Petition of Selectmen in relation to a meeting house. Stratham May the 16, 1716. To his Honor George Vahn esquire Lef Governer and comander in chief in and over his Majestics Province of New hampshaire in New England and to his Majesties honourable Councill for said Province: We your humble petitioners Selectmen for the town of Stratham: We are sorry that we are forced to trouble your honors with a petition;-for the inhabitants of our town are unhappily divided about a place where to set our meeting house and we have had severall town meetings in hops to agree among ourselves but all the proposalls that has been made could never obtain that happy end and for these reasons we would pray your honors that in your wisdom you would see meet to appoint a Committee of indifferent men that are unconcerned for to measure the town and so fix a place for the meeting house according to the patine. So we are your honours humble petitioners in behalf of the town. SIMON WIGGIN Petition of Jonathan Wiggin, relating to Hilton's Ferry. To his Excellency Sam' Shute, Esq' Captain Gen' Govern' & Command in Chief in & over his Majesties Province of New Hamp &c. To the Honourable the Council & Representatives convened in Gen' Assembly in Portsm° in s" Province. The Petition of Jonathan Wiggin of the town of Stratham, most humbly Sheweth: That Capt. Rich Hilton of Exeter was formerly favored by the Gen Assembly in this his Majesties Province with a Grant of the Ferry over Exeter river, which Grant was attended with a particular condition that he should procure a way to the Ferry, so that the Publick should not be charged therewith; but tho' he has had the improvement of the Ferry for the space of near Thirty years yet never procured any way thereto on the southerly side of the s" river, but all Travellers have trespassed on yo Petitioner by passing over his pasture, meadows and fields, for the space of one full mile in one part of his farm & almost halfe a mile in another part thereof, extremely to yo Petitioner's damage, who cannot obtain any redress from the s Hilton, altho' his Grant is thereby forfeited to the Govern ment. And the afores Capt. Hilton doth live at so great a distance from the river that Travellers are oftentimes hindred in getting over and necessitated to burden your Petitioner with themselves and horses for entertainment in the night, which is expensive to yo' Petitioner and an hindrance to them in their journey, many of whom have often times put your Petitioner upon praying for the Ferry on that side of the river adjoining to his land. And if your Petitioner should stop up the afore s ways, Travellers would be extremely prejudiced. Your Petitioner therefore most humbly prays that your Excellency and this Honourable Assembly will please to grant to him the privilege of the Ferry on the southerly side of the s River, with the liberty of Keeping or hanging Gates through his own farm & the liberty of the Ferryman keeping an house of entertainment for Travellers free of Excise: So yo1 Petitioner shall ever pray as in duty bound &c. & subscribes, JONATHAN WIGGIN. 22d April 1721. Pro. N. Hamp Summons to Richard Hilton. To the Sheriff of the said Province, his under Sheriff or Deputy, Greeting: By order of his Hon' the Lieut. Governour, and the Honble the Council, you are hereby required in his Majesty's name, forthwith on receipt hereof, to Summon Rich Hilton of Exeter Esq. to appear at y Council board to morrow at 3 o'clock afternoon, to show cause if any he hath, why the ferry on the South side of Exeter river agst your house should not be granted to Mr. Jona Wiggin of Stratham, according to his petition, &c. Dated at ye Council board ye 11th of July, 1721. Richard Waldron, Cler. Con. Make return of this writ, at ye time afores R. Waldron, Cl. Con. July 12, 1721. Then summoned Capt. Richard Hilton, Esq. to appear at time & place, by me Benj. Leavitt, Dep. Sheriff. Petition of Stratham relating to divisions about a Minister. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq' Captain Generall Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire; To the Honble his Majesty's Councill and house of Representatives convened in General Assembly. The Petition of the subscribers Freeholders & Inhabitants of the Town of Stratham in the Province aforesaid, Humbly shews: That your Petitioners having for some years past been under very Difficult circumstances both as to their Church and Town affairs occasioned by the unhappy and unscriptural separation of a great number of the Principai members of the Church who by their example have influenced others of the Church and Congregation to follow them into the same separation and thereby have made themselves the major parte and have for some time past carry'd on the Publick worship in a separate house and are got to such a height as to call a Town meeting to choose a Committee to Apply to Mr. Joseph Adams their present minister to take on him the pastoral care & charge of a Church in said Town, and to cast himself on the Lord and Depend on him for what he shall Incline the People to give him for his support, which your Petitioners expect will be liberal enough inasmuch as we must bear our part of it unless relieved herein by your Excellency & Hon; And inasmuch as their separations and proceedings thereon is so unjust and unwarrantable and we have just reason to fear willfull, and our circumstances will not admit us without impoverishing our Estates to maintain more than Mr. Rust our present ordained Minister (with whose doctrine and conduct we are well satisfi'd) who was principally call'd and settled by the Principal Gentlemen in the present separation, who then made a great show of Respect for him and his Ministry; and inasmuch as this unhappy separation and proceeding thereon greatly tends to an unnatural Behaviour towards each other, and to root out our Holy Religion, and also to Destroy that Love, Peace and Unity that ought to be kept and maintained amongst us as the Professors of Christ, as also to the Destruction or wasting of our Estates: Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly Pray that your Excellency and hon's will take our Deplorable case under your wise consideration, and redress our present Grievances in such way as to your Excellency and hon's shall seem most for the glory of God and Real wellfare of this Place. And your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray &c. Dated at Stratham, August 12th 1746. William French Walter Wiggin John Speed Benjamin Jones Richard Palmer Richard Scamun William French, jun. Richard Wichar David Jewill Thomas Veasai Joseph Jewit Abraham Morgin Matthew Tomson Satchell Clark Joseph Fifeald Province of John Dearbun Richard Crocket, jun. In the House of Representatives, Augt 22d 1746. Voted, That y Petitioners be heard on their petition y second day of the Setting of y Gen Assembly after ye fifteenth Day of Sep' next at ten O'clock A. M. & that ye Petitioners at their own cost serve ye Selectmen of Stratham with a copy of this Petition & this order of Court, that they may shew cause if any they have why ye Prayer of the Petition should not be granted. In Council, Eod" die read & concurr1. D. Peirce, Clk. Eod die. Theod' Atkinson, Sec". Assented to B. WENTWORTH. Another petition relating to the same matter. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq. Capt. Gen1 Govern & Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of N: Hampsher, To the Honbe his Majesty's Council & House of Representatives conven'd in Gen Assembly: The Petition of y° subscribers & Inhabitants of the Town of Streatham In the Province aforesaid, Humbly shows: Y your Petitioners, &c. [NOTE. This Petition is word for word the same as the preceding, until the closing sentence, which is in the following words, viz.] "Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly pray y1 your Excellency & Hon would take our deplorable case under your wise consideration & bear due testimony against such Disorderly settlements, or exempt us & our Posterity from supporting s Joseph Adams, or from any charge y' shall arise in any shape whatsoever from his being a Preacher among them: However, we, y s Petition" leave our case with y' Excellency & Hon's humbly praying y' you'd please to redress our present Grievances in such a way as to your Excellency & Hon's shall seem most for the glory of God, & the real wellfare of this place, & y' Petition's in Duty bound shall ever pray, &c." Dated at Streatham, Dec' 2d 1746. [NOTE.-The above petition is signed by the same persons as the former one. A hearing on it was granted; and then, in the House of Representatives, 15 July, 1747, is the record: "The agents for y Petitioners appearing & acknowledging that they were satisfied, therefore voted, That this Petition be Dismissed."] SWANZEY. [This town, which was first called Lower Ashuelot, was granted by New Hampshire, July 2d 1753. ED.] To his Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq' Capt. General, Governor and Commander in chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire and the Hon his Majesty's Council for said Province: The Humble Petition of William Sims of Winchester so called in the Province of New Hampshire on behalf of the Proprietors or claimers of that Tract of Land within said Province called the Lower Ashuvelot, a List of whose names is herewith presented, Shews, That the said proprietors or claimers have been improving the land at the place aforesaid near Eighteen years last past & have made considerable progress therein: Apprehending when they first entered the Land was within the Province of y Massachusetts Bay, and by countenance of the Government of that Province they entered upon the Lands & carried on their settlement so far as to make a Proportion & Division of said Lands to & among the Persons aforesaid, who have been at very considerable expence in making the said settlement and Defending of it. That in order to carrying of it to greater Perfection & making of it a more useful Place it is necessary the settlers & Inhabitants should be Incorporated & vested with the Rights & Privileges of Towns which it is well known is a very necessary aid & support of such a Design, and as the persons already there have done so much to make it a useful settle |