French may soon and Easyly annoy them & the Indians tells them that they must fight for the french and tells them to take Care of themselves. Your Petitioners being so Exposed to the Enemy and so far from any English Settlemt they cannot pretend to stand on their own Defence, and therefore humbly prays your Excelly and honours of the Gen' Ass that they may have some assistance of Men to assist them in Keeping their Garrison and preserve their Cattle and Graine, or as in your Wisdom you shall think fitt. And if no assistance of men may be obtained Then to let the People Know it, That your Petitioners may use Some Speedy means for the preservation of themselves & families and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound Shall ever Pray &c July the 24th 1744. JOHN SPAFFORD. Petition for a road. To his Excellency John Wentworth Esq' Captain General, Governor & Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire &c The Honourable his Majesty's Council & House of Representatives in General Assembly convened this Eighteenth Day of October 1768 The Petion of Simon Sartwell, William Heywood and Elijah Grout as Selectmen of the Town of Charlestown in s'd province to your Excellency and Honours humbly sheweth, that the Inhabitants of said Charlestown with those of the adjoining Towns, have Looked out and marked a Road, and in part Cleared the Same, between said Charlestown & Boscawen and are of opinion the same may be made a good Carriage Road, which if effected, is humbly conceived might be of Great utility & Benefit to many Towns in this Province by having a much nearer & easier Communication with the Metropolis than has as yet been found out which is tho't would greatly Fecilitate the Settlement of many new Townships, hitherto much retarded for want of good Roads. Wherefore your Petitioners humbly pray your Excellency & Honours would be pleased to indulge them with your approbation of said Road and that ye same may be confirmed as the Main Road or Highway from said Charlestown to Boscawen and that such Regulations and orders for farther opening and Clearing said Road may be made as by your Excellency & Honours may tho't best or otherways to Grant such Relief to your Petitioners, in the Premeses as to this Honble Court Shall in wisdom, be Judged best and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever pray SIMON SARTWELL Province of In the House of Representatives Oct 26 1768 Voted That the Petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill to Oblige the Proprietors of the Several Towns through which said Road Marked out as mentioned in the Petition passes, to Clear and make Said Road Passable M. Weare Cl To his Excelley John Wentworth Esq' Capt General Governor & Commander in chief in & over his Majtys Province afores In Council. The Memorial & Petition of Timothy Lovell of Rockingham in said province Humbly Shews That your Memorialist is now the owner of & in possession of a certain Island in Connecticut River, nearly adjoining to Charlestown containing about Nine acres, that the said Island was always deemed part of the said Township of Charlestown, & so alotted to & among the Proprietors, who with those who hold under them have cultivated & mowed the same for near seventeen years last past, & never heard the Title controverted, till within a very little time past y Menlist has been informed that some persons are about to make application to Yr Excellency & Hons for a Grant thereof, which might be productive of much Trouble & inconvenience &c. Your Mem list therefore humbly prays Yr Excell'cy and honors would be pleased to suspend your Determination of this matter, in case application Should be made, untill y' Mem list might have an Opp1y to prove what he alledges relative to his Right of property & possession as aforesd And y' Memorialist as in Duty bound shall Ever Pray &c TIMOTHY LOvell. Portsmo 6th April 1770 Petition in behalf of Benj Page for a Ferry. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Governor and Commander in Chief in and over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire, and to the Honble His Majestys Council The Humble Petition of Benjamin Page of Charlestown in said Province of New Hampshire Yeoman Humbly Sheweth also the Petition of the Selectmen and other of the Inhabitants of said Charlestown-praying that the said Benjamin may have the benefit of the Ferry that leads from Charlestown to Crown point (as he is settled at the Ferry as near as is convenient for a Ferry man) he is a sober well disposed person and we think he will attend the Business and be faithfull to oblige those that Travel the road, there is no house that is within half a mile of said ferry on this side the river and we Your Excellency's Petitioners Humbly pray that he may have a Charter of the same if Your Excellency and Honours shall think fit to Grant the same to him as we Judge him to be suitable for the business and Your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. To his Excellency John Wentworth Esqr. Governor & Commandor in Chief in & over His Majesty's Province of New Hampshire and to His Majestys Honble Counnicel That Whareas it Hath Bin Pleaseing to the People of Charlestown to Sign and Send to the Governor & Cownsel desiering that Benja Paige Should have the ferey Grantted to him it is also my desire that it Should be grantted to him and Pray your Excellency & the Oner Counsel to grant it to him on this Side of the River the humble Request of John Nott who hath maintained the ferey with a good Booat on my own Cost six years JOHN NOTT. January the 14 1771. Petition of Simeon Olcott for a Ferry. To his Excellency John Wentworth Esqr. Captain General, Governor and Commander in Chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire &c. In Council Humbly Sheweth Simeon Olcott of Charlestown in said Province that there being no Ferry legally appointed and Established on Connecticut River between said Charlestown and Springfield on the opposite side of said River, by reason whereof his Majesty's Subjects are often obstructed or delayed in passing said River or exorbitant sums demanded for the same-Wherefore your Petitioner prays that he may be appointed and authorized to set up & Keep a Ferry on said River between said Charlestown and Springfield under such Orders and Regulations as in your wisdom shall be tho't fit and your Petitioner shall ever pray &c Portsmouth 19th March 1771. SIMEON OLCOTT. CHESTER. [Chester was an original township of ten miles square granted Aug. 26, 1720, and was incorporated 8 May, 1722. ED.] Petition in behalf of the proprietors of Chester. To the Honble John Wentworth Esq' Lieut. Gov. Governor and Commander in Chief in and over His Majesties Province of New Hampe and to the Honble the Council for said Province. The Humble Petition of Henry Sherburne Sam' Ingalls, John Sanborn & Thos Packer in Behalf of the Propriety of the Town of Chester In said Province Humbly Sheweth That the Propriet's of the Town of Chester afores about two years since Chose a Comittee to Join wth a Comittee of the Town of Londonderry to run the Line between the two Towns, which the said Comittee accordingly Begun & made some Progress in it but did not Compleat the same, by reason that the Comittee for Londonerry would not consent to allow the usual allowance (of Eleven Chains for ten for windfalls & in ye woods) in the measure on the W. N. W. or Side Line, and would allow only bare measure which was unreasonable and never Practiced before the reason of their being so Exact is Because the Propriet's of Londonderry have Artfully contrived to have it so in their Charter as to Ingrose to them selves the Fishing place at Ameskeegg by taking into their Town a small gore of Land at the head of Chester, running so far between the river of Merrymack and the head of Chester untill it takes in the said Fishing place, they having measured it beforehand for that purpose, their Ingrossing to themselves ye sd Fishing place will not only be greatly prejudicial to Chester but also to the other New Towns. Y' Petitioners therefore Humbly pray That yo Honours will be pleased to appoint a Committee to run the said Lines and Settle the bounds between the said Towns in such a manner as is Customary and yo' Petition's as in duty bound Shall ever pray Janry 6th 1725-6 In Coun. Jan'y 8th 1725-6. HEN SHERBURNE } For themselves and in behalf of JOHN SANBORN The Petition of Chester Committee this day Presented to ye board by Mr Thom Packer Praying the Honble ye Lt Gov' & Council to appoint a Committee to run out & Settle ye Divisional lives & boundaries between that town & Lond° Derry for the reasons therein set forth, being read It is Ordered That the hearing upon the said Petition be on Tuesday ye 25 Inst. at y Coun Chamb. in Port and that the Petitioners serve ye Selectmen of the sd Town of Lond° Derry wth a Copy thereof & of this order in the mean time that they may have an opportunity to shew yo Reasons (if any they have) why the Prayer of sa Petition may not be granted. To be heard a Tuesday fortnight. R Waldron Clark Con. Chester Committee Petition-Minutes of Council thereon, Jan 25, 1725. Prov. N. Hamp{Present in Coun. Jan 25, 1725. 6 Lt. Gov' Mark Hunking, K. Wibird Esq' The Committee of Chester appearing to prosecute their Petition for a Committee to settle y divisional line between y Town & LondonDerry which was filed ye 8th Instant & Messrs Cargil & Rob' Boyes appearing in behalf of ye sd Town of London Derry & both partys being fully heard It is ordered That the Prayer of y Petition be granted & that Mr. James Stevens be ye Surveyor to lead ye Course & y1 Mr Benj Barker Jn Calton be y Persons to carry y chain & that Capt. Jn° Gillman & Mr. Edward Hale go on wth one chain man & ye other wth ye other & keep ye Tally who are likewise to take care & see that due & just allowance be made in ye measure in all cases where they shall Judge it requisite and that this busyness be performed between this time & yo middle of June next & reported into ye secretarys office immediately after ye Completing thereof & yt ye Charge of ye Čommittee be paid by ye 2 Towns Jointly & yt ye sd Committee be sworn to ye faith' discharge of ye Duty of y' respective trusts according to ye form annexed |