SAMUEL WESTON'S LETTER 101
Samuel Weston's Letter
The following letter of instructions to Samuel Weston, Esq.,
from the committee for the sale of eastern lands, and a letter from
Mr. Weston to the committee, both relating to the survey of certain
townships of lands in Piscataquis County, of which Guilford is one,
are appended to Mr. Hudson's paper. These are not only important
in so far as they relate to Guilford, but are valuable documents in
considering the history of all the towns and townships in the
seventh, eighth and ninth ranges.
(EDITOR.)
COPY OF INSTRUCTIONS
TO SAMUEL WESTON, ESQUIRE,
MAY 1, 1794.
In behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the Committee for the
Sale of Eastern Lands to Samuel Weston, Esquire, Surveyor-Sir you are
hereby Authorized and directed with judicious Chainmen under oath to
proceed and Survey three Ranges of townships between Penobscot River
and the East line of the Million Acres located on the River Kenebeck and
to be bounded West on the Said Million Acres South on the Sixth Range
already Surveyed and a line to be extended east from the North East
corner of township number one in the Sixth Range aforesaid to Penobscot
River-Easterly on Penobscot River-and North on unlocated lands-all the
lines are to be run and well Spotted and the corners of each township
marked the Ranges to extend from east to west and to be numbered the
Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Range progressing northerly-and the town-
ships to be numbered in each range and to be laid out Six miles Square
excepting those bordering on Penobscot River-which townships are to
contain as nearly the quantity of Six miles Square as the course of the River
and the adjoining townships will permit-the number of Acres to be noted
on the plan in each township which contains a greater or less quantity than
six miles square-And you will Survey accurately the Western bank or
Water Edge of Penobscot Rver so far as the three Ranges aforesaid join
on the same-taking proper care in the whole of this Survey to inspect the
Chainmen ascending and descending the hills and dales, and make such al-
lowance as to have the lines hold out horizontal measure.
And you are to make Return of the Survey with Duplicate plans repre-
senting the lines of the townships a border or margin of the adjoining
lands, the Rivers, Streams, Lakes, Ponds, and the most prominent heights-
and to be accompanied with such notes, minutes, and a field-book: as may he
necessary to illustrate the Survey-Showing the quality of the Soil-the
growth of the timber, and the quantity of Land covered with water-Such
Return to be made into our office at Boston or to either of the Committee
102 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY
as soon as may be after the business is completed-for which Service you
shall be entitled to receive including all expense attending this business
when completed twelve pounds for each township Surveyed and returned in
manner as aforesaid.
DANIEL, CAREY,
In behalf of the Committee.
Hallowell, May 1, 1794.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary, Boston, Sept. 10,
1895.
Compared with the Original and found Correctly Copied.
WM. M. OLIN,
Secretary.
MR. WESTON'S LETTER.
Canaan, Oct. i5, 1801.
To the Committee for Sale of Eastern Lands.
GENTLEMEN:
In compliance with the directions forwarded on the back of the Resolve
of the Genl. Court authorizing a resurvey of Township No. 4 in the seventh
range north of the Waldo Patent, I have employed my Brother Stephen
Weston who assisted in the Original Survey to perform that business, after
first writing to the College Corn. to know what was the ground of the ap-
plication for a resurvey not knowing whether any error was supposed to
be discovered in the contents of the Township or only in Numbering.
I did not suppose there was any need of employing more than two per-
sons as my Brother aforesaid had measured the line that divides the
NO. 3 and 4 ranges and found the three ranges to overrun 18 M but 6 rods
only, he therefore from his own measure performed under oath has run a
line West about, or nearly to the Million acre line, and consequently has
rectified the error in all the Townships West in the 6 and 7 ranges.
How the mistake or error has crept into this business is at this time an
absolute mystery to me.
When the 7, 8 and 9th ranges were surveyed 1 employed my Brother to
run the N. line and one Mr. John O'Neil to run the line between the 8th
and 9th ranges with particular instructions where to leave the Million
acre line. I preceded up the Penobscot by water to the N. E. corner of
Township No. 1, in the sixth ranges thence run east to the Penobscot.
I then surveyed said River up and by casting the northing Easting dis. I
found where to make the corners of the Townships on the Range lines-
until I came to the N. E. corner of Township No. 1, 9th range-and there
I waited until my brother arrived, and so true were my calculations and
measure that my brother struck the River with his line within Six rods
of my Station before made-and by repeated measurations said three
Townships are honestly 18 miles wide together I have never had any rea-
son to doubt but the Stations I had so carefully made on the Penobscot
were true and lines extending from them west would be the true dividing
SAMUEL WESTON'S LETTER 103
line for the ranges-Master O'Neil met with so many obstacles from low
swampy land and ponds on the line between the 8 and 9 ranges that he did
arrive at Penobscot untill after my brother and I had left and gone to
checking off the Towns-But he came down to the mouth of the Piscata-
quis and found me there and gave me some account of his voyage, and I
rather concluded he had struck the River above my station made for him
to come out at, and concluded there might be some difference in the Com-
passes w. h. in so long a line had ***** een easily discovered. I then
sent my own land up to the corner I had made for him and gave up my
* * * * own compass and fitted him out for to in the dividing * * * *
line between the 7th and 8th ranges complained of by the * * * * trustees
of Bowdoin College-under these circumstances I confess r cannot tell
how to account for the difference in the width of the 7th and 8th ranges as
altogether the measure is good-and Master O'Neil has been a practical
Surveyor, is called a man of ability and good understanding and the ob-
jection any person made against him when I enquired into his ability to
undertake the task assigned him, was that he would be rather too nice,
and curious to have the work performed just so-which I thought would
not by any means unqualify him-as the amount of the objections was that
he would do the work well-but it would take the longer-But that he never
would slight it nor can I now think that it is slighted-as an Instance of
his faithtfulness-he was so afraid lest a line be crossed and made a corner
thereon which was undoubtedly the million acre line-should not prove so
eventually that he continued running West until he had got within four
miles of Kennebec River-and his being so much behind with the lines he
ran prevented a discovery of the Error-Absolute, exactness cannot be
expected in so broken a country as that is, so many obstacles from ponds
with all their arms, legs, inlets and outlets, swamps, bogs, thickets, morasses,
Mountain Cliffs and Gullies in so close a succession render it much more
difficult to close lines than might often be wished for-sometimes inter-
ested persons wish to exaggerate any little errors, or rather they appear
greater when found by the measure of persons influenced by interest altho'
I do not pretend this to be the case in this instance. I am conscious of the
most upright and honest intentions in the whole progress of the survey of
those ranges of Townships and the error in the amended line must have
proved from and ought I think to be considered * * * * as a misfortune
-and I hope I shall be exc * * * * I say that I think the expense ought
rath **** fall on the Government than on the Committee.
most obed. Hum Sev.
SAMUEL WESTON.
State of Maine.
Augusta, Jan. 15, 1897.
Land Office, Augusta, Jan. 15, 1897.
I certify the above to be a true copy of the original as filed in this office.
CHAS. E. OAK.
Land Agent.
(c) 1998
Courtesy of Tina Vickery of Somerset Co, Maine USGenWeb Project
& The Androscoggin Historical Society
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