House and lands of Matthias Farnsworth at Groton, MA

[Farns10th at aol.com]

Source: Farnsworth Memorial pub 1897 by Moses Franklin Farnsworth and Rev.
            1974 by R. Glen Nye  Library of Congress Catalogue Card No.
748l077

pp 22 - 23
The lands of Matthias Farnsworth: Groton, MA 1600s
1.   Uplands.  His houselot. ninty acres, more or lesse, lyeing on both sides
the
      mill hye way, bounded on the north with the sidhill by James his brook,
west-
      erly partly with Justin Holden and partly with common land, south east
with
      the mill hye way.
      The other part of his land, on the east sid of the mill hye way, bounded
with
      lands of Simon Stone on the north and east and on all other poynts with
the
      towne's common.
2.   Sixe acres and a halfe, more or lesse, lyeing on Indian Hill, bounded
west
      with the lands of Jonathan Morsse, and with the lands of John Cooper
partly
      on the east and common land, the countrey hye way runing thorow, north
      with Thomas Boyden, south with the ends of the other lots.
3.   Eighteene acres, more or lesse, bounded west with the mill roade,
southerly
      with the lands of Daniell Pearsse, and on all other poynts with the
towne's
      common.
4.   Seauenty one (7l) acre, more or lesse, lyeing on the other side of the
mill
      road, bounded east with the mill road, west and southerly with the
medowes
      on the mill brook, and on all other poynts with the towne's comon.
             1.  His medowes.  In South Medow, fourteen acres, more or lesse,
                  bounded southeast with the medow of William Longley, Sen.,
                  southeast with the medow of Daniell Pearse, and on all other
                  poynts with the towne's common.
             2.  Sixe acres, more or lesse, neare the mille, bounded southeast
                  with the medow of Simon Stone, southwest with Jonas Prescot,
                  buting on the southeast with theire owne upland, and on the
north
                  east with the medow of William Longley, Sen., and on all
other
                  poynts with the towne's comon.
             3.  Fiue (5) acres and a halfe, more or lesse, neare the mille,
bounded
                  south east with their owne upland, south west with Jonas
Prescot,
                  east with the medow of Richard Blood and on all other poynts
with
                  the towne's comon.
            4.   At Half Moone Medow, two acres and a halfe, more or lesse,
                  runing up to John Barron butting up on the pond, bounded
south
                  east with the land of Benjamin Crispe, and on all other
poynts with
                  the towne's comon.
Revised, compared, and confirmed by the Sellect men, according to the order of
the towne.                              John Morsse, Clark, l3 Dec l674

Author's note:  The brook forming so conspicuous a figure in the foregoing
description as "James his brook" was prob. so named in consequence of its be-
ing the well known hunting ground of an Indian called "Jeems" by the settlers,
who remains, tradition says, were found after his death by the brook, near the
westerly edge of the land thus assigned to Matthias Farnsworth.

James' brook is said by Butler and others to have been so named from James
Parker, who lived near it, before it entered Broad Meadow, on the Main Street.
But the lower part of the brook, below the meadow, a mile or more from James
Parker's house, was the first called by that name as is well known, soon after
the settlement was first named.
                                    The House of Matthias
The house built on the first described lot, stood a little south-easterly of
the bridge
across the brook, about where H. Sawtell's house stood, as marked on the map
of Groton in Butler's History of the town.  It was a log house, as were the
houses
of all the early settlers.  It was undoubtedly burned by the Indians when
nearly the
whole town was destroyed by them Mar l3, l676.  He afterwards rebuilt it and
it
was standing until about the year 1820 when it was torn down to give place to
modern improvements.  The road near it was one of the earliest laid out in the
town and was made to connect Groton with Lancaster, then its nearest neighbor,
and was the second Lancaster road, and is perhaps the one referred to in the
town records in l664 which Richard Blood and John Lakin were then engaged in
laying out, although there must have been a path opened there as far as the
crossing of the brook somewhat earlier.

Note: According to Bill McNulty of Ayer, MA - Matthias Farnsworth's lands are
still intact at Groton, MA and now consist of a horse-farm owned and operated
by a British man and his wife.   (Bill McNulty  Maceire at aol.com)

Submitted by Janice Farnsworth 7/l9/98
email farns10th at aol.com