Petition relating to Minister's tax and a new parish. To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq Governor & Commander In chief in & over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire in New England, The Hone His Majestys Council & House of Representatives for said province In General Court assembled the 31st day of January Anno Domini 1739.

The Petition of Sundry Persons Inhabitants of the Town of Londonderry in the province aforesaid Humbly Sheweth,

That the Inhabitants of the said Town at a Town meeting In the year 1736, thinking it most expedient for their accommodation & Satisfaction To have the Town divided into two Parishes or Districts (as to their ecclesiastical affairs) accordingly then Voted a Dividing Line setting forth the course thereof in the vote and shortly after a Petition was Preferr❜d to the General Court by the principal part of the Inhabitants living in the western part of the said Town praying that they might be erected & Incorporated Into a New Parish agreeable to the Boundaries mentioned in the said vote.

That altho the matter was not then fully effected yet so much was Done Pursuant to the said Petition that the Petitioners with their associates then & ever since have maintained a Gospel Minister among themselves & have look'd on themselves as a distinct Church & Congregation from that in the other part of the Town and as to affairs of that nature have acted separately tho perhaps in strictness of Law not absolutely & compleatly Disannexed and separated from the other part of the Town.

That the constant standing Rule of Raising the ministers Salary there ever since the settlement of the said Town has been to Levy a tax on the pews or seats in the meeting house which the Propriet or occupants under them have always paid, so that those who could not be rank'd under one of those heads paid nothing towards the said Salary.

That soon after the vote above mentioned the inhabitants of the said Western part of the Town proceeded to settle the Reverend Mr David Magregore as their minister who was accordingly ordained to the Pastoral office amongst them and he being a Gentleman with whose ministerial abilities and Moral Character your Petitioners (as well as all the said Inhabitants) are well satisfied and under whose ministry they sit with Pleasure, they are therefore more Solicitously Concern'd that he might be supported Suitable To his Character & Station. That however desirous your Petitioners (& their associates) have been to afford their said minister an Honorable maintainance they have not yet been able but barely to allow him a comfortable subsistence by reason of the unsettled condition they are in &

of the unhappy disputes controversies & Law suits between them & the other part of the said Town by whom they have allways been (as they think unreasonably) oppos'd In matters that Relate to the Premises which situation of affairs has also greatly disturb'd the peace of both societies & perhaps much Impeded not only the discharge of Christian duties but even the offices of Good neighborhood between them. That your Petitioners & their party have however at one time & another made all the overtures to their opponents that could in reson be expected for adjusting & ending the said differences & Issuing all their Controversies in an amicable manner which have hitherto prov'd fruitless & Ineffectual for that purpose, and they are not only still Subsisting but seem to be carried to a greater Length & are risen to a higher Pitch now than ever.

That notwithstanding the afore 's rule & method of raising the ministers Salary in the said Town the said party, your petitioners opponents who are the Major part of the Town have lately voted that the support of ye ministry among them (tho. they have at present no settled minister) shall be by a tax Levied on the whole Town in General without distinction thereby subjecting Mr Magregore's Congregation to pay toward the maintainance of the other minister or the supply of the other desk at the same time they maintain their own of themselves which seems to be a scheme projected purely to oppress & dishearten that Congregation or at least their present minister. That they are still willing to comply with any reasonable terms of Terminating the said differences but as the said Contending parties are never like to fix on such terms themselves your Petitioners in behalf of the said Congregation fly to this Hone Court for aid and therefore Humbly Pray that the said Congregation with such others as are willing to join them (not exceeding the one half of the Town) may be freed & exempted from paying to any other ministers salary than their own & all other charges of y nature of Parish charges & may have Parish powers & authorities granted to them, or that both the ministers of the said Town for the time being may be Supported by an assessment on the whole town in Common according to the method of defraying Town charges in other Towns or that such other Redress may be Provided for your petitioners & their associates as this Hon Court in their great wisdom & Goodness shall think proper & y Petition as in duty bound shall ever pray &

James McKeen
John Creaig

James Adams

Hugh Mouugiroy

John Jamisou

Nathaniel Ekin

Daniel M'alee
James Gregg

James Lindsay

Robt Martin

John Blair

James Blair

In the House of Representatives Feb. the first 1739-40. Petition Read & Voted, viz'. That the Petition of the Town of Londonderry with a copy of this

tioners Charge) And that they appeare to be heard Tuesday the twelfth Curr to shew cause why the prayer of the Petition may not be granted (if the Court is then sitting) if not then the third day of the sitting of the Gen Ass next sessions.

In the House of Representatives Feb. 14th 1739-40 The within petition read, and the partys heard by their Council, the House having considered thereof. Voted that there be an assessment made on the whole Town in Common according to the method of defraying Town Charges in other Towns for three years now next ensuing for the ministers Rates and that the same be applyed and pay'd to the ministers each his respective Salary already agreed for: and that the Rate already made be gathered and applyed in the same manner, and that the Petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly. James Jeffry Cl. Ass

In Coun. Feb. 15th 1739-40
Read and non Concnrred.

R. Waldron, Secry

Counter Petition.

We the under Subscribers being Inhabitants of L: Derry and province of New Hampshire (viz) living in the Southerly part of s town, we are Informed that their are Sundry of our Neighbours Petitioners your Excell and Hon for a new parish in s Town, therefore we wod signify to your Excell. & Hon that we hope by the blessing of God in a fue years to be fit to be Erected into a parish or precinct by ourselve theirfore we pray your Excell. and Hon not to hurt our yong beginings in setting off a new parish in said town of Londonderry, as wittness our hands. Dated at Londonderry aforesaid Feby the 9th 1739-40.

John Kille
Jam Gillmore
Sam Morison

Halbert Morison
Ezekiel Morison

Tho Morison

Will Thorn

John Creige John Gillmor Jam Bell

Will Bolton John Bolton Alex' Richey John Merrow

Thomas Quigley

John Vance
Jam Colwell
Jam Colwell, Jr
Jam Dunlap
David Greage
William Greage
Sam M Addams
Nathanell Hamphill
Charels Dourach, Jr
John Stuart
John Aram Strong
John McCay
Robart Thomson
Alexander Dunlap

John Willson

Answer of Selectmen of Londonderry.

To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq. Governor and Commander in chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire, the Honourable his Majesties Council for sa province and the House of Representatives in General assembly Convened.

The Answer of the selectmen of Londonderry to a petition of sundry of the Inhabitants of sd Toun for a new parish, shews, That at the General Court held at portsmouth in and for said Province in April 1736 there was a petition preferred to the General Court of s province that there might be a parish set off in the westerly part of stoun agreeable to a vote of s toun, that then the General Court was pleased by a Vote to set off a parish in the westerly part of s toun and that the meeting House or place of worship should be where it then Stood in the westerly part of said toun and that to the number of thirty five in sd westerly parish might Remain to the old parish, and also thirty five of the old parish might go to the New parish, and that Before the s Vote of the General Court was reduced to an act the Secretarys House was consumed by fire the sa Vote among other papers was Burnt at which grant to our neighbours by your Excell. & Hon's your answerers was fully satisfied and contented. But it hath so hapned since the Destruction of s papers that their is a party in the old parish friends to the Revd M: M Gregore that has removed the publick worship of God from the Westerly meeting House Contrary to your Excell. & Hon orders and have Built another meeting house within a mil and a half to the old meeting House which we conceive will tend more to the fomenting of our present Debets and the destroying of Religion than any thing Ells, and have used all means & methods to tear our toun into peaces and also they have tray'd all meathods to destroy our meathod in Rising our ministers Sallary in the old meeting house which meathod was to Rise the ministers Sallary upon the pews or seats in s House they still crying out that such a meathod was unjust and also contrary to the Laws of s province till this present year that they obliged the Town to pass a vote to Rise sd Sallary by the poles and estats of sd Toun agreeable to the Laws and Custom of this Province. That a number of the Inhabitants of sa toun have Petitioned this