the Interest of Religion and the Benefit of your Petitioners we humbly beg that this or some thing more Proper may be Done as to your wisdom Shall appear moste Expedient for the Remedy of the Difficulties we Labour under and your Petitioners as in Duty bound Shall Ever Pray &c. From Notingham this 7th Day of November Anno Domini 1738 To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor and Commander in chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire and the Hon His Majesties Council and House of Representatives for said Province in General Assembly Convened. The Inhabitants of Nottingham in said Province Take this Opportunity Thankfully to acknowledge your Goodness in Sending and Supporting a Number of Men in Years Past for our Safeguard and Defence in this Time of War. And altho' we might from thence Infer your Good Disposition to Help us for the future yet in order to your being more fully Informed of our Circumstances we would Humbly offer to the Consideration of this Honorable Court some of the Difficulties and Dangers we find our selves Exposed to in this Time of War. Our Settlements are Remote one from another in a Mountainous and Broken Country our Fields are Generally Encompassed about with Trees and Bushes which Continually Exposes us to the Danger of being Surprized by the Enemy while about our Daily Labour our Common Roads and High ways are no Less Dangerous to Pass; We Live open to a Wide Wilderness which surrounds us on all sides by which means the Enemy may come undiscovered very near our Garrisons which we have hardly men enough to Defend our Number being now very Small many having already Removed out of the Town and others Seem so much Discouraged that we fear our Numbers will be much Less in the Ensuing Summer than they are at present which has a Tendency to make our Burden Still the Heavier which is already almost unsupportable we have Never Desired Needlessly to be a Burden to the Government Neither have we Ever before in this manner apply'd for Relief but being now convinced more than Ever of the Danger we are Likely to be Exposed to we cannot but think it Needfull for us to be Importunate with Your Excellency and Honours to grant us Such Large assistance as our Necessitous Circumstances may Require without which we fear we shall be obliged to Retreat for the Safety of our Selves and Families tho' it must be with the Greatest Regret that we Leave our Settlements which we have Cultivated with much Toil and Labour. May it Pleas your Excellency and Honours to take the Premises into your Wise Consideration and if it be Consistent with your Pleasure and for the Benefit of the Province in General as well as your Petitioners in Particular to Keep this Town we Humbly Pray that there may be Speedy Provision made for the Support of Forty or Fifty Men to be sent up Early in the Spring and Kept Here for the Safeguard and Defence of the Inhabitants Here and that Such Stores as may be needful for them may be conveyed up by sleding the Knowledge of which as it would be Likely to Prevent some from Removing out of Town So it would be a means to Encourage and strengthen us all who are very Sensible that we cannot Long Support our Selves Here without Such assistance from the Government as Shall Enable us to Go about our Labour and Business in some Degree of Safety which we Hope you will Freely Provide for and your Petitioners Shall as in Duty Bound Ever Pray &c. Nottingham Jan' 21st 1747 ISRAEL BARTLETT ROBERT HARVEY Selectmen of Nottingham in Behalf and by order of the Toun At a Meeting of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of Nottingham Dec' ye 8 1747 Voted that the Select men Draw up a Petition to be Prefered to the General Court to Pray that there may be Suitable Provision made for our Relief under the Difficulties of the war and that Joshua Peirce Esq' be Impowered and he is hereby Desired to carry in sd Petition and Do what may be need full to obtain sd Relief Israel Bartlett Toun clerk A true Coppy pr. At a Meeting of ye Freeholders & Inhabitance of Nottingham Held March ye 27th 1750 Voted that ye South westerly Corner of Nottingham be set off as a Parish & Bounded as followeth Begining at a Cartain tree between the fifth & Sixth Range No. 21 being at ye Lower end of said Range thence Runing South West to Chester line thence Runing on said Chester west North West to a Pitch pine tree being ye Southwesterly corner of said Notting thence Running North East & by North on ye head of said Nottingham to the Line between the 5th & 6th Range thence Running East South East on said line to ye Bounds first mentioned & voted to ye In habitance of said land all Privileges belonging to a Parish as much as in us Lyes. The above vote past in ye afirmative March ye 29th 1750, a Coppy Exam Rob' Harvey town Clerk At a Meeting of ye freeholders & Inhabitance of Nottingham held March y 26th 1751 Voted that their be ye Sum of one Hundred pound old Tenor Raised on ye Town Including all Ratable Poles & Estats within ye Bounds of ye original Grant of ye Towne Exclusive of the church men to be Laid out for ye Support of a Minister or Ministers of ye Gospel to be agreed with by a Committee to be chosen at this Meeting to Preach in said town & ye Money to be Raised as afores on those Living in that part of ye town called ye South west Parish to be Expended in Supporting a Minister to Preach amongst them in Such Place as they shall agree upon; and ye money to be Raised on ye Rest of ye Town to be Expended in Supporting a Minister to preach at or near ye Block House yet this vote is not to be construed or Intended to Extend Either to Revoke or alter ye validity or Insufficiency of the title or Grant of those who Inhabit that Part of ye town which they apprehend to be set off a Seperate Parish but that Matter to Remain in all other Respects as if this vote had never been Past. The above Vote past in ye affirmative Robt Harvey town Clerk At a Meeting of ye freeholders & Inhabitants of Notting held March ye 31st 1752 Voted that Whatsoever shall be Raised on those who Inhabit that Part of ye Town Called South west Parish for ye Charge of ye Meeting house be Refunded or paid bake to that People at Such time as thev shall Build a Meeting house there, to be Raised on yo other Part of the Town & paid them towards their meeting house with Reasonable Interest A Copy Att Rob Harvey town Clarke Province of To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' New Hampre Governor and Commander in chief in and over His Majestys Province of New Hamp To the Honble His Majestys Council and House of Representatives in Gen' Assembly convened, July 25 1754 Humbly Shews Thomas Simpson in behalf of the Inhabitants of the Town of Nottingham in said Province and agent for the said Inhabitants That by the fires in the woods the last Spring great damage was done to Most of the Inhabitants afores, whereby they are much Impoverished That in consequence of the torch of war with the Indians the Spring past and this Summer they have been much impeded in their Business, That they apprehend they are overdone in the Proportion to the Province Tax-Wherefore your Petitioner in be half of s Inhabitants Pray that they may be eased this year of the Province Tax or such part thereof as may be tho't Just and reasonable and your Excellency and Honours will Indulge your Petitioners with an oppertunity to enforce this Petition and assign the Reasons for the granting the Prayer thereof and your Petitioner as in Duty bound Shall every Pray. THOMAS SIMPSON July 25th 1754 Prov. N. Hampre In Council July 25th 1754 read & ordered to be sent Down to the Honble the Gen1 Assembly Theodore Atkinson Secy Province of New Hampe To his Excelency Bening Wentworth Esqr. Governour in chief in & over the Province aforesaid (in Counsel) The Petition of the Inhabitance and freeholders of the Sow west part of Nottingham Humbly Sheweth that your Petitioners wear set of by a vote of the Town of Nottingham as a Parish in the year 1750 at their annual meeting and were Bounded as followeth Viz: Begining at a Certain tree between the fifth and sixth Ranges in the third Division of Lotts in sa Towne No. 21 at the Lower end of said Ranges then Runing S. West to Chester Line being about five Miles, thence Runing on s Chester Line West North West to a Pitch Pine tree which is the South westerly corner of Nottingham, thence Runing north East and by north on the head of Nottingham about five miles to the line between the 5 & 6 Range then running East South East on s Line to the Bounds first mentioned. The aforesaid Tract of Land being about six Miles square was voted of as a Parish to the inhabitance & freeholders of said Land with all Priviledges belonging to a Parish as much as in them Lyes. And in March 1751 Their was money Rais'd on all the inhebetence of Nottingham Except the Church men and it was then Voted that what was paid by those men that Lived in the South West Parish (so call'd) should be expended in supporting a Minister to Preach the Gospel among them And in March 1752 at the annual meeting there was a Large sum of Money Rais'd and your Petitioners were to have the money that was paid by your Petitioners to be expended among us; And money hath ben raised yearly ever since and we have Receiv'd nothing for our Money Except one Days Preaching and about three weekes schooling for six years, for your Petitioners not being incorporated into a Parish only by the Votes of the Town were not able to chuse any Parish officers to Re ceive the money and to lay it out altho' the Town are willing we should have it as soon as we are incorporated and as preaching the Gospel and teaching the children are matters of Great importance to all his Majesties Good Subjects and for many other Reasons which you in your wisdom are sensible of that will forward the Settleing and Promote Good order in a Place, We your Petitioners Earnestly Pray you would be pleas to incorporate us and Grant us Parrish Priviledges. Nottingham Febry 23d 1756 Jonathan Longfellow Nathaniel Batchelder Nathaniel Batchelder Junr. Thomas Brown Ephraim Pettengill Daniel Kelley John Batchelder Petition June 28 1765 for a separate Parish. To his Excellency Bening Wentworth Esqr. Captain General Governour Commander & Chief in and over his Majesties province of New Hampshire And Vice Admiral of the same, The Honourable His Majestys Counsil & House of Representatives for s Province Convened. The humble petition of us the Subscribers being Freeholders and Inhabitants of the South West Parish in Nottingham (so call'd) Humbly shews, That whereas your petitioners Lives many of them to the Distance of eight and Some ten miles from the meeting house which makes it very Difficult for us or our families to attend the public worship of God att that place and as your petitioners apprehend their Number is equal or above many Parishes that have been sett off in this province We therefore humbly pray that you would please to sett us off a distinct Parish invested with all the privileges of other Parishes within this Province according to the following bounderies (which bounderies is agreeable to A Vote of the town of Notingham Held att the Meeting House in s Notingham on the third thursday of april 1765) viz beginning att the bounds between the 9 & 10th Lotts in the first Range of the 3d Division And to Extend to the head Line of Notingham Joining to Allenstown (so call'd) then to begin att the bounds |