and John Allen, Senior, His nearest neighbor on the north was John Winslow, who owned all the meadow and mowable land to the upper end of the Salt Marsh River, called New Meadow now Palmer's River.
On the East side of the river, Josiah Winslow owned a tract "near or by the clay pits," where bricks were manufactured, above Barneysville.
Lots two and three originally belonged to Thomas Cushman, which he sold to Capt. Willett. They extended from the clay pits "to a white oake marked and blown up by the roots on an island of upland in the said meadow to a certain white oake tree on the upland likewyse blown up." A special bounty is offered to the person who will identify the last named bounds.
The next lot begins "at the root of the white oak tree, where the two last lots end," and extends southerly. It was owned by the Whites, Peregrine and Resolved.
The fifth and sixth lots lay to the west of Rock Raymond and Judge Haile's residence, and were owned by Josiah Winslow and Governor Bradford, and bounded by flat rocks and pine trees.
The last lot in this section was owned by Governor Prince, and extended along Belcher's Creek and Cove.
Such is the summary of the meadow lands of the original proprietors, as attested by John Allen, Noah Floyd and John Brown, who were appointed in 1681 a committee to search, examine, and state these things to their best skill and ability.
I have thus traced out these proprietorships at Sowams, that the owners thereof of to-day may know through what a noble line their heritage has descended, and if their pleasure in knowing fully equals my own in the research, we shall both be repaid by what might seem to some a tedious trial of one's patience, if not "Love's labor lost."
