The next information is obtained from a deposition by Anthony Needham,
Thomas Gould and Isaac Needham, in 1730, taken "in perpetuam rei
memoriam" and recorded in the Registry, Book 54, Leaf 246, as
follows:--They testify that "they very well knew that Mr. John Procter
late of Salem, deceased, possessed in his own right for several years
before and untill ninety two[E] a certain tract of land situate in
Salem aforesaid containing about 15 acres, butting easterly on land
now in ye possession of Jonathan Flint, southerly and southwesterly on
the highway leading to Joseph Popes,[F] northwesterly and northerly on
land of the deponent Thomas Gould and northeasterly on land of Thomas
Needham. That the said John Procter had a house upon the abovesaid
land which he leased to one Stephen Fish[G] since let to one Lincoln
and to one Bates, who improved it under and in right of the said John
Procter. That Benjamin Procter son of the said John Procter possessed
and improved ye above described parcel of land from the year 1692
untill his decease which happened about fourteen years since. That
Mary the widow of said Benjamin Procter and her son John Procter have
possessed and improved the same right from the time of his decease
untill this day." The deposition is dated Jan. 7, 1730. The name of
"Bates pasture" applied to the Philip H. Saunders place in the deed
from Marsh, in 1863, suggests the thought that it may have been
derived from the Bates mentioned in the deposition as one of the
tenants of the John Procter house.
[Footnote E: 1692.]
[Footnote F: Now Lowell Street.]
[Footnote G: See above, the suit against Fish for rent.]
It only remains to trace the title of the John Procter lot to the
present time. It appears from various deeds and other records that the
title descended from John Procter to his son Benjamin, and then to his
son John, the grandson of the first named John Procter. From him it
passed to his son Benjamin, and then to this Benjamin's sons, James
and Francis Procter. Francis gave a deed of it to James April 19,
1802. Desire Procter, widow and administratrix of James Procter,
conveyed it to Zachariah King Aug. 9, 1811, describing it as "a
certain piece of land called the upper pasture situate in said Danvers
containing sixteen acres, be the same more or less, and is bounded as
follows, viz.--southerly on the highway, northwesterly and northerly
on land of John Gardner, Jr., northeasterly on land of Ezekiel Marsh,
and southeasterly on land of the said Zachariah King to the bound
first mentioned." Zachariah King conveyed the same to his daughter,
Desire Procter of Danvers, widow, Feb. 18, 1818.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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