from the french & Indian Enemies, & being in no Capacity to make a proper stand in case of an attack from them, Do constitute & appoint Mr Jonathan Powers as our delegate requesting him in the s Capacity with all Convenient speed to repair to Portsmouth & to represent our deplorable case to his Excellency our Captain General & y General Assembly & request of them such aid both with respect of men & military stores as to their great Wisdom may think meet & which may put us in a capacity to repell all attempts of s En emies. James Hills Jonathan Cumings Robart Richardson John Usher Timothy Underwood Thomas Mash Nathan Kendall jun. Robert Read William Patterson Peter Russell Parich Richardson. Petition of Nathan Kendall relating to boundary line. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Capt. Gen' Governor & Commander in Chief in & Over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire and the Hon His Majesty's Council for said Province. August 224 1746. The Humble Petition of Nathan Kendall in behalf of the People Inhabiting a place called Litchfield on the Easterly side of Merrimack River shews, That the said Inhabitants desire to make a Grateful acknowledgment of the favour which your Goodness has Inclin'd you to grant them in giving them a Charter of Incorporation as a Town & Enfranchising them with the usual Liberties Immunities & Privileges of which they desire to preserve & Cultivate a just Estimation. That notwithstanding the fatherly Care & Tender Regard shown them in this Particular the good design & Intention is Intirely defeated, for by some Mistake or Misrepresentation the Boundaries given in the said charter are different from what the Intention was, as they Conceive, for part of that which was called Litchfield on the Easterly side of the said River is in fact taken into Nottingham & incorporated as parcel of that Town and what is left of Litchfield is much too small for a Town & cant possibly Subsist as such & there is no place to which it can be join'd nor from whence any thing can be taken to add to it. That as these Charters have been lately made out it is likely they may not yet be Recorded, and as there is a mistake it is not Improbable that the Inhabitants of Nottingham may agree to Deliver up their Charter & take a new one Agreeable to the Bounds Originally designed Especially if they found it to be your Excellencys & your Honours Pleasure to have it so. Wherefore your Petitioner Most Humbly prays that the Premises may be taken under Consideration & such remedy Provided as is above suggested or such as to your Wisdom & goodness shall seem meet and your Petitioners as in duty bound shall in behalf of his Principals Ever pray &c. In Council August 23d 1746. NATHAN KENdall. The within petition read & ordered that the select men of Nottingham West be ordered to Appear before y Gov & Coun" on ye 3d Tuesday of September next to shew reasons if any they have why the prayer of the Petition may not be granted & that, in Order hereto they be served with a Copy of the within Petition & this Order. Theod Atkinson, Secry. Petition for a Parish on the East side of the river. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Capt. General and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New Hampshire, March ye 28th 1746. The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the district of Litchfield Humbly Sheweth that your Petitioners are about forty familys being a part of Dunstable old grant living on the North Easterly Corner of sd Grant That the center of our town being about eleven miles from the Province Line we had not the least apprehention of our being affected by the fixing of Towns near said Line and that your petitioners have Paid above two thirds towards the support of the Gospel for many years, and that we are not only forty families upon the Easterly side of the River but that we have Land to accomodate a considerable Number more that the Inhabitants of Litchfield on the west side of the River dont exceed thirteen or fourteen familys who we are very willing should be disannexed from us In regard to the great Danger and Defficulty which we know they are Exposed to In Crossing the River in order to attend the Publick worship of God Notwithstanding of all which Either by our having been Inadvertantly over look'd or forgot when Instructions were given to the Committee of the Honourable Assembly for settleing the Districts in these parts or by some other means unknown to us we understand that it is Intended that we be annexed to that District upon the west side of the River and that our Center and place of Publick worship be on the westerly side which would oblige Above forty familys constantly to cross the River to our great and unspeakable danger and difficulty, In order to meet with about thirteen or fourteen famelys. May it Please your Excellency to take the Difficult case of your Petitioners under your wise consideration and so to fix things that we may not be obliged to Cross the River for although we have Lost a Number of familys on the Westerly side of the River we have accommodations on the East side that is now onsettled that is Likely in a few years to Regain the Number Lost on the other side, so that Considering the Difficulty and Danger we must be at in case we were obliged to cross s River to attend publick worship we think that we can be much better accomodated to be Erected into a town on our side and much greater satisfaction to the inhabitants. Therefore your petitioners Desire to be Incorporated with the Injoyment of all the Land on the East side of s River in s District and to be Invested with the Privilidge and Immunities as other towns in s" Province are, and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall Ever pray. Patrick Taggart John Butterfield Jacob Hildreth William Richardson Nathan Kendall Peter Rusel Robeart Darrah Alexander Parker Robeart McKeen William Qesten John Orr Amos Kendall Robo't Richardson John Huchason William Bonner James McNight Daniel Kendall Petition relating to the same, as above. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Capt General and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New Hampshire, & May ye 17th 1746. The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the District of Litchfield who are your Excellencies former Petitioners Humbly Sheweth That Whereas we have Requested to be Erected into a Town with all the Lands within the Bounds of s" District on the East side of the River and whereas there is a small Peeke of land lying Above Brintons farme (so called) lying about two miles on the river from the North line of said farme to the upper Corner of s peeke and not Exceeding six families and not accomodations for many more, and the inhabitants in sd peeke signifying their indefrency as to their being Incorporated with us, and may it Please your Excellency in as much as there is a Number of Inhabitants who are taken off on the other side of the River your Petitioners Desire that the uper End of Nottingham Taking from Litchfield Lower Line down to the mouth of Nashua River, may be annexed to us the Inhabitants in s part of Nottingham being well situated and about twelve or thirteen families and the farthest not Lying much more than a mile from Litchfield Line and have frequently attended publick worship with us formerly and with the addition of that part of s Nottingham in case s Peeke should be Disannexed from us we think we shall be well acomodated to make a Township and to maintain the Gospel among us and not to Discomode our Neighbouring Inhabitants. May it therefore Please your Excellency to take the Difficult cause of your Petitioners into your wise Consideration and fix things that we may be Incorporated & invested with town Powers and priviledges as other towns in s Province are. And your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever pray. NATHAN KENDALL in behalf of s Petitioners. e Petition to be included in the west division of Counties. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Gov' &c, The Hon his Majestys Council & house of Representatives in General Assembly Convened Portsmouth ye 9 of April 1754. Wee The Subscribers Inhabitance of Litchfield in the Prov ince of New Hamps' having been Informed that sundry of the Inhabitance of this Province on the westerly side of Merrimack River have remonstrated to this Hon Assembly the necessity of this Province being divided into Two countys and pray it may be done by such Dividing Line as shall be tho't fit and in asmuch as the Town of Litchfield is situated and very Comodious to joyn with the Western Division and are at a great Distance from Portsm not less than fifty miles the usual travelling roads, the Place where all the Courts are held, in case we should not be Included in the West division twill lay us under very great difficulties, and no advantage to any body, besides the necessary assistance in the charge of erecting the necessary Buildings of a County. Wherefore we Humbly Pray, That your Excellency and Hon would please to grant that in stating the Dividing Line between the Countys Litchfield may be Included in the west Division and as in Duty Bound shall ever pray. To his Excellency Bening Wentworth Esq. Governour &c the Hon his Majestys Council & House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened at Ports New Hampshire, y 3 day of December, 1754. The petition of Isaac Cumings of Litchfield Humbly shews, That your Petitioner when Nottingham West was Incorporated by this Government As the town lines was then Run he was Included and Taxed to all the Public Taxes of that Town, & In Special to the Building and finishing a meeting house there. That then and ever since he has attend the Publick ministry There and is better comoded than he can be with any other town. That about three or four years after Notting West was Incor |