My son is working on an underground boring rig in Plymouth. He is boring in a very wealthy neighborhood. The residents come out to watch them bore and talk to them. Are they putting him on? They tell him that they are English citizens and their ground is English owned ground - called Commonwealth ...something. That parts of Plymouth were deeded to the crown and then to these English folks.

I said " I don't know about that, but I'll bet someone on the forum will."

-- homestead2 (homestead@localnetplus.com), December 08, 2001

Answers

I am a Native of Massachusetts, as a youth I spent my summers in the Plymouth area. Both sides of my Mother's Family are Decendents of the Mayflower. My Ancestors owned the land where the Myle Standish Monument stands and for over 200 years owned much of the land surronding it. With all that said, I have never heard of any lands there belonging to the English. All of Massachusetts is known as a Commonwealth as is Virgina. Tell your Son to tell them folks that they are full of S__T! And I said so!

-- Mark in N.C. Fla. (deadgoatman@webtv.net), December 09, 2001.

There are four Commonwealths in the U.S. - Massachusettes, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. A commonwealth is merely a group joined together for a common purpose, usually politically. No land in the U.S. is part of a foreign country, nor would anyone living there be potential citizens of that country merely by living on it. Say England buys property and builds an embassy on it. Technically they 'own' the property, but it is not physically a portion of their country, although it is treated by all other others as if it were. Their British citizens working/living there cannot become U.S. citizens merely by that fact. They have to go through the same naturalization procedures as everyone else if they wanted to become U.S. citizens.

The folks talking to him might be British citizens, but their status would be resident aliens.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 09, 2001.

Growing up in Massachusetts I always knew it was a Commonwealth and not a state but I have never heard of land being English. We have property up in Newfoundland that was deeded to my family by the king. My father was a citizen of Britian until Newfoundland joined with Canada, I think in the early fifties. So even though the land was originally deeded by Great Britian it is now part of Canada. I wonder if that is a similiar situation with some families in Plymouth, Mass. The land may have been deeded way back to their family from England but as far as now it is part of the USA. I would ask where do they pay their property taxes?

RenieB

-- Irene Burt (renienorm@aol.com), December 09, 2001.

Why do I love this forum! Cause, I knew I would get my answer.

I thought the "English land" thing sounded a little far fetched, but , they had sure convinced him. My advice to him will be to - not try to tell them any different or argue the matter, just understand that they are incorrect - whether they told it to just "put him on" or whether they actually believe that - just let it go.

But, - thanks for the inf.

-- homestead2 (homestead@localnetplus.com), December 09, 2001.

I lived in Massachusetts, in Plymouth county for the first half of my life. I graduated from Plymouth Carver H.S. The land is ALL AMERICAN. no matter what those folks may think. MissJudi

-- MissJudi (JSELIG@CLEMSON.EDU), December 10, 2001.

Fine folks they are. Problem is, they tend to come to Maine as "tourists" And they do this during "tourist season". Unfortunately, the Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Game has refused to declare an open season. Too many deer - expand the deer hunting season. Too many ducks? Expand the duck season. I don't understand this tourist thing!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), December 11, 2001.