which extended from the "outward commons" to the settled portions of Springfield, sometimes called the "plains."

The general boundaries of the "commons" are defined, and the proportions of the several proprietors in the respective "divisions" are graduated; how can their several portions of the common property be located? Each of these divisions was to be appropriated to one hundred and twenty-three persons, and a lot for the ministry, and one for the schools. For my purpose, we may say there were one hundred and twenty-five proprietors, or persons, between whom each division is to be divided. There will be therefore one hundred and twenty-five lots in each "division." These lots are numbered, beginning at the north side of each division; the north lot being one, the next two, and so on up to one hundred and twenty-five. These same numbers are drawn from a box like a lottery; from another box, at the same time we may suppose, is drawn a proprietor's name. The proprietor who drew No. 1 would have the first "lot" in the "division," he who drew No. 2 would have the second lot, and so on till the whole number, one hundred and twenty-five, was drawn. Then lots would be drawn for the second division, and so on till all the divisions were drawn. After the number of the proprietor's lot was settled, the next step was to determine its width; its length was four miles of necessity, because the lots extended across the "commons," from east to west. The width was determined by adding to

gether the value of all the polls and estates, and then, as the whole amount would represent all the land in one division, or the whole extent north and south of four miles, so each man's estate and polls would represent his individual portion of the four miles, or the width of his lot; a problem in simple proportion.

John Holyoke was chosen to make out a list of the estates and polls, and very probably to superintend the allotment. The lots varied in width, from one hundred and thirty-three rods, fifteen feet, and nine inches, which was the width of Col. Pynchon's, lying north of Sylvanus Stebbins's farm, being No. 81 in the "third division," and north of Chicopee River, being lot No. 2 in the "second division," down to only eight feet and nine inches in width, the lot of William Brooks, not far from the late Noah Merrick's, being No. 13 in the "third division," and No. 111 in the "second division."

If this allotment saved the "commons" from reversion to the king, it hardly conferred any benefit on the proprietors. A farm eight feet, or even ten rods wide,and most of the lots were less than ten rods in width, -and four miles long, was worthless for all practical purposes. A man could not turn his cart round without trespassing on his neighbor, much less could he build a house. Indeed, there is no reason to suppose that this allotment was intended to give permanent possession; it was doubtless a mere resort to save the land from confiscation or reversion to the crown. The subsequent history of ownership seems to confirm this

view. The wealth of Col. Pynchon is indicated by the great width of his lot, one hundred and thirty-three rods. The lot of Mr. Holyoke, which is the next in width to Col. Pynchon's, is only twenty-six rods wide.

No satisfactory survey was made of these lots, though several were attempted, till 1729, when Mr. Roger Newbury ran the line acceptably. One of his boundary stones is now standing, or rather lying nearly buried, on the north side of Sylvanus Stebbins's farm, about ten rods west of the road which passes his house; and another was said to be standing on the north side of the late Dr. Samuel F. Merrick's house-lot, about thirty years ago.

It was many years before these allotments were definitely marked, and the heirs of many of them were found with great difficulty, or were all dead, so that another allotment was attempted in 1740, fifty-five years after the first, to about four hundred persons; and again in 1754, on a different principle, to five hundred and forty-four persons. But serious difficulties were in the way of the new allotments, and they were but partially acceptable. It is said that the Pynchon heirs, having obtained excellent portions, some of the best land, under the first allotment, would not agree to any new arrangement.

In Newbury's survey of the original lots, for some unknown reason, only sixteen feet were allowed to a rod; so that there were sixty-two rods in width of overplus land," as it was called, on the south side of

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the third division, where now are John W. Langdon's and Mr. Endicott's farms; and by some further mistake, supposed to be the loss of a tally, there were eighty-two rods in width of "overplus land," on the south side of the "second division," including with others the farm of Deacon John Adams. 1

1

Such was the division made of the land; and the vote of the town of Springfield, by which this distribution of the territory of this town was made among the early proprietors, constitutes the original legal title which the present occupants have to the soil. These divisions and lots are always mentioned in the early deeds conveying land in the town, and by examining these deeds, the situation of many of the original lots can be found, and the names of the original proprietors determined. No record was made however of Newbury's survey till 1774 at least, for I find that a committee was chosen at a town meeting, held March 15th, of that year," to desire Edward Pynchon, Esq., to record a tested coppy of Roger Newberry's survey of Laying out the outward commons,' So Called, on the east side of Connecticut River;" and as late as May 20, 1776, a committee is chosen by the town to "make application to the general court for an Establishment" of this survey.

6

The appearance of the country was not attractive. Nearly the whole territory, called by the Indians, Minnechaug, “Berry land," had been so devastated by fires, that in many places there were no forest trees,

1 Appendix A.

and

in other portions hardly any shrubbery grew. The low, swampy grounds and swales afforded a coarse grass which was mowed and cured for the support of cattle during the winter season, and the burnt hills furnished abundant pasturage during the summer. The tradition is handed down to us, that the country was so bare in many places that a deer could be seen from mountain to mountain. The late Samuel Chapin was accustomed to say, that in his father's day all the land south of Scantic from the mountain to the Potash Hill and west of the present road nearly half a mile was so destitute of trees and brush, that a deer could be seen distinctly at a great distance.

Game was very abundant, and continued to be till long after the settlement of the town. Deer filled the pastures and the woods; wild turkeys ran in flocks over the fields and hills; the ponds were covered with ducks; squirrels on the trees filled the air with their barking, and were seen leaping in all directions over the rocks; beavers built their dams in Pole Bridge Brook, and muskrats swarmed upon the banks of Scantic and other streams, sharing with minks the bounties of both land and water. The brooks abounded with that prince of fishes, the trout; pickerel darted like arrows in the clear waters of the ponds, and salmon, weighing from seven to twelve pounds, came up the Chicopee River as far as Twelve Mile Brook, where they were caught in great abundance with seines. Beasts of prey were not abundant, if we except the fox,