Page images
PDF
EPUB

RYE.

[Rye was formerly called Sandy Beach, and was appurtenant to Portsmouth. After New Castle was constituted, Sandy Beach became a Parish of that place; and was incorporated as such in 1726, and allowed to send a representative to the General Assembly. ED.]

Petition for a new District or Precinct, 1721.

To his Excellency Samuel Shute Esq Capt. Gen' & Governor in chief in and over his Majties Province of New Hampshire &c. To the Hone the Council & House of Representatives, now conven'd in Gen Assembly in & for s Province:

The humble Petition of sundry the Inhabitants living about Sandy Beach, partly in New Castle, Hampton & Portsmouth, humbly sheweth:

That your Petitioners, the subscribers hereof, have for these many years past lived under great inconveniencies as to their having the free benefit of the gospell, most of us Living at great Distances from our Respective meeting-houses, especially those belonging to New-Castle ;-for that besides the great Distance wee live from thence, there is the great Inconvenience of a Ferry, by the Reasons of which for neare half the yeare, Wee the Masters of families that are best able cannot but now and then attend upon the publick worship of God (as in Duty wee are bound) and when wee Doe, It is many times late within Night e're wee can reach our habitations: And besides this great inconvenience to ourselves, there is a much greater happens to the greatest part of our families (viz.) our women and children, who can rarely attend at all or not above two or three times in the yeare, and then but those that are groun to years; for our younger children that should imbibe in the precepts of the gospell with their milk, cannot attend untill groun to some years: Wee having four, five & some more than six miles, besides the Ferry; And wee can now count amongst us above two hundred and forty or fifty souls, and not one third capeable to attend as wee are now circumstanced: And we think ourselves capeable to maintain a minister of the Gospel, and to give a Competent Liveing, as our neighbouring Pa'shes & precincts do:

Therefore wee, your humble Petitioners prays that we may be set off a p'ticular precinct (from Mr. William Seveys and westward by the sea-side as far towards Hampton as the little Boars head or Little River, and back into the Country about three miles & a halfe or soe far as in your wisdom shall see meet) and that we may be impowered to make and raise all

our own Taxes & gather them: So prays your humble Peti

tioners.

William Marden

John Lock

William Wallis

John Brackett

Thomas Rand

Joshua Foss

Edward Lock

Beniamen Sevey

William Lock
Nicolas Hodge
James Fowler
Samuel Seavey
Samuel Lock
Isack Libe

Jacob Libe

James Lock

John Garland

Ebenezer Philbrick

William Seavey

James Seavey

Philip Pain

Nemiah Beary

Nathanel Beary

William Beary
Samuel Beary
Samuel Dovost

James Marden
Richard Goss
Ebenezer Berry
Joseph Brown
Francis Lock
Jethro Lock
Stephen Beary
John Knowles
Hezekiah Jennes

Thos Jennes

John Jennes
Chris: Palmer
Samuel Sevey
Richard Jannes
John Lock, jr
Joseph Lock
Nathanel Rand
Samuel Dovst

Samuel Rand

Samuel Brackett

Joseph Seavey
Thomas Rand

Beniamen Seavy, jun
Moses Seavy

Samuel Wallis

Willm Sevey jun.

Petition to be set off as a new Parish or District, 1724. To the Honble John Wentworth, Esq' Livt Gov' and Commander in Chief in and over his Majtys Province of New Hampshire in New England, and to the Honble the Council for s Province:

The humble Petition of the Inhabitants living in that part of New Castle called Little Harbour and Sandy Beach, and the Inhabitants living at the Eastward of the Little River comonly so called, att the Easterly end of Hampton, next Sandy Beach, and sundry others of Portsm° Living near the sd Sandy Beach humbly Sheweth:

That there being sixty familys or upward within the Precints above named who having for a long time lived att a great Distance from any meeting house where the publick worship of God has been carried on, and most of us having great familys which very Rare above one or Two of a family can go to the House of God for the greatest part of the time by Reason of the Distance we live from any meeting house, and thereby the greatest part of our familys have been Deprived of the Dispensation of the Gospell, and there has been

allmost a famine of the word and worship of God amongst us, theire being near four hundred souls whereof not above the sixth or seventh part can attend s worship which is very Predutiall to the glory of God, and Destructive to our Eternall wellfare, for the greatest part of us thus to be brought up in Ignorance which is a Greater Griefe to us than we can herein Express, and the only cause of addressing y Hon' and the Hone the Council herein.

And for preventing the Difficulties and Hardships which wee have for a long time labour'd under, and for the advancement of the glory of God and good of souls, wee the subscribers hereof humbly prays your Hon" and the Honourable the Councill that wee may be sett off a Particular District or Precinct for the maintaining a minister with the Priviledges of carying on the affairs of a Town or Parish according to the Bounds hereafter Exprest or as your Hon in wisdom shall see meet, viz. To Begin att Sampsons Point and Run south west to the Road from Seaveys to y Bank and then on the Southerly side of the Road by Capt. Walker's and Capt. Langdon's to the Road that goes to Breakfast (1) Hill (Exclusive of that part of Capt. Walker's and Capt. Langdon's Land that now lyeth in Portsmouth,) and on the southerly side of the Road from between Capt. Langdon's and Slopers farms to Breakfast Hill to the Road from s Sandy Beach to Greenland, and then on a South west line untill it meet with Little River in Hampton Bounds, and then on the Easterly side Little River to ye Sea, and then round by the Sea Side to ye Place where itt Began, and that all the Land that Elias Tarlten and Jeremiah Jorden and Abraham Libby enjoy may be poled off to s Town or Parish herein mentioned, wee having been at the charge of Building a Meeting house by the consent and att the charge of most of the Inhabitants within the Bounds herein mentioned: hopeing your Hon's will grant so Reasonable a Request for so good End, and your Petitioners shall ever pray &c.

[blocks in formation]

(1) So called from the circumstance that a party of Indians, after an attack upon the people on the "Plains" at Portsmouth, 25 June, 1696, encamped and took breakfast on the declivity of a hill near the bounds of Greenland and Rye. The hill retains the name to this day.—Brewster's Ram. Ports. Vol. I. p. 73. ED.

Saml Rand

Thos Rand, jun.

Jos. 'Seavy

Elias Tarlton

Jeremiah Jorden

Elex Simes

Benja Seavy, Jun.

Nathl Berry
Francis Lock
Stephen Berry
Jonathan Lock

Saml Doust
Eben Berry
Saml Brackett

Saml Seavy, Jun.
Jno Noles
Jno Lock

Jno Lock, jun.

James Marden
Solomon Doust
Christ Pamer
Tho. Genning

Hez. Gennins, jun.
Saml Wallis
Nehemiah Bery

Richd Rand

Thos Edmunds

Edwd Lock

Jno Moor

Benja Seavey, jun

James Randall

Isaac Liby

Jacob Liby

Eben Philbrick
Saml Lock

Ab'm Liby

Wm. Scavy, tertius
Wm. Webster

James Shute
Wm. Seavy, jun
Saml Berry

Wm. Gammon
Stephen Marden.
63.

Vote and Remonstrance of Portsmouth against the Petition from Sandy Beach, 1724.

Att a Publick Town Meeting held in Portsm' the 20th Ap' 1724, Vot'd That y Prayer of Sandy Beach so far as it Relates to this Town is highly unreasonable & yt Coll. Plaisted & Capt. Phipps Esq' & Mr. Wm. Fellows be a Comittee in behalfe of s Town to appear before ye Gov & Councill upon ye hearing of y sd Petition & Remonstrate against y Same & Implead ye Petition's generally so y' there may be no further curtailing or Dividing of ye sd Town; which is already Reduc'd to very narrow limits, by New Castle, Greenland & Newington, & y y Committe be Impower'd to imply an Attorney in y' Premises if there be occasion.

True Copy-Test.

21st Apt 1724.

Josh. Peirce, Town Clr.

Petition from sundry Inhabitants of Little Harbour, Sandy Beach and Hampton, 1725.

To the Honourable John Wentworth Esq Lieut. Governor and Commander-in-chief in & over his Majesties Province of New Hamp; To the Honourable the Council And Representatives in Gen' Assembly conven'd at Portsmouth in the gd Province:

The Petition of Sundry Inhabitants of Little Harbour and Sandy Beach in the Town of New Castle, and sundry of the

Inhabitants of the East end of the Town of Hampton, and some of Portsm" or Greenland, most humbly sheweth:

That the dwelling-places of y' Petitioners with their Families, which consist of the number of more than Four hundred Souls, are very far distant from the setled Meeting-Houses in the respective Towns to which they belong and thereby their attendance on the publick worship of God on the Lord's Days is rendered extremely difficult, and at some times impossible in stormy weather and in the winter season, especially, to their Women and children, so that they cannot pay to God the Honour of Publick worship on his day, which Religion and the good Laws of the government demand of them; and your Petitions with their wives and children are brought up in Ignorance of his word; Which evil cannot be remedied but by the favour of your Honours and the Honourable Assembly in constituting them a separate District or Precinct from their respective Towns, to which they now belong, and enabling them to carry on the Publick worship of God amongst themselves; and therefore yo' Petitioners most humbly pray that your Honour and this Honourable Assembly would please to set off that part of New Castle called Sandy Beach & Little Harbour, with such of Hampton, Portsm" or Greenland as to you in your Wisdom shall seem proper to be a District or Precinct for the carrying on the worship of God and maintaining a School therein according to Law, and your Petitioners shall ever pray, as in duty bound, &c.

Samuel Seavy
Joseph Lock

John Lock, jun.

Thomas Jeffry ?
James Fuller
David Smith
Ezekeel Knowls
Wm. Gennings?
Stephen Beary
William Lock

Jethro Lock

Thos Jennes

John Jennes, jun.

Saml Lock

Phillip Pain

Richard Jennes

Samuel Gove

Francis Lock

Isiak Lybe
Alexander Sims
John Knowles
Jonathan Lock
Joshua Foss

Ebenezer Berry

his

William X Marden
mark

William Marden, jun.
Solo Doust, jun.

Samuel Rand

Solomon Dowst
William Barry
Nehemiah Berry
James Seavey
Samuel Wales
Orem Dowst
Willm Sevey jun
James Shute

John Lock

Hezekiah Jennes

William Wallis

Samuel Brackett

William Lock

John Jenes

James Lock
John Garland

Beneamen Lamprey
Christofar Palmer

« PreviousContinue »