Timeline of Salem's Town Divisions

History of Salem Vol.1 pages 310 & 311 & 316 & 317
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TOWN

Capsulated from pages 310 & 311
In the spring of 1629 Governor Endicott started dividing the land into lots. The quantity of land assigned to each person were to be of equal proportion, but the adventurers and some others had larger shares based on the amounts they had contributed to the common stock, the number of servants or cattle they had sent over. The ordinary sized parcels were drawn by lot.

The names of the adventurers with the several sums they had underwritten were sent to Governor Edicott who was authorized to allot to each adventurer or his assigns who desired, at the rate of two hundred acres of land in the first division for each fifty pounds adventured in the general stock.

Each person who came over at his own expense and was an adventurer in the common stock had 50 acres of land allotted to him and 50 more for each family member and as much more as the governor and council deemed necessary according to his expenses and standing.

To those that had transported servants, land was allotted at the rate of fifty acres for each servant; and, if the master was responsible for or had paid the cost of the servant's transportation and wage, in order to recover what he had paid, he was entitled to sell the land.
Salem was laid out between the North and South rivers.

pages 316 & 317
Salem was never incorporated until it received a charter as a city in 1836. Its origin as a municipality is unique. At first, it was the only settlement within the territory of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When other settlements were made within the borders of the colony, it became necessary to establish division lines between them.

So the settlement of Agawam or Ipswich caused,the line north of Wenham and Manchester to be established;
the settlement of Gloucester induced the eastern line of Manchester to be determined;
and the settlement of Lynn caused the western boundary of Salem to be fixed.
Wenham was detached from Salem in 1643;
Manchester in 1645;
Marblehead in 1648;
Beverly in 1668;
and Danvers in 1752;
leaving the territory of Salem practically as it is at present. [ Note: In 1924 DJ.] It is the survival of many eliminations.





The origin of its town government is as interesting and peculiar as its beginning as a town. Originally, Salem was locally under the immediate control of the governor and council; but after the general court had been transferred to Newtown, the freemen of Salem held town meetings, granted land, made orders relating to its affairs and appointed a number of themselves to carry on the routine business of the settlement. The duties of the latter were similar to those of the later boards of selectmen.

The freemen appearing to have thus acted for the town before March 3, 1635-6, were John Endecott, William Trask, Philip Verrin, Townsend Bishop, John Holgrave, Edmond Batter, Thomas Gardner, Roger Conant and Jeffrey Massy.

The number of the settlements had so increased that the general court had too many important duties to which to attend to give its attention to the ordinary affairs of the individual towns, and, March 3, 1635-6, definitely provided that the freemen in each town be empowered to dispose of their own land and make such orders as might concern the well ordering of their town, enforce penalties for their breach, not exceeding one pound, and to choose their own officers, such as constables and surveyors of highways.

Town of Salem lot divisions:
Salem North River
North Field Lots
South Field Lots