John Fuller Of Newton

First Division of the Fuller Farm – 1699    

John Fuller of Newton died 7 Feb 1697/98[1]. Just over two years later his five sons entered into an agreement for the division of the land within the Fuller Farm area[2] into ownership of each of the five sons based on the wishes of their father as set out in his Will. Three sons; John, Jonathan and Jeremiah lived on farmsteads within the Farm area and the other two; Joshua and Joseph, owned some land within the farm area but lived on land elsewhere in Newton. Based on John Sr.’s Will, we know that each son received about 200 acres and we know that he purchased a farm from Jeremiah Mass, which Joseph received as well as another farm where Joshua lived at the time of John’s death.

To accommodate the new land owners[3], the 1699 agreement also add a highway through the middle of the Fuller Farm from the east edge of the farm nearest Newtonville, to the farmstead on the west edge of the Farm. Originally this roadway was for the exclusive use and benefit of the land owners within the Farm. The highway was eventually taken over by the town of Newton as a general public way in 1751 in accordance to a 1730 agreement among the land owners at that date and basically the road still exists today as Craft Street west then along Waltham street west. 

March 25, 1699/1700 Agreement[4]

March 25, 1699/1700 agreement-Transcribed   

The Agreement of the five sons of Mr. John Fuller their Hounered father who deceased February: 7: 1697: or 8: in the division of the farme left to them by their hounered father as it lyeth within the bounds of Newton in the county of midlesex containing seven hundred eighty and eight acres. John Fuller, Jonathan Fuller, Joseph Fuller. Joshua Fuller, Jeremiah Fuller we do all of us and every one of us agree and consent to the division of the said farme as followeth First that there shall bee an open high way two rods wide from the division lying at the west end of said farme downe to Chescake brook and from Chescake brook to the line over the longe bridge one rod wide and whosoever shall have and posess the homested the place of our hounered father’s dwelling he shall have the liberty to hang one cart gate at the brook and another at John Parks line over the long bridge and the high way to bee where it is most suitable for every one of us farther we do all agree that this high way shall be made and maintained from tim[e] to tim[e] and at all tim[e]s as need requireth by us our heires and asignes for ever: 2ly:* John Fuller haveing two hundred and three acres of up land and meadow it lying where he now liveth and is bounded on the east with Chesecake brook north with Charles river and west with the same river South with Jonathan Joseph Joshua and Jeremiah Fullers lands farther the s[ai]d John Fuller hath the said antient [ancient] dwelling hous[e]  and two and twenty acres of the land and meadow lying by it and is bounded east with the land of John Parks north with the high way west with the land of Jonathan Fuller south with the lands and meadow of said Joshua Fuller and the above said John Fuller doth: quite Claime to any farthe[r]: righ[t] or interest in the above said farme:3ly* Jonath[a]n Fuller having sixty one acres of upland and meadow it lying where he now liveth and is bounded east with the land of John Rinay north with Charles river west with Chesecak[e] brook again north with John Fuller west with the land of Jerem[iah] Fuller south with the high way farther said Jonathan Fuller hath fifty four acres of upland it lying upon the south side of the high way and is bounded east with the land of said John Fuller north with the high way west with the land of said Jeremiah Fuller south with the land of Capt. Isaac Williams south east with the (with the) land of Joseph Fuller farther the said Jon[athan] Fuller hath ninty seven acres of upland it lying to the west end of the farme and it is bounded on the east with land of said Joseph Fuller next to [p14]

with the land of said John Fuller west with the land of said Joshua Fuller south with the land for said Williams and the said Jonathan Fuller doth quite claime to any … farther right or intrest in the above said farme: 4ly:* Joseph Fuller hath fifty acres of land lying in the mid[d]le of the farme and is bounded east with the land of Jeremiah Fuller north with the land of John Fuller west with the land of Jonathan Fuller south with the land of said Williams farther the said Joseph Fulle[r] twenty eight acres of upland and meadow it lying adjoining to John Parke and is bounded on east with the land of John Parke north with the land and meadow of said Joshua Fuller west with the land of said Jonath[an] Fuller south with the land of said Williams farther … Joseph Fuller hath a third part of the meadow called by the name of the lower meadow be the same more or less … it lying within the bounds of Johns two hundred and three acres and said Jonathans sixty one acres and the said Joseph Fuller doth quit claime to any farther right or interest in the above said farme: 5ly:* Joshua Fuller hath fifty three acres lying at the west end of the farme and is bounded east with the land of said Jonathan Fuller north with the land of said John Fuller west with the Charles River south with the land of said Williams farther Joshua Fuller hath seven acres of upland and meadow it lying across the two great meadows that lyeth upon Chescake brook and is bounded east with the land of John Parke north with the land and meadow of John Fuller west with the land of said Jonathan Fuller south with the land and meadow of said Joseph Fuller and the above said Joshua Fuller doth quiet claim to any farther right or interest in the above said farme–6ly:* Jeremiah Fuller hath two hundred and two acres of upland and meadow it lying where he now liveth and is bounded east with the land of said Jonathan Fuller north east with a small part of the said highway and said Jonathan’s land north with the land of said John Fuller west with the land of said Joseph Fuller south with the land of said Williams and the aforesaid Jeremiah Fuller doth quiet claim to any farther right or interest in the above said farme: 7ly:* farther we do all and every one of us agree and consent that each and every one of us our heirs executors administrators and asignes [p15]    

for ever shall have liberty of free passing over each other’s land without making satisfaction forth same as ocasion shall serve for going one foot riding or carting what so ever and for driving of catle and it shall be where it may be most convenient with least damage :8ly:* farther the said Joseph Fuller and Joshua Fuller is to have a cart way to them their heirs and asignes for ever over the meadow lying upon the east side of cheescake brook from the north end of the iland in the same meadow to the ne[a]rest point upland north and this way to be made by John Joseph and Joshua Fuller :9ly:* farther theire is reserved half an acre of land upon the clay ground within the bounds of said John Fulllers land for every one of us for diging clay :10ly:* and to all the fore mentioned pertickelers we do all and every one of us :viz: John Fuller Jonathan Fuller Joseph Fuller Joshua Fuller Jeremiah Fuller agree and consent too and do for ourselves our heirs executors administrators and out asigns for ever : in witness whereof we set to our hands and seales this twenty fift day of march and domini one thousand six hundred and ninty and nine in the eleventh year of the Reigne of our Soverign Lord William the third of England King ….

In presens of us
Isaac Williams
Thomas Oliver
Abraham Jackson
 
* further action by number
John Fuller  his + mark
Jonathan Fuller
Joseph Fuller
Joshua Fuller
Jeremiah Fuller

 

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  1. Vital Records, Newton, MA, Deaths: “John Sr., Feb. 7, 1698. [1697-8. GR1]”. GR1 is the East Parish Burying Ground in Newton, MA, USA.
  2. The first official division of the land within the Fuller Farm area with the applicable acres by the name of each son including an itemized description in this 1699 agreement.
  3. Land holdings within the original Fuller Farm area for each son as described in this 1699 agreement.
Name Acres Acres Itemize
John 225 203  

22

John Fuller haveing two hundred and three acres of up land and meadow it lying where he now liveth and is bounded on the east with Chesecake brook north with Charles river and west with the same river South with Jonathan Joseph Joshua and Jeremiah Fullers lands
-farther the s[ai]d John Fuller hath the said antient [ancient] dwelling hous[e]  and two and twenty acres of the land and meadow lying by it and is bounded east with the land of John Parks north with the high way west with the land of Jonathan Fuller south with the lands and meadow of said Joshua Fuller and the above said John Fuller doth: quite Claime to any farthe[r]: righ[t] or interest in the above said farme
Jonathan 212 61  

 

 

 

54

 

 

 

97

Jonathan Fuller having sixty one acres of upland and meadow it lying where he now liveth and is bounded east with the land of John Rinay north with Charles river west with Chesecak[e] brook again north with John Fuller west with the land of Jerem[iah] Fuller south with the high way
-farther said Jonathan Fuller hath fifty four acres of upland it lying upon the south side of the high way and is bounded east with the land of said John Fuller north with the high way west with the land of said Jeremiah Fuller south with the land of Capt. Isaac Williams south east with the land of Joseph Fuller
-farther the said Jonathan Fuller hath ninty seven acres of upland it lying to the west end of the farme and it is bounded on the east with land of said Joseph Fuller next to  with the land of said John Fuller west with the land of said Joshua Fuller south with the land for said Williams and the said Jonathan Fuller doth quite claime to any … farther right or intrest in the above said farme:
Joseph 78 50  

 

 

28

 

 

 

1/3

 

Joseph Fuller hath fifty acres of land lying in the mid[d]le of the farme and is bounded east with the land of Jeremiah Fuller north with the land of John Fuller west with the land of Jonathan Fuller south with the land of said Williams
-farther the said Joseph Fulle[r] twenty eight acres of upland and meadow it lying adjoining to John Parke and is bounded on east with the land of John Parke north with the land and meadow of said Joshua Fuller west with the land of said Jonath[an] Fuller south with the land of said Williams
-farther … Joseph Fuller hath a third part of the meadow called by the name of the lower meadow be the same more or less … it lying within the bounds of Johns two hundred and three acres and said Jonathans sixty one acres and the said Joseph Fuller doth quit claime to any farther right or interest in the above said farme
Joshua 60 53  

 

 

7

Joshua Fuller hath fifty three acres lying at the west end of the farme and is bounded east with the land of said Jonathan Fuller north with the land of said John Fuller west with the Charles River south with the land of said Williams
-farther Joshua Fuller hath seven acres of upland and meadow it lying across the two great meadows that lyeth upon Chescake brook and is bounded east with the land of John Parke north with the land and meadow of John Fuller west with the land of said Jonathan Fuller south with the land and meadow of said Joseph Fuller and the above said Joshua Fuller doth quiet claim to any farther right or interest in the above said farme
Jeremiah 202 202 Jeremiah Fuller hath two hundred and two acres of upland and meadow it lying where he now liveth and is bounded east with the land of said Jonathan Fuller north east with a small part of the said highway and said Jonathan’s land north with the land of said John Fuller west with the land of said Joseph Fuller south with the land of said Williams and the aforesaid Jeremiah Fuller doth quiet claim to any farther right or interest in the above said farme
Roadway 11   [Assume as the agreement says the farm are 788 acres in total.]
TOTAL 788    

 4.   This is a copy of the 1699 agreement taken from page 13-15 of the original Newton ‘Town Book’. We assume the town clerk copied the agreement into these pages from the original agreement. The repository for this Town Book is the Newton Archives, 330 Homer Street, Newton Centre, Newton, MA 02459, USA.