1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 351 



A HUNDRED ACRES OR MORE. 



BT ELBRIDGE CUSHMAN OF LAKEVILLE. 



Our forefathers, while in old England, learned to place 

 great value upon land. Limited in their possessions, with 

 no hope of becoming land-owners, they realized the full force 

 of the old couplet, — 



" Time was, ere England's grief began, 

 When every rood of ground maintained its man." 



It would have been strange, indeed, when landing upon 

 what to them seemed the boundless shores of an unoccupied 

 wild, if they had not exulted at the possibility of unlimited 

 ownership of land. 



As the years went on, and their numbers increased, this 

 greed for land took deeper and deeper root in their natures, 

 and we find in the earlier records of the colony an account 

 of some of the boldest ' ' western land speculations " that are 

 recorded in the history of our country. Within a few years 

 of their landing, large tracts were bought of the natives, 

 which, in many instances, are still known by the local name 

 given at the time of purchase. This ruling passion was 

 strong in death. Wills, bequeathing land to sons, often con- 

 tained a request that it should be retained by them until 

 transferred, without division, to male heirs, or to brothers 

 of the same name. Thus large tracts of land were held in 

 the same family name for several generations. No doubt 

 the old-time customs would have continued until our day, 

 had not the conditions changed, bringing with the changes 

 new customs and ideas. The demands upon the public 

 treasury were increased by the organization of Christian and 

 educational institutions, and by the cost of the various im- 



