Samuel Huston Richard Butler Jacob Dutton Ithamar Woodward John Stiles moses Lewis [6-223] [Another Remonstrance, 1784.] State of New Hampshire To the Honourable the Sennate and House of Representatives In General Court assembled 1784 The Town of Lyndeborough humbly Sheweth Agreeable to an Order of the Honourable the Sennate and House of Representitives to us directed upon a petition of a Number of the Inhabitance of the westerly part of this Town and others praying they may be Set off as a Town by them Selves The Town of Lyndborough at a Legol Meeting have taken Said petition under their Consideration and beg leave to offer Some Reasons why the prayer of Said petitioners Should not be granted As to the Town of Lyndborough being Very Larg as is Set forth in Said petition we would Inform the Hon' Court that it was at first Laid out but Six miles Square Except a little Corner that New Boston took off on the North East Corner, after wards there was a large piece of the Town taken off from the South part of Said Town and Added to Wilton, by Joseph Blanchard Esq' who was agent for the Masonian proprietors, which was a great dammage to this Town. for the piece that was added to this Town on the north part of it, in Lieu of it, we Cannot Expect to hold to this Town when they Request to be Set off to Frances-town, it being but about a mile from Said Frances-town Meeting House— the South East part of this Town by Reason of their distance from the Meeting House petitioned the General Court in the Year 1779 to be taken off from this Town and together with Duxbery School Farm and part of Amharst to be Incorporated a distinct Town by them Selves. but the Hono" Court Viewing the plan of this Town and Considering its Circumstances Resolved that the Request of Said petitioners ought not to be granted As to the present petition before the Honourable Court their Request appears to us So Extravigant and unreasonable that it is a Matter of wonder to us that Men So Zealous for the publick worship as the petitioners Express them Selves, Should So fail in the Second branch of Duty (viz) Love to their Neighbour, for it appears to us that their petition Cannot be granted without the Distruction and aniolation of the Town as your Hon ours may See by the plan of that part of that Town that will be left, for not only the unpresidented form it will ly in, but the large quantity of Land that lays Easterly of the Meeting House that never will admit of Settlement, will have a tendancy to break up the Town, and farthermore the Southeasterly part of the Town have almost as far to travil to the Meeting House as a great part of the petitioners now have, likewise the North Easterly part of the Town in which Corner of the Town and East of the line the petitioners have drew a Crost the Town, and behind the Said Mountain, there is about thirty familyes that have to go over Said Mountain to Meeting where it is much More Steeper and Rougher than where the petitioners Cross it, likewise your Honnours will See by the Plan what a Cituation the Southwest Corner will be left in. Upon the whole we think needless to trouble your Honours with any thing that is lengthey in this way, the true State of the Matter will we trust appear So plain by the plans Exhibeted to your Honnours and what may be Said on the Subiect on the Day of hearing, that we humbly Refer the Matter to your wise Consideration and Paternal Care of us trusting that the Matter will be Settled agreable to Justice and Equity permit us farther to add that we could wish to Accommodate the owners and few Inhabitants of the Said Slip of Land agreeable to their plan and make that the Center of a fine Town bounded out as they please Could it be done without So great Expence as the Ruin of this Town, likewise we think and take it to be the minds of the Town and that they are heartily willing to allow to their Breatheren the petitioners that belong to this Town a full Equality of priviledge as to the place of Meeting by Moving the Meeting House, to the Center, or Some other way that may be thought Best. but we Cannot be Reconsiled to the thought of haveing the Town torn to pieces according to the Request of the petitioners, there fore it is the prayer of this Town that the prayer of the petitioners may not be granted, for which the Town of Lyndborough who as in Duty bound will Ever pray Levi Spaulding Signed by the Committee [6-224] [Statement from the Petitioners, 1784.] Whereas the General Court at the Request of us the Subscribers Was pleased to Appoint a Committee of the Court to come and view the Situation and Circumstances of the Town of Lyndeborough The Honorable Committee having prosecuted the busines of their Commisions earnistly Recommended to each party in Said Town to agree on Sum terms of Accommodation among them Selves for the Present term and as we wish always to pay a due Defferance to the Wise and a Proper regard to their Counsels we are disposed to adhear to their advice, and notwithstanding we are Consious to our Selves we have asked for nothing more then reason will dictate to be right, the Natural Rights of men Require, and the previleges which the Constitution of our State admits of, yet for the Sake of making every thing as easy as posable to the minds of our brethrin who are in opposition to us we Consent to the following proposals (viz) we the Subscribers being the Major part of the Petitioners for a Town on the westardly part of Said Town of Lyndeborough do agree and consent that provided the Inhabitants of said Lyndeborough who Dwell on the Eastwardly Side of the mountain at a Legual Town meeting will agree and pass a Vote that they Will no more oppose the Incorporation of the Westardly part of Said Town together with the Slip &c into a Town or Parrish as the Court Shall See fit agreable to their Petition and the Plan theirwith Exhibeted to the Court we will withdraw our Petition now in Court, and will meet with them as usual and will Pay our full proportion of the yearly Salary of our minister for the Term of Nine months next insuing from the Date here of, or otherwise if it Should be most agreable to our Breathren in the Eastardly Part of Said Town and to our Revd Paster for him to Com and Preach with us as many Sabaths in a year as will be our proportionable Part according to what we pay towards his yearly Sallary we will consent to remain togeather as we are for the Term of one year and Nine months or otherwise if it Shall be most agreeable to our above Said Bretheran of Said Town we will Draw our mony which we Pay towards the yearly Sallary of our Revd Paster and we will Consent to remain togeather as we are for the Term of two years and Nine months Next to Com from the Date hereof we do not mean however that if by reason of Som adverse Providanc it Should becom Necessary to Buld another meeting House or any Extraordiary Expenc Should arise in the Town within Said Term which we trust will not be the Case, we Say we do not hereby oblidge our Selves to Such Expence Lyndeborough December 7th 1784— Att a Legual meeting of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Town of Lyndeborough on the twenty Seventh Day of December A: D: 1784 the fore going Proposals was laid be fore the Town but not accepted a True Copy Atts p' Ephraim Putnam T: Clerk [6-225] [Another Statement of the Situation, 1784.] State of New Hamshire To the Hon' the Senate and House of Representatives In General Court Assembled Humbly sheweth the Petition of Us the Subscribers being partly Inhabitants of the westerly part of Lyndborough and partly proprieters and Inhabitants of Lyndeborough Strip so Called and owners of Land on the East of Peterbourough Whereas the Town of Lyndeborough is large in its Circumference and lyeth in such form and Situation as renders it Exceeding difficult for the Inhabitants to meet together for the purpose of Public & Social worship: and on all other Ocasions, the Distance from the abode of your petitioners to the meeting House in said Town is very great: But that is not all, the Land in that part is very mountainous and Rough-there is a hill Called Lyndeborough Mountain lying Southwardly & Northwardly Cross the Town-Several Miles in Length by reason of which the Communication of the East & West parts are rendered exceeding difficult-there not being but one place that is passable over said mountain for about four miles-and the rise and fall on each side is very long and Steep-and there is as much as fifty Seven families on the West Side of said mountain in said Town and on Said Strip, who have no way to get to Meeting only in that one place or way (excepting a few) and we think we can Safely say the greatest part of said families are as much as five Miles from the Meeting House and a Considerable Number are more than Six and some more than Seven miles distant and many more will be as much as Seven when the unimproved Lands are Setled which we have reason to think would soon be, could that place be accommodated as Towns in General are—But the present situation of that part of said Town is such that it discourages the Settlement thereof: and those who are already settled there are almost worn out with their difficulties in geting to meeting and Attending other public and Necessary Business,-Ever sience they been there they have always lived in hope that they should be better accommodated when they should increase to such a Number as to be Able to support a Gospel Minister they suppose they have the greatest reason to expect it Considering the situation of the Town, and they always Understood that it was the Opinion of every one that was well aquainted therewith that a Division would take place: It is but a small part of Holy Time Your petitioners can Attend public worship, and our women and Children many of them are almost Strangers in the meeting House, we hope we can truly say not altogether for want of love to the Divine Ordinances, But are obliged to Neglect Public worship from their inability to Attend thro the Difficulties above mentioned-We do not wish to Injure the Town of Lyndebourough, it is not for any decension in principles or manners that we would seperate from them, we have hitherto lived in peace & harmoney as a Town: and we wish ever to Cultivate and Maintain such a Temper of Mind toward each other-But we cannot in our Situation enjoy these Rights and previledges which we think belong to a Christian people-and we are fully perswaded in our own minds and Consiences that Considering our Circumstances which we beleive are almost if not quite unparalled in the whole state, a Separation would be far more beneficial to us and to our posterity than the disadvantage can be to the other part of the Town-and your Petitioners are of humble Opinion, that on the Westerly Side of said mountain in said Lyndborough and said Strip of Land together with one Mile Square of the Sosiety land (or what is called the undivided Land) with the east Range of Lots in Peterborough (that is) four Miles from the North line-all which is Contained in a Plan herewith prefered to your Honors-your Petitioners are of Opinion would be sufficient for a small Town, and as the Town of Peterborough is very large we understand not less than Six Miles Square, your Petitioners think it would not be prejudicial to that Town if said east Range of Lots Should be Set off to Accommodate your Petitioners and those who may hereafter improve and dwell on said Lots Wherefore Your Petitioners Humbly pray Your Honors to take their Case with all the Difficulties attending it, into Your Consideration and Paternal Care, and if in your wisdom and Judgment you should find it Consistant with Justice and Equity to accommodate them by makeing them a Distinct Town, (which we are in full Confidence your Hon's will Do) Then the prayer of your petitioners is that your Honors Will Incor |