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An important subject: for example, in this chapter I discovered that my ancestor Jonas Prescott b. at Lancaster, resided at Groton; his son Jonas Jr. petitioned for and became a citizen of Westford, MA thru a land division in 1730.

Stoney Brook belonged to the Prescotts. (see p.47 Prescott Memorial)

Chapter V
p.58

The original grant of the plantation or township of Groton as stated in Chapter I, was a territory comprising sixty-four square miles or, 40,960 acres. By the incorporation of Shirley and Pepperell and by setting off parcels to other adjoining towns, Groton is now (in 1848) reduced to a territory of about thirty-six square miles, or a little more than a moiety of its original size.

The first dismemberment took place in the year 1715 when Nashobah was incorporated a town by the name of Littleton and a large portion of Groton at the south-east part, was included within the bounds of the new town. The following proceedings of the proprietors or town of Groton, show the quantity of land thus set off, and other particulars in relation thereto.

"At a legal town meeting, July 25, 1734, being assempled, etc. "Whereas the Great and General Court have been pleased to grant the contents of eight miles square in answer to the petition of Dean Win- throp and others for a township to be called Groton, a plan whereof was presented to the Court for confirmation, Anno Domini, 1717, which plan was accepted, excepting where the same joined to Littleton, and a line established there, which interfered with the said plan, so far as to take from the town of Groton about 2,788 acres and 40 perches; and whereas there were two farms containing about thirteen hundred acres of land laid out within the said plan before the grant of the town, not considered, nor any allowance made in the said plan, nor to the town or proprietors, for the same; wherefore, unamimously voted, that Benjamin Prescott, Esq., representative of this town, be desired and fully em- powered to prefer a petition to the General Court, of the town, for some of the unappropriated land of the province, as an equivalent for said farms and land taken off by the line established, dividing between Groton and Littleton; and use his best endeavors to obtain a grant thereof."

p.59
By the following it appears, that the representative was sucessful in his application:

"At a legal meeting of the proprietors of comman land belonging to the town of Groton, being assembled and met the 26th day of May, 1735, "Voted, that in consideration of the charge and expense that Benjamin Prescott, Esq., has been at in petitioning for, and recovering the grant of ten thousand eight hundred acres of land in the gore between Townsend and Dunstable, to the proprietors of Groton aforesaid, there be and there hereby is, granted and confirmed to the said Benjamin Prescott, his heirs and assigns forever, one thirteenth part of the said ten thousand eight hundred acres granted, as aforesaid," - "provided the said Prescott pay all the charges that has arisen about that affair, in surveying the land taken by Littleton, and taking the plan of the gore, and procuring the acceptance thereof."¹

p.60
In February 1741, the long disputed line between the provinces of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in conformity to royal determination, was surveyed and marked by Richard Hazen. This line passed through Groton gore, leaving a large portion thereof, and a triagular piece of what was originally Groton, in the state of New Hampshire. Here again the proprietors of Groton sustained a loss of their lands; but after a long delay they petitioned the General Court and received com- pensation, as appears by the following records:

"At a legal meeting of the proprietors of Groton, June 3d, 1771,

"Voted, and chose a committee to petition the Great and General Court for a grant of land, in consideration of Groton gore, so called, that was lost by the late running of the line between this province and the province of New Hampshire."

"July 8, 1771. At a legal meeting of the proprietors of Groton.

"Whereas there is a grant of seven thousand eight hundred acres of the unappropriated lands lying in the westerly part of this province, made by the Great and General Court of said province, in June 1771, to the proprietors of Groton, voted that four hundred acres of said granted lands be given and granted by said proprietors to:

Col. James Prescott
Capt. Joseph Sheple
Lieut. Josiah Sawtell

"to them, their heirs and assigns," Etc.

p.61
April 12, 1773
The committee appointed to lay out the grant of land made by the General Court to the said proprietors in June, 1771, in lieu of Groton gore, so called, reported to the proprietors of said grant, verbally, that about the one half of the grant was laid out, and the plan was accepted by the Court; that the other half was laid out, and a plan presented to the Court for acceptance, but was not accepted, but ordered to lie, till the line between this province and New York was settled, the land lying near the said line."

Upon the incorporation of Harvard, taken principally from Lancaster and Stow, Groton gave up a considerable territory to that new town, comprising the "old mill" portion. A portion on the east line of Groton was about the same time annexed to Westford, originally a part of Chelmsford.

The following votes of the town show pretty definitely what parts were so set off:

"At a town meeting March 3d 1729/30.
"Upon motion and application of Simon Stone Jr., Jonathan Farnsworth, Eleazer Robbins, Jonathan Farnsworth, Jr., Ephraim Farnsworth, Jeremiah Farnsworth and Eleazer Davis, voted, that the town is willing the persons aforenamed, with the land on the southerly part of the town, as far as to the brook about six rods southerly of James Stone's house, where the highway crosses said brook, so easterly and westerly on a parallel line with the south line of the township, to the towns of Littleton and Lunenburg, be annexed to some parts of the towns of Stow and Lancaster for a separate township, when the General Court pleases. The farm called "Cauicus," or Major (Simon) Willard's farm, or such part thereof as shall fall within the line aforesaid, excepted, the property of said lands, divided or undivided, remaining to the proprietors thereof."

p.62
"Upon reading the petition of Capt. Jonas Prescott, Abner Kent, Ebenezer Prescott and Ebenezer Townsend, all of Groton, relating to their being annexed to the town of Westford; therefore voted that the town is willing that they be accordingly set off, according to their petition, and the land therein contained, viz., from the northwest corner of Stony-brook pond, to the north-westerly corner of the said Westford, commonly called "Tyng's Corner," south by the pond, in order to their being annexed to Westford aforesaid; the property of said land, divided or undivided, remaining to the proprietors thereof." *note Capt Jonas Prescott is buried at Groton Old Buring Grounds having died 1750 aged 71 yrs, son of Jonas and Mary (Loker) Prescott. The Prescott Memorial states (p.47) that he lived at Forge Village that since 1730 has been included in Westford, MA. He m. (1) Thankful Wheeler and m. (2) Mary Page. Mary Page died 1781 aged 94.

By the insertion of the last clause in each of the preceding votes, the proprietors had no occasion to petition the General Court for remuneration.

p.62
Dec. 16, 1730
A petition was presented to the Governor General and House of Repres- entatives, praying that a new township might be incorporated from parts of Lancaster, Stow and Groton, upon which an order of notice upon these towns issued.

Aug 17, 1730
The town of Groton chose a committee to answer the petition, and end- eavor to prevent any land upon the west side of the river to be taken from Groton, or any more on the east side, than had been voted on the petition of Simon Stone and others. And it seems that this committee succeeded in such endeavors, for the line described in Stone's petition is the present one between Groton and Harvard, on the east side of Nashua River.

Nov 29, 1738
A petition signed by certain inhabitants of Dunstable and Groton, to the number of twenty-one settlers and fifteen non-residents, was pre- sented to "His Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq., Captain General and Governor in Chief; and to the Honorable the Council and House of Repre- sentatives in General Court assembled," showing that those of the petitioners, who belonged to Dunstable were situated nine or ten miles from their meeting-house, and those in Groton, six miles, by reason of which they were deprived of the benefits of preaching; that there was a tract of good land about six miles square, well situated for a township, bounded thus, "beginning at Dunstable line at Nashua river, so running by the westerly side of said river southerly one mile in Groton land, thence running westerly a parallel line with Groton north line, till it comes to Townsend line, and then turning and running north to Groton north-west corner, then from Groton north-west corner, by Townsend line and by the line of Groton new grant, till it comes to be five miles and a half to the northward of Groton north line, from thence due east seven miles, thence south to Nashua river, and so by Nashua south-westerly to Groton line, the first mentioned bound." That there were already within these lines nearly forty families, and many more ready to come, were it not for their disadvantageous situation abovementioned, and praying that said territory might be incorporated into a distinct township. Upon this petition a particular order of notice issued, and James Minot and John Robeson, appointed by the House, and Thomas Barry, Esq., joined by the Council, were a view- ing committee, but the prayer of the petition was not granted.

The following petition resulted in the setting off of Pepperell, first as a precinct and afterwards as a district.

"To his Excellency William Shirley, Esq., Captain General and Governor in Chief of his Majesty's Province of Massachusetts Bay, in New Englan; to the Honourable his Majesty's Council and House of Representatives in General Court assembled on the 26th day of May, A.D. 1742. The petition of us, the subscribers to your Excellency and Honors, humbly showeth, that we are the proprietors and inhabitants of the land lying on the westerly side of Nashua river, so called, in the north-west corner of the township of Groton, and such of us as are inhabitants thereon, live very remote from the public worship of God in said town, and at many times and seasons of the year are put to great difficulty to attend the same, and the lands bounded as followeth, viz., southerly on Townsend road, westerly on Townsend line, northerly on Dunstable west precinct and old town, and easterly on said river as it now runs, to the first mentioned bounds, being of the contents of about four miles square of good land, well situated as a precinct, and the town of Groton hath been petitioned to set off the lands bounded as aforesaid, to be a distinct and separate precinct, and at a town meeting of the inhabitants of said Groton, assembled on the 25th day of May last past, the town voted the prayer of the said petition and that the lands before described should be a separate precinct and that the inhabitants thereon and such others as hereafter shall settle on said lands, should have powers and privileges that other precincts in said province have, or do enjoy, as per a copy from Groton town book herewith exhibited may appear, Etc. and grant to your petitioners such other relief in the premises as your Excellency and Honors in your great wisdom shall think fit, and your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.
Benjamin Swallow
William Spaulding
Isaac Williams," and others.

"The above petition was concurred in, in Council, June 26, 1742.
T. Cushing, Speaker
"William Shirley."

p.65
Several other petitions of the inhabitants of the north part of Groton and west part of Dunstable were preferred to the General Court about the time of the presentation of the above, praying a township or district; but the last above was the sucessful one.

The following petition commenced the separation of Shirley from Groton.

"To the inhabitants of the town of Groton, assembled in town meeting on the first day of March 1747. The petition of us, the subscribers being all inhabitants of the town of Groton aforesaid, humbly showeth, that your petitioners all live in the extreme parts of the town, and by that means are incapacitated to attend the public worship constantly either themselves or families; and being sensible that our being set off in order for a precinct will be of great service to us, we desire that we may be set off by the bounds following, viz., beginning at the mouth of Squannacook river, and so run up said river till it comes to Townsend line and then by Townsend and Lunenburg lines till it cometh to Groton south-west corner, and so by the south line down until it cometh to Lancaster river, and then down said river till it cometh to Harvard corner, and then about a mile on Harvard north line, then turn north and run to the waste brook in Coicors (Cauicus or Nonacaicus) farm (Major Simon Willard's farm) where people generally pass over, and from thence to the mouth of Squannacook river where we first began, and your petitioners, as bound in duty, shall every pray, etc.

John Whitney," and 32 others.

"The above petition was read at the anniversary meeting in Groton, Mar 1, 1747 and the prayer thereof granted, except the land on the easterly side of Lancaster river, and recorded.

Thomas Tarbell, Town Clerk.

p.66
This precinct was incorporated a district by the name of Shirley, Jan. 6, 1753; and the first one set off was incorporated a district by the name of Pepperell, April 12, 1753. These two districts joined with Groton in the choice of a representative to the General Court, as appears by the records, till the year 1775. An Act of the Legislature passed in the year 1786, made all districts which had been incorporated previous to 1777, towns, without any special Acts for each, by which Act Shirley and Pepperell became towns. From and after 1775, Shirley and Pepperell each chose representatives to the General Court, separate from Groton, and made their records as towns; but by what authority I (the author) know not. I find no acts of incorporation.

By an Act of Legislature, passed Reb 25, 1793, on the petition of sundry inhabitants of the north part of Groton, about twenty families with their estates were taken from Groton and annexed to Dunstable. By this the jurisdictional line between the two towns formed eighty six angles, and was attended with much inconvenience. It continued, however, to be the boundary line till Feb. 15, 1820, when by another Act a line was established, taking one family and a considerable territory from Groton, and annexing it to Dunstable, and forming but five angles.

By an Act passed Feb 6, 1798, Moody Chase, Samuel Chase, and Simon Daby (or Darby) with their estates lying at the south-west corner of Groton on the easterly side of Nashua river, were taken from Groton and annexed to Shirley.

Lastly, by an Act passed Feb 3, 1803, four acres and twenty rods of land on the west side of Nashua river near Fitch's bridge, wer taken from Pepperell and annexed to Groton.

>From Groton, therefore, as originally granted and surveyed by Jonathan Danforth, have been taken nearly the whole of Pepperell and Shirley, large portions of Littleton and Dunstable, and less portions of Harvard and Westford, leaving it in no place bounded as at first, except on Townsend and Tyngsborough. And instead of sixty-four, it now contains about thirty-six square miles.

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
Used with permission by Janice Farnsworth