fifty Families have at sundry times settled & made Improvements there, that above forty dwelling Houses were built on the same & a meeting House for the publick Worship, & a minister settled there (1): But so it happened that by ascertaining the divisional Line between this government & that of the Massachusetts, the said Town fell to ye Northward of y said Line & consequently within this his Majesties Government; in consequence of which we had no Power of transacting any Town affairs such as choosing Town officers, making & collecting assessments for defraying the charge of the Ministry, school, Poor, making & clearing Roads &c: That they have once had all their private Buildings & meeting House burnt by the Enemy & were forced to retire with exceeding great loss; that since the Peace they are collected & got upon the Premises again & have many Houses built & more building, but for want of Town Privileges as above, are in a most unsettled & uncomfortable situation.

Wherefore Pray, that your Excellency and Honours would be graciously pleased to grant them a Charter of Incorporation (with all such Town privileges as are usually granted to other Towns in this Province) agreeable to the Bounds described in the Plan herewith exhibited (2), which are the same as heretofore they imagined to be their Bounds :- -& your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray, &c. JOSIAH WILLard.

Province of
New Hamp

Petition for relief.

To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Gov' &c. in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hamp' the Hon his Majesty's Councill & House of Repe in Gen' Assembly convened : Josiah Willard of Winchester in the Province of New Hamp' in behalf of himself & the Inhabitants on Connecticut River & towns adjacent within this Province wou'd most humbly remonstrate :

That there is began and a considerable progress made in settlement of the Towns on that river for near forty miles to the Northward of the Massachusetts line, as well as severall other settlements about ten miles distant from said River:

That they are left exposed to the cruelty and depredations of the Indians-late instance thereof they have had-and

(1) The first minister was Rev. Joseph Ashley, a graduate of Yale College in 1730; was ordained Nov. 12, 1736; removed in 1747, on account of the Indian war. ED. (2) The Plan is not found by the Editor, in this connection.

apprehend themselves in the utmost hazard of suffering by their hands, unless some proper defence can be made by this Govern':

That in the French war the greatest part of those Towns were left defenceless, drove of, their forts & Buildings & much of their Estate destroyed by y Indians, besides the Slaughter & captivation of ye Inhabitants:

That they have vigorously renewed their settlement since that war, and are now upwards of two hundred familys, the greatest part of whose Estates are wholly there, and if constrain'd (for want of Defence) to make that part of the Province a dereliction, they will be left in very distressing circumstances as well as the Frontier much increased:

That the contiguous parts of the Frontier of the Massachusetts are amply Defended by a number of their troops employed there, so that we at present are the only easy prey the Indians can have :

Wherefore 'tis most humbly requested, that y' Excellency & Hon wou'd consider of the Premises & grant them necessary & speedy Relief:--which is most humbly submitted by y' Excellency's & Hon's most humble and most obedient serv

Portsmo', Jan 3d 1755.

In Council, Jan 16, 1755.

JOSIAH WILLARD.

Read & ordered to be sent down to the Honbl Assembly recommend Theodore Atkinson, Sec.

WINDHAM.

[Windham formerly belonged to Londonderry, and was incorporated as a Parish February 12, 1742. It was the third Parish of Londonderry. ED.]

NOTE.-Sundry papers relating to Windham, with Mr. Bryent's Plan of the Parish, may be found among the Londonderry Papers—which ED.

see.

Petition of James Reid and William Parker. Province of To his Excelency Jonathan Belcher Esq' GovNew Hamp' S ernor & Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshere in New England, the Hon his Majesty's Council & House of Representatives for said Province in General Court convened, the 31st Day of July Anno Dom. 1740.

Humbly shew, James Reed of Londonderry in the Prov

ince of New Hampshire, yeoman & William Parker of Portsmouth in said Province, Gent. as agents for and in behalf of the new Parish in said Londonderry:

That at the last Session of this Hon Court sundry of the Inhabitants of Londonderry afores exhibited a Petition praying that they (with others) might be erected & incorporated into a new Parish with the usual Powers & authorities granted in the like cases:

That accordingly an Act was past by which a new Parish was erected & incorporated within said Londonderry by certain metes & bounds set forth in the said Act with the usual powers & authorities of a Parish, by which Act the first meeting of the said Parishioners was to have been in March last; But so it happen'd that no Persons were named & appointed to call the first meeting in & by said Act, tho' a blank is therein left for the names of such Persons as this Hon Court should see meet to appoint; Whereby the ends & purposes of the said Act are intirely prevented and can in no measure take effect until something farther shall be done in the premises.

Wherefore your Petitioners in behalf of their principals most humbly pray that proper persons may be appointed to call the first meeting of the said Parishioners, and that they may be enabled to call the same forthwith, and that when the said Parishioners are assembled they may have the same power and authority as if their meeting had been held in March last, & the officers that shall be chosen at the same as fully impower'd to discharge the duty of their respective offices for the remaining part of the currt year & until new ones shall be chosen as if they had been chosen in March last pursuant to the said Act;-And y' Petitioners as in duty bound shail ever pray, &c.

JAMES REID
WILLIAM PARKER

In the House of Representatives, Augst y 5th 1740.

The within Petition was read and voted, that the prayer of the Petition be granted, and that John McMurphy, Geo: Duncan, jun. & James Akins be the p'sons to call the first meeting on the first Wednesday in September next: and that the Petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill Accordingly.

James Jeffrey, Clk. ass

Assented to.

J. BELCHER.

Incorporation of Windham as a Parish.

Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Magnæ Britanie, Franciæ and Hiberniæ, Decimo Quarto &c.

An Act for Incorporating a New parish in the Township of Londonerry in the Province of New Hampshire.

Whereas sundry of the Inhabitants of the Southern part of Londonderry aforesaid have petitioned this Court representing their circumstances to be such as made it necessary to Incorporate them into a new parish & that the other part of the Town was willing they should be so Incorporated by the Boundaries particularly set forth in their Petition, and praying that it might be accordingly done :-which Representation having been examined by this Court and found true as to the substance thereof:

Be it therefore Enacted, By his Excellency the Governour, Council and Representatives in General Court Assembled, and by the authority of the same It is hereby Enacted and ordained, that a new Parish shall be erected in the said township of Londonderry and hereby incorporated and made by the name of Windham, and is comprehended within the following metes and Boundaries, (viz.) Beginning at the Dwelling House of one John Hopkins of said Londonderry, yeoman and from thence running on a due west course to Beaver brook so called: then beginning again at the said house at the place where it began before (so as to have the said house to ye Northward) and from thence to run on a due East course till it Comes to y Easterly line of said Londonderry, thence to run as said Line runs till it comes to the southerly boundary of said Londonderry, then to run to Westward as the said boundary runs till it comes to the said Brook, and then to run as the said Brook runs untill it comes to the place on the said Brook where the said West line runs across the same :- Excepting out of these limits the polls and estates of John Archibald, James Clark, James Moor, John Hopkin, and John Cochran and their respective families: And the said Parish shall be and hereby is invested with all the powers and Authorities that ye severall Towns in this Province are invested with, and likewise shall have, hold and enjoy the same priviledges, immunities and liberties that the said towns hold and enjoy by the Laws and customs in use and force within the Same: Saving only the chusing of a Representative in the General Court, in which matter the Inhabitants of sd Parish are to joyn with the other Inhabitants of said town; as also in what concerns the Common Lands in the said township; And the Inhabitants of the said Parish and the Estates within the same (saving those before excepted-) are hereby exonerated & discharged of and from all duties, services and burthens; and the payment of all taxes, rates and charges to any other part of the said town, Excepting what relates to sending and supporting a Representative at the General Court, the dividing or managing the Common Lands aforesaid and such taxes, rates and charges as are already proportioned, assessed within the said town.

And Be it further Enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That Robert Dinsmoor, Joseph Waugh and Robert Thomson are hereby authorized and appointed to call the first meeting of the Inhabitants of the said Parish on the eighth day of March next; in the performance of which as also in the management and Regulation of the said meeting, The laws relating to such matters and the customs in force in said Province are to be attended and observed: And the officers that shall be chosen by the said Inhabitants at the said meeting regulated as aforesaid, shall be and hereby are authorized and impowered, being first qualified Ac

cording to Law, to execute, observe, do and fulfill all and singular the authoritys, powers and dutys, and hold and enjoy the privileges, profits and immunities appertaining to their respective offices, that such officers in the several towns aforesaid execute, hold and enjoy and as effectually to all intents and purposes;-provided that the inhabitants of the said Parish shall from time to time provide, maintain and support an orthodox minister of the Gospel among them:

Febuary, ye 10, 1741. In the house of Representatives the above Bill read three times and past to be enacted. Andrew Wiggin, Speaker. Feby 12, 1741-2. Read three times at ye Council Board and past to be enacted.

Richard Waldron, Secy.

Feb3 12, 1741-2. I assent to the enacting this Bill.

B. WENTWORTH.

Deposition of James Gilmore.

The Deposition of James Gilmore of lawful age, doth testify & say that he being Constable in Windham for the year 1743, collected the Province tax of all the Inhabitants within s Parish in its original bounds, committed to his List.

James Gilmore.

Certificate. [A rare specimen.]

Province of Sallam, January the 19th, year 1757? than the a bove New hamp named Jemes Gillmor apeard Before me and Being carefully Eaxamind to and casined to tastify the holl truth mad sollam oth to the truth of the above writen Dickclarison By him him subscribed it Being taken at the Request of Oliver Sanders to Be yousd in the Jenerill A Samble of said Province_Realting to a patision loged with the said a sambly Relating to the Destrickt Raats of Methuen for an axamshun from said Rates.

Sworn Before me this Day and Dat above menshuned.

Daniel Peaslee, just of the pece.

[A similar Deposition was made by John Vance, constable, of collecting taxes, in 1747; which was also certified by Daniel Peaslee, in form as above, Jany 20, 1757. ED.]