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, 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. 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.
The Division Drawings
- Division I — 125 lots of 60 acres each (60 rods wide × 160 rods long), drawn December 13 and 14, 1727
- Division II — 125 lots of 240 acres each, drawn December 14, 1730
- Division III — 125 lots, 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: 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.
From Proprietorship to Town
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.