Governor of New Hampshire and to Any Others Concerned In that affair that we may be Incorperated Into a Town and Likewise we give power to him to Chuse a man to asist him In the affaires Upper Ashuelot February ye 11th 1750 [5-197] [Jeremiah Stiles appointed Agent to obtain Act of Incorporation, 1750.] an We the Subscribers Do hereby Impower Cap' Jeremiah Hall to Pertition In our behalf for the Upper Township on Ashuelot River where we Dwell to his Excellency the Governour of New Hampshire and all Concern'd in that affair In the same form that it was laid out by the Massachusetts [5-198] [John and Ruth Dinsmoor's Petition, 1750.] Prov of Newhamshore To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Govor" &c In & over his Majestys Province of New hampshore The Petion of John Densmoor & Ruth Densmoor his Wife Humbly Shews that Josiah Fisher of upper Ashaulott In the Province of Newhamshore decesed Late Husband of the said Ruth had In his Lifetime a Grant from the Massachusettets Goverment of one Whole Wright or Share In sd township & that In his Lifetime Bult an house & Cleard & In proved Near forty acres of Land In s township & In the Begining of the War with ye Endins the sa Josiah Was Killed & the sa Ruth y Wedow of the Decsd was left with out any Children by the deces But she still Continued att ye said Ashualuett & In proved sd Lands tell ye Endins Drove of the In habitance of sd town & Sence the Sasition of arms the s Ruth with hir Present Husband hath fenced & In Proved the sd Lands afore sa wharefore your Petitioners Humbly Pray that your Exellency Would be plesed to Grant to your Petioners the sa Lands afore s upon the Condition that your Exellency grants to others ye Kings subjects In sd Province & your Petioners In duty Bound Shall Ever Pray Novm ye 8th 1750 John Dunsmoor [5-199] [Benjamin Guild appointed to assist Capt. Stiles.] We whose Names are Hereunto Subscribed Being Propriators of the Upper Ashuelot Township so called Do hereby Impower Mr Benjamin Guild to joyne with Capt Jeremiah Hall in Petitioning His Exelency the Govoner of the Province of New Hamshire He observing the Instructions Given by others of the Propriators to the said Cap Hall Wrentham Febr 20th 1750 John Whiting Daniel Haws Joseph Fisher Ebenezer Daniells Asa Richardson Sarah Greene Joseph Richardson William Hancock Nath" Fairbnks Abigail Guild Josiah Fisher for the [5-200] [Petition for an Incorporation of the Town, 1751.] To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire and to the Honorable his majestys Councill for said Province The Petition of Jeremiah Hall and Benjamin Guild in behalf of them Selves and others Inhabitants Setlers and Proprietors of a certain Tract of land Called the upper Township on Ash uelot River in the Province of New Hampshire on the East side of Connecticut River (a plan of which Tract of land is herewith presented) most humbly Sheweth, that in the year 1737, in virtue of a Grant from the massachusets Government, a plantation was begun on said Tract of land-That in the year 1738 a minister was settled there and a meeting house builtThat before the last Indian War with the Indians there were Thirty one Dwelling houses built on said Tract of land Sundry barns and a Fort of near a hundred foot square having eighteen fire Rooms within said fort a Saw mill and Grist mill builtthat the setlers and others who were preparing for setling there before the Indian War had made large Improvements there and laid out their Substance in doing the Same— That in the Spring of ye year 1747-The Indians burnt down all the dwelling Houses there except four-also burnt down all the Barns but one also burnt down the meeting house and the Fort also much household Stuff and killed Considerable Cattle Horses Sheep and Swine That the s Settlers and Proprietors are returnd and returning on to the said Tract of land in order to cultivate and Improve the same and in case a peace Continues with the Indians in a few years there will be forty or fifty familys in case there was an Incorporation-Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly Pray your Excellency and Honours to Incorporate the s Tract of land agreeable to the bounds thereof by the plan annexed and grant to your Petitioners and others their Constituents such Immutys and Privileges as other Towns Enjoy in this Province & your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray &c March y 4th 1750/1 Jeremiah Hall [5-201] [Another Petition for an Incorporation of the Town, 1753.] Upper Ashualot Feb" yo 2a 1753 We whose names are underwritten Do hereby Authorize and Impower our Trusty Friend Mr Ephraim Dorman to Prefer a Petition to his Excellency the Governour of New Hampshire for a Township known by the Name of the Upper Ashuelot and to Pray his Excellency to Grant a Charter of this Land to the Inhabitants and others Concerned in said Lands and to Insert a Clause in said Petition Praying his Excellency that if it might be Consistent with his Pleasure he would Insert a Clause in his Charter whereby every man may be Intitled to those Lands which he Thought himself to be the Honest owner of he Paying the Charges that have arisen on said Lands to Prevent Endless Law-Suits and other Difficulties Impending over us and to set forth in said Petition the Great Cost and Expence we have been at in Building two Forts and Defending the Kings Lands and the Great Losses we have Sustained by the Enemy as set forth in the Petition Lodged with M' Atkinson Secretary and to take the Names Lodged with Mr Livermore and annex to said Petition Jeremiah Hall William Barnes Timothy Harington Titus Belding Samuel Reed Benjamin Twichell Ebenezer Nims Isaac Clark Jonah French [The foregoing petition was successful, and a charter was granted April 11, 1753.-ED.] [5-202] At a Legal meeting of the Town of Keen in Dec 1776 made Choice of Capt Jeremiah Stiles for a Justice of the Peace in said Town Attest Ichabod Fisher Town Clerk [5-203] [Relative to Innoculation for Small-Pox, 1776.] To the Honorable Council and House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire The petition of us the Subscribers Freeholders of the Town of Keen in the County of Cheshire Humbly Sheweth Whearas Sundry Persons have Set up houses in this Town for the purpose of Inoculating for the Small pox, by which Means the Small pox has been Spread and Still Continues to Spread in this and other Towns, to the Great Determent of the publick Good—and a Number of Usefull members of Society have lost their Lives thereby and the prosecution of mens Necessary Callings Rendered Dangerous-and the Repeated Endeavour of the Towns to lay Persons Concer'd und proper Restrictions and Regulations-have been inefectual We there fore your Petitioners humbly Pray that you would in Your wisdom So Interpose by Your Authority that a Speedy and an Effectual Stop may be put thereto for the present-as Your Petitioners in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray. [5-205] Petition for a Lottery for the Purpose of Building a Bridge, 1778.] To the Honorable the Council and General Assembly of the State of New Hampshire The Petition of the Selectmen of the Town of Keen in the County of Cheshire and State of New Hampshire; Humbly Sheweth Whereas by Reason of the Scituation of the Town of Keen Several Rivers and Large Streams of Water Centre in Said Town which Causes a Large Number of Bridges and Causways to be Necesary in Said Town; and by the Rapidity of some of said Rivers Especially in Time of high water it very often happens that Bridges are Carried off which has been of Great Cost and Charges to the Inhabitance and Likely so to Remain Especially Upon a Certain Rapid Stream Called the East Branch of Ashuelot River where of Late a Large Bridge is almost Ruin'd and the Banks of Said Stream being of Loose Gravel it often happens they are torn and the Course of the Stream much Altered and makes it almost Impossible to make a Bridge to Stand any Considerable Time which Causes great Difuculty and Danger to Travelers Espeially in high waterHowever there is a Certain place upon said Stream at some Distance from place now used-where a Bridge might be made |