Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 15.

Now let us consider the arguments for and against the identity of this house as being the work of Governor Cradock's agents. First, we have Mr. Brooks' arguments as given in his history. And the only other is that obtained from a letter written by Mr. Cradock, dated March 15, 1636-7, in which he says, ‘I think I shall be forced to be a suitor for some land at Shawsheen, the best of mine, as I am informed, near my house, being allotted to Mr. Wilson and Mr. Nowell. . .’ The only knowledge Mr. Cradock could have obtained as to the location of his land must have come from the crude maps of that period, and he, being three thousand miles distant, might well say that land in a sparsely settled country like that on the banks of the Mistick, was near his house, when it was only about a mile and one-half distant therefrom.

On the other hand, let us examine the several deeds conveying Meadford plantation after it passed out of the possession of Mr. Cradock's heirs. In Middlesex South District Deeds, Book 2, page 325, may be found a deed from Edward Collins of Medford, to Richard Russell of Charlestown, ‘1600 acres of land part of Meadford Plantation with Mansion house and other buildings. Bounded easterly on Nowell's farm (and) Blanchard's farm. . . . Southerly with Mistick river. Northerly with Charlestown line, on the west with an oak tree marked R. C.¹ standing on the west side of a brook that runs into that part of the Marshland which lyeth on the west side of said Mansion house,. . . and the brook² into which the said brook runs, is the westerly bounds of the said marsh,. . . Excepting from the above, 12 acres of the meadows lying by Mistick river next unto the land of the said Edward Collins.’

These twelve acres of marsh land above described are bounded by Marble brook (it being the brook mentioned above) on the west, Mystic river on the south, north on