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[107]

Nov. 28, 1748: Voted to sell the “Town's farm” at auction. This vote was reconsidered; and, May 15, 1749, “Andrew Hall, Capt. Samuel Brooks, and Richard Sprague, were chosen a Committee to manage the affairs for selling the town's farm.” It was sold soon after.

The right of admitting inhabitants to the town was a jealously guarded right. It was the custom to warn every new comer out of town. A strange hospitality! This notification legally prevented such new comer from gaining “town-habitancy.” The notification was also sent to the Court of Sessions, and there recorded under the name of Caution. This habit continued till the time of the Revolution. Paupers were kept out by the most stringent prohibitions. The town voted that if any person, male or female, omitted to comply with the law respecting admission, such person should be fined forty shillings.

1750: Premium paid to the “collector of the town-taxes” was sixpence on the pound.

1753: We give here a specimen of the petitions offered by Medford to the government for grants of land:--

To his Excellency William Shirley, Esq., Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, to the Honorable His Majesty's Council, and to the Honorable House of Representatives.
The petition of the inhabitants of the town of Medford, in the County of Middlesex, humbly showeth that there are certain tracts of land lying on the southerly and northerly sides of said Medford, which are bounded as follows, viz.: The southerly tract, lying in Charlestown, is bounded northerly with Mistic or Medford River, westerly with the westerly bounds of Mr. Smith's farm, southerly with the southerly bounds of Mr. Smith's, Mr. James Tufts's, and Mr. Jonathan Tufts's farms, and then running from the south-easterly corner of said Jonathan Tufts's farm eastward straight to the westerly side of Colonel Royal's farm, again westerly with the westerly bounds of Colonel Royal's farm, again southerly with its southerly bounds, and then running from the south-easterly corner thereof eastward straight to Medford River.

The northerly tract, lying also in Charlestown, is bounded southerly with said Medford's northerly line and the southerly bounds of Mr. Symmes's farm, westerly with the line that divides Mr. Symmes's from Mr. Gardner's farm, northerly with Woburn and Stoneham lines, easterly on Malden line.

Which lands, with their inhabitants, we pray may be added to the contracted limits of the said town of Medford, together with a


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John Symmes (2)
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