History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1750.] MR. EDWARDS' SALARY—GREAT AWAKENING. 193
animals. Some persons had tliem incarcerated unlawfully,
wliile others rescued them after they had been locked up,
or while on their way to the pound. Many allusions are
to be found upon the town records to the pound, which
show that it was kept in complete repair. In 1749, a new
one was ordered to be built on the old site.
Portions of the High- Ih 1750, William Judd, living on Pleas-
^*y soi*^- ant Street, petitioned for permission to
near his house.
purchase a piece of land in the highway
A committee was appointed not only to
consider his application, but to examine the highways
throughout the town, and report on all encroachments.
Two years afterwards another committee was instructed to
"see in w^hat parts of the body of the Town, the Streets
and highways may be reduced, and part of them sold without
inconveniencing the publick and report thereon as soon
as may be." Later in the year this committee reported
that land might be sold to Mr. John Hunt on Elm Street,
a short distance north of his new house, and also that a
portion of the highway adjoining the homestead of Saul
Alvord on meeting-house hill might be sold to him.
Recording Town Much negligcuce prevailed during the early
Warrants. years of the settlement in regard to the
record of town business ; the clerks did not
consider it necessary to record the names of many of the
petty town officers, and some other things were omitted.
The practice of recording the warrants for meetings was
not adopted till nearly one hundred years of town history
had elapsed. Among the earlier regulations, adopted in
1062, was an order that all business to be brought before
the town, must be considered by the selectmen, and by
them presented at the meeting. This may be considered as
the foundation of the system of notifying by warrant what
business was to be transacted, but none of these documents
found a place upon the records. Occasionally an old warrant
will appear among the ancient town papers, but none
earlier than the eighteenth century. It was not till 1751,
that the first of these papers was copied upon the records.
Major Joseph Hawley was at that time town clerk, but he