Description:

Great Grandson and Great Nephew of Mayflower Passengers Resolve Boundary Dispute in Dartmouth, Massachusetts

In this 1718 arbitrators' award, Jonathan Delano Jr. and Nathaniel Howland resolved the dispute between Ebenezer Allen and Jeremiah Wilcox. Delano was the great-grandson of Mayflower passenger and Mayflower Compact signer Richard Warren, and Howland was the great nephew of Mayflower passenger and Mayflower Compact signer John Howland. Both Richard Warren and John Howland were ancestors of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John Howland was also an ancestor of Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

[MAYFLOWER.] Jonathan Delano Jr., Autograph Document Signed, Arbitrators' Award, March 31, 1718, Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Also signed by Nathaniel Howland. 2 pp., 7.625" x 12". Small hole affecting three words; staining; creases but no tears on folds; quite legible.

Excerpts
"The Award given by the arbytrators between Ebenezer Allen and Jeremyah Willcox: to all people to whom this present Award indented shall Come John Tucker Nathanael Howland and Jonathan Delano Junr all of Dartmouth in the County of Bristoll in New England sendeth Greeting Know you that whereof sundry variances and Contriversies have bin had betwen sd Ebenezer Allen and sd Jeremiah Willcox both of Dartmouth in the County of Bristoll aforesd for and concerning the building Line between the homestead of sd Jeremiah Willcox and the Land of sd Ebenezer Allen sd Lands are situate on the East side of aconset [Achusnet? Assonet?] River &c."

"haveing seen herd and deliberitly considered the Grants Deeds & other writtings and herd the sayings and alligations of the Parties to the Day of the Date hereof make publish & declare this our award & judgment In the premises in such manner and form as followeth that is to say first we do award arbitrate ordane and judg by these presents that the Cloven Rock shall be the bounds between sd Allen and sd Willcox it is to be understood a Cloven Rock on ye East side of Conset river at high water mark & to the northward of a Little Brook as may be seen at Large in the survey of sd Allens Land Layed out by Benjm Crane & is Recorded in ye purchasers Book of Records in sd Dartmouth and further we do award that Deviding Line between sd Allen and sd Willcox shall Remaine as it was [?] by sd Crane which is from sd Cloven Rock & heape of Stones East [?] and half north two hundred and sixteen Rods to a Stake and heape of stones standing on ye edg of the plane a north East Corner bounds of sd Allens Land Layed out in the Eight hundred acre Division and the line to stand between them eastward to the extent as is run by sd Benjm Crane...."

Historical Background
In 1652, thirty-six individuals (including William Bradford, Myles Standish, Philip Delano, John Howland [1/2 share], and Richard Warren's widow Elizabeth Warren) purchased the tract of land known as Old Dartmouth from Wampanoag sachems Ousa Mequin and his son and successor Wamsutta. In return for the extensive tract of land (~104,000 acres), the Wampanoag received "thirty yards of cloth, eight moose-skins, fifteen axes, fifteen hoes, fifteen pairs of breeches, eight blankets, two kettles, one clock, two pounds in wampum, eight pair stockings, eight pair shoes, one iron pot, and ten shillings." Each of the purchasers received one share, except for four who equally divided two shares. Each full share entitled the owner to claim a portion of the common land, and each share would have included at least 1,500 acres of land, but the group held the land in common as the Dartmouth Propriety.

The Propriety made divisions of the upland land (as distinct from meadow and cedar swamp) to each of the shareholders of 200 acres by 1660, 400 acres in 1682, and 200 acres in 1694. In 1710, these three divisions were consolidated as the "800-acre division," and another 400 acres were assigned in 1713. Benjamin Crane (d. 1721) served as the surveyor for the Propriety from 1710 to 1721.

Jonathan Delano—although it is unclear whether it was Lt. Jonathan Delano (1647-1720) or his son Jonathan Delano Jr. (1680-1752)—served as Propriety Clerk from 1709 to 1717, critical years for the division of land. In 1709, three men named Allen (likely including Ebenezer Allen) sued the Propriety claiming that the "800-acre division" had been biased because surveyors, perhaps including other Proprietors, had favored themselves and their friends in the division of land. The Allens insisted that "His Majesties justices" appoint someone else, which led to the appointment of Benjamin Crane in 1710 to redo the surveying.

After a 1725 fire at the home of the clerk destroyed the Dartmouth Propriety records. After the fire, the Propriety made another distribution of 300 acres per share by 1730 and began the long process of trying to recreate the destroyed records from other documents. Throughout its existence, the Propriety distributed only about half of the land encompassed in the original purchase. The Propriety continued until 1800 when all undistributed Propriety land within the boundaries of the various townships became municipal property.

Jonathan Delano Jr. (1680-1752) was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, to Lt. Jonathan Delano (1647-1720) and Mercy Warren (1658-1727), the 4x great grandparents of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, making him the 5x-great uncle of the future president. His mother Mercy Warren was the granddaughter of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren (1578-1628). His paternal grandfather Philip Delano (1603-1681) migrated to Plymouth Colony in 1621 aboard the Fortune. Lt. Jonathan Delano served in King Philip's War (1675-1676) and was one of the founders of Dartmouth. Jonathan Delano Jr. married Amy Hatch in 1704, and they had fourteen children. They later moved to Tolland, Connecticut.

Nathaniel Howland (1657-1724) was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Zoeth Howland (1636-1676) and Abigail Kirby Howland (1640-1707). His great uncle was the Mayflower passenger John Howland (ca. 1592-1673), the 6x great grandfather of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. John Howland and fellow Mayflower passenger Elizabeth Tilley (d. 1687) are also the 11x great grandparents of President George H. W. Bush and the 12x great grandparents of President George W. Bush. Nathaniel Howland married Rose Allen in 1684, and they had at least seven children. By 1698, they moved to Dartmouth, where he was a farmer and served as selectmen several times from 1699, a member of the grand jury in 1702, and moderator of the town meeting in 1721. He was elected Quaker minister of the town of Dartmouth in 1723, shortly before his death.

Ebenezer Allen (1650-1725) was born in the Plymouth Colony. He married Abigail Allen around 1681 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and they had at least nine children. He was a blacksmith by trade and a Quaker. In 1703, he acknowledged before the Dartmouth monthly meeting the offense of "beating and abusing of an Indian" and apologized for it.

Jeremiah Wilcox (1683-1768) was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He married Mary Collins (1687-1735) in 1703, and they had at least two daughters. He later married Judith Briggs (1710-1765) in 1738, and they had at least three children. He was a carpenter by trade.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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