Petition of Monson to be exempt from taxes. Province of New To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Hampshire Esqr Gov &c. the Hon his Majestys Councill & House of Represves Convened In Gen" Assembly Humbly Shews The Pet of the Inhabitants of Monson That Whereas they Have Recd a late Order to render into the Secretarys Office an Invoice of their poles & estates in order for apportioning the taxes Which we have done, and Woud Further beg leave to Remonstrate Our Infancy & Inability to bear any part of the publick Charge at present. That there is but thirty six poles in the Whole, Severall of them transiently hired for a short space to Labour or otherways there without any Estate: but twenty one Houses Cheifly Small Cottages only for a present Shelter the Charge of Building yet to Come on. That they are all plain men Dwelling in these tents, Husbandry their Employment their Improvements very small, their Lands yet to Subdue. The Progress much Retarded by their Necessity to work out of town the prime of the year or at Other Business to procure provision Tho the town is part of Old Dunstable it has always till now bin a frontier and Remained a totall Wilderness till within a few years the Owners under no Injunction of Settlement the Land very antiontly Granted to Gents in farms, & part of the Divisions of Dunstable Comon who still hold the Greatest part and Continue unimproved by Which means the few setlers are scattered all ab1 the town much Labour has & must be spent in Opening and making Roads & Bridges Causes &c that are of Present Necessity, a burthen of it self too Heavy for the Strength of the small weak nomber that is there, in the late war at the expence of Garisoning Scouting & Defending themselves Besides many Other charges they have & must go thro so therefore apprehend themselves utterly unable to Bear any part of the publick taxes as yet, but hope their Small Begining in time may become usefull if they may be nurssd & favoured now In their Infancy Wherefore your Pet" Humbly pray that they may be Considered in this their Infant & Chargable State & that they may not be taxed, till they are of ability to go thro their own necessary charge and when that shall be they will Chearfully Contribute according to their Power & shall ever pray &c In behalf of y* Inhabitants Prove N Hamp' April 25 1753. BENJ HOPKINS Selectmen The within Petition read & ordered to be Sent Down to the Honbl House of representatives. Theodore Atkinson Secy. Petition for annexation. Province of To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr New Hamp Governour &c the Honorable his Majesty's Coun cil The Petition of us the Subscribers Inhabitants of a tract of Land north of and adjoining to Monson Lying with no Incorporation of any town or District Humbly Shews That the Town of Monson in this Province is situated in Length East & West near eight miles & in Breth but about four miles & is Bounded on the Northerly Side by Souhegan River Both Sides of Which River is in the General Fruitfull & Profitable Land for Corn and Grass That if the Limits of the Town of Monson afores Were Inlarged on the North so as to add & Include the Following tract viz. to begin at the Northeast Corner of Monson on Sowhegan River & extend North by the line of Merrymac Two Miles, & to begin the next Station at the Northwest corner of Monson afors1 & to Run thence North two miles and strait line from thence to the two mil's end first menshioned and to Bound to the old Bounds of Monson Which will be an addition of about seven thousand acres and will Make the Said town of Monson In the Genereal about five miles & an half In Bredth. That the said River is Small and many Bridges are New and must Continue to be kept in Repair so that the Said River is of no Il convenience to the uniting the Incorporation as afors & will be for the Accomodation of Monson; Severall of us has for many years ben Settled there & at Heavy Expence made Our Improvements That we have not had the benefit of any Incorporation in any Town, nor see any Present Prospect unless wee are anexed to Monson That Monson then will be upwards of seven Miles the North Line and Lands to the North of them not Incorporated, so that it Can be no Predjiduce to any Incorporation of any number of people for the Future the Land Generealy alike and Chiefly Good. Wherefore your Petitions most Humbly Pray That your Excellency & Hon" woud take ye premises into Consideration. and be pleased to annex & Incorporate the tract afore with the Inhabitants to Monson as one Corporate Town & your Petitioners as in duty Bound shall ever pray. John Shepard Achelaus Wilkins mark John Eversden John Hutchinson Edward Beming (?) junr William Peabody Israel Towne Petition of Amherst for an extension of its Charter 1761. To His Exelency Bening Wentworth Esq' Governor in chief in and over His Majesties Province of New Hampshire and to the Honorable the Counsell. The Memorial of us the Subscribers the Select Men of the Town of Amherst in the Province aforesaid. Humbly sheweth that we with the Lowest Submission Sollicitously pray that your Exelency and Honours would lengthen out the life of the Charter of our Town and we doubt not but your Exelency and Honours in your Great wisdom & Clemency will do it during the Kings pleasure and so your Memorial.sts as in Duty bound will ever pray. Amherst Dec' ye 15th 1761. REUBEN MUSSEY Selectmen in behalf of the Town. N. B. We the Subscribers Select men of the Town of Amherst Nominate and appoint Col. John Goss Esqr to represent to his Exelency the Governor and the Honorable Counsil our Memorial above specified to prolong our Town Charter. Province of To the Gentlemen of the House of Representatives for New Hamp said Province There was a vote in the House of Representatives January 28th 1761 That the Selectmen of the Oldest adjoining Town to any Town Parish or District where no Select men were should take Inventory of such Town &c and be paid by the Province Pursuant thereto We took Inventory of Lyndeborough and sent the same to the Sec as Directed by the aforesaid vote-The taking of which Inventory took us Two Days of hard Service (there being Considerable of Snow on the Ground at the time when we were obliged to do it) And there is Justly Due to Each of us New Ten' one Pound Ten Shillings per day To £9:0:0 which we doubt not but you will Immediately Grant & allow. Decem' 30th 1762. WILLIAM PEABODY) Selectmen Amherst. Province of In the house of Representatives Jan'y 20th 1763. New Hamps This Ac'ct being Read Voted that there be allowed nine pound new Tenor, and paid to Selectmen of Amherst or their order Out of money in the Treasury for Contingances. In Council Eodem Die Read & Concur'd A Clarkson Clerk T Atkinson Junr Secry Consented to B WENTWORTH. Memorandum of some proposals for an Accommodation Between the Selectmen of Monson & Amherst Viz. the Town of Amherst to take or have Annexed the following extent or part of Monson Namely begining at the Northeast Corner of Monson & Running Southerly on the East Line of said Monson Two miles then Running a Line paralell with the North Line of Amherst to the west line of Monson Then northerly on the westerly line of said Monson to the northwest corner thereof Provided the Town of Holles will take or have annexed the residue of said Monson. April ye 20th 1763. We the subscribers consent to the above proposal Holles April 28th 1763 Samuel Cumings Francis Worcester Stephen Webster Selectmen of BENJ KENRICK Selectmen Leiter of Rev. Daniel Wilkins of Amherst relating to a Shire town in the proposed division of the Province into Counties. 1 Oct. 1767. To the Honble GEORGE JAFFERY Esq' in Portsmouth Hond & Dea' Sr After due salutation, I beg leave to inform your Hon' that the proposal of the General Court that Merrimack be the Shire Town of the County on the West side of Merrimac River has raised a general uneasiness throughout the whole County evin many thinking men in Merrimac itself (as I have been credibly informed) are well satisfied that if the Proposal be established it will be greatly to the Town Damage in general, as they are small in Number, consisting of seventy odd Families no more and them exceeding much scattered and many of the number on New Places and no ways accommodated to entertain a Court especially with Hay & Pastoring, neither do they ever expect to be well accommodated with the Primeses as great Part of their Land is poor and clothed with shrubs the uneasiness of the People arises from the said Proposals not being for Amherst rather than Merrimack Not only as Amherst has been talked of for a Shire Town evin from Its Infancy thereby fixing the minds of the People upon it, but for its situation Nearer the Hart of the County so that many Towns can come from Home in the Morning and return Home in the Evining that cant possibly do the like if the Court be at Merrimac, and thereby save a great deal of Charge to poor People and now S' I beg leave to give a Discription of Amherst in a few Words: It is Situate about Eight Miles from Mr Lutwytche's Ferry on Merrimac River the contents of which is about six miles Square containing about one Hundred and sixty Famelies and accommodated according to men of the best Judgment to settle an Hundred Families at least, more than is already settled, and near an Hundred of them good Country Farms Well accommodated with fields and Pastures and chiefly all good Husbands the Middle of the Town pleasantly situated, a good coach Road to it from the Eastward and Southern Parts of the Province and all Roads centering there The People in general knowing the situation and accommodations of Amherst to entertain the Court suppose that the General Courts proposal for Merrimack sprung from a mis-Repre sentation. The occasion of these lines to your Hon' was the cries of the People and to beg leave to subscribe your humble servt. DANIEL WILKINS. Amherst Oct ye 1st 1767. P: S: S I must beg leave to tell your Hon' that Mr. Willard a son of Coll Willard of Winchester and one Mr. Hall was at my House the Last Evening as agent for Keen and other towns towards the great River to desire that the Shire Town might be Amherst and likewise that there is a general uneasiness of its being at Merrimack and also Walepole as that every town save two would be greatly Discommoded if the Court was had at Walepole and not at Keen and also beg the favour of its being established at Keen as Keen will much best commode the People in General or at least that his Exclency with your Hon would grant them Liberty to bring Down the minds of the People. Vote of Monson for a Division, &c. Province of D. : W At a Legal meeting of the inhabitants of the Town of Monson in said Province held on monday the ninth day of april 1770 Voted that Nathan Hutchinson and Will Nevins be a Committee to petition the Governor and Counsil of said Province for the following Division of the Town of Monson viz. Begining att the northeast Corner of Monson then extending South by the Town of merrimac two miles then dew West to the West line of said monson then North to Souhegan River then down Said River to the Bounds first mentioned to be an |