Publick Worship in Amharst and Labour under Great disadvantages in our present Scituation that your Petitioners Apprehend that if we ware Anexed to the one Mile Slip and Duxbury School farm Agreable to the following lines, we Should be Able to Support a Gospel Minister and Should have many Advantages that we are at Present deprived of—and at the Same time the Inhabitants of the one Mile Slip and Duxbury farm will have the Same previledges their Neighbours Enjoy, and Amharst Receive no Real Injury by it; Wherefore Your Petitioners Pray your Honours to take the Matter Under your Wise Consideration and if your Honours think fit, to Incorporate the Inhabitants of the Tract of land Included in the following Bounds into a Body Politick Giving us all the Previledges and Advantages that Other Towns Enjoy Bounded as follows Beginning at a White oak Tree Standing on the East line of Wilton it being the Northwest Corner Bounds of the one Mile Slip, Runing Easterly on the South line of Lyndeborough Six hundred Poles to a Maple Tree it being the South East Corner Bounds of Lyndeborough, then Runing Northerly on the East line of Lyndeborough about half a Mile to the Southwest Corner Bounds of a Lot Own in Part by Joseph Dunklin from thence Easterly four Hundred and Eighty Eight Poles to a Stake and Stones Standing in the South east Corner of a lot Own by Amos Green from thence Southerly five Hundred and Ninety two Poles to an Oak Tree Marked Standing on land of Col' John Shephard by the North Bank of Souhegon River from thence Southeasterly makeing Souhegon River the Northerly line till it Comes to a Stake and Stones Standing on the South bank of Souhegon River on land of Mosses Towns about two Miles on a Straight line from the Oak tree Mentioned on Col' Shephards land, then from said Stake and Stones Runing Southerly Six hundred and Twenty Poles to a Stake and Stones Standing in the North line of Hollis from thence westerly on Hollis North line four Miles and one Quarter of a Mile to a Stake and Stones being the Northwest Corner Bounds of Hollis from thence Westerly one Mile to a Stake and Stones Standing, in the East line of Mason then Northerly Two Hundred and forty Eight Poles to a Chesnut Tree being the Southeast Corner Bounds of Wilton then Northerly on the East line of Wilton three Miles and a half to the first Bounds Mentioned-And Your Petitioners as in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray If an Incorporation with the Destrict Should be Disagreeable to your Honours we the Subcribers Pray that your Honours would apoint a Comittee to Come and View our Situation and your Petitionrs as in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray Amharst May 31 1780. William Wallace Joseph Crosby Elijah Averil Bartho'w Hutchinson Joshua Burnam andrew Bradford [The following names are on a similar petition, dated Mile Slip, May 31, 1780:-ED.] [The petitioners did not succeed until 1794. See page 603, ante-ED.] [R. 2-284.] [Petition of Archelaus Batchelder, Soldier.] [In a petition dated Milford, May 26, 1795, Archelaus Batchelder stated "that he was grevously wounded in the service of the United States in the time of the late war." He stated that he expected to be placed on the pension-list, and asked the legislature to intercede in favor of his being granted arrears.-ED.] MONSON. This town was incorporated April 1, 1746, and comprised the north-west part of the old Dunstable grant. It had an existence as a town until July 4, 1770, at which time, in answer to a request of the inhabitants, about two miles wide on the north side was annexed to Amherst, and the remainder to Hollis. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1782 to reëstablish the town as originally granted. [7-82] [Vote of the Town, 1761.] Att the Annual Meeting in Monson March 23; 1761, Voted to Grant the petition of Hollis namely that a Mile and half or their about be Sett of to Hollis agreable to the Petition of said Hollis And Voted the South Side of as above by the Major part of the North Side it, being an artickle incerted in the Warrant for Said MeetingCopy, per Benja Kenrick Town Clark Monson Decem: 28, 1762 [7-84] [Vote relative to locating a Meeting-House, 1756.] Att a Town meeting held in Monson December, 6th day, 1756, Voted, to Set the Meeting House in the most Convenient place nere the Center of the Town Monson, march, 16 1763. A Coppy p' Benja Kenrick, Town Clark [7-85] [Hollis asks for a Portion of Monson, 1763.] Whereas there was an articall in the warrant for the annuall Meeting to be held in Holles march the 2nd 1761 to see if the Town would Petition the Town of Monson for one mile and a half or there abouts on the south side to be annexed to the Town of Hollis Pursuant to said articall Voted to Petition the Town of Monson for one Mile and a half or there abouts on the south side of said Monson to be annexed to the Town of Holles and Chose Doctor John Hale Francis Worcester and Jonathan Taylor a Comtee to Pefar Said Petition Holles January the 3a 1763— A True Coppy Pr Sam" Cumings Town Clerk of Holles [R. 2-285] [Benjamin Hopkins's Bill, 1761.] Monson June ye 25 1761 Account of Capt Samuel Gerrish Company who victualed at my house and the mens Names [Sworn to Oct. 15, 1767, before John Goffe. In H. of Rep., May 25, 1768" Voted that it be Dismissed."-ED.] [7-86] [Relative to Annexation of a Portion of Monson to Hollis, 1773.] Province of New Hampshire To the Honble His majestys Council & House of Representatives for said Province-Gentlemen Whereas by your Vote & Order at y1 Late Session Our Town Namely Monson may be heard next week if the Court be then Setting on their vote & Petitions Relating the Setting off and Annexing a part of Our said Town to Holles-But there having very Lately been Some New Proposals made by Some of Our Neighbours (Concerning It) both in Holles & Amherst of a very pacifick tendency which if Complied with we Apprehend will be more Advantageous than Any Measures yet Concerted Therefore pray that your Hon's Would Suspend the affair untill the Second day of y' first Session After the first day of Sep' Next that we may in the Interim Consider & Settle said Proposals & We as in duty bound Shall ever pray— Dated at Monson April the 29d 1763— [7-87] [Petition to be annexed to Hollis, 1762.] Province of New Hamp To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq: Gov' &c The Hon his Majestys Council & Assembly of said Province The Petition of us the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the South side of the Town of Monson in said Province-Humbly shews that we Can be Much better Accommodated as to Town priviledges by being Annexed to Holles Than to remain as we Are That our said Town of Monson Are Desirous of having the Thing done as may appear by their Vote March the 234 1761 We Therefore pray that Your Excellency And Hon" would Take the premises under your wise Consideration and Grant it According to the Ten' of said Vote And We as in duty bound shall ever Pray Dated at Monson Oct ye 18th 1762 [7-88] [Reasons for not granting foregoing Petition.] To His Exelency Bening Wentworth Esq' Governer in chief in and over his Majesties Province of New-Hampshire, The Honourable the Council, and House of Representatives in General Court Assembled— We the subscribers Inhabitants and freeholders in the Town of Monson in the province aforesaid Humbly shew, that, Whereas the south of Monson aforesaid has petitioned the General Court aforesd to be Annexed to Hollis: And as the Honourable Assembly has seen Cause in Their great Wisdom and Clemency to send to us for our Reasons, why the prayer of sd Petition should not be granted so may it please your Exelency and Honours We with the lowest Submission beg leave to offer them—and in the first place we look upon the Town of Monson sufficient to support the Gospell, provided it was settled; And we Impute the Reason of its not settling to the Neglect of Building a Meeting-House and settling the Gospell: It also appears to us quite an unreasonable thing that the south of Monson should be Annexed to Hollis, a Numerous People able to support the Gospell without them and we Humbly pray that |