Petition of sundry persons to be annexed to Hampton Falls or other towns. To his Excellency the Governer of New Hampshire &c May it plese your Excellency: we namly John Paige, Benjaimin Baker, John True & Jacob French are in that Petiton Prefer'd by those in the Easte Parte of that slip &c, and we Desire we may be anext to Hampton Falls We our hairs and estats; and we Benjamin Brown Nathaniel Maxfield Epharaim Brown, Jr Jonathan Brown Samuel Brown jr desire to be annexed to Kingsinto"-we our Hairs and Es Petition of persons in Haverhill district not to be joined with Kingstown. Province of To his Excelency Benning Wintworth Esq. New Hampshire Governor and Commander in Cheif In and over his Majisties Province of New Hampshire In New England and To the honorable his Majesties Councils of said province The petition of Jeremiah Eaton, John Kezar and others— The Subscribers who live In Haverhill Destrict and on the Norwest side of the Washpond brook. Humbly sheweth: That sometime agoe your petitioners together with others to agreat number of Haverhill destrict and some of Amsbery Humbly requested your Excellency and honors to Incorporate them into a town ship according to the meets and bounds defined in the petition And your Exelency and honours so far Incouraged us as to send a committee to view our situation and circumstances who accordingly haveing attended that Service made their report, But it so hapned that when our committee waited upon your Excelency and honours Expecting to receive a charter of Incorporation acording to the return of said Committee the sudden news of a french fleet on the coasts so alarmed the Government that your Excelency and honers were obliged to imply all your thoughts and powers for the defence of the province and Lay aside that afair with all other Business to a further day-That as we are informed the town of Kingstown who have been of late indeavering to Extirpate us from the Earth did on the 26 of September last set us of together with some few others who call themselves Kingstown men into a parish, Thereby further indeavouring to vex grieve hurt and Iniure us who had many of us much rather be lead into Captivity By some Christian nation than be Joynd with them who are our Greatest adversaries under a pretence that wee are part of Kingston when in fact wee and our anchestors have possesd our lands as part of Haverhill for more than one hundred years past, and since the settlement of the line have allways been accounted Haverhill destrict men and paid rates accordingly. Wee therefore humbly and earnestly request your Exelency and Honers to compasenate our Surcumstances and not suffer us to be rent and torn to peices by our inveterate Kingston adversaries but will aford us releif by Joyning us with our Dear Christian friends relations and neibeurs of haverhill Destrict according to our petition with them & as soon as may be Incorporated Into a township-That so wee may have the Gospel setled amongst us and for your Exelency and honours your humble petitioners as In duty bound shall ever pray &c. Haverhill Destrict October 13th 1746. Joseph Stevens Daniel Robands John Chute Thomas Mills Phillip McCarrygon James Mills. Notification of a Parish meeting to set off those who call Province of New Hamps } themselves Presbyterians. These are to notify the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Parish of Hampton falls in said Province who are by Law Qualified for to Vote to meet at this meeting house on the 2 day of Sep' next at one of the clock in the afternoon for the following Purpose viz-Whereas a Number of Persons in said Parish have Lately Professed themselves of the Presbyterian Perswasion, and have apply'd to some ministers at Londonderry whom they call the Boston Presbytery Desiring to be under their care Representing that they apprehend themselves able and are freely willing to maintain a minister of the orthodox faith and that is united with said ministers in the Presbyterian Government and have made some objections to paying towards the support of the settled minister in said Parish-And altho there is no Just Reason that the above mentioned Persons should in any Respect be excused except that it may Probably be most for the peace of said parish that the abovementioned Persons and their estates should be set off to act in all Respects as a Distinct Society or Parish by themselves, except paying their Proportion of the Province tax untill a new Proportion thereof-Therefore to see if the Parish will vote to set off the abovementioned Persons and their estates to be Incorporated if they think Proper to apply for it to act in all respects by themselves as a Distinct Society or Parish Except Paying their Proportion of the Province tax untill a new Proportion thereof, and to pay all other charges as usual untill they shall be set off as above mentioned-The Line of said New Parish to be fixed by a committee of the General Court with Liberty for such of the above mentioned Persons as shall not fall within said New Parish to Poll off with their estates and belong thereto, And for any who shall fall within said New Parish who are not of the Presbyterian Perswasion to Poll off with their Estates and belong to the old Parish and for any who are not of the Presbyterian Perswasion who have or shall have Lands within said New Parish to Poll off said Lands to belong to the old Parish. At a Leagel meeting of the Freeholders and inhabitants of the Parish of Hampton falls held the Second day of Sept 1765-Col Meshech Weare choosen Moderator for said Meeting Voted That the people caled Presbyterians in this parish be set off as a Distinct Parish by them selves according to the foregoing Notification for the above meeting. Hampton Falls December 31st 1765 Copy attested by Caleb Sanborn, Parish Clerk. Petition for a Presbyterian Society. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General Governor and Commander in Cheif in and over his majesties Province of New Hampshire &c-To the Honorable his Majesties Council and House of Representatives for said Province Convened in General Assembly-November 21st, 1765. The petition of the subscribers, Free holders & Inhabitants of the Town of Hampton Falls in said Province-Humbly Sheweth. That about Two years ago The Rev Mr Pain Wingate in the congregational way & manner was settled in the work of the ministry in said Town, That the Religious sentiments of and Doctrines preached by the said Rev Mr Wingate are very different from those of your Petitioners-and disagreable to them-That your Petitioners apprehended they could not be profited by the peaching and ministration of the sd Rev Mr Wingate That the measures taken by the said Town in order to the settlement & support of the said Mr Wingate are as your Petitioners conceive unprecedented and Justly Grievous to them, and that therefore your Petitioners and many others Inhabitants of said Town (near one half thereof) constantly opposed his settlement there and dissented therefrom: That your Petitioners are conscientiously of the Presbyterian Perswasion respecting Church Government, Doctrine Discipline and Worship That they with others of their Brethren of that Perswasion have for sometime past been regularly formed into a church, built a meeting house in said Town for the publick Worship of God, Called and settled a minister in the Presbyterian way, namely The Rev Mr Samuel Perley: That your Petitioners conscientiously and constantly on the Lords days and at other times occasionally attend the publick worship of God there, according to their said Perswasion; That the premises notwithstanding the select men of the said Town of Hampton Falls for the last year assesed and Rated your Petitioners for the support of the said Mr Wingate and obliged them to pay the same, That the selectmen of said Town for the present year have again assessed & Rated your Petitioners for the same purpose, which your Petitioners apprehend to be a Grievous & unreasonable Burthen upon them Wherefore your Petitioners Humbly pray your Excellency and Honours to take their case under your wise consideration And as they conceive themselves to be Intitled to his majesties Grace & Favour in allowing to all his subjects Liberty of Conscience—and that it is unreasonable for them to be compelled to pay towards the support of a minister they do not nor cannot hear and attend upon for the Reasons aforesaid When at the same time they are at the expence of maintaining publick worship among themselves in that way and mode they think most agreable and nearest to the directions given in the Scriptures by the Great head of the Church, and where the True Doctrines of Grace & Salvation are preached according to their Opinion of those things: They pray your Excellency & Honours would grant them Relief in the premises by Exonerating them their Families and Estates and all others within said Town of Hampton Falls who are of the same Perswasion and attend the publick worship of God with them from all ministerial Rates and Taxes in said Town (Excepting to their own minister) and by setting them off as a distinct Parish for ministerial affairs only, and by enabling the said Presbyterian congregation to raise & Levy on themselves such Taxes and assessments as they shall from time to time find necessary for the support of the ministry and publick worship of God among themselves-or grant your Petitioners such other Relief as your Excellency and Honours in your wisdom shall see fit, And your petitioners as in Duty bound will ever pray &c. &c. Thomas Leavitt Ebenezer Knowlton Joseph Page Samuel Selley Enoch Boid |