Proprietors Land Records
Proprietors Land Records
These records, known generally as the "Proprietor Records" include the sale of shares from native Americans (Wasomeguin and Wamsutta) to the white settlers in 1652 (pp. 1-2 and claims of others on the "proprietors" from earlier periods beginning mid 1600s.) These claims are followed by journals of Benjamin Crane's surveys of Proprietor property. Many claims are recorded much later than the agreement. In 1872 these records were copied from the originals of the Land Records of the Proprietors of Old Dartmouth and are found at the New Bedford Registry of Deeds in two volumes. Those two volumes were digitized and the resulting files are provided here. Some indication of the information on each file is provided. These are complicated and in some cases somewhat difficult to read. Volume 1 1652-1719 and Volume 2 1725-1846.