90 THE ISLAND OF NANTUCKET. 



common land on the island. The original idea was an 

 acre and a half of land; but as the term is now used, 

 it indicates nothing definite, either in area or value, 

 but means simply a certain undivided fractional part 

 of a very uncertain something else, until the whole 

 circumstances of each particular case are investigated. 



As soon as a division was laid out and drawn in 

 shares, the proprietors, as an organization, ceased to 

 have any control of it. If the owner of any portion 

 of a share desired to hold his part in severalty, he 

 must make a formal application to the judicial courts, 

 which would appoint commissioners to set off his por- 

 tion; and many good titles have thus been secured. 

 But in many cases where an undivided interest has 

 remained in the same family for three or four genera- 

 tions, it has become so subdivided and split up by 

 inheritance that it is practically impossible for a would- 

 be purchaser to find all the present owners, and secure 

 a perfect title by deed. 



The organization before mentioned still controls 

 all matters relating to the common and undivided 

 lands outside of the divisions. Whenever any stock- 

 holder or member has asked for a piece of land, 

 specifying how much he wanted and in what locality, 

 it has been customary, if his petition was granted, for 

 the proprietors 1 agents, or " lot layers," to set off the 

 land to him, for which he was charged a certain num- 

 ber of sheep commons, — the valuation being estimated 

 by the agents, subject to the approval of the meeting, 

 u quality and quantity considered, " as the old records 

 have it. The number of sheep commons thus charged 

 to the petitioner was subtracted from his former 



