merly Lempster) being Taxed in both Towns towards the support of the Ministry makes it very Burdensom and having obtained the Consent of the Town of Lemster Humbly Pray that the Said Clause in Said Act may be Repealed (and your petitioners have all the priviledges and Immunities that any other Towns Do Enjoy) or otherwise as your Honours in your Wisdom Seem meet And your petitioners as in Duty bound Shall ever pray Goshen November ye 16th 1796 [In H. of Rep., December 8, 1797, the aforesaid clause in the act of incorporation was repealed.-ED.] [4-138] [Vote of Lempster relative to Ministerial Taxes paid by Goshen.] Town Clerks Office Lempster At a legal Town meeting held in Lempster on the first monday of Nov' AD 1796 On reading and considering a Petition from the Inhabitants of Goshen-Voted that in case the inhabitants of that part of Goshen which was taken from Lempster will punctually pay up all the taxes now made up Against them for the payment of the Revd Mr Fishers Salary. the Town will release them from paying any part of Sd Salary in future The above is a true copy taken from the Town Book of Record of S Lempster. Attest James Bingham Town Clerk— GRAFTON. The township was granted August 14, 1761, to Ephraim Shearman and others, and named in honor of an English nobleman. This grant was surrendered by a vote of the grantees, December 27, 1762, and the township was regranted September 12, 1769, to Josiah Willard and others, many of whom were from towns in Cheshire county. The first settlement was made in 1772 by Capt. Joseph Hoyt, of Poplin, now Fremont. Capt. Alexander Pixley and family settled soon after. The town was incorporated by the legislature November II, 1778, in answer to a petition from the inhabitants, Daniel Sanders being authorized to call the first meeting. An act relative to the boundaries was passed March 28, 1781, and one establishing the same was approved June 18, 1802. See Vol. XI, page 726. A fine quality of mica has been mined in this town for many years, and excellent specimens of beryl are occasionally found. [3-142] [Petition for Incorporation, etc., 1777.] Hon gentlemen of the general Asembley in the State of New Hamsheir Wee take this Opertunyty to in form your onners that you Demand More of us then Wee are Able to perform for you Require of us a valiation of our Ratibel Estates Which valiation must Bee taken By our seleck men Which Your Honners Never Empowred us to Chuse And Wee your humble petitioners Do pray that your honours Will autherise and grant us Liberty to Chuse our select Men: and incorporate us: and Chuse a gestes of the Pees for us in the town and We take Leave to Nominate Capt Aaron Barney to Be the man; and then Wee Will Com in town order: and then We Will give your onners A true Estamation and one faviour more Wee ash of yours honours that is to have A privilegs to Leve a Part of our tax upon the Wild Land if Your Honners see Cause to tax us and the Reason Wee give for that is this there is Men that has a grade Dele of Land in our town Which Lives out of this state and they Will not Due any Duty on the Rodes Except Wee mak their Wild Lands Do it and our Rodes are very Bad and Wont a gradel of Work Don on them And We pray your Honners to take this in to Consideration and the Bouns of our town is as follers Be ginning at the North West Corner A hem Lock tree and then Running south sixty five Degrees Est six miles and half a mild to a Burch tree Marked J B With stones Round it from thence south thur ty six Degrees West five miles and A half mile to a Burch that is Marked J B from thence Running North seventy two Degrees West six miles and a half a mild and from thence North Eleven Degrees West three hundred and Eighty three Rods to a small Beech With stones Round it from thence North fourty three Degrees Est five miles and half mild to the hemlock that Wee Bee gun at: and there is A gore of Land that Lise ginning to our town Betwene the Petten Line and our town and there is two famelies on it and they Desire to gine With our town if your onners see fit And We Bege that your onners Wold take this in to Consiation and grant us our Pertision and Put us in order that We may Do our Bisenes in our one town And Where in Wee have mised it Wee Bage that your onners Wold for give us for it is thrue our Ignorence and We Bage that your onners Will Derect us to Do Better for the futer and We here from other towns that Wee in these Newtowns shall Never have the privileg of Chusing a Representatives and We Wont to now Whether it shall Be so or not and We hope your honours Will send us Bak Word By the man that Brings this pertision to your Honners as sone as our Pertision may Be grantted-for Wee Ecknowleg ourselves to Be under the laws and Derecktions of your On [In H. of Rep., June 6, 1777, a hearing was ordered for next session. See next document.—ED.] [4-141] [Petition for Incorporation, 1778.] State of New Hampshire To the Honble the Council and House of Representatives of Said State of New Hampshire In General Assembly Convened at Exeter Nov 5th 1778. Humbly Sheweth Daniel Sanders of Grafton in the County of Grafton in Said State as agent for and in behalf of the Inhabitants of Said Township of Grafton-That the Said Inhabitants Labour Under many Difficulties, Particularly that of Assessing & Collecting Taxes on the Inhabitants & Nonresident Proprietors of Said Township, by reason of their not being hitherto Incorporated into a body Politick & Corporate, with Such Powers and Priviledges as other Towns in Said State have & Enjoy Wherefore the Said Daniel in behalf of the Said Inhabitants (whose names are also hereto Affixed) Humbly Prays that this honble Court will Consider their Case and Pass an Act to Incorporate the Said Township of Grafton into a Body Politick & Corporate with Such Powers Priviledges and Immunities as other Incorporated Towns in Said State have & Enjoy-And Your Petitioners as in Duty bound Shall Ever Pray &cGrafton October 15th 1778. Benjamin Bullock Jabez Barney Daniel Sanders in behalf of Christopher Smith Daniel King Jonathan Buffum James Sanders [The town was incorporated by an act passed November 11, 1778.-ED.] [4-143] [Petition relative to Taxes, etc., 1779.] State of Newhampshire Grafton: ss: The humble Petition of The Town of Grafton To the Honourable Councill And Jentleman of the house of Representatives Humbly Sheweth That we Labour under low Circumstances & we Pray your Honours to take hour Petition under Your wise Consideration And Make an abatement in our taxes as You in your wisdom May think Proper our Condition is Such we humbly Concieve That if we Should bee obliged to Pay the tax thats Proposined on us and that we Expect to follow it would Reduce the Most of us to be a Specttickle of Pitty to All human Cretures a Great Part of hour People Came in to this Wilderness in Such dificult times that it has all most Redused Them to Nothing But familys of Small Children We have not above three familys in town that Ever Raised their Bred Corn and in other Nessarys we have Skarse any that will Raise any thing to Spare to Purchase Such Nesasarys as they must have to Keep their familys from Suffering and our town is Two Thousand acres of Land less then our Charter Contains and Sence our town was incorperated there is a Considerable tract of Land and Some People on it that we Cant tax though they were Recond with us Before we humbly Pray your honours to due what You in your wisdom thinks Just as Your humble Petitioners in duty bound Shall Ever Pray &c Grafton July yo 27 AD 1779 Jabez Bozth Barney Town Clerk By order of the Town att A Legal Meating [4-144] [Justice of the Peace elected, 1779.] Colo. Timothey Walker Sir this is to Sartify that At a legal Meating of the Inhabetants of the town of Grafton At Legally warn for that Purpose They Made Choice of Liut Daniel Sanders to be A Jistes of the Peace for the County of Grafton Grafton March ye 20 AD 1779 test Jabez Bozth Barney town Clark [R. 2-25] [Account of Service done in the Revolutionary State of New Hampshire War.] Grafton December yo 22 A. D. 1783 A List of The Servis Dun In the war for said Town from the year 1775 untill Now June 9th 1777 on the Alarm at tye 1 Capt-2 Sargents-3 Privets-1 month 1 week 1 day July ye 20 AD. 1777 at Benington 1 Lieu-1 Sargent-3 Privets-8 months 6 days On alarm at Ticonteroga 1 Lieu-1 Sargent-4 Privets-3 weeks On alarm at Ticonteroga I 1 Cap'—1 Lieu*—1 Sargent—19 Privets-2 years 10 months On alarm at The taking of Burgoine 1 Lieu-1 Pack hoss-travell of the hors not paid On alarm at Royalton 1 Cap'-1 Lieu-1 Sargent-1 Corporal-18 Privets-3 Pack hoss 7 months-Travell of three horses 416 miles Recieved Know Pay for the larm June A D 1780 at cohos 2 Privets-1 year-4 months |