Olover Kimbel John Ober jun [Sworn to January 31, 1757, before Timothy Sanders Hugh Camell Archer Churchwood. Daniel Peasle Just. of the Pece.] Warrant for a Town Meeting. Province of To Mr. Joseph Clyde Constable for Windham, GreetNew Hampshire Jing: You are hereby Required to warn the freeholders & Inhabitants of Windham duly qualified By Law to assemble and meet at James Dunlaps Barn on Munday the ninth day of March next at ten of the clock before noon then and there to act on the following particulars: 1st To chuse a moderator to govern said meeting. 2ly To chuse Selectmen and town Clark and Constable for the following year. 3ly To chuse assessors and Collectors for the inshuing year. 4ly To chuse all other officers as usewall for the Inshuing year. And when you have preformed the service herein Required of this make Return and of your doings therein and this shall Be your Warrant. Given under our hands this 18th Day of feberoary A D 1751-2. The above written Warrant was published according to custom by me, Joseph Clyde, Constable for Windham. Hugh Brown George Davidson Select men A true Copy, Willm Gregg, Clark to the Parish. Windham, March ye 9th 1751-2. By vertue of the above warrant from the Selectmen to the Constable of Windham for calling the annual meeting of the Parish, the freeholders and Inhabitants meet the time and place appointed in sd warning meeting, and after opening the meeting the following persons chosen to their respective offices, viz. For moderator For Selectmen For Parish Clark For Constable For Assessors For collector of Ministers salary For surveyors of high ways For taking an Invoice For Stewards? John Armstrong James Caldwell, jun Willm Gregg John Campbell Willm Gregg Joseph Clyde James Caldwell, jun Nathaniel Hemphill John Kerr Alex' Dunlap John Kyll jun* *Those men with this mark refused to take the usual oaths. Coppy Examined, Will Gregg, Town Clerk. A Town Meeting & Votes. [NOTE. A town meeting called by warrant, met in James Caldwell's Barn, July 15th 1752, and acted on the following articles, viz.] 18 To see if you will chuse a Committee to settle the Town accounts with Revd Mr. Johnston. 24 To see if you will chuse a committee to take up our Call or Calls from the Revd Mr. Wm. Johnston (1) Signed by James Dunlap At which meeting chose Joseph Clyde, moderator. } Selectmen. 1st Voated For a Committee to settle accounts with the Revd Mr. Johnston, viz. Will Gregg, Sam1 Campbell & John Dinsmoor. Voated and Chose for a Comite to gett the Call from the Revd Mr. Johnston, viz. Hugh Brown, James Caldwell jun & John Vance. Copy Exam Willm Gregg, Town Clerk. Vote passed at another Town Meeting. [NOTE. A warrant was issued for calling a town meeting, at James Caldwell's Barn, January 16, 1753.] 1st To see what method you will take to have the gospel preached amongst us this winter. 2d To see what you will allow the Committee that was chosen to take care of the ministerial Lot to do with the Logs lying cutt on it and the other fallen timber. 3d "To see what you will allow the Constable to do with them that will not pay up their Reats." signed by James Dunlap } At which meeting, chose Alexander Dunlap Moderator. Selectmen Voated and chosen for a Committee Nathaniel Hemphill and Joseph Waugh to go to the Revd Messrs Davidson and MacGregore of Londonderry and Willson of Chester to see if each of them will preach a day for us and further Voated that James Caldwell, Treasurer is Impowered by this Voat to pay those Revd Gentlemen if they preach to us out of the money that is Colected and in the Constables hands Voated on the second article of the Warrant That the Comitee that (1) Rev. Wm. Johnston, minister of the Presbyterian Church in Windham, was installed there in 1747; he was dismissed in July, 1752. ED. was chose to tak care of the ministeriall Lott are impowered by this Voat to sell the Logs and fallen timber on sa Lott at publick Vendue to the highest bidder Voated on the Last article of the warrant not to consider of it this time. Copy Examd Will Gregg, Town Clerk. Petition relating to a disturbance in the Parish. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq' Capt. General, Governor & commander in chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire the Honble his Majestys Council & House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: The Humble Petition of sundry of the Inhabitants of Windham in said Province, shews: That at the last Annual meeting of said Inhabitants for the choice of Town officers a difference arose among the said Inhabitants concerning the Right of voting: The Selectmen suffering sundry Persons expressly excepted in the Act for incorporating of Windham to vote there and sundry others who did not belong there & were not Inhabitants & only Occasionally in the Parish. That a great Number of the Inhabitants then objected against such Proceedings, but to no purpose, they still proceeded; whereupon the objectors seperated & held a different meeting whereby there were two sets of officers chosen & sworn; but being doubtful of their authority on both sides neither party has acted in their offices and the whole Business of the Parish in consequence thereof has been neglected to this time. That this is a great injury to the Minister & all others who have any concern with the Parish as well as to the Inhabitants in general and to leave the affair to the decision of the Law in the common course would be much more so not only by the expence but the delay which will be occasioned in that way, and as there is no Prospect of a Reconciliation the breach is likely to grow wider, for it all rests till the next annual meeting; the same Dispute will in all probability again arise with an additional controversy about calling the meeting. Wherefore your Petitioners humbly Pray that the circumstances of the said Parish may be considered and that in your great wisdom & goodness you wou'd interpose & reduce their affairs in this regard into order; That you will make void both the said proceedings, appoint a proper person to call & govern a new meeting, that all grounds of Dispute respecting the premises may be taken away or that you will relieve the said Parish in any other method which you shall judge best,— and your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray, &c. Feb. 2 1753. Alexander Park Will Smylie Francis Dinsmore John Kyll [On the foregoing Petition a hearing was granted "on the third day of the sitting of the General Assembly next after the 10th of February inst.," and George Davison, Hugh Brown and Sam' Cambell, selectmen for 1751, were summoned. ED.] Province of New In the House of Representatives February 224 Hampshire. S 1753. Upon hearing the within Petition of Alexander Park and others and the Respondents, and considering the evidence produced by the PartysVoted, That the choice of both sets of officers made at the annual meeting referred to in said Petition was illegal, and that the said choice be and hereby is declared to be null and void: And that there be a meeting held in the said Parish of Windham on the first Tuesday of March next for the choice of Parish officers for the year 1752, and that Peter Gilman, Esq' be and hereby is appointed & authorized to call the s meeting and to be the moderator of said meeting, and that the said Peter Gilman Esq put up or cause to be put up a notification of the time and place of meeting at the meeting house in said Windham and also at the dwelling house of John Christy Innholder in sd Windham, at least four days before the time of holding said meeting. In Council, Feb 23, 1753. read & concurred. Theod. Atkinson, Sec. Matthew Livermore, clerk. In Council 26th Feb 53 Consented to B. WENTWORTH. Answer of Selectmen to the foregoing Petition. To his Excellency Bening Wentworth, Esq' Capt. General, Governor and Commander in chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New-Hampshire, the honorable his Majesty's Council and house of Representatives in General Assembly convened. Samuel Campbell, George Davidson, Hugh Brown inhabitants of Windham in sa Province, (who was Selectmen of the perrish of s Windham in the year 1751) who was by this honorable Court ordered to be served with a copy of a petition of some of the Inhabitants of s' parrish, Dated the 2 of February Instant to appear Before this honourable Counsel to shew cause if any they have why the prayer of the sa Petition should not be Granted &c. The Respondents humbly shew-That the said petition is not genuin but groundless and fallacious in Divers Respects; as first, It is therein shown forth that at y last anual meeting of s1 parrish there arose a Disput Relating to y Right of Voting in s meeting and that yR Selectmen suffered sundry persons expressly exempted in the Act for y Incorporating of Windham to Vote there; which asertion is intirely groundless and without any foundation-there being only five persons with their respective familys and Estates that were exempted in s Incorporation, and nether of them were present at s meeting. 2dly There Asertion in s petition that there was sundry others that were not Inhabitants nor Did not belong there, But were only occasionally there were alowed to vote there: which s asertion we utterly Deny. 3ly Whereas they set forth that a great number of yo Inhabitants there objected against such proceedings but to no purpose: Whereas there was not any that made any Legal or methodical objection against s meeting in any Respect, nor protested against the same in writing, that we might then have known what there objection was and Redrest their grivinces if in our power: which we humbly conceive they ought to have done. 4th As to the separat meetings there held as mentioned in 8 Petition, We understood it onely that a number being Disaffected that they could not carry there point in Voting, caviled at ye proceedings to embarras y busnise of sd parrish & in a heddy mabash way without any warrant held a sepperate meeting when they plainly see that a majority of y° Qualifed voters of s Parrish was against them, and after a number of y sd officers was chose declared and sworn they presumtously chose and Swore another set of officers as we humbly conceive with a design to render y Busnesee of y Day abortive by petiting to have both meetings Destroyed as illegal, knowing there own to be so. |