Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

334 GENEALOGICAL NOTES OP BARNSTABLE FAMILIES.
John Davis, sons of Dolar, Samuel, Joseph, and Benjamin
Lothrop, sons of John, David Linnett, son of Robert, Nathaniel
Mayo, son of John, and Richard Berry.
Of the 26 from Scituate, two, at least, were of Barnstable in
the Spring of 1639, and three delayed removing till 1640. Mr.
Lothrop and a majority of his church did not resolve to remove
till June, and on the 26th of that month a fast was held
"For the presence of God in mercy to goe with us to Mattakeese."
There is no record of the names of those who came in June.
Those who came, probably left their families at Scituate, and
came by land, bringing with them their horses, cattle, farming and
other utensils, in order to provide hay for their cattle, and shelter
for their families before winter.
A majority of the earlier settlers did not come from Scituate.
The fourteen last named on the list were in Barnstable very early,
and settled near the Unitarian Meeting-House, in the easterly part
of the plantation. These lands are those named in the record as
run out by authority of Mr. Collicot. Mr. Dimmock's Lot was
the most easterly, and in 1654 is thus described on the town
record : "Imp. a grant of a great lot to Mr. Dimmock, with
meadow adjoining, at a Little Running Brook at ye East End of
the plantation, toward Yarmouth, which Lands is in the present
possession of G-eorge Lewis, Sen'r, let and farmed out to him for
some certain years by the said Mr. Dimmock."*
This description is indefinite, yet important facts are stated.
It was triangular in form and contained, including upland and
meadows, about seventy-five apres. The east corner bound stood
a little distance east of the present dwelling-house of William W.
Sturgis, and was bounded southerly by the county road, 115 rods
to the range of fence between the houses of Solomon Hinckley
and Charles Sturgis, thence northerly across mill creek to the old
common field, and thence south-easterly to the first mentioned
bound, and mcluded a narrow strip of upland on the north side of
the mill creek meadows. The soil of the upland was fertile, and
the meadows easy of access, and productive. It was the best
grazing farm in the East Parish, and although lands and meadows
then bore only a nominal price, it is not surprismg that Mr. Dimmock
was enabled to rent his.
*This is called Mr. Dimmock's "great lot" yet. I think it was not what was generally
understood by the term "great lot" among the first settlers. In subsequent records the
tracts of land situate between Mr. Lothrop's great lot on the west, and Barnard Lumbert's
on the east, (now Dinunock's Lane) and bounded north by the County road, is called "Mr.
Dimmock's Great Lot," and is now owned by Joshua Thayer, Capt. Pierce, Wm. W. Sturgis,
Mr. Whittemore, Capt. Swinerton, and the Heirs of Capt. Franklin Percival. This land,
m 1689, was owned by his son Ensign Shubael, and the record may refer to him, though he
would not have been entitled to a "great lot" only as the representative of his father', not in
his own right. Besides the above. Elder Thomas, as one of the proprietors, was entitled to
commonage, to which his son Shubael succeeded. (Commonage. This word is used by
Dr. Bond and others, to express in one word all the right which the first settlers of towns
had in the common lands and meadows, whether by virtue of their rights as proprietors, or
as townsmen.)