ton in the County of Hillsborough and Province aforesaid humbly Sheweth That whereas some Defficulty has arisen of Late among us in this town which we cannot decide our Selves and which we think Requires the Wisdom and Authority of the Honourable general Court to adjust and Determine. We therefore your Humble Petitionors hereby apply our selves to your Excellency and your Honours with all Humillity for Direction and help-Our Difficulty began Emediately after the Publication of an Act of the Legislature of this Province approved of by his Majesty in Council for Dividing said Province in Countys which after following the first County Line, from the mouth of Piscatqua River Round to Concord Line (It says) Thence Round the westerly lines of Bow Concord and Pembroke to Merrimack River-which if it means the westerly line of Bow as it was first laid out or the Line to which we the Inhabitents of said Hopkinton purchased-Then it will Nessacarily follow that all that Part of said Hopkinton which was within Bows Claim is in the County of Rockinham and then said Hopkinton is divided part into the county of Rockingham and part into the county of Hillsborough which makes a great difficulty respecting our town affairs therefore we your Humble Petitioners Earnestly pray that your Excellency and your Honours would be graciously pleased to take the matter into your Judicious Consideration and Resolve us in this thing (Viz) Whether your Honours ment or Intended that all Hopkinton agreeable to their Incorporation should be in the County of Hillsborough or Whether you Intended that all that part of Hopkinton that was formerly in Bows Claim Should be in the County of Rockinham if the former we are fully satisfied but if ye Latter we humbly Beg that your Exelency and Honours would so order and Determine that all our said town may be in the County of Hillsborough and that we may be all one as we were agreeable to an act of the Honourable General Court in January 1765 by which act all that part of said Hopkinton that was within Bows Claim was separated from said Bow and was joined with and United to said Hopkinton to all Intents and Purposes for which Favour your Humble Petitionors for your Exellency and Honours as in Duty bound shall ever pray— Dated at Hopkinton May ye Sth 1772 Signed by John Putney A Committee apointed by and in the name [In H. of Rep., May 27, 1772, "Voted that the whole of said Hopkinton be determined to belong to the County of Hillsborough.' Council concurred.-ED.] [5-150] [Proceedings of a Town-Meeting, 1772.] At a meeting Legally Cold and Held at the meeting House in Hopkinton on thirsday the 2 Day of January 1772 at one of the Clock in the afternoon then Vote on the folewing articles I Voted that Capt Putney moderator to Regulate Said meeting 2 Voted to send a man to Portsmouth to See if the Town is Devided in to two Countys 3 Voted that Leiut Jonathan Straw Should be the man that is to Represent the Concarns of the Town to the Gineral Court with a Petition to have all of the Town in one County 4 Voted that James Scales Esqu' Capt Putney Leiu Chandler Abel Kimbal and Joshua Bayley be a Committe to Sine a Petition in the Towns be-half to Send to the Gineral Court a true Copy taken of from the Records By me— Hopkinton may 25 1772 Joshua Bayley Town Clerk [5-149] [Relative to the Formation of Counties, 1772.] Province of New-Hampshire Hopkinton, May 25th 1772. Pursuant, and in Obedience to an Order of the General Assembly of this Province, bearing Date May 20th 1772, brought hither by Lieut Jonathan Straw of this Town, last week; Said Order having Reference to a Petition, signed by a Committee of the Inhabitants of said Hopkinton, & presented to the General Assembly by the said L Straw; said Petition bearing Date, May 8th 1772. I Joshua Bayley One of the Committee that signed the said Petition, served the major Part of those of the Inhabitants of Hopkinton who live within the Township of Bow with the said Petition and Order, by reading both to them; and then leaving a Copy of the said Petition with one of them, viz. m' John Jewett. And we, Nathan' Clements, & Timothy Farnham of said Hopkinton, went with the said Joshua Bayley, from House to House among the Inhabitants of said Hopkinton who live within the Township of Bow, and heard the said Bayley read the said Petition, and Order to the Major Part of said Inhabitants; on Saturday the 23a day of this instant May; and on this 25th Day, in the Evening of said Day, we saw the said Bayley deliver a Copy of the said Petition and Order to m' John Jewett, aforesaid, to be left with him the said John Jewett Joshua Bayley [Sworn to before James Scales.-ED.] [5-148] [Capt. Stillson relative to Soldiers, 1776.] Hopkinton July the 19th 1776 S' I, Can Inform you that m' Hoit has Enlisted Fourteen men, and they have passed muster and Paid by Colonel Walker, as the men Chuse him for an Officer and to go With me, I understood by your Honours that any man that wou'd Enlist a Numb Sufficient should be intitled to a Commission, it is Reckon'd he can Git a Numbr more if he Can be Sure of a Commission From your Humbe Servant To Coll" meshech Ware Wm Stillson [5-147] [John Hale declines the Appointment of Major, Hond Sir 1777.] Hopkinton March ye 3d 1777 I am informed by Capt Livermore that you have wrote me two Letters neither of which has com to hand I acknowledg my self much indebted to you for the Hon' you have done me in appointing me to the office of maj-when I consider the importance of the post & how much I fall short in filling it my Excepting would rather Injure then help that Service which I have much at heart. I am also settled in a New Country Distant from Neighbors & must be under the Disagreeable necesatity of breaking up house keeping which will almost put me in a ruinous Condition. Humbly beg you be pleased to appoint Some other person in my Room & am Gentleman your most obedient & very Humble Serv1— John Hale [5-146] State of New Hampshire To the Honourable Council and Assembly Convenied at Exe ter May it please your Honours your Humble Petetionor having Lately come out of the Service of the United States with his two sons and wanting Lands to Settle on has taken up three hundred acres of Land one hundred for himself and one hundred for each of his said sons on that tract of Land called Fishersfield which was Granted to John Fisher Esq' who is Supposed to be an enemy to the Glorious Cause of Liberty now Contending for by the United states of America-and as such your Humble Petetionor Supposes that the Lands of the said Fisher will be forfited to this State and of Consequence be disposed of by the Authority of the same should this be the Case and the Matter come Under your Honours Judicious Consideration your humble Petetionor prays that he and his sons may be Quieted in their Possessions and be considered as Settlers or have the Liberty of purchasing their lands as wild Lands without Its being Exposed to Publick Sale-And your humble Petetionor as in duty bound shall ever pray Hopkinton May ye 14th 1778 [The foregoing was dismissed.—ED.] Timothy Clements [5-145] [Remonstrance to the Appointment of Benjamin Wiggin, 1785.] To His Exelency President for the State of New Hampshire;—and to His Hon Privy Council ;— We Y' Petitioners humbly sheweth; That whereas the Town of Hopkinton, has Been Very Unanimous In the Cause of America, in Ye Late struggle with Greate Britton Except A few Persons, who always in Discourse and Actions Seemed to Us; To favour Britton and to be Against the Causes of America; and we Understand one of those person Are in Nomin❜tion to Bee A Magistrate in this Town, Viz; Mr Benjamin Wiggin; if he Should Attain to that Office We think would be Very Disagreeable to the People of this Town in General, therefore Our Petition to Yr Exelency and Hon is that You would Neglect putting the Above Named Mr Wiggin into Office; and in Sted Thereof Would Grant S Office to Some person Which has Appear to be A steady Good friend to his Country,-and Y' Petitioners As in Deuty Bound Shall Ever Pray.— [5-144] [Petition for the Appointment of Benjamin Wiggin as a Magistrate, 1786.] To his Exellency John Sullivan Esq' President of the State of Newhampshire and to the Honourable Privy Council in Concord Convean'd Whereas Wee your Humble Petitioners understand that M' Benj Wiggin of Hopkinton hath been on the List for a Justice of the Peace but as yet hath not been appointed to the Dissapointment of us your humble Petitioners and perhaps Many others, alltho there are two Justices of the Peace in Town allready yet Wee humbly Conceive it to be Convenient to have one more and as Mr Wiggin in our opinions is as Well Quallify'd as any Person in town in a Convenient Situation and a person well Dispos'd humbly pray he may be appointed Justice of the peace and Wee as in Duty bound Will Ever pray |