Founders of Palmer, Massachusetts

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Founders of Palmer, Massachusetts

Or The Elbow Tract as it was then known

The first white settler of Palmer is held to be John King, however the early settlers of what was then known as the Elbow Tract were settlers without legal claim to the land - having neither charter from the King nor consent from the goverment of Massachusetts Bay. "...John King, and the Springfield men, and the Scott families were only squatters, living there without right and title to the land they occupied.” Temple, Josiah Howard. ^[1]

A group of 56 sent a petition to the General Court in 1732 asking to have their claims validated and the Court assigned a committee to investigate. The following year their findings were presented to the Court. Here listed are the claims that were validated and settlements awarded.

For more details see Temple, Josiah Howard. History of the Town of Palmer, Massachusetts (The Town of Palmer, Springfield, Mass., 1889)

The names of the settlers confirmed by the General Court are listed below together with their "lott" assignments. Links to their Wikitree profiles are included if the bio included a reference to Palmer and/or Hampshire/Hampden County. (Hampden being formed from Hampshire.) If a confirmed link to Palmer could not be determined, it's included below the name.

1. Jethro Eames (1692-aft.1740)

   • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out

2. Peter Backus

   • Awarded 100 acre lott that was laid out to Benjamin Stebbins

3. Widow & Heirs of Andrew Bailey

   • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

4. John Bemon signed 1732 petition

   • [John Beamon] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
   • Possibly John (Beaman) Beamon (abt.1649-1740)

5. Nicholas Blancher signed 1732 petition, Lot assigned to wife & eldest son

   • "Wife & Eldest son of Nicholas Blancher" Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out "to provide for themselves and the younger children"

6. George Booth

   • Assignee of James Mack Elwain Awarded 64 acre lott laid out to Joseph Right and Joseph Right Jun.

7. James Breakenridge (1721-1783) signed 1732 petition

   • [James Brakenridge] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

8. John Brooks signed 1732 petition

   • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
   • Probable relative of Benjamin Brooks (1671-1755)

9. Joseph Brooks signed 1732 petition

   • Assignee of David Ingersole Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out
   • Probable relative of Benjamin Brooks (1671-1755)

10. Samuel Brooks signed 1732 petition

    • Probable relative of Benjamin Brooks (1671-1755)

11. Matthew Brown signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Possibly Matthew Brown (1676-1766)

12. Joseph Chadwick

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out

13. Thomas Chapin

    • Awarded 70 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Possibly Thomas Chapin (1694-1781)

14. Jonathan Chapin Jr

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Possibly son of Jonathan Chapin (1711-1780)

15. John Combs

    • Assignee of Samuel Bedortha Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out
    • Possibly John Coombs (abt.1670-1732)

16. Obadiah Cooley II (1678-1764)

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out to Obadiah Cooley Jr

17. Obadiah Cooley III (1705-)

    • [Obadiah Cooley Jr] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

18. William Crawford signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

19. Abel Curtice

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out

20. Nathaniel Dewey

    • Awarded 60 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

21. Samuel Doolittle (1685-1736) signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

22. Robert Doonlop signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 70 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

23. James Dorchester (1685-) signed 1732 petition, Lot assigned to Ebenezer Mirick

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

24. James Dorchester (1710-)

    • [James Dorchester Jr] Awarded 70 acre lot

25. Andrew Farrand signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Possibly a relative of Thomas Farrand (abt.1725-)

26. Thomas Farrand

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

27. Robert Farrell signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

28. Joseph Fleming (abt.1673-1757) Joseph Flamont signed 1732 petition

    • [Joseph Fleming] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

29. Samuel Frost

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out
    • Possibly Samuel Frost Jr. (1664-1739)

30. Daniel Fuller signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

31. Humphrey Gardner (1699-1769) signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

32. Joseph Gerish? signed 1732 petition (question mark by the author Temple)
33. Elisha Hall (abt.1680-abt.1748) signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

34. Robert Harper signed 1732 petition
35. Rev John Harvey signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

36. John Henderson signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

37. Thomas Hill signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out

38. Thomas Jennings signed 1732 petition

    • Assignee of Thomas Sweetman Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

39. John Kilburn

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

40. Benjamin Kilburn

    • Awarded 100 acre lott

41. Samuel Kilburn

    • Awarded 100 acre lott between "his Father Kilburn's Lot and Joseph Right's"

42. Daniel Killam signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

43. John Aaron King II (1681-1744)

    • [John King] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

44. John King (1714-1778)

    • [John King Jr] Awarded 100 acre lott that was laid out to Richard Combs

45. James Lamberton (1700-aft.1726) signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

46. James Lamont [Lemmon] signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Possible father of Samuel Lammon (1753-1834)

47. Thomas Litel signed 1732 petition

    • [Thomas Little] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

48. Andrew MacKee signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

49. James Macquiston

    • Awarded 70 acre lot

50. James McClelan signed 1732 petition

    • [James Mack Clelan] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

51. Thomas McClelan signed 1732 petition

    • [Thomas McClenathan] Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

52. Timothy McElwain signed 1732 petition
53. James McElwain signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

54. Isaac McGune/Magoon signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

55. Isaac McGune/Magoon Jr signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

56. Barnard (McNitt) McNutt (abt.1695-1773) signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

57. Ebenezer Mirick

    • Assignee of James Dorchester Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Probably Ebenezer Merrick (1703-1779)

58. John Moor

    • Assignee of Joseph Dorchester Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

59. James Moor

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

60. Aaron Nelson signed 1732 petition
61. Samuel Nivens signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

62. David Nivens signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out to John Dorchester

63. Robert Nivens signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out to John Dorchester

64. Daniel Parsons signed 1732 petition

    • Possibly Daniel Parsons (1685-1774)

65. Benjamin Parsons signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

66. Aaron Parsons signed 1732 petition

    • Possibly Aaron Parsons (1712-1795) son of Daniel above

67. John Paterson

    • Assignee of Andrew Farrand Awarded 60 acre lott settled on & laid out

68. William Paterson

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out

69. Duncan Quinton (1694-1776) signed 1732 petition

    • Assignee of Thomas Farrand Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

70. Andrew Rutherford signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & laid out

71. John Scot

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

72. William Scot

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

73. Samuel Shaw signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

74. William Shaw signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

75. James Shearer Sr. (1678-1745) signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

76. William Sloan signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

77. Patrick Smith signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

78. Steward Southgate (1703-1764)

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Also 70 acre lot for building a saw mill
    • Also 100 acre lott - 67 that was laid out to Moses Olds plus 33 if he erects a grist mill within two years

79. David Spear (abt.1676-1760) signed 1732 petition
80. Robert Stanford

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

81. James Stephens

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

82. Alexander Tackels signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed
    • Possibly father of Alexander Tackels (1755-1842)

83. Robert Thomson signed 1732 petition

    • [Robert Thompson] Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

84. John Thomson

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out

85. Micah Tousley signed 1732 petition

    • Probably Michael Towsley Jr. (1684-) his son's profile refers to him as Micah

86. Jeremiah son of Jabez Umstead

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & laid out "adjoining the said Umstead's Farm"
    • Probably Jeremiah Olmsted (1714-1790) but profile does not confirm residence in Palmer

87. Elijah Vose signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 50 acre lott settled on & boundary changed "Northerly on his brother-in-law Andrew Mackee"

88. Joseph Wright signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed

89. Joseph Wright Jr signed 1732 petition

    • Awarded 100 acre lott settled on & boundary changed