1746 Land Transaction Between Two Puritan Founding Families Of Land On Great Neck Oyster Beds.

1746 Document on the sale of land on “Great Neck” by Ephraim Burritt one of the early settlers’ families in Stratford, Connecticut to Charles Curtiss, also one of the early settling families in the same town. Stratford was founded by the Judson clan in response to the harsh treatment they believed they received in Massachusetts, setting up a new sect of puritanism. Along with Judson, came the Curtiss’s and the Burritt’s amongst others.
The Great Neck area was known to Native Americans as huge mounds of oyster shells and later in the bay, oyster beds were found by the colonists. Ephriam sold 2 acres of the land for ‘…50 pounds money in hand.” As so stated,
Reference: 206-159
Estimate: $150-$250
Measurement: 11.75 by 7.1875 inches

Tears, with repairs, toning, stains, and loss of paper. One large repair with museum, acid free, invisible, conservator’s tape [see photos]. Sold as is. A rare document and countersigned by John Thompson, Justice of the Peace, and two others.

The farmers of Stratford resided in the village, and went out to their farms, from one to three miles, in the true oriental style, to do the work of the farm. In the morning, they were seen going out with their teams, many of them to the south, to the Old Field, and the Great Neck, all of which was put into one great field, about 1693, the fence crossing from the rocks on Little Neck, west to mill brook, and all the land south of it, being in the field. The Old Field, at first, did not include the Great Neck. Other farmers went to the New Field, joining the village on the southwest, between it and the swamp. Then there was a field called Nesingpaws, on the west side of Mill brook, as called in the deeds about 1700, and after, or west of the swamp extending to Bruce's Brook, and from this field, or Bruce's Brook to the old Grants of Mill Privileges, yellow mills, was the Far-field; then the New pasture field south of Old Mill Green, and Pequannock field south of Golden Hill. There was also a common field —not very large —at Oronoke, besides what was called the great meadow at that place. Oysters are now a commodity of large growth and commerce. When the white settlers first came, they found piles of oyster shells in various places on Great Neck and where now the village of Stratford is located. These beds of oyster shells when now dug up as they frequently are, reveal the fact that many of the oysters that the Indians gathered were remarkably large, and probably very rich as food. There has been found no town acts for the first one hundred years restricting the taking of oysters by the Indians or inhabitants of the town. In December 1764, for the first is found a vote of the town restricting the time for taking oysters, thus: "That if any parties should take oysters between April 20th and the loth day of September, they should pay a fine of ten shillings," and a committee was appointed to prosecute if necessary.

The following is the list of the owners of fence about the first common field, the fence being a little over 353 rods in length, which if it surrounded the entire field inclosed nearly fifty acres, but if it was a fence direct across the neck to Fresh Pond it would have inclosed several hundred acres, or all Great Neck as well as Little Neck. This list is without date but must have been recorded before 1651, since William Burritt's name is on it, and he died that year. William Burritt owned 9 rods of land on the Great Neck, and it passed to his heirs. The same year, Widow Curtiss owned 3 rods and John Curtiss owned nearly 5 rods of land.


Charles Curtiss (Josiah, William, Widow Elizabeth) b. Jan. 1, 1715/16. He had a twin sister Mehitabel of whom no record. Charles4 Curtiss m.c. 1736 Desire dau. of Daniel and Mary Brewster of Brookhaven, Suffolk Co., L.I., N.Y. Distribution of Estate of Daniel Brewster May 2, 1753, recorded Feb. 26, 1756, states widow Mary and sons John and Daniel, Jr., executors, convey to Charles Curtiss of Stratford, Conn., his heirs and assigns land in Brookhaven to value of 585 pounds.

Upon the petition of Thomas Stratton junior, of Stratford, shewing to this Assembly that on the 24th day of November, 1753, he, the said Stratton, and William Edwards of said Stratford being indebted to George Murison late of Brookhaven, Esqr, now of Shelter Island, in the sum of two hundred pounds, New York money, procured Charles Curtiss of [436] said Stratford to be their surety, and that they together executed two bonds of that date to said Murison, conditioned for the payment of one hundred pounds like money each, and that said Murison directed the petitioner to make his payments to said Curtiss on said bonds, and that it so happened that there was no evidence by, but that said Stratton afterwards paid off and settled said bonds with said Curtiss, and that, notwithstanding those payments, said bonds being in the hands of said Murison unendorsed, he hath since brought his action on one of said bonds and recovered the whole sum of said bond and interest without allowing any of said payments ; the petitioner at law being unable to make proof thereof, praying for relief, as per petition on file appears : Resolved by this Assembly, that Ebenezer Silliman, David Burr and Jonathan Sturges, Esqrs, be and they are hereby appointed a committee to enquire into the mutters in said petition alleged, and to call before them the said Murison, Curtiss and Edwards, and them on oath to examine touching the matters in said petition alleged, and their report of what they shall find to make to the General Assembly to be holden at New Haven in October next, together with their opinion thereon.

Notes: Tears, repairs, and other loss of paper, toning, and some staining. See images. Sold as is.

$150 - $250

11.75" x 0.001" x 7.1875"

Militaria, Military Documents & Ephemera

20%

Richard Gabriel | (781) 883-6639 | gabriel@calixbooks.com

Pickup Details

Shipping Available

Ask a Question

Report Item