three houselots upon the first terrace west of the Merrimack, 

 and of the same number of homelots on the adjoining interval, 

 having an aggregate area of 154^ acres, and whose united 

 area was 921 acres and 141 square rods. These were distrib- 

 uted by lot on the 7th and 8th days of February, 1727, to the 

 several proposed settlers of the township, the church, the school, 

 and the first settled minister, one share to each. 1 



In the following May the remainder of the interval in the 

 central part of the plantation, amounting to 514^ acres, was 

 surveyed and assigned in 144 lots, varying in size from 2\ to 6 

 acres each to the 103 original proprietors. At this time, there- 

 fore, the division of the plantation territory stood as follows : 



Whole area of the plantation, . . 31,360 acres, — sq. rds. 



103 house lots, 154 acres, 40 sq. rds. 



247 home lots, 1,436 " 61 " 



1,590 " 141 " 



Land undivided 29,769 " 19 " 



Subsequent divisions and sales were made from time to time 

 until the entire area of the grant had passed from joint to indi- 

 vidual ownership. 



Of the lands thus divided among the proprietors, the first 

 minister received his apportionate share, which, increased by 

 later divisions and purchases, made him a farm of some three 

 hundred acres. This gave him a pecuniary interest in the 

 plantation and kept him in close touch with his people. From 

 it, he ever after received a portion of his support, and was a 

 farmer as well as a preacher. 



It is an interesting fact, in harmony with the devout spirit of 

 the time, that this little company of committee men represent- 

 ing the General Court of Massachusetts Bay, surveyors and 

 expectant settlers, should have brought with them their chap- 

 lain and that on the Sunday following their arrival, being the 

 fifteenth day of May, 1726, public worship was celebrated 

 for the first time in the wilderness Pennycook, which before 

 this had echoed only to the cries of wild beasts and birds and 

 the wilder cries of roaming Indians. 



1 Records of proprietors of Pennicook. 



