Town Papers.
———————————————
DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS
RELATING TO
TOWNS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE;
WITH AN APPENDIX
EMBRACING THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS OF 1778-1779; AND OF 1781-1783; AND THE STATE CONSTITUTION OF 1784.
———————————————
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LEGISLATURE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
———————————————
VOLUME IX.
———————————————
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
NATHANIEL BOUTON, D. D.,
Corresponding Secretary of the New Hampshire Historical Society.
———————————————
CONCORD, N. H. :
CHARLES C. PEARSON, STATE PRINTER.
1875.
EDITOR'S PREFACE.
The special value of this volume consists in the information which it contains and communicates, relating to TOWNS in New Hampshire. It will be found indispensable in every Town History. We are little aware, at this period, of the sacrifices, trials, dangers and absolute sufferings which many of the early settlers endured in planting Towns in the interior of the State; where, literally, they often suffered "from savage beasts and more savage men." The border Towns were, for years, open to the incursions of Indians from Canada. Their earnest petitions to the Governor or to the General Assembly for help, clearly reveal to us their dangers and distresses. Besides this source of trial, others arose from disputes about boundary lines, the location of meeting-houses, the settling of ministers, irregularities in town meetings, &c. The volume is of great value, as giving the NAMES of many, and in some cases, all the male inhabitants of the Towns, from which petitions were sent. These will enable descendants to trace their connexion with the early settlers.
The volume, also, has an important value, in that, in the APPENDIX, it gives in full, all known facts relating to the Constitutional Conventions in 1778-1783, which resulted in the establishment of the first Constitution after the Revolution, 1784. The Editor is not aware that the facts herein have ever before been published, in connexion. He asks attention to the Note subjoined to the first and second articles of the Bill of Rights, on pages 896-898.
In examining these "Town Papers," readers will often do well to refer to the Provincial and State Papers in preceding volumes, of corresponding date, from which, in some cases, additional information will be obtained.
NOTICE.
JOINT RESOLUTION, passed by the Legislature a New Hampshire. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court convened, That His Excellency the Governor be hereby authorized and empowered, with the advice and consent of the Council, to employ some suitable person, and fix his compensation, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to collect, arrange, transcribe, and superintend the publication of such portions of the early State and Provincial Records, and other State Papers of New Hampshire, as the Governor may deem proper; and that eight hundred copies of each volume of the same be printed by the State Printer and distributed as follows namely, one copy to each City and Town in the State, one copy to such of the Public Libraries of this State as the Governor may designate, two hundred copies to the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the remainder placed in the custody of the State Librarian, who is hereby authorized to exchange the same for similar publications issued by other States.
Approved July 6, 1866.
GENERAL CONTENTS.
———————————————
NOTE BY THE EDITOR.
The contents of the several MS. Volumes from which the following printed pages are transcribed, are noted and kept distinct herein as in the original. Thus:
VOLUME I.
ACWORTH TO CHICHESTER, pp. 1-127.
———————————————
ACWORTH.
PAGES.
Memorial of Sampson Stoddard and Jona. Blanchard 1-2
Petition of Jona. Blanchard for extension of the charter
of Acworth, 1772 2
Gov. Wentworth's warrant to inspect the settlement in
Acworth, May, 1772 3
List of families and settlers in Acworth, according to
report of inspectors 4
———————————————
ALSTEAD.
A true list of the inhabitants settled in Alstead, 1771 — names 5
Petition in relation to an extension of the charter 5-6
———————————————
AMHERST.
Request of the inhabitants of Souhegan West for a
guard to defend them from the French and Indians,
1744 6
vi GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Memorial of Rev. Daniel Wilkins for like aid, 1744 7
Petition for protection against the Indians, 1747 — sign‑
ers' names (1) 8
Petition for aid from inhabitants of Monson (after‑
wards incorporated, in part, with Amherst)
names, 1747 9
Petition of Monson for annexation of a tract of land to
them — names, 1754 10
Petition of Monson to be exempt from taxes, 1753 11
Petition of certain persons for annexation to Monson
— names 12
Petition of selectmen of Amherst for extension of its
charter, 1761
Petition for pay for taking inventory of Lyndeborough,
1762 13
Proposals of accommodation between Monson and Am‑
herst, 1763 14
Letter of Rev. Daniel Wilkins, relating to Amherst
for a shire-town, 1767 14, 15
Vote of Monson for a division and annexation to Am‑
herst and to Hollis, and Petition for the aforesaid
division 16
Petition to be disannexed from Amherst, 1771 — names 17
Petition against division of the town, 1771 — names 17-19
Vote of Amherst in favor of annexing Monson, 1766 20
Petition of John Shepard, jun., town clerk, in behalf
of Amherst, 1771 20
Petition for a road from Charlestown to Amherst, 1773 21
Petition of inhabitants of Hillsborough county in rela‑
tion to John Holland, 1774 21-24
Petition of Monson to be restored to its original char‑
ter — names, 1782 24-26
—————
(1) Readers are reminded that names of persons in the same town, which are frequently repeated, as signers of petitions or otherwise, are not uniformly noted by page in the Index; but are indicated by a — mark between the pages where they are found; but every name in a particular town will be found in the Index once or more. ED.
GENERAL CONTENTS. vii
ATKINSON AND PLAISTOW (1).
PAGES.
Petition from Plaistow, relating to difficulty of attending
public worship, 1766 — names 26, 27
Petition relating to a site for a meeting-house — names,
1764 28
Petition to be set off as a parish — names, 1766 29
Reasons of Daniel Hadley and Joshua Emery against
a division 30
Memorial of inhabitants of Haverhill to the people of
Plastow, 1767 — names 31
Information from Plaistow, to the Governor, &c., 1766
— names 32
Joseph Page, Ebenr Eaton and Joseph Parker, against
a division, 1767 32, 33
Petition of inhabitants of Plaistow, with reasons for be‑
ing set off in a distinct parish — names 33-35
Petition of sundry persons to be polled off from Atkin‑
son to Plaistow — names 36
Memorial of inhabitants of Plaistow against a new town,
&c. — names 37
Report of a committee of Plaistow, about the meeting-
house, 1766 38
Persons in Plaistow who desire to have the town remain
undivided 38, 39
Asa Haseltine against a division of the town 39
Number of people in Atkinson and in Plaistow 39
James White; reasons for wishing to remain in Plaistow 40
List of Baptists in Plaistow — names 41
———————————————
BARRINGTON.
List of the original proprietors of Barrington 41-45
Petition for power to raise money 45, 46
of Thomas Shepard 46
of John McMath and Thos. Shepard 47
of selectmen of Barrington, for a representative 48
—————
(1) The papers relating to these towns are intermixed.
viii GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Petition of Garland and Brewster for a Congregational
Parish 48, 49
———————————————
BEDFORD.
Petition of people in Souhegan-East for protection
names of families, 1744 50
Petition of Presbyterians in Bedford, 1750 — names 51, 52
Petition of people in Bedford, for a Proprietors' meet‑
ing 52
Petition for a tax on their land, for a meeting-house, &c. 53
Petition of James Caldwell, for a town meeting, &c. 54
Petition of Selectmen and Committee of Safety, against
John Houston's taking an oath, 1778 55, 56
———————————————
BENNINGTON.
Mr. Samuel Robinson's petition for a tax, 1763 56, 57
———————————————
BOSCAWEN.
Petition of Contoocook, Penacook and Canterbury for
protection against the Indians, 1747 57
Contoocook petition for aid, 1744 — names 58, 59
Petition for appointment of military officers — names 59
for a land tax for support of a minister, 1747 60
for authority to collect taxes 60, 61
for a Justice of the Peace, 1766 — names 62
BOW (I).
Bow remonstrance against against Rumford petition for
incorporation, 1749-50 62
Perambulation of Bow town lines 63
Petition of Selectmen of Bow, 1753 63, 64
Warrants relating to taxes, &c., 1753 65, 66
—————
(I) By error, the head-line on pp. 63-76 is "Boscawen," which should be Bow. ED.
GENERAL CONTENTS. ix
PAGES.
Petition of agents of Bow for a loan of money, 1754 67
Vote for a loan to Proprietors of Bow 68
An act relating to Bow, taxes, &c., 1755 68-70
Petition for a new survey of lots 71, 72
Inventory of Bow and Canterbury, 1761 73, 74
Petition of Edward Russel and others, 1764 74, 75
Petition of Joseph Baker and Philip Eastman, 1764 75
Petition of Selectmen of Bow, not to be rated with Con‑
cord, 1767 76
———————————————
BRENTWOOD.
Names of persons in Brentwood desiring a Parish, 1743 76, 77
Petition of inhabitants in the North part of Brentwood
about a meeting-house, 1743 — names 77-79
Petition of Elisha Sanborn, in relation to Brentwood,
1745 80
Remonstrance against Keeneborough patent 80-83,
Charter of Keeneborough 83, 86
Petition of Selectmen of Keeneborough, 1748 84, 85
Petition of inhabitants of Brentwood, to be set off as a
Parish, 1764 — names 85, 86
———————————————
CANTERBURY.
Vote of town meeting, 1738 86
Petition of proprietors of Canterbury, about a road, 1741 87
of proprietors of Canterbury for a bridge, 1743 88, 89
of Canterbury men for wages, 1754 90
of Canterbury for remission of tax, 1754 91
of Selectmen for remission of taxes, 1756 92
relating to the original charter 92, 93
Petition of Archelaus Moor and others to be set off to
Canterbury, 1764 94
Petition of Abiel Foster about Town Records, 1774 95
———————————————
CHARLESTOWN, No. 4.
Letter to Cols. Willard and Hinsdale, 1743 — names 96, 97
Petition of John Spafford, &c., for aid, 1744 97
x GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Petition of Selectmen for a road, 1768 98
of Timothy Lovell about an island, 1770 99
of Benjamin Page for a Ferry, 1771
Petition of John Nott, and of Simeon Alcott for a
Ferry, 1771 100, 101
———————————————
CHESTER.
Petition in behalf, of the Proprietors of Chester, 1726,
with Minutes of Council thereon 101, 102
Petition of Selectmen, relating to town bounds, 1726 103
Report on petition for a road, &c., 1743 103, 104
Petition of Chester in relation to salary of ministers,
&c., 1740 105
Petition for aid of soldiers 106
Petition of John Talford and Thos Wells, for protec-
tion, 1748 107
Minutes of Chester Town meeting, 1753 107
Petition of Andrew Craige, in relation to taxes,
1757 108
Advertisement of town meeting, &c., 1763 109
Petition of North Parish, to be set off, &c., 1763 —
names 110
Petition for a new Parish, 1763 — names 111, 112
Petition to confirm bounds of Long Meadow Par‑
ish, 1771 113
Meeting of freeholders and inhabitants — names 114
Memorandum of agreement, 1772 115
Answer to a petition for a Parish being set off, 1772 116
Bounds of Long Meadow Parish, 1772 117
Further petitions, relating to the same, 1773 — names 117-120
Petition of Daniel Foster for a Ferry 120
———————————————
CHESTERFIELD.
Memorial relating to the estate of John Wheelwright,
of Boston 120, 121
Petition of Josiah Willard about the same 122
GENERAL CONTENTS. xi
CHESWICK, NOW LITTLETON.
PAGES.
Petition of Moses Little and associates for extension
of charter 123
———————————————
CHICHESTER.
Charter of Chichester 123
Petition for extension thereof — names 125
confirmation of charter 126
liberty to assess taxes 126, 127
Note by the Editor, "Coulerain" 127
———————————————
VOLUME II.
CONCORD TO EXETER, pp. 128-274.
———————————————
CONCORD.
Petition from Ebenezer Eastman for protection from
the Indians, 1746 128
Copy of Rumford petition for defence, &c., 1744 129
Petition for aid by Benj. Rolfe, Esq., 1745 130, 131
Petition of inhabitants for like purpose, 1747 — names 131
Petition of Capt. Ebenezer Eastman for same 133
Petition of Joseph Pudney, for service 133
Letter of Rev. Timothy Walker to Archibald Stark 134
Petition of Ezra Carter in behalf of Rumford 134, 135
Letter of Jere. Stickney, Esq., relating to Bow 135, 136
Petition of Rev. Timo Walker in behalf of Rumford 136, 137
of Selectmen, relating to taxation, &c. 138
to be annexed to Hillsborough county 139
———————————————
CONWAY.
List of original Proprietors of Conway — names, &c. 141, 143
List of settlers that have families, &c. 144
Memorial from Fryburg, Brownfield and Conway,
1776 144, 145
xii GENERAL CONTENTS.
CORNISH.
PAGES.
Petition of Jona Chase for a grant of Hart Island,
1772 145, 146
———————————————
DEERFIELD.
Petition of inhabitants in relation to a tax — names 147
for a tax, with reasons therefor, 1773 147, 148
Petition for appointment of a Justice of the Peace,
1774 — names 149
Petition of southerly part of Deerfield for a Parish,
1774 — names 150
———————————————
DERRYFIELD.
Note 151
Petition of inhabitants relating to town meeting,
1766 — names 152, 153
———————————————
DOVER.
Extracts from the Records of Dover, 1643 153, 154
Petition for bridging Cochecho and Lamprey rivers 154
Letter to the selectmen of Dover and Exeter about a
bridge; Accts. of pretenders to land at Cochecho
Point 155
Petition about a Grammar School at Dover (1) 155, 156
of Selectmen, relating to a bridge, 1723 156
Petition and complaint against Richard Waldron,
Esq. 157, 158
Petition of inhabitants of the N. E. part of Dover for
a Parish, 1729 — names 159, 160
Petition of Eleazer Weare in behalf of inhabitants in
N. E. part of Dover, 1729 160
Petition of Paul Gerrish and others relating to frauds
and forgeries, 1729 — names 161, 162
—————
(1) By error, the date, 1772, should be 1722. ED.
GENERAL CONTENTS. xiii
PAGES.
Action of General Assembly, and Report of Com‑
mittee thereon, 1729 162, 163
Report about frauds in Dover Town book, 1731 163-167
Petition of Proprietors of Hilton's Point, 1731—
names 167, 168
Petition of people in Dover and other towns for a
Township, 1733 — names 168-171
Petition for a grant of land, 1754 — names 171, 172
List of the training men under Capt. Thos Millet,
1740 173, 174
List a the second foot company of Dover, 1740 174, 175
List of the troopers under Capt. Tristram Coffin, in
Dover, 1740 176
Petition against a new Parish, 1744 — names 176, 177
for leave to have a Lottery, for a bridge, 1760 177
Petition for a bridge to cross Bellamy's Bank, 1756
— names 178, 179
Petition in relation to being set off in a separate
county, 1768 180
Petition relating to a bridge, 1770 — names 181, 183
Petition relating to bridges, 1773 — names 184, 185
Petition relating to rocks in Salmon-falls river, 1779,
names 185-187
———————————————
DORCHESTER.
Petition of John House for extension of time to make
their settlement, 1771 187
Petition for a new charter, 1772 188
———————————————
DUBLIN.
Petition to be incorporated into a township, 1771 188
———————————————
DUNBARTON
Petition of Capt. Caleb Page, of Starkstown, 1763 189
Petition in relation to a school lot, 1774, with resolve
of General Assembly 190, 191
Petition of Caleb Page relating thereunto, 1774 191-193
xiv GENERAL CONTENTS.
DUNSTABLE.
PAGES.
Petition of Inhabitants of Pine Hill, 1763 193
Votes at a town meeting in Dunstable, 1763 194
Petition of inhabitants of West Parish of Dunstable
for a garrison and men, 1744 — names 194
Petition for protection against the Indians, 1744 195
in relation to a certain tract of land 196
Copy of an Indian Deed, 1671 196, 197
Petition relating to conflicting town meetings, 1748 198-200
Petition for dividing the Province into Counties, 1754
— names 201
Warning for a town meeting, proceedings, &c.,
1760 202
Samuel Hobart, attorney for Dunstable, 1763 203
Answer to a petition of inhabitants of Dunstable to
be set off to Hollis, 1763 204-206
Petition of Zacheus Lovewell and Joseph Blanch-
ard, 1758 (1) 206
(1) By error, 1768. ED.
Petition of Joseph Blanchard, 1762 207
Wm. Brown's letter and power of attorney, 1760 208
Proceedings at Town meetings 208-210
Letter to Hon. Henry Sherburne 210
Papers relating to the settlement of Rev. SAMUEL
BIRD 215
List of qualified voters in Dunstable 211
Names of persons who voted for Rev. Mr. Bird 213
Names of those who voted against him, &c. 213-214
Votes at Town meetings, &c. 215
Petition relating to an illegal Town meeting 216
Sundry names, in Dunstable 219
Minutes of Town meeting 219-225
Assent to Jos. Blanchard's petition, and Remon‑
strance against it 221-222
Petition of Jona Lovewell, in answer to Jos. Blanch‑
ard's 222
Petition to send a Representative 224
Petition of people in the west part of Dunstable to
be annexed to Hollis 226, 227
GENERAL CONTENTS. xv
PAGES.
Petition relating to another hearing 228
Petition against annexation to Hollis 229-231
Proceedings at town meetings 231-234
———————————————
DURHAM.
Petition for incorporation as a town 234
Ecclesiastical document, 1723 235
Petition of aggrieved inhabitants of Oyster River 237
Petition of Francis Mathes and others for a new
Parish 238
Names of soldiers in Durham under Capt. John
Smith 240
Petition of Daniel Meader, 1745 241
Petition of Joseph Thomas and others, about a fraud‑
ulent election 242
Petition for a highway 243
———————————————
EPPING.
Petition of inhabitants for protection 245, 246
———————————————
EPSOM.
An Act to invest Proprietors of Epsom with town
rights 246
Petition of John Weeks 247
Petition for abating the Province tax 248
Proceedings at town meetings 249-250
———————————————
EXETER.*
Combination at Exeter, 1639 250
Elders' or Rulers' Oath 251
Oath of the people 252
Request for a town meeting and a new Parish 252
Petition for a Parish — names 253-257
—————
* See Note by the Editor, at the close of General Contents.
xvi GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Counter petition — names 257
Petition for Parish privileges — names 258
Remonstrance against 260
Warrant for town meeting — other remonstrances 261-265
Report on location of a meeting-house 265
Brentwood petition about Parish lines 266
Petition of Andrew Gilman and others — names 267
Brentwood to pay Province tax to Exeter 268
Report of a Committee about Brentwood meeting‑
house 269
Joint petitions, &c., (relating to Brentwood) 270-272
Remonstrance — names 273
Agreement of parties (in Brentwood) 280
Survey of a Parish in Brentwood 290
———————————————
VOLUME III.
EXETER TO JEFFERSON, pp. 275-430.
———————————————
EXETER — CONTINUED.
Petition of Andrew Gilman and others about a meet‑
ing-house, 1743 — names 275
Petition of sundry persons in Exeter for support of a
minister among themselves 277
Petition to be exempted from support of a minister
not of their choice — names 278
Petition in answer to that, praying for exemp‑
tion, &c. 280
Replication to the foregoing 284
Petition of sundry inhabitants of Exeter, to be incor‑
porated into a new Parish — names 291
Answer of the Town Committee of Exeter to the
foregoing 293
Result and advice of an Ecclesiastical Council in
Exeter, 1755 295
Acceptance of the foregoing Result and Advice 297
GENERAL CONTENTS. xvii
PAGES.
Petition of John Odlin and others for power to call
Parish meetings 297
————————————————
FRANCESTOWN.
Petition for a land tax to build a meeting-house‑
names 299
————————————————
FRANCONIA.
Petition of John Wendell, agent for the town of Franconia 300
Petition of Alexander Phelps and others relating
to forfeiture and re-grant of Franconia and Lin‑
coln 301
————————————————
GILMANTON.
Petition for power to levy a tax, &c. 302
————————————————
GILSUM.
Vote of Westmoreland to set off a part of the inhab-
itants to Gilsum; vote of Gilsum to set off the
west end of the town; assent of inhabitants of
Gilsum to be set off 303
Petition for a new town — names 304
————————————————
GOFFSTOWN.
Petition of Archibald Stark for soldiers to guard the
garrison at Amoskeag 306
Votes at town meetings in Goffstown 307
Petition for a Presbyterian Society — names 307, 308
Petition of inhabitants, 1772, relating to town dis-
putes — names 308
A town meeting called, Proceedings, &c. 310, 311
Petition for an emission of paper money 311
A Bank of paper currency 313
xviii GENERAL CONTENTS.
GOSPORT.
PAGES.
Petition to be exempt from paying taxes 313
Petition of Selectmen for remission of taxes 314
Petition for a Lottery, for protecting the harbour
names 316
————————————————
GRANTHAM.*
Petition of John Sargents for a new charter 318
of Abel Stevens, for same 319
————————————————
GREENLAND.
Petition of inhabitants for privileges 320
Petition of sundry persons to be joined to Greenland
parish 321
Petition for a grant of certain powers 321, 322
for a township 322
Portsmouth votes relating to Greenland 323
Petition of inhabitants of Breakfast Hill 324
for extension of boundary lines 325
relating to tax warrant 326
for representation in the General Assembly 327
————————————————
GROTON, FORMERLY COCKERMOUTH.
Petition of John Hale and Samuel Hobart for a re-
grant 328
Memorial of James Gould and others 329
————————————————
HAMPSTEAD.
Petition for a Parish 331
Vote of Kingston against setting off a Parish 332
Petition of Richard Haazen about support of Rev.
James Cushing 333
Petition of Edward Flint and others to be annexed, &c., 334
—————
* By error, head.line, "Gosport," p. 319, should be Grantham. ED.
GENERAL CONTENTS. xix
HAMPTON & HAMPTON-FALLS.
PAGES.
Petition of Selectmen about taxes 335
Petition of Abraham Drake and others about a tract
of land, &c 336
Certificate of Nathaniel Weare — of Jabez Smith 337
Petition for leave to make a separate tax 338
Request relating to highways 339
Petition relating to a Parish 340
Petition of inhabitants of Hampton-falls for a tavern 341
Petition for a new Parish 343
Concurrence therein — objections thereto 345
Petition of Hampton-falls for a Fair — grant thereof 345-346
Agreement relating to Rev. Ward Cotton
Petition adverse to setting off a new Parish 347
Reasons against the same 348
Names of persons in different towns who petitioned
to be annexed to Massachusetts, 1739, viz., in
Hampton, Kingston, Hampton-falls, Chester,
Stratham, Exeter, Kensington, and Greenland* 349-356
Reasons offered against a new district, and Remon‑
strance against the same 356, 357
Petition of persons formerly of Massachusetts to be
annexed to Hampton-falls 358
Petition of inhabitants of N. E. part of Hampton to
be exempted from minister's tax 359
Petition of sundry persons to be annexed to Hamp‑
ton-falls 360
Petition of persons in Haverhill not to be joined
with Kingston 361
Notification of a Parish meeting to set off those who
call themselves Presbyterians 362
Petition for a Presbyterian Society 363
Petition in answer to the foregoing petition 366
Petition for a Presbyterian Society renewed 370
An Act dividing Hampton-falls into two Parishes 372
Report of a Committee to fix the line between the
two 373
—————
*The said names are not repeated in the Index. ED.
xx GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Petition of the Parish of Hampton-falls in relation
to delinquent tax-payers 374
Petition of Selectmen of Hampton-falls, to make a
rate 376
————————————————
HANOVER.
Petition of John House about Islands in Connecticut river 378
————————————————
HILLSBOROUGH.
Petition in relation to roads in Society-land 379
Petition for an Act of Incorporation 380
Petition of John Hill for protection from the Indians 381
————————————————
HINSDALE.
Petition of Ebenezer Hinsdale in behalf of North‑
field 382
Petition of Proprietors and claimers of land in North‑
field south of the Province line 383
Petition of Ebenezer Hinsdale for protection against
the Indians 385
Petition of Daniel Jones for remission of taxes 386
Province rate for the town of Hinsdale, 1764 388, 389
Names of inhabitants of Hinsdale, classed according
to location, with amount of tax, on the West side
of Connecticut river, and on the East side of
Connecticut river, those of the East side, who
live, in other towns 390-392
Petition for a new County [Important] 393
Petition of Doct. Josiah Pomroy, for permission to
inoculate in Hinsdale for small-pox 394
————————————————
HOLDERNESS.
Petition of Samuel Livermore for two rights of land;
deposition of Samuel Eaton ; deposition of
Thomas Vokes 394, 395
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxi
PAGES.
Petition of Proprietors for extension of their grant;
to send a Representative 396
————————————————
HOLLIS.
Petition for a Committee to locate the meeting-house 397
Petition of Samuel Cummings for protection against
the Indians 399
Petition for a tax on non-residents' land 400
for dividing the Province into two counties 401
of people at Pine Hill to be set off from Hollis 402
————————————————
HOPKINTON.
Petition for an Act of Incorporation 404
Petition for power to lay a Tax on 4-5th of the land,
&c. 405
Petition relative to Province tax 406
for power to sell common land 409
of sundry persons for an Act of Incorporation 410
for Incorporation — reasons for 411-412
for a Tax on non-residents 414
————————————————
HUDSON, FORMERLY NOTTINGHAM WEST
Petition for a new Parish 416
for town privileges 417
for a Parish 418
of Selectmen for a hearing — names 420
Vote on the question of incorporation 422
Petition of John Marsh for a land-tax, &c. 423
Petition for Nottingham W. to be included in the west
division of counties — names 424
Petition relating to fish in the Merrimack river 425
Another petition relating to the same 427
Depositions of Thomas Pollard; Benj. Marshall 428
xxii GENERAL CONTENTS.
JAFFREY, FORMERLY MONADNOCK, No. 3.
PAGES.
Certificate to Mr. Josiah Willard 429
————————————————
JEFFERSON, FORMERLY DARTMOUTH.
Petition to extend the time for making a settlement 430
————————————————
VOLUME IV.
KINGSTON TO NEW BOSTON, pp. 431-556.
————————————————
KINGSTON.
Original Grant or Charter 431
Petition for re-settling of Kingston 432
to be clear of public charges 433
to be discharged from cost of road 434
for abatement of Province tax; for a township 435
another for a township
of East Parish about division of lines 437
Remonstrance against a new Parish 439
Petition of Jedediah Philbrick for partition of real estate 441
for a further hearing on Haverhill petition 442
relating to the Basford land grant 443
Petition of westerly part of Kingston for town privi‑
leges 446
Petition for a Justice of the Peace 447
for soldiers to keep the Fort 448
to remain in the old Parish 449
for a new Parish 450
relating to boundaries 451
Report of Committee on the same 453
Petition about small-pox 454
————————————————
KENSINGTON.
Petition to send a representative 455
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxiii
KINGSWOOD.*
PAGES.
The Charter of Kingswood — names of grantees, pro-
ceedings, &c. 456-463
————————————————
LANCASTER.
Minutes of Council, relating to a road 463
Petition for soldiers 464
————————————————
LANDAFF.
First granted to James Avery and others 464
Petition of Trustees of Dartmouth College, — and
Minutes of Trustees 465
————————————————
LEMPSTER.
Petition of Capt. Joseph Spencer for extension of
charter 466
————————————————
LITCHFIELD.
Granted by Massachusetts, and known as Brenton's
farm; Petition for a township 467
Petition of inhabitants of Litchfield and Nottingham
West, for a township — names 468-469
Petition relating to support of a minister 470
relating to the settlement of a minister 471
relating to the payment of a minister 472
for men and military stores — names 473
of Nathan Kendall relating to boundary line 473
for a Parish on the East side of the river 474
relating to the same, as above 475
Petition to be included in the West division of Coun‑
ties. 476
Petition of Isaac Cummings to be taxed in Notting‑
ham-west 477
Petition for a grant of a ferry, by Lucy Read 479
—————
* Kingswood was probably never settled under that name. ED.
xxiv GENERAL CONTENTS.
LONDONDERRY.*
PAGES.
Originally called Nutfield, 1719 479
Petition of Inhabitants for a Charter 480
for Bills of credit, &c. — names 481
Charter of Londonderry 483
Schedule of names of proprietors of Londonderry 484
Petition about running the lines
relating to common lands 486
Oaths to be taken
Names of persons who took the oaths 489
Petition about division of town lands 491
Differences about lands adjusted, and Petition for
redress of injustice — names 492
Petition respecting aggressions, of Haverhill people 493
against Haverhill people 494
relating to minister's tax, &c. — names 495
Counter petition to foregoing — names 498
Answer of Selectmen of Londonderry 499
Votes relating to the places of public worship 500
Petition of 2d Congregation relating to Presbyterial
authority 501
Act for incorporating a new Parish in Londonderry 502
Petition for a new Parish — bounds 504-505
of Samuel Barr 506
Petition for division of land, &c., of heirs of Rev.
Thomas Thomson 507
Petition of inhabitants of old and new Parishes 508
of Selectmen respecting Parish bounds 510
to be taxed in Nottingham-west 511
Counter petition 513
Petition relating to a military company 514
Thanks to the Legislature for an Act relating to tav‑
erns 515
Petition, 1759, for discontinuance of a highway
names 516
——————
* Readers will please take notice, that names in Londonderry which are of very frequent occurrence, are noted by a — joining the pages in which they are found. ED.
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxv
PAGES.
Petition for a law regulating fishing 519
relating to fish in Merrimack river — names 521
Petition about irregular proceedings in town meet‑
ing — names 525
Petition of Londonderry West Parish 528
of inhabitants of Londonderry, 1773 532
Agreement of Committees 533
——————————
LYME.
Petition for a ferry over Connecticut river 533
for a half-shire town 534
——————————
LYNDEBOROUGH.
Petition for protection against the Indians 535
Grant of Salem-Canada 536
Schedule annexed to charter, names, lots, &c. 540
Petition for an Act of Incorporation 541
——————————
MADBURY.
Petition for a Parish — names 541
Call for a town meeting in Dover 543
Bounds of the West end of Dover — names 544
——————————
MARLOW.
Heads of families, single men, &c. 546
Petition for extension of charter 547
Original proprietors and proprietors by purchase 548
——————————
MERRIMACK.
Petition for a tax on non-resident lands 548
Petition for dividing the State into Counties — Merri‑
mack names; Bedford names 550
Petition to be attached to Col. Goffe's regiment
names 551
xxvi GENERAL CONTENTS.
MONADNOCK, No. 7.
PAGES.
Petition for an Act of Incorporation 552
——————————
NEW BOSTON.
Petition about minister and school lots — names 553
for a tax on certain lands — names 555
to raise taxes to finish the meeting-house 556
——————————
VOLUME V.
NEW CASTLE TO PORTSMOUTH, pp. 557-687.
——————————
NEW CASTLE.
Petition relating to tax, &c. 558
against a bridge at New Castle — names 559
New Castle's answer to Sandy-beach petition — names 561
Petition of inhabitants of New Castle and Rye —
names 562
Petition for aid in behalf of the ministry 563
of Rev. John Blunt 564
Account of persons who voted for representative
names 566
Petition relating to a Lottery to build a bridge 566
for a Lottery to build a bridge — names 567
——————————
NEW DURHAM.
Proprietors' meeting — Petition 569
——————————
NEWMARKET.
Papers relating to Newmarket bridge — names 570
Petition of inhabitants of Nottingham — names 571
of inhabitants of sundry towns — names 572-574
An act for erecting and maintaining a bridge, &c. 576
Answer of Exeter to petitions 577
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxvii
PAGES.
Reply to Exeter's objections 580
Petition of Stratham against the bridge — names
of Kensington against the bridge — names 582
of Hampton Falls against the bridge — names 583
of Epping against the bridge — names 584
Vote of Kingston against said bridge 585
Vote and petition of East Kingston against it 586
Offer of land adjacent, by Philip Fowler and Rob‑
ert Smart 587
Petition for a Lottery to build said bridge — names 588
Petition of inhabitants of sundry towns to build a
bridge at Newfields — names 590
Another similar petition — names not repeated in
the Index 592
Petition of inhabitants of Newmarket — names not re‑
peated in the Index 596
Act to raise money by Lottery for a bridge 598
Petition of inhabitants of New Market, Stratham,
&c. — names not repeated 600
Report of Committee relating to a highway in New‑
market 602
Petition of Selectmen, &c., for a highway — names 603
——————————
NEW IPSWICH.
Votes at a town meeting in New Ipswich 604
Petition for a Committee to settle a plan for a meet‑
ing-house — names 605
Account of the pay of petitioners and non-petition‑
ers 606
——————————
NEWTOWN.
Petition of sundry inhabitants of Amesbury — names 607
of inhabitants of Almsbury Peek — names 608
Petition of Newtown — names in Almsbury district
of those in South Hampton 609-611
Report of a Committee 611
Petition of inhabitants in west part of Almsbury 612
xxviii GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Petition of Saml French and others against a new
parish — names 613-619
Petition of inhabitants of South Hampton, east end 619
of Thomas and Joseph Fowler 620
Petition of sundry persons against a new Parish
names 621
Petition of Selectmen of South Hampton against the
same 622
South Hampton, setting off 28 persons to a new
Town; and 2 more polled off 624
Petition from South Hampton for a surveyor 625
Jona. Watson and Roger Eastman, poll off 626
Petition of Selectmen of South Hampton, about high‑
ways 627
Draft of an Order in Council for polling off, &c. 628
Supplemental charter of Newtown 629
Petition from Almsbury district 630
——————————
NOTTINGHAM.
Original charter of Nottingham 630
Note by John Farmer, Esq.; Shem Drown of Boston,
petitioners request for a road — names 632
Petition of Capt. Peirce and Dr. Nathl Rogers, for a
road 633
Petition for a tax on non-residents, for support of a
minister 634
Petition for protection against the Indians 635
Vote to set off a Parish, &c. 636, 637
Petition to be eased of the Province tax 637
Petition of inhabitants in the South-west of Notting‑
ham for Parish privileges 638
Petition for a separate Parish — names 639
to elect an Assembly-man — names 642
Statement relating to original rights — names 643
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxix
ORFORD.
PAGES.
A list of inhabitants in Orford with their families
and ages — names 645
Single men — persons to whom Col. Moulton wrote
to settle, &c. 646
Memo of the settlement and improvement of land in
Orford — names 646, 647
Names of all the men, women and children in Or‑
ford; names and ages of the children 648, 649
Petition of William Simpson and others 650
——————————
PELHAM.
Petition of Henry Baldwin in behalf of the town
of Pelham 652
Petition of selectmen of Pelham, to tax non-resi‑
dents 653
——————————
PEELING.
Petition of Nathaniel Cushman; and memorial of
Nathl Cushman and others for a re-grant of the
township — names 655
——————————
PEMBROKE.
Petition and memorial of Moses Foster 657
of Benjamin Holt, for a guard, &c. 659
Town meeting relating to Rev. Aaron Whittemore 659
Petition for a Justice of the Peace — names 660
of John Bryant, agent for the Presbyterians 661
for leave to send a representative — names 663
——————————
PETERBOROUGH.
Petition of the town of Peterborough, for town privi‑
leges 665
Petition for a new county — names 666
xxx GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Petition relating to Peterborough Slip, for annexa‑
tion, &c. 667
Petition relating to Rev. John Morrison — names 668
for a division of Peterborough — names 669
against a division — names 671
——————————
PLAISTOW AND ATKINSON.
Petition of selectmen of Plaistow, about a constable 673
Vote of Haverhill district to set off Timberlain, and
a letter from Richd Waldron, &c. 674
Petition for a town or parish — names 675
against being set off as a new parish — names 676
Petition of inhabitants in the west part of Haverhill
district, not to be incorporated — names 676
Petition not to join with Richard Hazzen's plan
names 677
Sanborn, Palmer and Weare's report of Haverhill
district 678
Petition of Haverhill district for a new Parish — names 678
Petition for a Special Act (against thieves, &c.)
names 680
Memorial of Col. James White and others 681
Petition of sundry inhabitants of Plaistow 682
for release from support of Hugh Potter 683
——————————
PIERMONT.
Petition of the Committee of Piermont to the Gov‑
ernor 684
——————————
PLYMOUTH.
Petition for leave to send a representative — names 685
for a re-survey of land, &c. 686
for a representative — names 687
GENERAL CONTENTS.
VOLUME IV
PORTSMOUTH TO WOLFEBOROUGH, pp. 688-824.
——————————
PORTSMOUTH.
PAGES.
Original name — orders relating to a school, &c. 688
Petition for a grant of land, and Request to the se‑
lectmen of Portsmouth 689
Petition in relation to a meeting-house at the Plains — names 690
Petition relating to dividing the common land, [see
Note; and for "General and Hist. Reg. 1870,"
read N. E. Hist. Geneal. Reg. July, 1870, pp.
264-266] 693
Petition of the South Parish in Portsmouth 695
Remonstrance of Portsmouth selectmen 697
Answer to a petition relating to the choice of James
Clarkson as representative 698
Deed from Theodore Atkinson and others, of their
Rights in certain townships 703
Petition of Portsmouth selectmen about a Pest-house 704
Answer to a petition of Clement March, &c. 705
Petition for a Lottery to pave streets in Portsmouth 707
Petition of Portsmouth against a bridge at New
Castle 708
Memorial for a bounty on fish, wheat, hemp, &c. 709
Petition of Selectmen, &c., to hold town meetings in
the State-house 712
Another petition on the same matter 713
Portsmouth petition in regard to election returns 714
——————————
POWNALL, IN VERMONT.
Petition 715
——————————
PUTNEY, IN VERMONT.
Petition for a Grant of land 716
xxxii GENERAL CONTENTS.
RAYMOND.
PAGES.
An act for erecting a new Parish, &c. 717
Petition in relation to a meeting-house 718
———————————————
RINDGE (1).
Certificate — and copy of the Grant to Rowley-Canada,
now Rindge, 1738 720
———————————————
ROCHESTER (1).
Meeting of Proprietors 721
Petition of Rochester relating to the gospel ministry 722
Petition of Wm. Chamberlin and John Jenness, for
relief 723
Petition for a guard of soldiers, 1746 725
Petition for further relief and for a guard of sol‑
diers 726
Letter of thanks and petition for further aid 727
Petition of John Dam in relation to roads 728
———————————————
RUMNEY.
Petition of sundry inhabitants, against Daniel Brain‑
erd 730
Petition of Daniel Brainerd and others 732
Rev. Thomas Niles 733
———————————————
RYE.
Petition for a new District or Precinct, 1721 734
to be set off as a new Parish or District, 1724 735
Vote and Remonstrance of Portsmouth against, 1724 737
Petition from Little Harbour, Sandy Beach, and
Hampton, 1725 737
Another petition from the same source, 1725 739
—————
(1) By error, the heading, "Rindge" extends over pages 721-729; it should be Rochester. ED.
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxxiii
PAGES.
Petition from the Parish of Rye, 1729 740
Petition from selectmen of Rye, relating to a vio‑
lent storm, 1754 742
Petition for a Lottery to build a road, 1764 743
———————————————
SALEM.
Petition of inhabitants of Methuen, 1741 744
for redress of grievances as to taxes 745
Letter from Theo. Atkinson to Selectmen of Lon‑
donderry and Windham, 1742 746
Petition for a Parish, 1743 746
of a part of Methuen to he a Township, 1746 748
in relation to taxes, 1746 749
for a Township, 1749 749
Letter from Daniel Peaslee to Thomas Packer, 750
Petition for redress of grievances, 1756 751
Certificate of former Constables; List of the men
that served as Constables since it was first incor‑
porated, till the year 1752 . 752
Another petition for redress, &c. 752
———————————————
SALISBURY.
A guard of soldiers provided for this as a frontier town 753
Petition for aid in, settling Salisbury 754
———————————————
SANBORNTON.
Petition to be exempted from taxation 755
for incorporation
for the appointment of a Justice of the Peace 757
———————————————
SHELBURNE.
Petition of Daniel Rindge 758
———————————————
SOCIETY-LAND.
Petition for incorporation 759
xxxiv GENERAL CONTENTS.
SOMERSWORTH.
PAGES.
A true List of all the train soldiers in Somersworth,
under command of Capt. Thomas Wallingford,
1746 760
Petition for Town privileges, 1743 761
———————————————
SOUTH HAMPTON.
Petition of sundry inhabitants to be set off, &c. 763
Petition of John Page and Benjamin Baker to be
set off 764
Answer to the foregoing petition by the selectmen
of South Hampton 765
Memorial of inhabitants of South Hampton 767
Petition in relation to a highway 773
relating to a Province tax 773
to be annexed to Newtown 774
Petition for settling the line between South Hamp‑
ton and Newtown 775
———————————————
STRATHAM.
(Originally a part of the Squamscott or Hilton's Point Patent.)
Petitions for a Township 777
Petition to be set off into a Township 778
Counter petition 780
Petition of selectmen in relation to a meeting-house,
and of Jonathan Wiggin for a Ferry 781
Summons to Richard Hilton, and Petition of Strat‑
ham relating to divisions about a minister 782
Another petition relating to the same matter 784
———————————————
SWANZEY.
(Called Lower Ashuelot.)
Petition of William Sims, of Winchester — names 785
———————————————
TAUNTON.
(On West side of Connecticut River.)
Petition relating to No. 1, or Taunton-town — names 787
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxxv
WAKEFIELD.
PAGES.
Petition for Incorporation 788
———————————————
WARNER.
Petition of No. I, or Essex Almsbury, 1742 789
Bounds Meeting of Inhabitants — Petition for Incor‑
poration, by Francis Davis 790
———————————————
WEARE.
Petition of inhabitants of Hale's town, now Weare —
names 791
———————————————
WENTWORTH.
List of those who had original Rights — names 792
———————————————
WESTMORELAND.
(Called Great Meadows.)
Petition of Inhabitants 793
———————————————
WILTON.
(Called No. 2.)
Deed from Joseph Blanchard, Esq., 1749 794
Petition for Incorporation — names 797
of Nathan Hutchinson and Benj. Kenrick 797, 798
———————————————
WINCHESTER.
Petition for Incorporation; Note relating to Dart‑
mouth College 798
Petition for relief 799
———————————————
WINDHAM.
Petition of James Reid and William Parker 800
Incorporation of Windham as a Parish 802
xxxvi GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Deposition of James Gilmore — Certificate 803
Petition in relation to an irregular town meeting —
names 804
Town votes; Paper relating, to an order of Court —
names 806
Windham's Caveat against Methuen — names 807
Warrant for a town meeting; votes, &c.
Petition for an alteration in their Charter — names 809
Petition against the proceedings of said meeting
names 812
Deposition of Henry Sander Certificate — names 813
Town meetings; votes, &c. 814
Petition in relation to a disturbance in the Parish
names 816
Answer of Selectmen to the foregoing petition 818
Deposition of Robert Hopkins 819
Deposition of Samuel Barr, and Petition relating to a
Meeting-house — names 820
Petition of Oliver Saunders 822
Deposition of John Dinsmoor, &c.; List of men in
Salem, formerly of Windham 823
———————————————
WOLFENBOUGH.
Petition for Incorporation 824
———————————————
ADDENDA.
TOWNS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FOREGOING PAGES, pp. 825-830.
———————————————
Alexandria 825
Allenstown 825
Andover 825
Antrim 825
Barnstead 825
Bath 825
Bradford 825
Bridgewater 825
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxxvii
PAGES.
Brookline 826
Benton 826
Campton 826
Canaan 826
Candia 826
Centre-Harbour 826
Chatham 826
Claremont 826
Colebrook 826
Coventry 826
Danbury 826
East Kingston 826
Effingham 826
Ellsworth 826
Erifield 826
Errol 826
Fitzwilliam 826
Gilford 826
Grafton 826
Greenfield 827
Hancock 827
Haverhill 827
Hawke 827
Henniker 827
Keene 827
Langdon 827
Lebanon 827
Lee 827
Lincoln 827
Loudon 827
Lyman 827
Manchester 827
Marlborough 828
Mason 828
Meredith 828
Middleton 828
Milford 828
Mont Vernon 828
Moultonborough 828
New Chester 828
New Hampton 828
Newington 828
New London 828
North Hampton 828
Northumberland 828
xxxviii GENERAL CONTENTS.
PAGES.
Northwood 828
Orange 829
Plainfield 829
Poplin 829
Richmond 829
Sandown 829
Sandwich 829
Seabrook 829
Springfield 829
Stoddard 829
Stratford 829
Surry 829
Sutton 829
Tamworth 829
Temple 829
Thornton 829
Tuftonborough 830
Unity 830
Walpole 830
Warren 830
Washington 830
Wendell 830
Whitefield 830
Wilmot 830
———————————————
APPENDIX.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS, pp. 831-877.
———————————————
Notes by the Editor 833
List of Delegates to the First Convention, 1778 834-837
Constitution proposed in 1779; Declaration of Rights 837-838
Plan of Government 838-842
Constitutional Convention, 1781, with List of Dele‑
gates 842-844
An Address of the Convention 845-852
Proposed Constitution — Part I. Bill of Rights 852-858
Form of Government, Part II 858-877
The General Court 859-860
Senate 860-863
GENERAL CONTENTS. xxxix
PAGES.
House of Representatives 863-866
Executive Power — Governor 866-870
Council 870
Secretary, Treasurer, Commissary General, County
Treasurer 871
Judiciary Power, Clerks 871-872
Delegates to Congress 872
Encouragement of Literature 873
Oaths, Subscriptions, &c., &c. 873-877
———————————————
Second Address of the Convention, 1782 877-882
The Bill of Rights — Note by the Editor . 882
Constitution or Form of Government, Part II. 883-895
Note by the Editor 895-896
———————————————
CONSTITUTION, as adopted, 1784 . 896
Part I. Bill of Rights. [See Editor's Note.*] 896-903
Part II. Form of Government 903-919
———————————————
ERRATA.
Page 3, Elijah "King" should be Thing.
Pages 63-75, the head-lines should be Bow, not "Boscawen."
Page 156, Aug. 29, 1772, should be 1722.
Page 319, head-line, "Gosport." should be Grantham.
Page 510, Hugh "Milson," should be Wilson.
Page 543, Thomas "Willet," should be Willey.
Page 551, Thomas "Rickere," should be Vickere.
Page 693, Note, "General," should be "Geneal." and Hist. Reg.
Pages 722-729, head-lines should be Rochester, not "Rindge."
Page xli, Note, Hon Charles Doe. late Judge of the Supreme Judicial Court, not " Superior."
—————
* In the reference to Hon. Charles Doe, in this Note, it should read, late Judge of the Supreme Judicial Court, not " Superior." ED.
THE WHEELWRIGHT DEED.
THE WHEELWRIGHT DEED.
———————————————
NOTE BY THE EDITOR.
On pages 56-60, Vol. I. Prov. Papers, the "WHEELWRIGHT DEED," as it is called, is printed in full. In a Note on that Deed, p. 56, the Editor says, "That in the course of the following records particular facts will be noted, that may enable readers to form an opinion respecting the validity of the Deed." In this Volume, the Editor deems it proper to state, in brief, the conclusion which he has himself reached on that matter;— reserving his argument, in full, for publication in some other form.
The conclusion which the Editor has reached from all the facts which have come before him, is, that the said Deed is a FORGERY.
———————————————
This Deed bears date, May 17, 1629, and purports to be a conveyance by four Indian Sagamores, of a tract of land equal to about forty miles square — between the Piscataqua and Merrimack rivers — to John Wheelwright, "late of England, of the Massachusetts Bay, and a minister of the Gospel," with four associate grantees, "all of the Massachusetts Bay."
The following are among the proofs that said deed is a forgery
I. Aside from this pretended Deed, we have no evidence that the Rev. John Wheelwright was ever seen or heard of in this country till his arrival, May 26, 1636; not one of the associate grantees was here before that time; and one of them, William Wentworth, was a boy only fifteen years of age then, at Alford, in England.
II. The settlement of "the Massachusetts Bay" proper was not begun till more than a year after May, 1629, i. e., not till June, 1630.
III. The deed purports to be signed and sealed in the presence of two English witnesses, one of whom was certainly in England on the 11th of May, — six days previous — and the other was on shipboard on the Atlantic Ocean, and did not arrive in this country till June 29, 1629.
IV. Of the seven witnesses to the delivery of the deed, it is certain that only one, Edward Hilton, was in this country at that time; and if he signed the deed, he signed away all his right and title to the plantation on which he lived.
V. The above seven witnesses are said to be governors or stewards of plantations, called Laconia, Sawco and Squamscott or Hilton's Point; but not one of the said plantations was granted till six or nine months after May, 1629.
VI. The deed purports to have been made by the Indians "with a desire to have the English inhabit amongst them." But
THE WHEELWRIGHT DEED. xii
Passaconaway, the chief Sagamore, explicitly denies this, and declares "he did all he could to prevent their settlement, and fought against them."
VII. The date of the deed, May 17, 1629, proves to be the Sabbath, and therefore false to the principles and character of Rev. John Wheelwright.
VIII. On April 3, 1638, John Wheelwright and his associates made an actual bona fide purchase, of Indians, at Squamscott — now Exeter — paid for the same and began a settlement; — which is inconsistent with the pretence that he bought in 1629, paying twice for the same land.
IX. The deed of 1629 occupies three and a half octavo pages, or one hundred and forty-two lines, while all the real Indian deeds of that early period are no more than sixteen or twenty-four lines; and therefore it betrays itself as belonging to a later period.
X. One condition or proviso in the deed is that the settlement, when begun, should be under "the government, laws and order of the Massachusetts Bay." But John Wheelwright came to Exeter, in 1638, as an exile, banished out of the territory and jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay, and immediately set up an independent government.
XI. The pretended deed of 1629 antedates the grant of New Hampshire to Captain John Mason, which is dated Nov. 7, 1629; and the evident intent and object of the deed was to head off a claim made by Thomas Allen, of title and possession, founded on said grant to Mason; the trial of which was before the Superior Court of New Hampshire, August 12, 1707. Then, for the first time, was the pretended deed brought to light — seventy-eight years after the date of it; and even then, only a "copy" of the pretended original was brought into court. This "copy," now on the files of the Superior Court, at Exeter, is the only evidence that Dr. Belknap quotes for the validity of the deed.* [See Prov. Papers of N. H., Vol. II., pp. 522-528.]
—————
* The first discovery and exposure of this forgery was made by the late Hon. James Savage, of Boston, President of the Massachusetts Historical Society about 1820; his views were re-affirmed, with additional evidence, by the late John Farmer, Esq., Corresponding Secretary of the New Hampshire Historical Society, in 1831. The opinion above expressed by the Editor is the result of an original investigation of the facts that relate to the case. It is but just, however, to add, that the late Samuel G. Drake, Esq , of Boston, maintained an opposite opinion, as does also the Hon. Charles H. Bell, of Exeter [See Winthrop's History of New England, 1853, Vol. I., App. H, pp. 486-514; Farm. Belknap's History of New Hampshire, Vol. I., pp, 6-13; Drake's History of Boston, 1856, pp. 56-60, notes.] ED.