May it therefor pleas your Excelency and Honors to take our case into your consideration and not to brake in on our town in any ways which if don will render our town for ever miserable and your petitioners as in duty bound shal ever pray. Deatted at Londonderry, February y 10th 1746-7 HUGH WILLSON Select ADAM CLENDININ men Province of Petition to be Taxed in Nottingham-West. The petition of Sundry Inhabitants now within the lines of Londonderry whose names are entered on the Back hereof most humbly shews, That whereas by the unhappiness of the line formerly not being Known and agreed to by this and the Massachusetts Province the grant of Dunstable and Londonderry Interfered, by which means wee and the chief part of our Lands fall within Londonderry That when we began our settlements there, we was part of the town of Nottingham, and considered as such both as to Duty & Priviledge. That by the late Incorporation of the lands adjoining to Londonderry we were not considered in their Resettlement and Building their meeting house" Neither is the settlement of either of the meeting housen in Londonderry which are sett on the Northeasterly part of that town ten miles from the greatest part of us from some of us eleven and that none of us live within nine miles the Road we pass to the nearest of their meeting housen. That upon our application to this Hone Assembly sometime since we obtained the favour to be Dismissed from the Taxes Londonderry had then assessed us and in the future till the further order of this assembly. That altho Nottingham and Litchfield meeting housen are under their last Regulation sett about three miles nearer than Londonderry yet the travill is so far that it is very difficult for us to attend their great part of the year, yett Nottingham has been the place wee have attended the ministry when the season was such we could travill. That the distance we are from Londonderry renders it Impracticable for us and our familys to attend there on Lords days and their Known numbers and Riches leaves no room for pretending to need us to support that charge. Nottingham has hitherto favoured us with Liberty to meet with them and are still willing without our being taxed to the support of their minister. That we shall chearfully amongst our selves in the Winter season hire as much as our abilities will admit till we may by some future opportunity be Better accomodated. Wee justly expect and are Willing to pay to the support of Government (an Invaluable priviledge) what our Equitable part is & shall be. That ever since we have been settled, have & still do keep and maintain Good Hyways thro all that part we claim where they have been found of convenience & are Willing to continue so to do: Wherefore we Humbly pray that your Excellency & Honours would be pleased to take these premises into your consideration & to grant that wee may be altogether freed and not subjected to any Tax or assessment in Londonderry, and that wee may be so far sett of and annexed to Nottingham west as to be taxed with them to the province charges; and as in duty Bound shall ever pray. Ebenezer Spalding Joseph Kidder Richard Marshall George Burroughs Gorge Burroughs Jr William Butterfield Ezekiel Page Leonard Cumings Stephen Spaulding Joseph Kidder Prov. New Hamps In Council Jan. 9th 1754, read & Ordered to be sent Down to the Honble House of Representatives. Province of In the house of Represeniatives January the 9th 1754. Upon reading the within Petition Voted that the Petitioners be heard on the within Petition on the third Day of the sitting of the General Assembly next after the 1st day of March next & that the Petitioners at their own cost serve the select men of Londonderry with a Copy of this Petition & of the order thereon that they may shew cause if any they have why the prayer of the petition should not be granted Matthew Livermore, Clerk. Province of In the house of Representatives March 28, 1754. Voted that the Petition herewith annexed be dismiss'd. Matthew Livermore, Clerk. Counter petition. To his Excell Benning Wentworth Esq Gov' & Comander in Chief In & over his Majestys Prov of New Hamp. and to the honourable his Majesty's Counsel & house of Rep in Gen Court assembled March the 27 1754. The humble Petition of the Town of Londonderry of the said Prov. Sheweth, That having been lately served by order of Assembly with the copy of a petition Subscribed by a number of people liv ing at present upon some of our Lands in the Southwestern part of the Town, wherein they request to be disannexed from Londonderry, we crave leave to represent as follows: That were we before a court whose Business it is to Judge of the Right of the soyl we might say that as the land upon which the Petitioners is settled did upon the determination of the Boundary Line between the provinces fall within the province of New Hamp. it thereby plainly appears that the assembly of the massacht had never any power to grant it that therefore their pretending to hold by Dunstable gives them no just Title to the Land. That had the Mass obtained all that they desir'd of his Majesty, viz. a curve line the case of the petitioners with respect to Title would have been the same all of them living above three miles distant from the River. That the far greater part if not the whole of the Petitioners have settled since the Determination of the line and some of them very lately. But as it may be perhaps said that these things are not a proper Subject to be laid before the honorable assembly we insist not on them but proceed farther to say, That the Town of Windham a part of Londonderry is so much weakened by a considerable number of the Inhabitants being freed from any obligation to support the Gospel ministry there that the remaining part was left too weak to support the said charge, in consequence whereof their minister has been obliged to leave them and they are at present destitute of the principal outward means of Grace without any rational prospect of its being soon otherwise. That the western parish of Londonderry is already considerably weakened by the Incorporation of Derryfield that should another large part be taken off on the South western side especially if that is done with a view and as a step towards a yet farther Incroach' the Conseqs is like to be soon the same with the Western Parish as that with Windham above mentioned. That the thing the petitioners ask of this honorable assembly, viz. to be disannexed from Londonderry without being incorporated either as a Town or Parish is (as far as we know) without example in the Prove and it is left to the reasonable consideration of this wise assembly whether (if granted) it might not prove a bad precident. That as the petitioners Locality which renders their distance from both our places of publick worship considerable is the only Plea enforcing their Petition w has any appear of weight So even in that Respect we humbly appreh they have no reason to complain since they have not been nor are like to be at any charge either in Building a meeting house or supporting a min' with us. May it therefore please your Excell and Hon to take the Premises under your wise and Impartial Consideration and at least to delay the granting of said petition till the circums. of the Petit be so far altered as to give them some Just Reason of complaint and your Pet shall ever pray. Signed In our Name and at our App at Londonderry this 26th day of March, 1754, by SAMUEL BARR JOHN HUMPHRY Selectmen Province of New Hampshier Petition relating to a military company. The humble Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of West part Londonderry In said Province. Your Petitioners Mos humbly Sheweth that we have for severall years past Intende to Rais a new Compeny In this Remot Pairt of this town if your Excellency will Gratify us so fare for the Rasons following to wit: that the nearest of us lives more than four and some five, six, & Seven mills from the comon Place of Peraid which is a great fetague to your Petishioners and besides severall of your Petitioners did formerly Belong to Capt Gregg Compeny of which William Blair is Insign whos name is famos all over the contrey for his managment with Jotham Odihorn Esq Leet of Portsmouth Deseased, and notwithstanding of the aforesaid villeny the said Blair was Permited to cary the collors last training day In the aforesaid Greggs Company soon after your Petishioners meet together and drew this Petishon and chous for our ofesers the following persons to wit, Mr Thomas Wallace for our Captain, Mr Joseph Senter for our Leftenant, and Mr James Airs for Insign. Therefore your Petishonars Most humbly prays that your Excelency would be Pleased to Grant us Comishons to the aforsaid Mishors Wallace Senter and Hers in the aforesaid station and Set us of as a new company and we as Loyall subjects shall Indeavour to serve our King and Contrey to the outmost of our power and your Petishoners as in Duty bound shall ever pray. Subscribed at Londondery August the 20th 1754 William White William Stalender David Houston John Clark Jon Senter Samuel Thomson Andrew Thomson Charles Melen William Alexander Thanks to the Legislature for an Act relating to taverns. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General Governour & Commander in Chief in & over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, The Honourable his Majestys Council & House of Representatives. We the Subscribers Free Holders & Inhabitants in Londonderry & Province afore said Humbly beg leave to Return our sincere & Hearty Thanks for the Late Gracious Act in which it is Stipulated that Londonderry aforesaid shall have no more Than three Taverns & Two Retailers for the present and four ensuing years & we had rather the number was diminished than Increased. Londonderry Sept 26th Annoque Domini 1758. |