Equivalent lands

The Equivalent lands were several large tracts of land that the Province of Massachusetts Bay made available to settlers from the Connecticut Colony after April, 1716. This was done as compensation for an "equivalent" area of Connecticut-claimed territory which had been inadvertently settled by citizens of Massachusetts.[1] [2] The problem had arisen due to a lack of an adequate survey prior to colonization.

Contents

History

Creation

When the boundaries between Massachusetts and Connecticut were finally determined in 1713, it was found that of the large grants that had been made available by Massachusetts to its westward bound citizens, 107,793 acres (436.22 km2) actually belonged to Connecticut. These settlers had established themselves in and about the towns of Springfield, Suffield and Westfield and other areas west of the Connecticut River, believing themselves to be in lands belonging to the Massachusetts Bay Company. The territory was in fact well within an area then claimed by the colony of Connecticut. Because a change of jurisdiction was unappealing to those inhabiting the area, it was agreed that Massachusetts would retain title to the said lands, and in return, a grant should be made to Connecticut of an equal number of acres, "as an equivalent to the said colony."[3]

The surveys laying out the new tracts were concluded on November 10, 1715. One tract was in the area around Pelham and Hadley Town; another in the area encompassing modern day Putney, Brattleboro and Dummerston; and another along the east side of the Connecticut River. The commissioners appointed to locate these lands were: Joseph Dudley, Governor of Massachusetts; Gurdon Saltonstall, Governor of Connecticut; Elisha Hutchinson and Isaac Addington of Massachusetts; William Pitkin and William Whiting of Connecticut. The equivalent lands were then made available for purchase at Hartford on the 24th and 25th of April, 1716, with the proceeds from the sale going to the founding of Yale College.[3]

Outcome

In 1752, a large section of the grant fell under the dominion of the new Province of New Hampshire, in a section now belonging to Vermont.[4] The area making up the rest of the equivalent lands eventually fell under the control of other colonial entities based, in part, on the original royal charters. After many boundary permutations, the equivalent lands are now part of present day Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts.[5]

References

  1. ^ Records held in office Sec. State Connecticut, "Colonial Boundaries, Vol. III, Massachusetts, 1670-1827."
  2. ^ Equivalent Lands
  3. ^ a b "Vermont, The Green Mountain State" Vol. 1; by Walter Hill Crockett; Century History Co.; 1921; pp 137-138.
  4. ^ "Vermont, The Green Mountain State" Vol. 1; by Walter Hill Crockett; Century History Co.; 1921; p 252.
  5. ^ "Vermont, The Green Mountain State" Vol. 1; by Walter Hill Crockett; Century History Co.; 1921; pp 278-280.