1. Every man cant have an equal priviledge in going to y publick worship, in all Towns and Parishes there is some without as well as some within and since Doc. Page and Mr. Baker's lines are fallen to them without we think they ought to be content. 2dly We laid out a drift way from ye high way that leads from Doc. Page's house a cross to our Meeting house and we made gats and some of our brethren came to us to meeting but they found some difficulties by Reason of ye Gats so they were desirous that we would lay it out an open high way and we being willing to shew them all Christian Regard and kindness layd it out an open high way and have agreed wth ye owners of y Land and y way cost ye Town about one hundred and fourty pounds and we have made y° way so convenant to pass & Repass that som of our brethren comes to us to meeting and Doc. Page and Mr. Baker may come with their neighbours. 3ly We have laid out a high way from ye mouth of a high way y' leads from our meeting house to Powers River a cross Richard Curriers land to a high way y' leads from Almisbury through South Hampton to Kingstown to oblige our brethren at ye West part of ye Town, and we have built a Bridge over Powers River and we have been at an Extraordinary charge in building a long and high Cassey over a Great water y' is flow'd by a Dam a cross ye River and we have made it convenant to pass and Repass And several familys come to us to meeting. 4 If Doc. Page and Mr. Baker should be polled off there are some at ye west end of ye Town yt lives furder of ye Meeting house then Doc. Page and Mr. Baker, and they will say there is more reason yt they should poll off then Doc. Page and Mr. Baker, because they lives furder of. Doc. Page and Mr. Bakers polling off Dont bring them any nere y Meeting house, but makes them more charge to pay and they as far from meeting as ever and so they will be for polling off too and so it will threaten ye Dissolution and confusion of our Town. 5ly Your Excellency and Honours was pleased to grant us a Town calld by y name of South Hampton for which we thank you and you wear pleasd in your greate wisdom to send us a Committee of very judicious men and they came along by Doc. Pages and Mr. Bakers houses and so came across nere where we laid out our new high way to our Meeting house and viewed y Town to ye Extent, and they judged that all ye Inhabitants that lives above or to ye westward of Kinsington line that was Run by Capt. Robie out to y Province line should stand with us, and we stands by their judg ment, and we shall take hard that one or two privit men should spoil a Publick Intrest. 6ly Doc. Page and Mr. Baker have set forth in their Petition that they cant come to ye publick worship with us by Reason of the great Distance therefrom nor attend other publick meetings for yo management of Town affairs, whereas we think they are nearer to our Meeting house than they are to Hampton Falls Meeting house, and we think it cant in Reason be thought that ever Doc. Page and Mr. Baker will or intend to make any constant practis in going to Hampton Falls to meeting for they make it their constant practis in going to Salisbury to meeting, and will have their priviledge wth them, and we think it reasonable that they should stand with us because there is about thirteen families that lives at the North west End of Salisbury that constantly Assemblys with us. 7ly By What has been offered we doubt not but your Excellency and Honours will se just cause in your great wisdom to revers Doc. Pages and Mr. Bakers petition, and accordingly grant us our Request. Your humble Servants, REUBEN DIMOND Selectmen South Hampton Memorial of Inhabitants of South Hampton. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General and Governour in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire in New England and to the Honourable his Majesties Council. After our Duty expressed we find ourselves constrained to make our humble acknowledgment of your Goodness extended toward us, and Return you thanks for granting our Petition and Incorporating us into a Town called by yo name of South Hampton. We have been credible informed that some of our Dessenting brethren that lives at yo upper or west part of our Town have preferd a petition to ye Honourable Court to be set off from us and we hear all so that they have presented a copy of a vote to your Excellency & Honours that we are willing they should be set off, which Vote we oppose for yo Reasons hereafter mentioned. Our Dessenting brethren Did at a Town meeting present us a petition which is as followeth : September y 29th 1742. We whose names are under written Do Petition to the Town of South Hampton that they would agree to pass a vote that that part of ye town which lyeth upon ye west side of Powers River should be set off as soon as they are in order to Settel a minister yt is more convenant for them that is as many as shall be willing to be set off, then we will agree to help support ye minister here till then; If you will finish ye meeting house and settel a minister upon your charge and like wise Release us from doing any thing toward y meeting house that has been past: Jonathan Farren, Micah Hoit, James George, John Eliot, Aaron Currier, David Goodwin, David Martain, Timothy Farren, Thomas Greenfield, John Sargent, Abraham Merril, Robert Martain, Nathaniel Ash, Philip Challis, Samuel Goodwin, William Sargent, Ca leb Hobs, Daniel Goodwin, George Martain, Jonathan Kimball, Benjamin Kimball, Roger Eastman, David Colby, Jacob Colby, Zacheus Colby, Jonathan Wotson. A true Copy Examined by me, Reuben Dimond, town Clerk. Now we had no power to set our Dessenting brethren off, for as we had not power to Incorporate ourselves into a Body so we had no power to make any secession and it is not for us to arrogate that to ourselves which belongs to the Honourable Court; but we told our Dessenting brethren that it was a time of great charges with us and if they would joyne with us in our extraordinary charges, when they should be thought capable by lawfull authority to maintain ye Gospel of Christ among them y" we would pay back again their part of ye extraordinary charges that should arise to them in finishing y meeting house, setteling a minister and building for him: now we did not make this offer, because they could make any majority upon us, but we did it for peace, we considering how good it is for brethren to Dwell to gether in Love and unity, and that peace is ye beauty of a Society and it is so necessary and so valuable that we were Ready to sacrifice any thing to procure it, saving only a good conscience, and so we proceeded to a vote which is as followeth : At a meeting of ye Inhabitants of ye town of South Hampton, September ye 29, 1742, Cornet Abraham Brown was chosen Moderator for ye same meeting. At ye same meeting it was taken into consideration that, Whereas there are a number of Inhabitants of ye upper or west part of this town yt lives at considerable Distance from meeting and have thoughts in time to be better accommodated than constantly to assemble with us, and we being Desirous to exercise all Christian Regard and kindness to them, Votes first, That all those persons that lives above or to the Westward of Capt. Jonathan Currier's that have a mind to go off and be a Parish shall have their extraordinary charges that they are now at among us paid back again to them :-that is to say, All their part of ye extraordinary charge that shall arise to them by finishing ye meeting house, setteling a minister and building for him, when they shall be thought capable by lawfull authority to maintain the Gospel of Christ among them, Provided they do not molest or hinder us of ye other part in our speedy setteling a Gospel minister among us, and yt they pay toward his support while they are of us or belong to us, hoping at the same time, they will of their owe free will be assisting to us. 2ly Voted, That we will make no opposition to them in their Indeav Qurs to be a Reg'lar town or parrish whenever they shall be thought capable by lawfull authority-voted in y° affirmative. A true Coppy Attest, Reuben Dimond, Town Clerk. Now after this Vote was offered to our Dessenting brethren we chose a Committee to go to y Association meeting of ye Rev Ministers at ye Rev. Mr. Coffin's in Kingston to ask advice, How we should proceed in Reg'lar way to settel a Gospel minister among us, and there appear'd two of our Dissenting brethren and Declared that they would not joyne with us in setteling a minister for they s1 that vote was only a sham for we knew that they could not make a parrish; but they said that we should have put into y vote y' when they and their neighbours could make a Parrish ;-whereas we drew y vote according to their petition, and they never ask us to set them off to joyne with their neighbours for there is no such a word in their petition as their neighbours. At a meeting of the Inhabitants of South Hampton, November yo 26, 1742, John Flanders was chosen moderator for y same meeting. At ye same meeting it was taken into consideration, that Whereas we y Inhabitants of this Town being in present want of a pious, larned orthodox minister of a good conversation, to dispense y word and Administer y ordinances of our Lord Jesus among us, and it being our Duty to look up to Heaven for Divine Assistance to guide us in all our af fairs, therefore, Voted, That Thursday y 2 day of December next is appointed to be a day of Fasting and Prayer in order for y" calling & setteling a Gospel minister among us, voted and past in ye affirmative. Nathaniel Ash, Jonathan Farren, James George Daniel Goodwin, Jacob Colby, Sam Goodwin, John Eliot, David Goodwin, Philip Challis, David Colby, enters their contrary Dessents against y Vote for ye fast which was for calling and setteling a Gospel minister among us. A true Copy of y vote and all ye dissenters that live above or to y westward of Powers River. Attest-Reuben Dimond, Town Cler. At the same meeting Capt. Jonathan Currier and Joseph French jun. was chosen a Committee to call in y Assistance of ye neighbouring ministers to cellebrate a day of Fasting and prayer among us-Voted & past in y affirmative. A true copy, Reuben Dimond, Town Clerk. Now when y Rev. Ministers was come, which we called to our assistance, our Desenting brethren appeared and opposed them and beat off ye forenoon exercise, yet notwithstanding all their oppositions and Alegations the Rev. Ministers Did not see but y way was clear to proceed to ye worship of ye day where unto they were call'd. At a legal meeting of yo Inhabitants of ye Town of South Hampton, December 27, 1742, John Flanders was chosen Moderator y Same meeting. At ye same meeting it was Voted, That we give ye Řevd Mr. William Parsons a call to settel in y" work of ye Gospel ministry among Voted in y" affirmative. Aty same meeting, James George, Jon us. athan Farren, Aaron Currier, David Goodwin, David Colby, Daniel Goodwin, Zacheus Colby, Philip Challis, Jonathan Wotson, Sam' Goodwin, Rogles Colby, Roger Easman, Jacob Colby, Robart Martain, Micah Hoyt, Enters their contrary Desents against ye Vote for calling and setteling the Rev. Mr. William Parsons or any other man in ye work of y Ministry under their present curcomstances. A true Copy of ye vote and all y Dessenters that lives above or to ye westward of Powers River. Attest, Reuben Dimond, Town Clerk. At ye same meeting it was Voted that ye 23d Day of February next is appointed to be a day of ordination among us & at ye same meeting Joseph French, John Ordaway, Thomas Merril and Abraham Brown were chosen a Committee to send Letters to ye Rev. Ministers and Messengers to be assistant in gathering a Church and in ordaining the Rev. Mr. William Parsons in ye work of ye ministry among us. Voted in the affirmative. A true Copey. Now y ministers we calld to our assistance were the Rev. Mr. Chusing, Mr. Whipple, Mr. Joseph Parsons, Mr. Sam' Parsons, Mr. Fogg, Mr. Coffin, Mr. Webster: These wear chosen a Council to carrey on ye work of the ordination among us, and to set ye day before ye ordination, and so we notified our Dissenting brethren to come at ye time appointed and shew Reasons if any they had why ye minister should not be ordained; but before y time appointed came, we heard that our Dissenting brethren had made Report that they intended to take of our Council, for some were akind to ye man that was to be ordain'd and others had given judgment before: So we, hearing of their Stratagems and not being ignorant of their Devices, we considered it was easier to prevent a Diseas than to cure it, or to keep an adversary out when out, then git him out when he was in, and so being forewarnd we thought it best to be forearm'd and so we calld ye town together to chuse other ministers. At a meeting of y° Inhabitants of ye town of South Hampton, Jan' y 15th 1742-3, Joseph French was chosen Moderator. At ye same meeting it was put to vote wheither the Town would chuse the Rev. Mr. Odlin and the Rev. Mr. Gookin and their messengers to be assistant in Council with y other Ministers for gathering a Church and carry on y ordination among us, and y vote was past in the affirmative. Attest, Reuben Dimond, Town Clerk. A true copy. We voted that we would pay back again all their part of y extraordinary charges that should arise to them by finishing ye Meeting house, setteling a minister and building for him when they should be thought capable to maintain ye Gospel of Christ among them: but then there was a condition annext to that vote it was provided they did not molest or hinder us in our speedy setteling a Gospel minister among us; but now they have opposed us from place to place, and from time to time they have entered their contrary desents once and agen |