Lucius R. Paige, History of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630-1877, with a genealogical register

[124] “outlands,” or common lands not yet divided, should be granted to the petitioners. The Court listened thus far to the remonstrance, and preserved to the town the ownership of this public property, some of which was afterwards sold to the precinct. Two such sales are entered on the Town Records, under date of Jan. 16, 1692-3. It should be added, that these financial transactions indicate a friendly spirit in both parties, the separation having apparently been effected without such sharp controversy as occurred in the case of Newton. In the same spirit, March 11, 1699-1700, the town “voted, to give the little meeting-house bell to the Farmers. Voted, that the Selectmen, in the name of the inhabitants, do give their thanks to Capt. Andrew Belcher for the bell for their meeting-house he has given them.”

Twenty-one years after their establishment as a precinct, the Farmers, according to their original design, sought to be entirely separated from the town of Cambridge, and to be a “township by themselves.” This separation was readily obtained on terms satisfactory to both parties. The Cambridge records show that,— “At a meeting of the inhabitants belonging to the meeting house in the Body of the town of Cambridge, orderly convened the 1st December 1712, Capt. Thomas Oliver was chosen Moderator. And whereas the Farmers, at their public meeting on the 28th of October last, appointed a committee to petition the town that they may be dismissed from the town, and be a township by themselves, as appears by their petition bearing date the 6th November, 1712, which has been now read; voted, That Capt. Thomas Oliver, Mr. Jonathan Remington, and Andrew Bordman, be a Committee to treat with the Committee appointed by the Farmers aforesaid; and that the articles to be proposed to the said Committee, as terms of their dismission, are their paying a part toward the charge of the Great Bridge, and to the Town House, and a consideration for some of our Poor.” The meeting was then adjourned until Jan. 12, 1712-3, at which time it was “Voted, That the Farmers, upon their being dismissed from the town, shall annually pay to our Town Treasurer such a proportion of our part of the charge of the Great Bridge over Charles River in Cambridge as shall fall to them according to their annual proportion with us in the Province Tax. (2) Voted, That the said Farmers shall pay their proportion of twenty-five pounds toward the arrears of our Town House. The aforesaid articles being complied with by the Farmers. Voted (3) That the article that has been proposed, referring to their paying their ”