404 Cornelius and Barnabas Soul to President Wadsworth

    Northyarmouth January 27, 1732/3

    Reverend Sir

    We the subscribers, having received your Letter to the Reverend Mr. Ammiruhamah Cutter, Bareing date December 26, 1732, with his desires that we should fulfill your desires theirin expressed have procead as folowes viz. went to Marricaneag the last week in our jorney met with Capt. Williams Woodside, who informed us he built an House upon the Neck the Last Summer under Purrinton and Cole under which Title he had a Lease of the whole Neck untill it should be divided and had leased out said House with all his Right in the Neck, unto one John Orr, who then lived in it. We went to the said House which stands a considerable distance within Northyarmouth Line, and is worth more than all other buildings upon the Neck. Said Or showed us his Lease which we found according to our former information, viz. Capt. William Woodside of Brunswick Leases unto John Orr, of Brunswick, yeoman his House on Merricaneag Neck with all his Right and Title in the Neck from May 26, 1732 the space of seven years, said Orr employs four men in his service who have cut and hald out a prity many chords of wood and intend to make it some Hundreds by the spring. Whilst we were at Orrs one William Macnes yeoman, informed us that he had a House a small distance above in which he had lived some years, and improved under the same Lease with Capt. Woodside who had the Lease between them which was in Woodsides Lands. They informed us there was no other inhabitant upon the Neck between the two carrying Places, but Moses Geychel and his son Smith who were formerly under Purrinton and Cole but for the sake of ten Pounds were turned and were under the Pejepskut Company and that their house stands just below the uper carrying place, very near where Yarmouth Line crosses the Neck, but the Man was not at home. They informed also that no body Lived below the Lower Carrying Place but Col. Harmon, and his company, who was under the Pejepskut Company, and a company of young men under Purrington. We traveled down the Neck a Space and found two men curing a Pine Tree, who informed us they were the fore said Gaychel and Smith. Gaychel told Us that he had a Lease under Col. Wintrup of all the Land between the uper and lower Carrying Places which Lease was in Col Westbrooks hands, but it was up and he was very willing to take a Lease from the Coleage. They shewed us where the Lower Carrying Place was, and then we traviled down below it, and found the said Company of the young men, who told us the cheif of their Company was Samuel Merril of Salsburough yeoman, who shewed us a writing which he said was a Coppy of his fathers deed, and the Bounds mentioned in said Coppy was the 32 part of all the Land from the Lower Carrying Place which begins at Scogin Cove to the uper Carrying Place which deed was from one of the Heirs of Mr. Purrington. We asked the man how he came to work out his bounds, he said that Mr. [Boone?] said the Carrying Place was below them, but there was a man their that said Col. Harmon had inquired of many of the old Indians who said Widgin Cove whare the Carrying Place begun was above them. They said they had work their ever since Last summer. We left them in a fright for fear their wood would be seased and Stumpes Measured and them selves undone. We went to Colonols and he informed us he had Lived upon the Neck by fitts thirteen years and two years agon had taken a Lease from Colonel Wintrup and Partners of all the Land below the Lower Carrying Place and himself was the man that must be sewed for that Part of the Neck and that his name was Johnson Harmon and the sooner it was tryed the better. He told us that he had ten men in his company and that was all that worked within his bounds, but three or four men under Purrington and Cole but they were quite out of their bounds. We found No other inhabitant upon the Neck then what are mentioned. We found No Land cleared, nor fenced unless stock yard, hog stie hovel or the like. The account of the Number of men in all amounted to twenty three which we observed make it there whole busness to cut and carry of the best of the wood and timber and we judged they had got five hundred Coards of wood cut and Great Part of it out upon the Landing places besides Timber and Spaires. These are the informations we had, and we Doubt not of the truth of them and so subscribe our selves, your Most Humble Servants

    Cornelius Soul

    Barnabas Soul

    [Endorsed:] Received Feb. 28, 1732/3 Answered to Mr. Cutter Mar. 7, 1732/3.

    [Addressed:] To Reverend Mr. Benjamin Wadsworth, President of Harvard College in Cambridg.

    Merricaneag Neck Papers.