THE TOWN OF BEDFORD. 21 



at the east point, called Lyon's Point, and so up along the said river to 

 the country road, west eight miles from Lyon's Point, and then twelve 

 miles east north-eastward, thence in a line parallel to the North River 

 and twenty miles distant therefrom, to the south line of Massachusetts- 

 The whole matter being left subject to the King's ratification. By this 

 settlement Bedford would have been transferred to New York, but the 

 King's death unfortunately took place on the 6th of February, 1685, 

 before its completion, in consequence of which the whole matter was ' 

 again left open for a long and angry discussion which soon ensued. 



In 1685, the General Court of Connecticut issued an order to the ef- 

 fect that all towns should take out patents, in due form, and that there 

 should be legal evidence of their rights. In " lenwary 1687-8' 

 there were 18 men at a town meeting who voted "that every one here 

 present at the town meeting shall have a pees of land containing four 

 akers added unto their former dividends for theyr faithfulness at the at- 

 tending of towne meetings." Before the 28th of January, 1688, the 

 Town ordered that as much money should be raised as may be neces- 

 sary to pay for a patent. The annual meeting in March, 1690, chose a 

 "dark, two sezars," (assessors) two fence "vewars," and two "souairs," 

 (surveyors). In 169 1 they made " chois of Daniell Simkings for head 

 man for ye town of Bedford, to end any contravercy between indians 

 and inglish acording to the best of his skill." In 1693 the "round swamp 

 on the south sid of Aspicung " was given to David Clason, for his four 

 acres of "burnory land." 



The names of the inhabitants, including the resident proprietors of 

 Bedford in 1692, number thirty-one, and were as follows : 



John Grum, N. Miran Clark, 



Joseph Miller, John Holmes, Sr., 



Joun Holmes, Richard Ayres, 



John Miller, John Holmes, Jr., 



Mrs. Wildman, Abraham Wildman, 



Mr. Dunham, Isaac Dunham, 



Zachariah Roberts, Jeremiah Andrews, 



John Webb, Richard Wescote, 



Stephen Clason, Daniel Simpkins, 



Stephen Holmes, William Clark, 



Abraham Ambler, John Brown, 



John Miller, Jr., Jonathan Miller, 



John Ambler, David Mead, 



Daniel Jones, Caleb Webb, 



Thomas Astor, David Clason, 

 John Higgins. 



