Town Chartered May 10, 1722. The 64,000-acre, ten-mile-square property granted to 125 proprietor/investors was distributed in four divisions, each assigned by drawing the proprietor's number against the property number.
The Four Divisions
- Division I — Drawn December 13 & 14, 1727, and confirmed June 18, 1728. 125 home lots of 60 acres each. Cost: 20 shillings per whole share or proportion.
- Division II — Drawn December 14, 1730. Wood lots of 240–250 acres each, the largest grant. Cost: £3 per whole share or proportion.
- Division III — The northern-most lots, drawn August 28, 1753, and August 1, 1754. Cost: 50 shillings per whole share.
- Division IV — Mostly remnant lots, drawn November 29, 1762. Cost: £5 10s per whole share.
The schedules record the names of the landholders and their corresponding lot numbers across all four divisions — roughly 150 individuals, many carrying military titles (Colonel, Captain, Lieutenant, Ensign), government officials, and prominent citizens, including Col. Richard Waldron and members of the Wentworth, Davis, Gerrish, and Jones families, holding whole, half, third, and quarter shares.
Associates Admitted by Gov. Shute
Additional entries document associates admitted by Governor Shute, including Governor Samuel Shute himself and Lt. Gov. John Wentworth, each receiving 500 acres with whole shares.
Ungranted Lands
Certain lots remained designated as "Bad Lands ungranted" and "Mountain unassigned" throughout the divisions.
The complete division schedules — every proprietor and lot number for Divisions I–IV — are published in In Their Own Words: Transcription and Research of the Original Records of Colonial Rochester, New Hampshire, 1722–1799.