Petition for dividing the Province into Counties. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Govr. &c. the Honble his Majestys Councill & House of Representatives in Gen' Assembly Conveined. Portsmouth ye 9th day of Apr. 1754 Wee the Subscribers Inhabitants of the Province of New Hamp' on the West side of Merrymack River Would most Humbly Remonstrate That the Extent of the Settlements of this Province is upward of One Hundred Miles Westward from Portsmouth the Place where all the Courts in the Province are held. That the Great Difficulties of Travill & Expence to and from the Court on all County Emergencys Lays the Western Inhabitats under Insuperable Difficultys as well as Occasions Great delay to the Partys & Jurors whose Business Calls them to the Courts of Judicatory to the Great Impoverishing of the Government. That wee Humbly apprehend that these Grievances might be in Some Good measure Redressed by Dividing the Government Into two Countys and will be a means of a Great Increase of Inhabitants & Improvements in the western parts of this Province Wherefore your Petitioners most Humbly Pray That your Excellency & Hon's would take the Premises into Consideration & Grant Relief by Dividing the Province into two Countys by such a Dividing Line & with Such Powers and authoritys as in your Great Wisdom you shall Judge Convenient and your Pet's as in Duty Bound Shall Ever Pray. Joseph Still Joseph Winn Jun. Salvanus Whitney Thomas Heall Gershom Hobart Province of Warning for a Town meeting. Whereas the General Court by Law have Impowered Eleaz' Tyng, Zacheus Lovewell and Joseph French Esqr. to call a meeting of the Proprietors of the Common and undivided [Land] in Old Dunstable for Choosing a Clerk and for agreeing on Som meathod for calling meeting of said Proprietors for the future in sd Law it is Provided that no Person shall appear or Vote as an attorney for more than one original Share. These are Therefore to Notifie and Warn the proprietors aforesaid that they meet at the House of Mr Benjamin French Molder in Dunstable in the Province aforesd on the Thirtyeth Day of April Next at nine of the Clock in the morning Then and there I To Choose a Clerk to said proprietors 2 to agree on som method for Calling meeting of Said proprietors for the future. Dunstable March 18, 1760. ELEAZ' TYNG ZACHEUS Lovewell JOSEPH FRENCH New hampshire Dunstable april 30th 1760 the above haveing ben Posted and Published according to Law, The proprietors mett at time and place agreeable to the above Notice and made choice of Mr John Tyng for their Moderator by a majority of the Interest Present Eleazer Tyng Zacheus Lovewell Joseph French Att a meeting of the Proprietors of the Common and undivided Land in old Dunstable held at the house of Mr Benjamin French Inholder in Dunstable in New Hamps April 30, 1760 The proprietors haveing been called upon to give in their votes for a Clerk and Their Votes Colected Sorted and Counted it appeared that Joseph French Esq' was Chosen by a Majority of the Interest Present who was sworn to the faithfull Discharge of his Office by Mr Justice Lovewell Then the following method for calling meeting for the future was agreed on and Voted that upon application of five of the said Proprietors to the Clerk of sa proprietors in writing under their hands desireing a meeting of sd Proprietors he is directed and Impowered to call a meeting of the sd Proprietors by Posting up a Notification at some Publick place in Dunstable in Newhamp and in Dunstable in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay and Notifying the same in the Boston Gazatt fifteen Days before the said meeting Expressing in the s Notification all such matters and things as are desired to be Transacted at sa meeting the s meeting or meetings to be appointed and held in Dunstable in New Hampshire as the Clerk shall appoint and in Case of the Death of the Clerk or his Refusell to Call a meeting or meetings as aforesaid then and in such case Col Tyng and Leutenant Robert Fletcher or either of them upon such application are Directed and Impowered to call such meeting or meetings as aforesaid. Attest John Tyng moderator A true Copy atest pr. Joseph French Proprietors clerk Att a meeting of the Proprietors of old Dunstable at the House of Mr. Benjamin French inholder in Dunstable in the Province of New Hampshire on Thursday y 24 day of July 1760 Voted and Chose Mr Joseph Blaney moderator Then voted that this meeting be adjourned to the Wednesday the 15 day of october next ensuing to the House of Tho Harwood Inholder in Dunstable to meet again at two of the Clock in the afternoon in order to act on the articles in the notification for this meeting. October y 15 1760 the Proprietors of old Dunstable being meett according to the above adjournment at the house of Mr Thomas Harwood Inholder in Dunstable in the Province of New Hampshire and the moderator did not attend the meeting and the said Proprietors waited untill the evening of said day and then the Question was put to the said Proprietors whether they would proceed to go on with the Business of said meeting and it was answered in the negative by the majority of the s Proprietors present and then the said proprietors Dispersed A True Entry of all the Votes and Proceedings of s meeting pr. Joseph French Prop Clerk A True Copy attest pr. Joseph French Prop Clerk At a meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Dunstable Regularly Assembled ye 3d day of Feby 1763. Extracts from the votes of said meeting. A Vote Proposed as followeth That Jonathan Lovewell Esq' Capt. Nehemiah Lovewell & Lieut Robert Fletcher be a Comte to make Answer to the Petition of John Willoughby & others who Pray that they may be set off to Holles and that they or either of them attend the General Court and opose said Petition as it is unreasonable and there shew reason why it should not be Granted: Passed in the Affirmative Feby yo 3d 1763 A True Copy pr Jonathan Lund Town Clerk Sam Hobart as attorney for the town of Dunstable. We the Subscribers of Dunstable in the Province of New Hampshire Constitute and appoint Sam' Hobart of holles in the Province aforesaid Gent our Lawfull attorney in the matter of Gitting a Part of Said Dunstable annexed or Joined to holles aforesaid to Carry on a Petition of us the Subscribers in the General Cort wherein we Signify our Desire of having a part of Dunstable annexed to holles aforesaid to do all we ourselves might or could Lawfully do in or about the premises if Present by virtue hereof as Witness our hands and seals this fourth Day of march A. D. 1763 Signed Sealed & Deliver'd in Presents of John Willoughby Jr. Wm Cumings David Hobart Daniel Mesam James Hobart Elnathan Blood Benja Parker Answer to the Petition of sundry inhabitants of the town of Dunstable. Province of New Hamp To his Excellency the Governor & the Hon1e his majesty's Council and assembly of said Province. Whereas sundry Inhabitants of the Town of Dunstable have Petitioned your Excellency & Hon's Complaining that they are unjustly used by Dunstable and Praying that they may be Fread from Supporting the Gospel where they can have no benifit thereby and be added to Holles Therefore we the Subscribers by order of the Town of Dunstable Beg leave to answer said Petition and shew that the Comp1t is groundless & the Prayer unreasonable as to Dunstable meeting house which they complain of its being at so Great a distance from them if it is unjustly fixed it is owing to them Selves for many of them voted to have it there and non of them Voted against it for after the Timber was drawed to the place a Vote could not be obtained to Raise it where it is before the Petitioners agreed to it and they can have the meeting house moved where it will be Just and equal to have it where they please for when ever they have endeavoured to have it moved there has been enough of the Town to Join them in it so as to obtain a vote for it as appears by the votes herewith and when such votes have been passed they have failed pursuing it for fear it should be done and so they prevented from being set off to Hollis as they have in time past so it seems they are now stired up by some of Hollis people to bring this Petition in order to uphold the unjust proceeding of Hollis in setting their meeting house where it now is for in the year 1756 Hollis joined these Petitioners in a Petition of like kind with this and had a day appoynted to be heard on the same and by order of the Gen' court the select of Dunstable were notified of it and when Hollis & the Petitioners Inhabitants of Dunstable found that Dunstable was determined to answer that Petition and shew the unjust design of it the Petitioners were either afraid or ashamed to appear in defence of their own Petition. And now Hollis are Endeavouring to have the South part of Monson anexed to them and should that be don and also the westerly half of Dunstable anexed to them then their meeting house where it now is will be aboute Right so that could it now be obtained to breake up and ruin two Towns it may hereafter be sumthing of a cover to hide the Iniquity of Hollis and help the private Interest of some mercenary persons but can't possably promote the Publick Good nor help the Interest of these Towns. In order to Incorporate these Towns so as to promote the Publick Good & the peace and hapiness of the Inhabitants (which by Runing the Province line fell in to this Province) and to prevent the Truble of after Divisions the Governor and Council took a very wise and Parental ceare by sending a Comtee of Disinterested Gent" to veiw and examin in to the Situation of the Inhabitants that so they might know what lines would best answer that Good end and after said comtee had taken such view and heard all parties and made their Report to the Gov & Council these Towns were incorporated as the lines now stand and in our Charter the Governor & Council have Reserved to themselves their heirs and successors the Power of Dividing said Town when it shall appear necessary and convenient for the benefit of the Inhabitants which at present is not nor cant be and the Petitioners having Prayed the Governor and Council to divide them from Dunstable and finding that the Gov & Council are Imovably set to defend the Publick Good and the Inhabitants of Dunstable in the Injoyment of those Priviledges Granted to them by their Charter so that from them they can tobtain their unreasonable Request They now Pray the Hon'e assembly to give them sum aide as the Gov and council unresonably denighed or neglected to releave them in their dificulty as they pretend but we don't doubt they will meet with same Repulse from the Hon1e assembly as they have from the Gov. & Council in such an unreasonable and unjust request for should Hollis move their meeting house where it ought to be and the Petitioners act Peacably with their own Town they will then be much nearer to their own meeting in Dunstable than they can be to Hollis meeting as appears by the Plan of each Town and by what they say themselves in their own Petition aboute the distance they are now from Hollis meeting and as to what they urge of |