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 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" 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 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. 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 Honle 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 Hone 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 their once belonging to Hollis and helping to settle a minister there is not true if it is they did not live on the places they do now for many if not all the Petitioners have settled in Dunstable since Mr. Emerson settled in Hollis and for them to urge such false please can never answer the end they Expect so as to excite the pity of this Great and Hone Court who can't but abhor the designs of those who try to destroy the peace and ability of Towns to advance sum private Intrest and when the reason they offer is not true and in behalf of the Town of Dunstable we pray y' Excellency and Honours would dismis said Petition which is so Groundless & unreasonable and we as in duty bound shall ever pray Dunstable Feb" ye 4th 1763 JON LOVEWEll Com tee Petition of Zacheus Lovewell and Joseph Blanchard. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Gov' and Commander in Chief in & over his majesty's Province of New Hampshire The Hone his majesty's Council & House of Representatives for said Province in General assembly Convened May the 4th 1768 The Humble Petition of Zacheus Lovewell & Joseph Blanchard Esqr as two of the Proprietors of Dunstable and in behalf of said Proprietors Shews That the Proprietors of the Common & undivided Land laying in Old Dunstable so calld live & their Lands now lye in the Province of the Mass Bay as well as in this Province and by the method they had Established, their meetings were to be called by their Clerk who was the Late Joseph Blanchard Esq Deceasd, whereby that method is Impracticable & your Petition's are advised that the standing Laws of the Province do not Direct to any method of Calling meetings in Such Cases. That as to those Proprietors who live & the lands which lay in the Massachusetts there is no Difficulty, because there is a Law Providing in such Cases but as they are but a Part and as to the Lands the Lesser Part a meeting by virtue of the Law there would not answer the General advantage, nor authorize a meeting of the whole which is the View they have & which the Situation of their affairs Demand, there being a Present necessity of Transacting Some Business at such a meeting. Wherefore they Pray that the Said Proprietors may be Convend in this Province by the Same method they may be there, that all may be called together in the Same way & at the Same time in both Provinces & when they are met they may unite in One Body & Settle the future method of Calling their meetings, and that your Petition's may have leave to bring in a Bill accordingly and (if should be formed a General act it may Prevent the like application hereafter_but which they Humbly Submit) they shall as in duty Bound ever Pray &c In Council May 5th 1758 read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble House Province of New Hamps Theo Atkinson Secy. ZACHEUS LOVEWELL In the House of Representatives May 6th 1758 Voted That the Petitioner have Liberty to bring in a General Bill Andrew Clarkson Clerk To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Gov &c. of the Province of New Hampshire the Honble his Majesty's Council & Assembly of said Province the Petition of Joseph Blanchard Esq in behalf of himself and Sundry others of the Prop's of the Common & Undivided Lands in the Township of old Dunstable Who Humbly Shews That on the 15th day of Octo' last said Prop's had a meeting which was held by adjournment and among other things it was Inserted in the Warning of said Meeting to Choose a Clerk for said Prop's But the Moderator that was Chose at the first Meeting did not attend the Adjournment. Therefore a Question Arose Whether the Props Could Legally Proceed in the Choice of another Moderator and Proceed in the Business of said meeting. But after some Debate Some of the Props did Proceed and Choose a Moderator and a Clerk Who has since Commenced an action against the Former Clerk for the Records of said Prop's and your Petitioner is advised that the Disput is of such a nature that a Determination in the Common Law will be attended with many Difficultys which will Greatly hurt the Interest of said Prop's. Wherefore y' Petitioner humbly prays that y' Excelly & Hon's will take the Premises under Consideration and appoint Some Suitable Person to Call and Govern a Meeting of said Prop's for the Choice of a Clerk or grant Such other Relief as in your Great Wisdom you shall see meet and y' Petitioner as in Duty Bound shall Ever pray &c May 2d 1762. Province of JOSEPH BLANCHARD. In the House of Representatives June 25, 1762 This Petition being read The parties Concerned appeared & after being fully heard thereon Voted That the prayer thereof be Granted & that Col° Meshach Weare Col Peter Gilman & John Phillips Esq's be & hereby are appointed to Call & Moderate Said Meeting & that the petitioners have Liberty to bring In a Bill accordingly In Council Eodem Die read & concurred Sir. A. Clarkson Clerk Wm Brown Esq letter and Power of Attorney. Being informed by Col° Brattle that a Proprietors meeting of the common & Undivided Lands in Dunstable was to be held there the 4th Instant in order to remove Mr French from being Proprietors Clerk & to place in his room young Blanchard; I herein inclose you a power of Attorney to appear & vote for me at said meeting hopeing you will use your utmost endeavor to prevent the records belonging to this Propriety from returning into the hands of a family that the Proprietors in general have I believe but little Cause to thank them for the use they have already made of them. My late Brother Benjamin had 4 original Rights in the Town of Dunstable and I am his surviving administrator Brother Samuel & myself haveing Letters of Administration on his Estate. I heartily wish you & the injured part of the Proprietors a good Issue of this affair & remain Sir Beverly June 2d 1760 Mr. John Tyng Your most Humble Serv W. Browne At a meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Dunstable at the meeting house in Said Town on the sixth day of October.1760 Voted and Chose Jonathan Lovewell Esqr. moderator Voted that Zacheus Lovewell Esquire hire preaching untill the Last of November Next and that he Draw money out of the Treasury to pay the saim and that Two Hundred pounds old Ten' be raised and assessed on the Inhabitance of this Town for that End Voted that the Meeting house be moved and that Messrs. Joseph Fletcher Joseph Danford and Abraham Kindal be a Comitte to fix a place where will be Just and Equal and that Elathan Blood and John Serls be a Comittee to wait on said Comittee and Git them to attend on said Business and that a Survaor be Provided if need be and all the Cost be paid by the Town And then it was Voted that the meeting Should be adjourned five |