that none shall enjoy any part or porcSn of that land by guift from the selectmen of that place but such who shall build bowses on theire lotts so given them once w*hin eighteene months from the tjme of the sayd Townes laying out r r or Townes graunt to such persons ; and for the p sent M Deane Winthrop M r Jn° Tinker M r Tho: Hinckly Dolor Davis. W'". Martin Mathew ffar- ington John Witt and Timothy Couper are Appointed the selectmen for the sayd Towne of Groaten for one two yeares from the tjme it is layd out, to lay out and dispose of particular lotts not exceeding twenty acres to each bowse lott, And to Order the prudentiall affaires of the place at the end of which tyme other selectmen shall be chosen and Appointed in theire r roomes : the selectmen of Groaton giving M Danforth such satisfaction for his service & paines as they & he shall Agree; Tho magist* haue past this wi'h reference to the Consent of theire breth- eren the depu‘s hereto 25 of May 1655. Edward Rawson Secrety The Deputies Consent hereto William Torrey Cleric. >tri tv lo&y ' .' io&~A-a*£Z <U>-cA Q/b^n jt'VS&t.