men should provide a house for him while his house was being built. The
agreement which the selectmen made with Captain John Barnet with
reference to this house is given in such curious detail in the old
records, and suggests so much, that it is well worth reading. It is as
follows:--

"That the said Barnet shall erect a House on the Land where Mr. Ezekiel
Cheever Lately dwelt, of forty foot Long Twenty foot wide and Twenty
foot stud with four foot Rise in the Roof, to make a cellar floor under
one half of S'd house and to build a Kitchen of Sixteen foot in
Length and twelve foot in breadth with a Chamber therein, and to Lay the
floors flush through out the maine house and to make three paire of
Stayers in y'e main house and one paire in the Kitchen and to Inclose
s'd house and to do and complete all carpenters worke and to find all
timber boards clapboards nayles glass and Glaziers worke and Iron worke
and to make one Cellar door and to finde one Lock for the Outer door of
said House, and also to make the Casements for S'd house, and perform
S'd worke and to finish S'd building by the first day of August
next. In consideration whereof the Selectmen do agree that the S'd
Capt. Barnet shall have the Old Timber boards Iron worke and glass of
the Old house now Standing on S'd Land and to pay unto him the Sum of
one hundred and thirty pounds money, that is to say forty pounds down in
hand and the rest as the worke goes on."


Then follows the agreement for the "masons' worke" in all its details.
Later on, in March, 1702, there is some discussion as to how far back
from the street the house should be placed. But in June of that year the
house is up, for the worthy dignities order that "Capt. John Barnard do
provide a Raysing Dinner for the Raysing the Schoolmasters House at the