Province of New Hamp. At a Town meeting of the Free holders & other Inhabitants of Durham held at the Meeting House in sd Durham on Monday the 7th day of March 1768 at 3 o'clock P. M. Voted that Capt. Thomas Chesley shall be an agent in behalf of the Town to answer to a Petition signed by Thomas Stevenson & others, Directed to the Governor, Council and representatives of sd Province requesting a High Way To be laid out from the Bridge at Lampereel River To the Road leading from Durham Point to Durham Falls. And to shew cause why the Prayer of sd Petition should not be granted. A True CopyAttest John Smith S. Cler pro tempore EPPING. [Epping was incorporated 12 February, 1741. ED.] Petition of the Inhabitants of Epping for men to protect them. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Governour and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire and the Hone His Majesties Council and House of Representatives for said Province in General Assembly Convened Humbly Sheweth the Freeholders and Inhabitants of Epping in s Province that your Petitioners are Sensible of the weak and Defenceless State of the Town of Nottingham which Lies on our Border-That the Inhabitants there Seem very much Discouraged Insomuch that Some are Removed and others are about Removing out of Town. That if that Settlement should Break up this Parish with Part of New Market and Durham will become Frontiers which we of ourselves Shall not we fear be able to Defend and the Enemy who will be much Incouraged will have near access to the very Bowells of the Province which may Possibly have very Fatal Consequences. We Do therefore by these Presents Humbly Request your Excellency and Honours to take the Premises with other Reasons that may occur into your wise Consideration and if it appear Proper make Provision for and send to said Town of Nottingham to be Kept there for their Safeguard and DefenceSuch a number of Men as may be needfull for that Purpose and as that Town is very much Exposed we Humbly Presume that a much Larger number will be necessary for that End than has been allowed them in years Past, and as the Common Road between Red Oak Hill so called and Nottingham is very Dan gerous to Pass we Would Request that a Small Scout of Men May be sent to the named Gareson on Pantuckaway road to scout from thence to Sanborns Garrison when not wanted for that to Guard the People at s" Garrisons May it Pleas Your Excellency and Honours it appears to us that our Safety in a Great Measure Depends upon the Safety of Nottingham which we Hope you will Effectually Provide for and we shall Esteem it as an Instance of your Paternal Care not only of Nottingham but of your Petitioners also who as in Duty Bound shall Ever Pray &c. James Whidden Abraham Folsom Jonathan Smith Jonathan Rundlet William Prescut read & ordered to be sent down to ye Hondi. House Theo Atkinson Sec EPSOM. [This town was incorporated 18 May, 1737. ED.] An Act to invest Proprietors of Epsom, with town rights, &c. Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Magnæ Britanniæ Franciæ & Hiberniæ Decimo Septimo. An Act to Invest the Proprietors of the Township of Epsome with the Powers & Privileges of any other Proprietors of Townships in this Province. Whereas the said Proprietors have Represented that they were not Enabled to proceed in the Settlement of their Township so Effectually as they might do for want of sufficient powers and authorities of Law to Enforce & Expedite the payment of such Sums of Money as should be agreed & voted by the said Proprietors to be Raised for the promoting & Carrying on the Settlement aforesaid-And as the making such Settlements are of General Benefit to the Province as well as for the Interest of the Particular Proprietors Be it therefore Enacted by His Excellency Govern' Council & Representatives in General Assembly Convened & by the authority of the same That the said Proprietors of the Said Township of Epsome shall be & hereby are Invested with all the Powers Authorities & Privileges given by Law to the Proprietors of any Town ship within this Province Respecting the voting Assessing Raising & Collecting or Levying any Sum or Sums of Money that have been or shall be agreed upon & voted by the Majority of the said Proprietors at any Legal meeting for defraying the charge of the Gospel Ministry in the sd Township and for the future may Lawfully use & Exercise the same Powers, Authorities & privileges in all other respects as occasion shall serve as fully & amply to all Intents & purposes whatsoever as the Proprietors of any Township in this Province & in the same manner as if the same had been herein particularly mentioned and in Like manner may proceed to call or notify any future meeting of the said Proprietors & to order Govern & manage their proceedings & affairs at such meeting This act to Continue & be in force for the Space of five Years & no Longer. In the House of Representatives apr 18th 1744. The above Bill Read three times & past to be Enacted Province of Petition of John Weeks. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor and Commander in chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, The Honorable His Majestys Councill and House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened the Third day of March 1761 The Petition of John Weeks of Hampton in Province of New Hampshire Esq' in behalf of and as agent for the Proprietors of Epsom in said Province Most humbly sheweth That a Considerable part of the land in Said Epsome is owned by Non Residents. That there is no law in this Province whereby Proprietors of Common and undivided lands can raise Money by Taxes and Cause the same to be Collected. That the Inhabitants of said Epsom are unable to build a meeting house for the Public Worship of God or to support a Minister of the Gospel among them That the Proprietors of Epsom aforesaid at a meeting of said Proprietors held at Epsom aforesaid by adjournment on the tenth day of September 1760 voted that the Proprietors of land in said Epsom Should pay two Shillings old Tenor per acre for every acre of land which then was laid out in Severalty in Said Town To be paid within one year from the said Tenth day of September afores Partly to pay for the perambulating the Several lines of said Town and for laying out the undivided lands in said Town and the Remainder to be applied towards building a meeting house and maintaining a Minister in said Epsom-Also That the Proprietors aforesaid should pay one Shilling old Tenor per acre per year for five years next after the said one year should be expired, to be applied towards the building a meeting house and maintaining a Minister in s Epsom and at the same meeting voted your Petitioner agent for said Proprietors to prefer a Petition to the General Assembly for a Confirmation of said Vote: Wherefore your Petitioners in the Capacity afores prays your Excellency and Honours by an act to Ratify and Confirm Said Vote And to Authorize & Impower the said Proprietors to tax all the lands laid out in Severalty in said Epsom on the said Tenth day of September afores at two Shillings old Tenor per acre for one year for the use and purpose aforesd. And to enable the said Proprietors to Collect the Same also to tax for five years next after the said one year every acre of land that shall then be laid out in Severalty in said Town at one Shilling old Tenor per. acre each year for the use and purpose aforsaid and to enable the said Proprietors to Collect the Same. JOHN WEEKS Agent In Council March 3d 1761 read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly. Theod Atkinson Secy The Petition of the Inhabitants of Epsom for abating the Province Tax. Province of To his Exelency Benning Wentworth Esq' Cap' General Governour & Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire and to the Honable Counceill & house of Representatives now Convened in General Assembly at Portsmouth the Petition of his Majestys Good Subjects Inhabitants of the township of Epsom in Said Province Humbly Sheweth We the Poor Inhabitants of the township of Epsom in Said Province humbly Beg Leave to Remonstrate our Very Poor Distressing Curcumstances to your Compassion & Most Earn estly Crave your Pity and pray your Honours to Relieve us from the unsuportable Burden of Province tax under which we are made to Grone and Which we think we Cannot Possibly Survive under unless your Honours Will be Pleased to Mitigate and free us from. Gentlemen our Numbers are Very small & we are very much Exposed to Losses our young Cattle Sheep & Swine are often Destroyed by Wild beasts and further we have Lately Seteled a minister among us which we are affraid we Shall not be able to Support by Reason of the Poor Circumstances we are now under we are not able to Build a Meeting House but our Minister is obliged to Preach in Some of our Dwelling houses the tax which was Laid on us the Last year many of us were obliged to hire the money to Pay our Necessities are very Grate by Reason of the Scarcity of Provisions we have been obliged to Lay out all that we have got for years Past & are now much in Debt this is to Entreat your Honours to take of the heavy tax which we now Labour under & Restore us the money we Paid Last year & your Petitioners Shall Ever Pray as in Duty Bound Abraham Lebbee Abraham Walles In Council June 24th 1762 Read & Order'd to be sent down to the Honble Assembly Province of \ New Hampshire Theodore Atkinson Jun. Sec Epsom May the 26, 1760 these are to notifie the propriters of the town of Epsom to meat at the house of Cap Andrew McClarey in epsom on wensday the eightenth of June next at ten of the clock in the fore noon then and their to see if the proprietors will asist the inhabitance in bulding a meating house and asist the inhabitance about the hiring a minister or any other thing that may be thot proper for the benefit of s town and to see if the propritors will devide the undevided Land in epsom and likewise see if they will preamblate the several lines in sd Epsom. A true Copy atest by N Marden proprietors Clark John McClary Selectmen |