has procured a vote of said Proprietors to charge themselves without justice or necessity (as your Petitioners Imagine) with twelve shillings Lawful money upon each Right to defend said suit. The Rev. Mr Niles before s vote was pass'd having publicly offered to withdraw said suit at Law, and also to abate of his Salary forty Dollars, if the Proprietors would come to settlement with him according to said Proprietors vote. Fourthly Sundry of your Petitioners having paid divers sums to the Revd Mr. Niles and laboured for him with expectation that the same should be set off against their Respective Rates or Taxes to his Sallary, no Tax was for a long time assess'd, and now but a part of the money due to Mr. Niles is assess'd, and that comprised in y° same general sum with the other taxes; and no ways distinguished from them therein; so that though Mr. Niles is willing to discount the same yet your Petitioners cannot come to the knowledge of the particular sums due to him in y Tax assess'd as afores'd. Fifthly-Some of your Petitioners having requested of the sd Brainerd that he could make a just assessment and procure a Rate bill combining the whole of yo money due to Mr. Niles according to vote of ye Propriety, ye sd Brainerd refuseth to do it, and refuseth to accept of Receipts from Mr. Niles for the whole which is due to him as afores and by means of the said Brainerd's conduct and arbitrary use of his Power, your Petitioners Lands are exposed to be sold and will be sold as we are publickly notified on y 23d of this Instant July, unless your Petitioners pay the money, tho' they have paid the same in Labour-Wherefore your Petitioners humbly Pray your Excellency and the Honourable Council and Assembly to take their case under consideration and to grant them such relief in the Premises as to the wisdom of your Excellency and the Honourable Council and Assembly shall seem meet; and particularly that such order may be made thereupon that your Petitioners may have the full benefit of what they have paid the Rev Mr. Niles and the labour they have done for him, by the same being set off to pay Mr. Niles, and that they may not be liable to pay over again those sums which they have already paid as afores nor be liable to have their Land sold for the non-payment thereof nor be driven to their Action in Law to recover a due allowance for their labour: And your humble Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. Rumney, July ye 5th A. D. 1771. Elihu Johnson Barnabas Niles Charles Clark Joseph Clark Matt. Ramsey Hugh Ramsey Isaac Clifford, Treas. or asses. Thomas Ramsey. RUMNEY. [Rumney was granted first to Samuel Olmstead, afterwards to Daniel Brainerd, Esq., 18th of March, 1767. A settlement, however, was begun there in October, 1765, by Capt. Jotham Cummings. The first ministor, Rev. Thomas Niles, was a native of East Haddam, Ct.; graduated Yale College 1758; ordained 21 Oct. 1767, and settled in Rumney; left Feb. 10, 1788. He was a Congregationalist, but it does not appear that a church was organized there. ED.] Petition of sundry Inhabitants of Rumney against Daniel Brainerd, Esq. Province of New Hampshire To his Excellency John Wentworth Esq Governor and Commander in chief in and over the Province of New Hampshire afores and to the Honourable Council and Assembly of said Province: The Petition of the subscribers being Proprietors and Inhabitants of the Town of Rumney most humbly sheweth : That Daniel Brainerd of said Rumney, Esq' is owner and according to the Province Laws has Right (as your petitioners suppose) to vote for a considerable number of Proprietors shares or Rights in said Town, and that he takes upon him in the meeting of the Proprietors of said Town to vote for sundry others Rights or shares therein, under color of Power and Authority from the owners of the same, which owners do not attend said meetings;-by which he is enabled to carry the vote and to decide all affairs in such proprietors Meetings according to his own pleasure, to the introducing much confusion and uncertainty in the publick & common affairs of said Proprietors (as your Petitioners apprehend) and which Power the s Brainerd uses in such manner as to injure and oppress your Petitioners particularly in the following Instances: as First-That the monies Voted by the Propriety are not laid out for the Proprietors use or to answer the purposes for which they were granted by s Propriety, by which means the settlement of this Town is much retarded and your Petitioners greatly damaged. Secondly-No Rate or Tax has been duly assessed upon the said Proprietors since the Grant of their Charter, till within a few months past, and the Rate now assess'd does not amount to the whole of the Proprietors Debts. Thirdly-No settlement has been made with the Rev Mr. Niles the minister of said Rumney since he has been the minister of s Town, nor any part of his Salary paid whereby he has been obliged to commence a suit in Law for the Recovery of his Sallary, and the said Brainerd by means aforementioned has procured a vote of said Proprietors to charge themselves without justice or necessity (as your Petitioners Imagine) with twelve shillings Lawful money upon each Right to defend said suit. The Rev. Mr Niles before s vote was pass'd having publicly offered to withdraw said suit at Law, and also to abate of his Salary forty Dollars, if the Proprietors would come to settlement with him according to said Proprietors vote. Fourthly Sundry of your Petitioners having paid divers sums to the Revd Mr. Niles and laboured for him with expectation that the same should be set off against their Respective Rates or Taxes to his Sallary, no Tax was for a long time assess'd, and now but a part of the money due to Mr. Niles is assess'd, and that comprised in y same general sum with the other taxes; and no ways distinguished from them therein; so that though Mr. Niles is willing to discount the same yet your Petitioners cannot come to the knowledge of the particular sums due to him in y Tax assess'd as afores'd. Fifthly-Some of your Petitioners having requested of the sd Brainerd that he could make a just assessment and procure a Rate bill combining the whole of ye money due to Mr. Niles according to vote of ye Propriety, ye sd Brainerd refuseth to do it, and refuseth to accept of Receipts from Mr. Niles for the whole which is due to him as afores and by means of the said Brainerd's conduct and arbitrary use of his Power, your Petitioners Lands are exposed to be sold and will be sold as we are publickly notified on y 23d of this Instant July, unless your Petitioners pay the money, tho' they have paid the same in Labour:-Wherefore your Petitioners humbly Pray your Excellency and the Honourable Council and Assembly to take their case under consideration and to grant them such relief in the Premises as to the wisdom of your Excellency and the Honourable Council and Assembly shall seem meet; and particularly that such order may be made thereupon that your Petitioners may have the full benefit of what they have paid the Rev Mr. Niles and the labour they have done for him, by the same being set off to pay Mr. Niles, and that they may not be liable to pay over again those sums which they have already paid as afores nor be liable to have their Land sold for the non-payment thereof nor be driven to their Action in Law to recover a due allowance for their labour: And your humble Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. Rumney, July ye 5th A. D. 1771. Petition of Daniel Brainerd and others. Province of New Hampshire, Rockingham ss. Council for said Province: The Petition of Daniel Brainerd of Rumney in s County & Province, in behalf of himself, and Mathew Grissell of Lime, David Day & Henry Champion of Colchester, & Joseph Spencer of East-Haddam, all in the Colony of Connecticut, Humbly sheweth: That your Petitioner and the afore mentioned persons are considerably interested in said Town of Rumney, under his Majesty's Grant thereof, and have with Jeremiah Clough Esq Sam Moore & others been making Large Improvements therein by persons under them greatly to the Emolument of said Town: That the time limited for doing the Duty conditioned in the grant aforesaid Expir'd the 18 day of March last: That a number of the original Grantees have neglected to perform the several conditions in said Grant express'd, much to the prejudice of the Settle of said Town, namely, Humphrey Colby, Jabez Chapman, Miles Wright, Thomas Mosely and others: Wherefore, your Petitioner humbly prays that your Excellency & Honours would take the Premises into consideration and grant your Petitioner and the said Matthew Grissell, David Day, Henry Champion and Joseph Spencer such further Time to complete the duty enjoyn'd upon their Interest, as in your great Wisdom shall seem meet: and also to dispose of the Interest and shares of the delinquent Proprietors to such of his Majesty's good subjects as will effectually settle & cultivate the same; and your Petitioner as in duty bound shall ever Pray. Portsm May 4th, 1772. The Names of the other Grantees, who are delinquent in Rumney, referr'd to above, viz. Thomas Niles, Clerk, Ephraim Rand, Aaron Brainard & Jabez Chapman: There is one family settled on these two original Rights, but on which particular one is uncertain, as they remain undivided. DANIEL BRainerd. Petition of Rev. Thomas Niles. To his Excellency John Wentworth, Esq' Captain General and Governor-in-chief of his Majesty's Province of New hampshire, and to the Honorable his Majesty's Council of said Province: The Petition of Thomas Niles of Rumney in the County of Grafton in said Province, Clerk, humbly sheweth: That your Petitioner was ordained about five years ago and has endured all the hardships attending the Beginning of a new Township as the first minister of said Town of Rumney, that he owns three Rights of Land in s" Township, viz. one as the proper Right of the first ordained Minister, another which was originally drawn to Ephraim Rand, by the free gift of the Proprietors of Rumney as an additional encouragement to him to settle so early in the Town among the first inhabitants, and a third granted to him the said Thomas Niles by Name in the new charter of s Township:-all which Rights the Proprietors voted to be exempt from all Taxes while in the Possession of your Petitioner and during his Ministry in said town. That on the Right originally drawn to Ephraim Rand, your Petitioner has expended considerable money and labor, and has inclosed about twenty acres which he improves for pasturage, and is making Preparation for the settlement of a Family there as soon as possible; That on the Right granted him by Name in his Majesty's charter of the Township, your Petitioner has erected a House & Barn and mows several Tons of good English hay, and has other valuable articles of produce; That your Petitioner would have proceeded much farther in his improvements of all the above mentioned Rights if he had not been injuriously kept out of the greater part of his Salary due to him from the afores Proprietors since his settlement in the Township: Your Petitioner therefore earnestly Requests that the Rights afores" may be continued to him notwitstanding any Representations which may have been made to your Excellency and Honors, of his having forfeited any of them; and relies on your Wisdom and goodness that said Rights will still be confirmed: And your Petitioner shall ever pray, &c. Rumney, June 19th 1772. THOMAS Niles. |