Society Land - Hillsborough NHGenWeb

This tract of land originally comprised all the territory now included in the towns of Deering, Antrim, Hancock, Bennington, Francestown, and the north part of Greenfield. The name probably arose from the fact that this territory was not granted in townships, but was reserved and divided equally among the members of the "society" or syndicate of proprietors of the Masonian Patent. The name Cumberland was also sometimes applied to it.

Francestown was the first town in the Society Land district to be incorporated. This was done June 8, 1772, and New Boston Addition was included within its lines. Then followed Deering, Jan. 17, 1774; Antrim, March 22, 1777; and Hancock, Nov. 5, 1779. These towns covered the entire tract except a small piece in the southern part, and this was combined with Lyndeborough Gore and enough of Peterborough and Lyndeborough to make a small township, and incorporated as Greenfield June 15, 1791. Bennington was composed of parts of Greenfield, Francestown, Deering, and Hancock, and was incorporated Dec. 15, 1842. It lies nearly in the centre of the original Society Land.]

Petition of Peter Prescott and Others, 1752.

[Masonian Papers, Vol. 7, p. 176.]

To the Proprietors of y^e Right of John Tufton Mason Esq^r in y^e Province of New Hampshire--
Gentlemen--
Wee the Subscribers and associates to y^e Nomber of One Hundred being Desireous of Removing into this Province and Making Settlement of Some of y^e waste, within your Patent, applyed our Selves to The Hon'ble Joseph Blanchard Esq who Encouraged us to Succeed in our Desires If Two Towns could be found Capable of Settlement within the Line of Towns by you Authorized for him to Grant, Whereupon at a Considerable Expence we have Made Search and find y^t on that Line further then is already Granted, is not Capable of Settlement, unless Some Stragling Farms. But Still Desireous to pursue our first Intentions, Could there be a place had, capable of Making a Good Settlement in time, have made Inquiry, & at Present hear y^t there is a tract of Land Lying on y^e East and adjoyning to Monadnock N^o 6: and N^o 7: tho Something Broaken yet Probable to Make a Settlement on for two Small Towns could we obtain a Grant on Reasonable Conditions (and inasmuch as Sundry of us had purchased before the Settlement of y^e Province Line) Many Rights in y^e New Towns Now fallen in this Province, with Expectation to Make Settlement had it not been for that Disappointment which for Charge and Purchase has Cost Sundry of us Much Mony which Reasons give us the freedom to ask at this time and are Ready on your Approving of our Request within Nine Months after y^e Grant to Allot out the whole Land Granted Ready to Draw the Lotts and Settle in Each Town Thirty famelys within two years after y^e Grant and the Remaining Fourty famelys in Such reasonable time afterwards as you Shall Direct. -- And in as much as y^e Distance & Expence of Travil is Such y^t must attend our Personal application, Desire that this our request may be offered by y^e Aboves^dJoseph Blanchard on our behalf, and that you will favour us with an answer by him And beleive us to be Sincere in our application and Give Leave to Subscribe our Selves Gentⁿ
Your very Humble Serv^ts
Peter Prescott
John Fox
Stephen Hosmer Ju^r
Charles Bulkeley

Draft of Lots, 1753.

[Masonian Proprietors' Records, Oct. 17, 1753, and Masonian Papers, Vol. 7, p. 180.]

M^r Robert Fletcher having agreable to a Vote of this Propriety of y^e 8th November 1752, by the Direction of Joseph Blanchard Esqu^r Surveyed and divided the Tract of Land lying Westerly on the Manadnocks N^o 6, & N^o 7, northerly on the South line of the Line of Towns so called Easterly on Wear's Town & New Boston Southerly
on Salem Cannada Peterborough & Manadnock No 3, and having this day returned his Plan of Said Survey therein particularly describing the Several lines of the Several Divisions and the Same having been laid before the Proprietors at this Meeting----

Voted--That the Said Plan and the Several Divisions therein by the Several lines described be and hereby is approved & accepted and to Ascertain the Said Several Divisions to the Respective Proprietors in Severalty,--Therefore

Voted that the Same be drawn for im'ediately in one Draft, by Lott, and that when So drawn for, that each Proprietor be and hereby is entituled in Severalty, to the Lots (being of y^e two Divisions) drawn by, or to him, agreable to the Several Numbers as entered on Said Plan,--

Pursuant to the next preceeding Vote The Draft of Lots of the Divisions in the Tract of land described in said Vote, are drawn for, to Said Proprietors as follow's--viz^t
   1^st drawn Lots N^o 13--To M^r John Rindge
   2        .        .     .  5--To Dan^ll Peirce Esqu^r & Mary Moore
   3       .        .     .  11--To John Thomlinson & John Tufton Mason Esqu^r
   4        .        .     . 12--To Thomas Packer Esqu^r
   5        .        .     .   4--To John Wentworth Esqu^r
   6        .        .     . 15--To Richard Wibird Esqu^r
   7        .        .     .   9--To the Right of Jotham Odiorne Esqu^r Dece^d
   8        .        .     . 14--To Theodore Atkinson Esqu^r --
   9        .        .     .   1--To Mark Hunking Wentworth Esqu^r --
10        .        .     .  2--To Samuel Solly & Clement March Esqu^r
11        .        .     .  6--To George Jaffrey Esqu^r
12        .        .     .  3--To Nath^ll Meserve Joseph Blanchard Esqu^r m^r Joseph Green & Paul March--
13        .        .     .  8--To Thomas Wallingford Esqu^r
14        .        .     .  7--To John Moffatt Esqu^r
15        .        .     . 10--To Joshua Peirce Esqu^r

Plan of Society Land, 1753.

This Plan of the Royal Society Lands copied from a survey originally taken by Robert Fletcher Esq^r John Parker jun^r

Pursuant to the Request & Desire of Col^l Blanchard Esq^r I have laid out into fifteen Equal shares all that Land on Contoocook River between the place called Keyshis Farm on the North & the great Falls so called against the Crotched Mountain on the South in the following manner (Viz). The Interval Land divided for Quantity & Quality into fifteen equal shares & so much upland adjoyning as to make up the quantity of Five hundred Acres to each share and where the land is not so good there is added so much in Quantity as is equal to five hundred acres of the best which is marked & delineated herein, & the Interval Lotts on Contoocook River & the upland adjoyning, belonging to the same share is numbred with the same Number which Numbers are from one to fifteen, And all the Land comprehended within the following bounds (viz) Westerly on Menadnock Number six & Number seven Northerly on the South line of the line of towns so called Easterly on Weare's Town and New Boston -- Southerly on Salem Canada and Petersborough is Divided into fifteen equal shares for Quality and numbred one to fifteen, The first Number of said shares begining on the west side of Contoocook River joyning to Peterborough North line, And the number of said shares succeed in order to Number seven. Northwardly to the South Line of the Line of Towns, And the other Eight shares being on the East side of the River, Number eight on the Eat side of Contoocook River adjoyning upon the North Line of Peterborough West of New Boston, And the number of the other shares suceed Northerly to the said South Line of the line of Towns. The Crotched Mountain lying in Number eight & number Nine is left as common, it is no part of said shares--

Portsmouth October y^e 17^th 1753 by me Robert Fletcher Surveyer attest Geo : Jaffrey Prop^rs Cl:

This is a Copy of the Plan of the Society land (So called) as rendered by Rob^t Fletcher Surveyor October 17^th 1753--
N. B. the mountains Rivers and Brooks are not exactly of y^e Size nor laid just as in y^e original, by nearly so--

Petition of Inhabitants, 1773.

[Masonian Papers, Vol. 7, p. 181.]

Province of New Hampshire
County of Hilsborough

To the Proprieters of the Claim of John Tufton mason Esq^r –

The Petition of us the Subscribers Being Inhabitants and Purchers of part of the Society Land Humbly Desire your Honours To send a Surveyer or Committee To Perambelat or run The Lines of Said Land as the Plan of Said Land and the Corners and Lines Donot Agree and as some of the Inhabitants Has Settled agreeable to the Plan and others according to the Lines which appears to make a great Confution and Prevent Your Petitioners of making any more improvement until there is some Proper measures taken there being Daily Incroachments making on Different parts of the Society Land Causes us to Believe that your Honnours Complience herewith will very much Serve your Intrest Incoredg the Settlement of the Wilderness and afford your Humble Petitioners Releif in our Distresed Conditions and we as in Duty Bound Shall ever Pray –

Francestown November the 29 1773

John Quigly
Thos: Aiken
John Dunkon
Adam Nicoles
Thomas Qugly Jun^r

Robert Fulton
Samul Nickols
Hugh MtYumery
Denuel Nicoles

John Dickey
Robort Hopkens
John Dinsmoor
Thomas Quigly

Thomas Nichols
William Quigly
James Hopkens
James Dunken

Petition for Bridge, 1774.

[Masonian Papers, Vol. 7, p. 182.]

To the Honorable The Lord Proprietors of Society Land So called A petition Humbly Shewing the Whereas a Number having begun to make Settelments on the West side of Contookook River have been at great cost Clearning a Road from Francess Town line over S^d River thro' No 5 N. W. cosing No 7 & 9 & 10 thro the great
right to the mills on Esq^r Jaffrey^s Lot also from No. 5 West thro' the great Right No 3 to Limrick Road it being the Straight course betwixt the County Towns from Amharst to No. 4 Crossing near the Center of S^d land A bridge is absolutly Needed at that place as it is about half way betwixt Petersborrough and Hillsborrough and will best Sute the publick & the major part of the inhabetents and advance your intrests It belonging wholly to the few Setlers to build sd Bridge we depend upon your generous assistance to enable us without appression to Compleat the Same

William Smith
James Aiken
John Duncan
Joseph Boyd
Robert Anderson
John Anderson
William Anderson
William Gregg
Archibald Macmurphy
James Aiken Jun^r
George Gregg
Joseph Gregg
James Gormon
John Archibald
John Mackay
John Aiken
Henry Parkinson
Robert Macmurphy

George Duncan Jun^r
Jonathan Adams
David Brewster
William Betty
Thomas Craig
William Adams
Abiel Upton
Jacob Basford
Andrew Todd
William Severns
Charles Cooe
Jonathan Reed
John Duncan
George Duncan
John Duncan Jun^r
William Duncan
William Duncan Jun^r

Abraham Duncan
James Duncan Jun^r
Daniel Macmillan
Isaac Brewster
James Neysmith
Benjamin Gregg
James Miltimor
Samuel Gregg Jun^r
Rober Dinsmoor
James Gregg
John Cochran
Matthew Dickey
Alexander Huchinson
James Gregg Jun^r
John Mackeen
Thomas Christy
Robert Macfarland

John Mackeen Jun^r
Robert Mackeen
Samuel Taylor
David Mackeen
George Moor
George Moor Jun^r
John Hall
Isaac Cochran
Isaac Butterfield
William Miltimor
Robert Adams
John Hunter
William Clark of Ackworth
George Duncan Ackw^th
John Duncan Ditto
Jonathan French D^o
John Marsh

Extractions transcribed by Ann Mensch from Township Grants of Lands in New Hampshire included in the Masonian Patent, issued Subsequent to 1746 by the Masonian Proprietary, Arranged and Presented in Alphabetical Order and Comprising All from N to W Inclusive, with Plans, Bibliographical Citations, and Complete Indexes. Albert Stillman Batchellor, Editor of State Papers. (Compiler). Concord: Edward N. Pearson, Public Printer, 1896, pages 256-257, 259-260, 261-262. Portions not transcribed from pages 256-262: Vote for Survey of Society Land, 1752; Vote for Dividing of Society Land, 1752; Grant of Lot to Joseph Blanchard, 1753; and Request for Roads, 1772.