These research notes are provided as-is and contain supplementary working research.
Evidence
Billerica town book - 1659 grant-on-condition & surrender
The Billerica manuscript town book records a ten-acre house-lot granted to John Gurney 15 August 1659 'upon condition' he inhabit it himself (his son Richard accepted as a fellow inhabitant), and on 26 December 1659 its surrender: 'Daniel Shead in answer for his father John Gurney; the said John Gurney surrendred up the Lott.'
Date: 15 August - 26 December 1659
Why this conclusion
- Supports Finding Finding: Billerica proprietorship (house-lot surrendered; Dudley-Farm share + meadow lots persist); never removed thereThe manuscript grant-on-condition and the 26 December 1659 surrender via Daniel Shed are the direct evidence that John took up and gave back the Billerica lot.
Sources
- Billerica, Massachusetts. Town Records, 1653–1727 (manuscript). FamilySearch image group DGS 007466228., Billerica town records 1653-1727 (MS), DGS 007466228, image 173 (grant/surrender); image 15 (re-grant to John Hall, 19 March 1659/60); images 179-180 (great-meadow lots)
Daniel Shead in answer for his father John Gurney; the said John Gurney surrendred up the Lott
Topic file location: Colonial frontier rights
Technical details
- Research item:
G13-RI-000024 - Graph revision:
244 - Machine-readable JSON:
/assets/g13-graph/findings/G13-RI-000024.json
This is one research item from the John Gurney research graph; the fuller narrative treatment is in the linked topic above and the research library.