Town Meeting Minutes, Salem 1700

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At a General Towne Meeting held March 17^th – 1700.

Land on Beverly	Voted That ye1 Piece of Land yt2 was laid out for ye use of ye Ferry on Beverly side is left to ye Selectmen to Look after –
Beverly Ferry	Voted That ye Widow Haskins shall have ye use of ye Ferry leading to Beverly Together with John Massey for ye Term of Seven years Provided She gives good security yt ye Ferry shall be well kept & yt She pay for the use of ye same as selectmen shall agree with her.
To Agree abt B. Ferry	Voted It is left to ye Selectmen to agree with John Massey and ye Widow Haskins for ye rent of ye Ferry leading to Beverly for ye Term of Seven years, which said Rent is to be, as before, for use of a Grammar School3
Geo Lockier Const.	Voted that ye Town accepts of Mr. George Lockier to serve as Constable4 in ye Room instead of Mr. Timothy Lindall to perform ye Service of a Constable for ye Year Ensuing5
Village New Meeting	Voted That ye consideration of ye Motion of our Neighbors of ye Village Concerning some help towards building a New Meetinghouse6 is left Till next Town Meeting, when a Tax shall be Raised
Strip of land	Voted That Daniel Andrew & Joseph Putnam are appointed to view a strip of Land by John Walcott’s & to Make Report of it to ye next Town Meeting
Highway to ye Ferry	Voted That it is left to ye Selectmen to Consider about & lay out a highway Through Skerry’s Land directly leading to ye Ferry –
View ye lands	Voted That it is to be left to ye Selectmen to Take a View of ye Land adjoining to ye seventy Acres Let to Cromwell & Company, and to Make Report thereof to ye Next Towne Meeting —
Jno Browne, Const	Voted That another Constable be Chosen instead of Capt John Browne, Mr. Thomas Downing is Chosen Constable in ye Rooms of Capt. John Browne for the Year Ensuing — —
Gent	At A Meeting of ye Selectmen – March 21 1700 — Ordered that ye Proprietor’s of a General field, near James Holton’s have liberty to Build a Pound7 & maintain the Same at their own Cost and Charge in some suitable Place with said field – which shall be a Lawful Pound —– Samuel Ingersoll chosen Sealer of Weights and Measures8 In Presence of Constable Wakefield & Constable Batter

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1 Ye = ”the”
2 Yt = ”that”
3 Grammar school = elementary school
4 Constable = policeman
5 Year ensuing = ’the next year”
6 Meeting house = both a church and a town meeting hall for public meetings
7 Pound = a holding space for wandering animals, so they don’t damage townspeople’s property or eat crops
8 Sealer of Weights and Measures = a town job that checks the town scales so that taxes paid on goods brought into the town are accurate