by Josiah Paine

Rutland, Vermont: The Tuttle Publishing Company, Inc., 1937

Chapter 20  The Quason Purchase and Its Division

    The right to extinguish the Indian title to land on the South Side being in the lawful possession of "John Cole, Joshua Hopkins, Daniel Cole, Jr., Nicholas Snow, Micajah Snow and Nathaniel Doane of Eastham, and Stephen Hopkins, Prence Snow, and John King of Harwich," they, on the 18 of May 1711, for the sum of eight pounds, purchased of "John Quason, Joseph Quason, Samuel Quason, Josephus Quason, Sarah Pompmo, Bettie Nopie and Wawhanama, wife of Little James, all lawful sons and daughters (together with Jeremiah Quason late deceased) of John Quason deceased "living in Eastham, Harwich, Monomoy and Yarmouth," all their unreversed land within the following described territory on the south side of the town: "Beginning at a tree marked by the bank of a place called Wequessett, near Short Cove, from thence running northerly by the Sipson's range to the easterly end of Long Pond and from the said Herring Pond to the main sea; thence running easterly by sd sea to Monomoy bounds near the Red River, thence northeasterly to the head of Muddy Cove, and so by the river that runs out of said Muddy Cove, and so to the first specified bounds"; together with their right to the "Great beach" lying between Monomoy and the main sea, "extending eastward and westward as far as our said deceased father, Jon Quason his right did extned, with all meadows and sedge ground adjoining and every wise thereto belonging, fropm Sandy Point home to Sipson's bounds" and also their island called Chochpenacot island, lying between sd Monomoy and the Great Beach, with the right wiich their "deceased brother Jeremiah Quason had in and unto" the above described premisis which descended to them from their "father John Quason as joint partner."
    The reservations which they made in their deed, were a tract of land of twenty acres for John Quason; thirty acres for Josephus Quason; thirty acres for Samuel Quason; and twenty acres for Joseph Quason "over and above what he holds in partnership with little James, Indian," to be laid out to them between the Wading Place and Joseph Nickerson's house, to them their heirs and assigns forever.  They had sold many acres within the boundaries described and such tracts that had been "purchased according to the true meaning of the laws of the Province,"were  excepted and the grantees were not to be distributed.  The parcel which Thomas Daniel sold to Stephen Hopkins, of upland and meadow, June 30, 1690 was also expected.
    The first meeting of the proprietors, as shown by their book of records, was held March 24, 1713-14. After choosing Nicholas Snow clerk, they made choice of Thomas Atkins of Chatham, Stephen Hopkins, Joshua Hopkins, John Gray, Joseph Doane and Nicholas Snow, "a committee to lay out their lands, or so much thereof by them might be found convienent, into lots or shares in order to be cast, so that the proprietor might have his just and equal proportion of said land," and "to settle bounds with particular men that butted on to sd land according to right and justice." The committee was also authorized "to rectify the mistakes in the bounds of Joseph Quason's" lot laid out "towards Muddy Cove," and to aid in bounding the "fifty acres of land and meadow of Joseph Nickerson at the Muddy Cove to the contents of his deed thereof." The committee for the work, it was agreed, should "be paid by the proprietors according to each one's interest therein." Each one upon the committee for his service, it was also agreed should have four shillings per day. This committee was empowered "to hear the claims and challenges" of persons that claim "land within the boundaries," which "in their wisdom should find to be just," to settle the claims by setting out to each claimant a parcel of land  "where the committee find reasonable." The proprietors, at this meeting, chose Thomas Atkins of Chatham, their agent, "to sue and prosecute" all persons "who presumed to cut timber, wood or fencing stuff," upon their land.
      The committee to lay out land, met the proprietors at the house of Nicholas Snow, April 19, 1714, and reported "that they had laid out twenty lots of land" on "the southerly side of the road which goes form Chatham to Yarmouth and also twenty lots" on "the northerly side of the said road-between sd road and the great Long Pond". The proprietors deciding "that the sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth lot in the section lying south of the road from Chatham to Yarmouth" needed some amendments, "agreed

TO BE CONTINUED . . .