The Proprietors' Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1635-1829

Settlement began in "New Towne," as Cambridge was then called in 1631 and the present name was adopted in 1638 in conjunction with the founding of Harvard College. It originally encompassed a wide area including all or part of Arlington, Brighton, and Lexington. This work consists of verbatim transcriptions of three volumes of records kept by the proprietors of Cambridge. The first volume covers 1634-1741 and 1636-1697, while the second  covers 1751-1773, and the third covers 1784-1829. These volumes record the actions of the proprietors and consist mainly of land grants and transfers, and minutes of their meetings for election of officers and other business. Because the descriptions of the tracts of land generally name all the adjoining land owners, and many residents served in minor offices, these records identify a great many of the residents of the town over this extended period of time.