THE FARM OF THE FIRST MINISTER. 



BY JOSEPH B. WALKER, CONCORD. 



PART II. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies a?zd Gentlemen : 



1 had the honor, a year ago, about this time and in this place, 

 to read to you, as those of a typical New Hampshire farm, the 

 annals of that of the First Minister of Pennycook, now Con- 

 cord, and the capital of this state, from the time it was wrested 

 from the wilderness, down to the death of its first proprietor in 

 1782, — a period of fifty-two years. I have since been invited 

 by this Board to continue the narrative to the present time. 

 For that purpose I am here to-day. 



Concord was colonized, rather than settled in the usual way 

 by accretions from time to time of individual immigrants. The 

 proprietors were all admitted to plantation rights after careful 

 examinations by a committee of the General Court of Massa- 

 chusetts Bay as to their fitness. As a consequence, as early as 

 October, 1 73 1 , less than six years after the grant of its proprie- 

 tary charter, almost every one of its proprietors had a portion of 

 his land improved and a house built thereon. 1 



In 1769, the First Minister transferred the ownership of one 

 half of his farm to his only son, Hon. Timothy Walker, and in 

 1782, devised to him the other half. 2 He had been born upon 

 it and was familiar with its traditions. He had been educated 



1 See Appendix A. 



2 On the 25th of December, 1769, the Rev. Timothy Walker deeded to his only 

 son, Hon. Timothy Walker, " The one half of all the lands which I own in the 

 Parish aforesaid, as well such as are already divided into lots as those which I 

 own in Common with other Proprietors of said Parish." By his will, executed 

 August 10, 1782, he devised to him the remainder of his real estate. 



Walker Papers, Vol. 2. 



