These research notes are provided as-is and contain supplementary working research.
Analysis
1651-52 great lot = proprietary right, not residence (John Read comparator)
John Gurney's 1651-52 Weymouth great lot no. 16 was part of a deferred laying-out of 'formerly granted' rights that demonstrably carried absentees and dead men (Samuel Newman and John Allin removed to Rehoboth, Thomas Rider to Boston, William Brandon dead by 1647), so his place on it reflects a surviving proprietary entitlement rather than residence; the closest comparator is John Read, who likewise held Weymouth land, took a Tyng Mount Wollaston farm, removed to Rehoboth, and still drew an 18-acre 1651-52 Fresh Pond great lot.
Related context
- Provides context for Finding Admitted Weymouth inhabitant (c. 1638/9-1642/4)Distinguishes John's residence-era inhabitant standing (early 1640s) from the later 1651-52 proprietary right, which is not evidence of residence - guarding the standing finding against over-reading the great lot.
Sources
- Chamberlain, George Walter, and Channing Harris Cox, comps. History of Weymouth, Massachusetts. 4 vols. Published by the Weymouth Historical Society (Howard H. Joy, President), under direction of the town. Weymouth, Mass.: Weymouth Historical Society, 1923. Vol. 3 carries the Genealogy of Weymouth families (John Gurney Sr. and Richard Gurney entries)., vol. 3 (Newman/Allin/Rider/Brandon family entries); vol. 4, p. 151 (John Read profile)
- Nash, Gilbert. Historical Sketch of the Town of Weymouth, Massachusetts, from 1622 to 1884. Weymouth, Massachusetts: Town of Weymouth, under the auspices of the Weymouth Historical Society, 1885. Printed by Alfred Mudge & Son, Boston., Appendix C, pp. 281-282 (2-3 Feb 1651/2 great-lot lists 'named in the old town Book and formerly granted')
Topic file location: Colonial Weymouth community
Technical details
- Research item:
G13-RI-000045 - Graph revision:
244 - Machine-readable JSON:
/assets/g13-graph/findings/G13-RI-000045.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.