Mitchel Farm

The Mitchel Farm was the grant of five hundred acres on the Shawsheen River that the church of Cambridge made on June 9, 1652 to its pastor, the Rev. Jonathan Mitchel. Henry A. Hazen placed it south-east of Captain Gookin's farm, and of the great farms on the river it was the only one that did not bound on the Woburn line. Most of it was bought by Michael Bacon, and it lies today in the north-east part of Bedford, in the part of Billerica that became Bedford in 1729.

When the church divided Shawshin among the proprietors in June 1652 it set apart three farms before the lots were drawn: "To Mr. Michell, five hundred acres. To Edw. Oakes, three hundred acres. To Thomas Oakes, one hundred and fifty acres." These were to be laid out "by a committee with as little prejudice to any lot as may be, and so not to draw any lot." On March 16, 1662-3 the town appointed William Tay and George Farley "to Lay out a highway from the Towne, leading to Mr. Michell's farme, and to ye land ye was Layd out for Mr. Edward Oaks' farme," four poles wide; this became the road to Bacon's mill, the present Lexington Road.

Mitchel died on July 9, 1668. The inventory of his estate, taken for his widow as administratrix and attested at Cambridge on October 6, 1668, valued his Cambridge house, barn, orchard and house lot at 180 pounds and "a farme upon Shawshen river containing about 500 acres of upland and medow more or less" at 250 pounds; the whole estate came to 786 pounds 17 shillings 9 pence. Elder Champney's will of 1669 left five pounds to Mitchel's son Nathaniel.

Michael Bacon, a grandson of Michael Bacon of Dedham, bought about three hundred acres of the farm, "situated on Shawshin river, above the Wyman farm, and in the north-east part of what became Bedford." Hazen gives the purchase as January 1660-1 and thought Bacon may have leased the land first, since his children were recorded in Billerica only after 1671. The farm was still whole in Mitchel's inventory of 1668, so the purchase was later than Hazen's date. In March 1680 the town granted Bacon forty acres "adjoining Mrs. Mitchell's farm, on the south-east of Shawshin river, and reaching almost to John Wilson's saw mill," so the widow still held part of the grant. Bacon died on August 13, 1707, intestate; his son Jonathan Bacon, a blacksmith, administered the estate, whose inventory held no land. Jonathan lived on the Bacon farm along the Shawshin, and in 1699 the selectmen licensed him to sell victuals and drink.

The deed by which Bacon bought the farm has not yet been found in the registry.

References

1. Hazen, History of Billerica (1883), p. 12: church division of June 9, 1652, to Mr. Michell five hundred acres, to Edward Oakes 300 and Thomas Oakes 150
2. Hazen, History of Billerica (1883), p. 15: besides the farms of Collins, Dunster, Gookin, Mitchell and the brothers Oakes, Cambridge grants above 9800 acres
3. Hazen, History of Billerica (1883), p. 41: Mr. Mitchel's 500-acre grant south-east of Gookin, the only one of these farms not bounding on Woburn line
4. Hazen, History of Billerica (1883): the highway of March 1662-3 leading to Mr. Michell's farm and Mr. Edward Oaks' farm, the Lexington Road
5. Hazen, Genealogical Register: BACON 1, Michael bought about 300 acres granted to the Rev. Mr. Mitchell, in the north-east part of Bedford; 1680 grant by Mrs. Mitchell's farm

Title References Expand all

Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted; Probate # is a Middlesex probate case, Ctf a Land Court certificate of title.