Court for A Tax to be laid on all the Lands in Dearfield for the following Reasons) Humbly shews Istly Whereas the s Inhabitants have Lately Settled a Minister in s Dearfield very much to the acceptance of the Inhabitants and have Engaged to build him A Parsonage house & barn & clear a quantity of land on sd parsonage Lott and Sett out an orchard for him and Pay A yearly Salary &c. 2dly Wee have three Main Country Roads laid out through sa Parrish which are Greatly used by His Majestys Subjects to Pass and Repass in, to A Great number of towns Settled above us and frequent Complaints are made that they are not in So Good Repair as they ought to be & wee have Likewise many other highways Laid out for the accommodations of the Settlers of the Parrish in Length of the whole of sd ways Do amount to upwards of forty miles And as the Settlement of A Minister and haveing Good Highways in A New town or Parrish is verry much to the Proffitt of the Non resident Proprietors as well as the resident and as the Present Inhabitants are Mostly new Settlers which will make it Exceeding Difficult for them to Perform their Engagements Therefore Your Petitioners Humbly Prays that in Your Great Wisdom and Goodness You would take this our prayer under your wise Consideration and order a Tax to be Laid on all the Lands in sd Dearfield for three years Next ensuing of two pence uppon the acre the one Half to be Laid out uppon the Parsonage house and Land the other Half on the Highways and that prudent Persons be appointed to manage s business or other ways order with Regard to the Tax as you in your Great Wisdom and Goodness may think proper and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall Ever Pray &c. Province of RICH JENNESS In Council Feby 2 1773. New Hampr. The within Petition was read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly Province of Geo King D. Sec. In the House of Representatives Feb. 2d 1773. Voted that the Petitioners be heard on this Petition on the third day of the Sitting of the Gen1 Assembly After the first day of May next, & that the Petitioners at their own cost, cause the Substance thereof to be published in the New Hamp' Gazette, three weeks successively and also to put up notifications in said Dearfield that any person may show cause why the Prayer thereof should not be Granted. In Council Feb. 3d 1773. Read & Concurred William Parker Cler Assembly Geo King D. Secy. In the House of Representatives May 13, 1773. Voted that the Petition's be heard on this Petition on the third day of the Sitting after the 15 day of June next and that the Petitioners Cause the Petition to be printed as above directed In Council eodem Die Read & concurred. Geo King D Secy. William Parker Cler. Province of) In the House of Represents January 20th 1774 New Hamp Voted That the Petitioners may lay a Tax on all the lands in Deerfield of one penny per acre for the Term of three years for the use of the Repair & making highways only & that the Petitioners have leave to bring a bill accordingly W Parker Cler Assembly To his Excellency John Wentworth Esqr. Capt. General Govenor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire in New England; and to ye Hon1e his Majestys Council of ye Province aforesd The Petition of a Number of ye freeholders and Inhabitants of ye Paresh of Deerfield in sd. Province and County humbly sheweth that whereas there is a Large number of People in ye South part of Deerfield and much Business to be done and no Justice near so we think that such an office would be very advantageous to ye Place not only for ye Preservation of ye Peace but for ye transacting of other business which otherwise would be expensive to your Petitionars and others The Parson our Eyes are upon is Mr. Daniel Ladd of this Parish who appears to us a Very honest man and one Qualified and Disposed to do Justice-Thus hoping yt your Excellency and ye Honble Council will take this our petition under your wise Consideration and grant us our Request and as in Duty bound your Petitioners shall ever Pray Deerfield Jany. yo 29th 1774 Josiah Prescott Junr. Nathaniel Philbrick Nemiah Cram Wadleigh Cram Henry Tucker Josiah Smith Tristram Sanborn William Graves Joseph Graves John Eastman David Haines John Philbrick Petition of Inhabitants of ye Southerly part of Deerfiela to be made a Parish. To his Excellency John Wentworth Esqr. Captain Generall Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in New England. To the Honble His Majestys Councill and House of Representatives for said Province Convened in General Assembly. Most Humbly Sheweth The Subscribers Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Southerly Part of the Parish of Deerfield in the Township of Nottingham in the County of Rockingham in said Province That the said Parish of Deerfield is Principally Settled at & near the Two Extreme parts of it viz: the Northerly End and the Southerly End which makes it very Difficult to meet All together for Publick Worship or for Transacting the Publick business of the Parish That there are Two Meeting houses in said Parish for the Publick Worship and Two Ministers Regularly Called & Settled there and Also Two Military Companies in said Parish viz one at each end also Two Constables and but one sett of Selectmen which are Annually Chosen in the North Part of said Parish That your Petitioners have for some years Past been at the Charge of Building a Meeting house Settling & Supporting a Minister in the said South part of said Parish and have had no Benefits by the North Part of said Parish. Wherefore and for many other reasons which on a hearing shall be given to your Excellency and your Hon's Your Petitioners Humbly Pray your Excellency & hon's To Incorporate the said South Part of Deerfield into a Distinct Parish so as to take in the First three Ranges and one half of the Range highway between the Third and the fourth Ranges of Lotts, with such Priviledges & Immunities as other Parishes in said Province Have and Do Enjoy and under Such Restrictions and Limitations as to Your Excellency and hon's Shall Seem Most Mete-And your Petitioners as in Duty bound Shall Ever Pray &c Deerfield April 7th 1774 John Robinson James Young Jedidiah Prescott Junr. Samuel Pulsfer Tristram Sanborn } Benjamin Folsom Joseph Graves John Robinson Jun. Province of In the House of Representatives May 11th 1774 Voted That the Petitioners be heard on this Petition on the third Day of the Siting of the General Assembly next after the twentieth Day of June next and that the Petitioners at their Own Cost Serve the Selectmen of Deerfield with a Copy of this Petition and Order thereon and also that the Petitioners Cause the Substance of this Petition and Order to be Published in the New Hampshire Gazett three weeks Successively that any Person May Shew Cause why the Prayer of the Petition should not be Granted In Council eoden Die Read and concur'd M. Weare, CI Geo King D. Secy. DERRYFIELD. [NOTE. The following Papers relating to Derryfield are found in MS. Vol. IV, "Towns,"-pp. 307-309, being there misplaced. They should be examined in connection with Papers relating to Bedford and Londonderry. ED.] To his excelency Benning Wintworth Esq Governor & Commander In Chief of His Majestyes Provence of New Hampshir the honnorable his Majestys Councell and House of Representatives In General Assembly Conven'd— The pettetion of a number of the freeholders & Inhabitants of the Town of Derry field Humbly Sheweth that the first Monday of March annually is appointed by Charter to be the day for chusing of Town officers for the currant year and the usual costom of sd town hes ben to warn the Town of time and place and design of holding said Meeting with the several articles to be acted upon on sd day of posting up a coppy of Warrant at three several places in said town viz. one at John Goffe Esq one at John Hall & one at Mr Russes at Nameskeeg which was a vote of said Town for warning Town meetings in said Town but so it was that neither of the places had any notification set up and one of them particularly Nameskeeg had no coppy set up in that part of the town so that they knew not the time of Day the meeting was to be held yet notwithstanding two of the select men and town clarke did contrary to former custom with about ten or a dozen of the Inhabitants and boys & unqualyfied persons did enter and in about five minutes time chouse all the principal offi cersers for the town Notwithstanding one of the select men & the constable & several of the Inhabitants opposed them and told them it was not fair to hold the meetin before the Inhabitants came and that it was not the usual time of day that the meeting use to begin & that the Inhabitants that must pay the greatest part of the Taxes that shall come upon the town were not present-that they would be here presently yet they proceeded as aforesaid and at five minute's after eleven of the clock a considerable number came & in halfe an hour the Inhabitants chiefly came & upon hearing that the principal officers were chosen by a small number of Voters and many of them not quallified they concluded as that was the day by charter to chuse town officers, they being the largest part of the Quallified Voters belonging to said town maid proclamation that they were going to hold the town meeting & all were desired to attend and they went to the Meeting house and maid choice of a Moderator & Town clark & select men & all town officers & they were sworn to the faithful discharge of their duty as the Law directs so that their is two set of officers in said town which makes confusition we most Humbly therefore pray your Excellency & Hon's To Take our case under your wise consideration and grant that there may be a Regular town meeting in said town & that we may have town Officers chosen as the law directs and that our confusion may be brought into order and might be enabled to Raise the province taxes & mend high ways & do the necessary business of the town and that your Petitioners may bring in a bill for that end -& your petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever pray— Dated at Derryfield first of May 1766. |