the Premises as shall be most agreeable to Equity & Good Conscience. And your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever Pray &c. The Petitioners Names that Live in Almsbury District. Joseph Bartlet William Rowell Timothy Whittier Henry Flood X his mark David Morton X his mark William Fowler David X Elliot his mark Thomas Carter Daniel Sargent David Sargent William X Sergent his mark Thomas X Greenfield his mark Samuel X Jewel his mark Those that live in South Hampton. In the House of Representatives Apr. 15th 1744 The within Petition Read & Voted That the Petitioners serve the Select men of South Hamp-ton with a Coppy of the within Petition & Votes thereon to appear the 3d day of the sitting of the Gen1 Ass" after the first day of May next, to shew Cause if any they have why the Prayer of the Petitjon may not. be granted, the Charges to be paid by the Petitioner. James Jeffry Cler Assm Report of a Committee. Province of families to attend the Publick worship a Considerable Part of their Time. But in the midst of these discouragements your Petitioners have for some years Past Pleased themselves with the hopes that if a Kind Providence would sooner or later Provide for their Better Accommodation. However these agreeable hopes have in some measure been retarded by the Settlement of the Line between the two Provinces and also by the Grant of the Township of South Hampton By Virtue of which Grant Several of your Petitioners fall within that Township and are obleedged to Pay their rates there Notwithstanding such your Petitioners humbly Conceive that when the Meeting House was erected there the Managers of that affair had Little or no regard to their accommodation but on the Contrary could not but be Senseble that we could not Possibly attend the Publick worship in South Hampton for a Great Parte of the Year because of the Extraordinary Difficultys in Passing over Powow river which is very often overflowed by reason of Several Dams that are built thereon which Deplorable Circumstances have Put your Petitioners upon Prepareing to Erect a Meeting House in the Most Suitable place they could find for that Purpose, and it is so situated that it will accommodate near sixty families and scarce any of them be obleedged to Travel above Two Miles. Your Petitioners therefore humbly hope that the Consideration of their great hardships will so far prevail with your Excellencies. & your Honour as to grant them a Parish Bounded as followeth: Beginning at a White ash Tree by Powows river which is said to be a bound of Chapleys Line and so following said Line to the West of Powows Pond so called so running South West to Haverhill Line so called and so following Haverhill Line to the Province Line and so following the Province Line Easterly to Powows river and so following the said river to our beginning and your Petitioners are the rather encouraged to expect some favour from your Excellency Because your Late Hon father was so remarkably famous for Benevolence & Condescention and we humbly Trust & hope that those Paternal accomplishments will Equally attend your Wise & just administration and we also flatter ourselves with some hopes of success from the Honesty & Justice of our Case & Especially when we beg Leave to affirm that this our humble Petition Proceeds not from a Spirit of Strife & faction or for want of Due affection to any of the Neighbouri. g Ministers but Purely from a hearty Desire of haveing a Convenient Place to Worship God in constantly after the manner of our forefathers and according to the usual Custom of the Established Churches in this Country, and therefore your Petitioners Humbly hope that your Excelency & your Hon will Grant them such relieff in the Premises as shall be most agreeable to Equity & Good Conscience. And your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever Pray &c. The Petitioners Names that Live in Almsbury District. Joseph Bartlet William Rowell Henry Flood X his mark David Morton X his mark William Fowler William X Sergent his mark Thomas X Greenfield his mark Samuel X Jewel his mark Those that live in South Hampton. In the House of Representatives Apr. 15th 1744 The within Petition Read & Voted That the Petitioners serve the Select men of South Hamp-ton with a Coppy of the within Petition & Votes thereon to appear the 3d day of the sitting of the Gen' Ass" after the first day of May next, to shew Cause if any they have why the Prayer of the Petitjon may not. be granted, the Charges to be paid by the Petitioner. James Jeffry Cler Assm Report of a Committee. May 27th 1745 Province of praying to be Incorporated into a Parish &c and to take with us the Petition & Vote of the Town of South Hampton and to Notify the Select men of South Hampton &c. Agreeable whereto we met at the House of Capt Joseph Bartlett in said District on the 15 Ins' (Having Seven days Before Notified the Select Men of South Hampton and the Select men of Kingston of the time Place & Purpose of Our Meeting) where being attended by the Select men of South Hampton and Majr Stevens being present to say for Kingston; we proceeded to Enquire Into the Circumstances of the Petitioners and other Inhabitants thereabout and Having heard and Consider'd the things offered and then Viewed the Situation and Circumstances of the Places &c. We beg leave Humbly to Report that it appears to us that the Circumstances of the Petitioners are Such that they Cannot without Great Difficulty attend the Publick Worship and other Publick affairs at South Hampton or be joyned to any Neighboring Place for their accommodation So that it appears to us Reasonable that they Should be Incorporated into a Parish by Meets & bounds as follows (Viz:) To begin at the white Ash Tree by Powers River Mentioned in their Petition and from thence westwardly to follow Shapleys line so Called till it comes to Powers Pond so Called and then to follow the Pond to the South east corner of the long Cove so Called, and from thence on a straight line to the Northwest End of the Long Cassway on the Road from Kingstown to Swetts ferry, and from thence on a Straight line to John Peasley's juner. Barn and from thence on a straight Course towards Timothy Emerson's house till it strikes Haverhill line so called (allowing to any Inhabitants of Kingstown the liberty of Polling with their Estates Into this Parish if they Desire it and Give in their names to the Select men of this new Parish within one year after they are Incorporated into a Parish) and from thence to follow Haverhill line to the Province line then to follow the Province line Eastwardly to Powers River, and so following said River to the Bounds first Mentioned: Allowing to Cap1 Jonathan Currier Richard Currier & Larrance Straw liberty if they see Cause and their Estates to Poll to South Hampton and as there are some of the Inhabitants of South Hampton who own Some land that falls within the Bounds aforementioned that those lands while they belong to the Inhabitants of South Hampton pay taxes to South Hampton. All which is Humbly Submitted By Joshua Wingate Petition of Inhabitants in West part of Almsbury respecting a Parish. Almsbury Deastrick January 10 y 1745-6 To the honre'd Geanral Cort in Porchmoth humbly Sueath we hous nams are under written Lyuing in the west Eand of Almsbury Deastrick Lately heard that we are Sourounded with a Pertition for a Parish without our knolidge or Leave, it Being a Deficalt and Chargabel time on account of the wars and sum of the Pertitioners Being But lo in Estate which we humbly Conseave will not be abel to Seuport the Charge which will neasecary arise, Nither can we think it will be for the Glory of God to force any man to do that he is not abel nor willing to do, we humbly Pray you the honred Cort that you Consider us and not force us aganst our wills and ability. John Marten Robert Stuart Sargent Heath Samuel Hadley Junior The Petition of Sam French and others against a new Parish. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Captain General and Governour in Cheif in and over his Majsties Province of New Hampshire in New England and to the honble his Majties Council Jan ye 15 1745-6. We the Select men of South Hampton have taken opportunity At this time to Express our loyalty to the Kings Majesty and our Duty to your Excellency and Honours. We humbly confide in your tender Regard for us and whereas we have settled a church of our lord Jesus a Mong us that you will protect us so that we May be able to Support it. Whereas there has been appointed by his Excellency the Governour and the Honable his Majesties Council a Committee to go and view the lands and Settlement Mentioned in y° Petition of Joseph Bartlett and other Inhabitants of Amesbury District and to take with them y petition and y vote of y Town of South Hampton (and we the Select men of South Hampton being Served with a Copy of y Committee's Report we Humbly begs leave to oppose the vote and ye Report of yo Committee for ye Reasons here after Mention" first as to the vote our Dissenting bretheren presented a petition to ye Town at a legal Meeting Held at South Hampton September ye 29 1742 which is as followeth. September y 29, 1742. We whose Names are under written do petition to ye town o. South Hampton that they would agree to pass a vote that that part of ye town which Lieth upon ye west side of powers River should be set off as soon as they are in order to settle a Minister that is More Convanant for them that is as many as shall be willing to be set off then we will agree to holy support ye Minister here till then If you will finish y meeting house and settel a Minister upon your Charge, |