1722 - 1785    Proprietors tasked to survey, distribute, and manage land distribution

1736 - 1799   Legal formation and development of town government in the 18th Century

Town management was influenced by two types of involved citizens, with a stake in establishing and developing the territory and township. Proprietors were in fact, investors whose responsibilities were defined by the town charter.[1], signed by Gov. Shute in May of 1722. These individuals seldom became settlers of the new towns in which they invested but relied upon the appreciated value of the land when ultimately sold.

Once 60-80 families had been secured to settle the new township, the proprietors could petition the general court of New Hampshire in Portsmouth and, upon approval, form a new township.  That authorization carried with it a right to meet in common at a periodic town meeting and elect officers to give the town direction, official standing and carry out taxing authority. The former took place initially on April 26, 1737, at the first town meeting[2] Timothy Roberts, the patriarch of the first settled family, was chosen Moderator, and Amos Main became the first Town Clerk. He would serve only one meeting as clerk. He was called to minister to the frontier community at the April 26 meeting.

Both management enterprises continued in parallel until the proprietors had completed the task of laying out and organizing the drawing of all land assigned by the charter.

Drawings occurred as follows:

Division I     125 each, 60-acre lots (60 rods wide X 160 rods long)  on December 13 and 14, 1727

Division II    125 each, 240 acre lots on December 14, 1730

Division III   125 each drawn August 28, 1753, and August 1, 1754

Division IV  Miscellaneous lots drawn November 29, 1762

 

The cost of participating in the draw for each whole share investor or group of partial share investors was[3]: Div. I  20s; Div. II £3; Div. III  50s.; Div IV  £5, 10s, for a total investment of £8-80s.

Deeds included in the History and the Transcription volumes reflect the considerable appreciation of the property values.[4]

 

The accounting of the proprietors would continue until 1785, when the records were returned to the town clerk and the enterprise dissolved. Once the home lots were distributed in Division I, the proprietors were concerned with encouraging settlers to move and develop the new town. By 1762, there was little land to distribute, and the group migrated towards dissolution.

 

From 1737, the settlers, or commoners as they are often called, would determine the direction of the town. The New England Town Meeting has been described as a strong form of democratic institution and town records reflect the truth of that understanding.

 

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