timate of Quantity and Quality together are by far more valuable then Those of the latter, upon which account we in this Town are certainly laid under very great Disadvantages. Permit us further to observe to your Excellency & Honours that near one-half if not ye Majority of the Inhabitants of Said Plastow are either Professed Babtists or so far favourers of them as usually to Concur with them in opposing and Counteracting every necessary Measure Respecting either the Support of our Minister or ye Peace & good order of ye Town so that without Some Helps, we see no Probable or even possable way in which either the one or ye other can be Continued among us in any tolarable Degree. We ask leave moreover to inform the Honourable Court that the North Parish in Haverhill in Massachusetts Province have hetherto ever Sence our first Incorporation into a Town Shared with us in Ministerial Charges and Privileges and appear willing to Continue with us in Case the fore said Petition be granted, so that their may be a better Prospect of Peace & order in Said Plastow; whereas if we Continue in our Present weakened and Devided State we have the greatest Reason to fear they are fully Determined to Seperate from us; in Consequence of which Seperation we are at once irrecoverably Deprived not only of their Proportion of ye ministerial Tax, but Dispossessed of ye Parsonage Buildings & land, the greatest Part by far of which lies in Said North Parish, and which we have hitherto enjoyed only by Vartue of our Connection with Them we Therefore earnestly Pray your Excellency and Honours to take the affair under Consideration and grant Such Relief for the Said Petitioners and for us as you in your wisdom Shall Think best and we as in Duty bound Shall ever Pray Plastow Dec y 3, 1767. John Hall Thomas Follamsbe Nathaniel Bartlet Ezekiel Gile Peter Dow Abraham Chase Josiah Copp John Bradley Ephraim Emerson Jonathan Kimball Jacob Trussel Richard Greanough Ebenezer Eatton Aaron Coop James Little Nathaniel Peabody Jonathan Stevens Jun John French James Noyes Robert Heath Joseph Noyes Richard Brown Daniel Poor Benj Philbrek Jun. John Dow John Dow Jun. Jonathan Page Nath Page Benj Emory Eldad Ingals John Ingals Joseph Hills Ordway Stephen Dole John Dole Richard Heath John Webster Jun. Currier Thare is 130 mens Heads above sixteen in the west end of the town of Plastow. Thare is Eighty Seven Famelys in the West of the Town of Plastow. Petition of Sundry Persons to be Polled from Atkinson to Province of New Hampshire) Plastow. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Capt. general Governor and Commander in Cheaf in and over his Majestys Province aforesaid &c and to the Honourable his Majestys Council and House of Representatives in general Court assembled at Portsmouth The Petition of us the Subscribers Humbly Shews where as there has been Latly Part of Plastow set off and made a New and Seperate Parish Bounded according to Cartain Lines which goes by the Name Atkinsonton in which we with our Estates falls into ye Said New Parish our Prayer and Request to this Honourable Court above mentioned is that whereas we have heretofore assisted in Building a meeting house a Pasonneg house and have Now a minister Settled in Plastow according to our Principles and Minds Therefore our Desier and Request is that we with our Estates may be set off from Said New Parish and be anexed to the old Parish or Town of Plastow that we might be and Remain as heretofore we therefore Pray that your Excellency and Honours will Take The mater under Consideration and grant such Relief for those who Desier to be set off as afore said as you in your wisdom Shall Think best and we as in Duty Bound Shall Ever Pray Plastow Sept. 1767. James White Jonathan Eatton John Webster Israel Webster Jonathan Webster William Webster Daniel Whitaker Moses Page Province of In the House of Representatives Sep. 24th 1767 New Hampshire The within Petition being Read and Considered Voted That the Petitioners be heard thereon the third day of the Siting of the General Assembly after the first Day of November next and that they serve Mr. Thomas Noyes who is appointed to call the first meeting in said Atkinson with a Copy of this Petition And Order That Objections may be made to granting the Prayer of the Petition if any there be M. WEARE. In Council Eodem Die Read & Concurr'd T. Atkinson, Secy. Province of In the House of Representatives Feb. ye 12, 1768 The within Petition being Considered and the Parties fully heard thereon Voted That the Petitioners James White & Samuel Kimball have liberty to Poll off they and their Estates to belong to the Town of Plastow and the other Petitioners have liberty to Poll off they & their Es tates to belong to the Town of Plastow respecting Ministerial affairs only & the Petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly M Weare Cl In Council Feb'y. 1768 The above read and the Parties being heard Voted a Concurrence with this amendment That all the sd Petitioners Excepting James White and Sam' Kimball remain to the Town or Parish of Atkinson as tho' no petition had been preferred Province of New Hampshire J Geo. King Depy Secy. In the House of Representatives Feb 26th 1768 The above Vote of Councill Read and Concur'd and the Petitioners White and Kimball have liberty to bring in a Resolve accordingly. M. Weare, CI Memorial of Sundry Inhabitants of Plaistow against having a town set off from that, 1767. To Excellency bening wintworth Esq' governor and comander in cheaf in and over his madgstes Provence of new hampshire in new ingland and to the Honorable his madgesties council and to the Honourable house of Representatives in generall court assembled To the humble Petition of us the Subscribers in Habitans of the Town of Plastow Humbly Pray your Excelency and oners to Tak our Dificelt Case under your wise considerateon and we Petioners Humbly Pray that your honners would not grant the Petition that was sent in order for a town or Parish to be taken out of the said town of Plastow the Reason why is because there is great quantity of wild Land in s town that is oned by other Towns People and a great quantity of wild Land oned by Said town wherefore we are no waies able to be a parish by our Selves and in So Doing you will greatly obblige_your humble Petitioners and they shall as in Duty bound Ever Pray &c. Deted Plastow febuary; 13, 1767 Benjamin Philbrick Joseph Chandler Joseph Kimball Joseph Palmer Thomas Chancy Tuner Wid. Mary Little Report of a Committee of the town of Plaistow abt. this meeting house, 1766. We the Subscribers having been Chose a Committee by the Inhabitants of the Town of Plastow in his Majestys Province of New Hamp shire and the Inhabitants of the north Parish in Haverhill in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay who Congregate with the Said Inhabitants of Plastow to State the Place where Their meeting House Shall Stand for the Future Have attended that Service, by Viewing the Several parts of Said Town and Parish agreeable to the Desire of the Inhabitants of both, and heard the Respective Parties with Respect to the Premises; and after Serious Consideration of the affair with a train of Circumstances attending the Same too long to enumerate, Do Report that our opinion is that the most Suitable Place for the meeting House to Stand at present, is where their meeting House now Stands being fully of the mind, That the Starting or Determining any other Place for that purpose, will be attended with worse Consequences to Said Inhabitants than that we have Reported Plastow Marh 20th 1766. To the Town Clerk of Plastow to be Communicated to the Inhabitants of said Town at their meeting by adjournment on the first Wednesday in April next Mar. 20th, 1766 Comte Report. Sundry Persons of Plastow Desire to have the Town Still remain undivided. Plastow Decem' 30th 1766 To the General Court of the province of New Hampshire These are to inform your Hon's That whereas there was two petitions Sent to the general Court the twenty sixth of June Last past in order to be considered at the next setting one to have the town Divided the other to anex a part to Hampstead, we the Subscribers Living within the Limits of s petitions, are Desirous that Neither of them may be granted inasmuch as we think that it will very much Damnify the town at present for we Look on ourselves and the inhabitants of this town unable at present to maintain two ministers of the Gospel but inasmuch as there is a considerable Quantity of unsettled Land in this part of the town which is chiefly own'd by men belonging to other towns we are in hopes that in a few years we may be able and in the mean time we are willing that those that have petitioned to be anexed to Hampstead should attend the Publick worship of God and have Liberty to pay their minister Rate there for the term of Eight or ten years till we are |