As the first volume of Stratford land records were destroyed in 1650, early records of English settlement are not available. In 1661, the Stratford selectmen voted to allow all inhabitants the liberty of taking up a whole division of land anywhere they could find fit planting ground, as long as it was not within two miles (3 km) of the town meeting house.
Due to the loss of the first Stratford land records in 1650, there is a lack of early English settlement information. In 1661, the Stratford selectmen voted to enable all residents to claim any suitable piece of land as long as it was at least two miles (3 km) away from the town hall.