Resident asks Rockingham County to recognize Taylor family; attorney recounts negotiated eminent-domain outcome

Resident Jill Taylor Center asked the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 28 to place a plaque or other recognition honoring the Taylor family’s long history in Brentwood and its land transfers with the county.
The request came with an explanation from Charlton Swayze, who identified himself in the meeting as an attorney and said he represented or advised the Taylors when the county sought to acquire part of their property in the early 1970s. Swayze told commissioners the family received a “notice of intent to take by eminent domain” but then negotiated a direct transfer with the county without filing court condemnation proceedings.
Why it matters: If the county wishes to place a formal recognition, the commissioners must decide whether to act and how to document the Taylor family’s history, because public records may not show court eminent-domain filings when a negotiated transfer resolves the claim.
Swayze said he was “there when this happened” and that his advice to the Taylor family was to try to negotiate because litigation would be costly. He described the common pattern: “When the eminent domain notice comes in, the elephants are on the march, and you’re not gonna stop them,” and advised negotiation so the family could obtain the best possible terms. He told the board that because the parties negotiated rather than litigated, “you’re not gonna find any record” of court proceedings or condemnations.
Commissioners and other officials in the room questioned the documentary trail. One commissioner noted that deed records for the period do not show a conveyance matching the family’s account; Swayze and the resident said deed searching can miss negotiated resolutions or transfers that were recorded under different instruments. Jill Taylor Center said family lore and fragments of historical information indicate land transfers to the county occurred in the mid-20th century and again in the early 1970s, and she asked for at least a plaque acknowledging the family’s contributions.
Discussion, direction, and next steps: The board did not take formal action on the request during the public comment period. Commissioners said they would discuss the request further and follow up with the resident. One commissioner asked staff to “reach out to me and let me know absolutely what you decide,” and the chair said someone would contact Taylor Center with next steps.
No statutes, ordinances or formal condemnations were cited during the public comments; the attorney used descriptive language about the eminent-domain process rather than citing a specific New Hampshire statute.