Keene Proprietor List

The following data is extracted from Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire History.

In March, 1732, a committee was appointed to lay out house-lots in the townships mentioned, who, in June, made a report of the house-lots in the Upper township. Of these, fifty-four were laid out on what is now the city plain, twenty-seven on each side of the Main street, and the other nine upon the plain on the Swanzey line. They were 160 rods long and eight rods wide, each containing eight acres. This committee, being also authorized to admit settlers, notified all persons who were desirous of taking lots to meet at Concord, Mass., June 26, 1734. A few days previous to the time for holding this meeting, the general court passed the following item:

" Voted, That after the sixty persons [grantees] for each township shall have drawn lots, given bonds, and paid their _15 each according to the order of the court, passed in July, 1732. they forthwith assemble at Concord, Mass., and then and there choose a moderator and proprietors clerk, agree upon rules and methods for the fulfillment of their respective grants, for making further divisions, and attend to any other matters or things necessary for the speedy settlement of said townships."

Upon these several votes the proprietors of Upper Ashuelot entirely depended for titles to their land, as no charter was ever given by Massachusetts. The meeting was held at Concord, according to notice, 0n the 26th of June, when the following named sixty individuals paid .65 each to the committee, were formally admitted as proprietors of the township of Upper Ashuelot, and drew their house-lots. The numbers prefixed to each name denotes the number of his lot, No. e being the south lot on the east side of the street; No. 54 the south lot on the west side; Nos. 27 and 28 the most northern lots on the east and west sides:

1. Capt. Samuel Sady. 54. Edward Twist.
2. Jeremiah Hall. 53. David Harwood.
3. Samuel Heywood. 52. Amos Foster.
4. John Witt. 51. Ebenezer Witt.
5. Joseph Wright. 50. Jonas Wilson.
6. Samuel Flood. 49. Isaac Tomberlin.
7. Solomon Kees. 48. Jabez Ward.
8. Jonathan Morton. 47. Josiah Fisher.
9. Thomas Weeks. 46. Thomas Abbott.
10. Isaac Power. 45. Robert Gray.
11. William Heaton. 44. Jonathan Southwick.
12. Eleazer Allen. 43. John Nims.
13. Ministers lot. 42. Joseph Ellis.
14, Daniel Haws. 41. John Guild.
15. John Hawks. 40. John Corbit.
16. Philemon Chandler. 39. Nathaniel Rockwood.
17. Robert Moor. 38. Nathan Fairbanks.
18. Isaac How. 37. Abraham Master.
19. William Witt. 36. Nicholas Sprake, Jr.
20. Jonathan Whitney. 35. Joseph Allen.
21. Joseph Hill 34. Benjamin Whitney.
22. William Puffer. 33. David Chandler.
23. Bartholomew Jones. 32. Isaac Heaton.
24. Joseph Priest. 31. David Moss.
25. Jonas Kees. 30. Edward Hall.
26. William Smeed. 29. Ministry lot.
27. Joseph Hill 28. School lot.

The following, Nos. 55-63 inclusive, are those laid out on the Swanzey line:

55. John Burge.
56. Ebenezer Mason.
57. Daniel Hoar.
58. Elisha Root.
59. Mark Ferry.
60. Josiah Fisher.
61. Elias Witt.
62. Samuel Witt.
63. Stephen Blake.

The next day a full meeting of the proprietors was held, when Samuel Sady was chosen moderator and Samuel Heywood, clerk, and the meeting was adjourned to the 18th of September, then to be held within the limits of the township. In that month the following persons, proprietors, or sons of proprietors, set out for the township, viz.: Jeremiah Hall, Daniel Hoar, Seth Heaton, Elisha Root, Nathaniel Rockwood, Josiah Fisher and William Puffer. None of them had ever visited the township, and as it was then considered quite a formidable journey thereto, " Deacon" Alexander, of Northfield, was secured to act as guide. They did not arrive at the line of the township until late in the evening of the 18th, the day appointed for the adjourned meeting to convene, so, as soon as their guide informed them that they had passed the town line, they immediately opened a meeting, only to adjourn it to the following day. Such was the first visit of the proprietors to what is now the city of Keene, late on a September evening, 15 years ago.

Source: Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire History

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