To the Captains of Chester: We the subscribers earnestly Requests your Aid and assistance in pettioning the General Court for some help yourselves Knowing how we are scattered And how far a Distance from the metting house some 7 some 8 some 9 miles from it Gentle men we are your humble ser vants William Ollcot? William McClintok Nathaniel Boyd Micheall McClintok. Tolford & Wells' Petition. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Captain General Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New Hampshire the Honourable his Majestys Council and House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened the Tenth day of May 1748 The Petition of John Tolford and Thomas Wells of Chester in the Province of New Hampshire in behalf of the Inhabitants of s Chester most humbly Shews That the sd Town of Chester is exposed to the Indian Enemy and sundry of the Dwelling houses in s Town so exposed that unless there be more men to defend them than the Town itself can afford they will unavoidably be obliged to leave them and their lands also That thereby the Enemy will gain an advantage and the Frontier be bro't nearer the Center That Sundry Persons who live in the outskirts of said Town have pray'd for help as by their respective Petitions hereunto annexed and herewith presented may more fully appear. Wherefore your Petitioners Most humbly pray your Excellency and Honours to allow such a number of men for the Defence and protection of s Town as in your great wisdom shall be tho't reasonable In Council May 11 1748, read & Sent Down to the Honble House Theo. Atkinson Secy JOHN TOLFORD Minutes of Chester town meeting Mar. 29, 1753. At a meeting of the free holders and Inhabitants of the Town of Chaster held at Chaster the 29th Day of March 1753 Capt. Abel mors being moderator for said meeting amongst other things Voted that the after mentioned tract of Land may be Incorporated into a Parash Beginning at Londonderry Line at a Stake and stones being the South west Bound of Land Sold to Thomas Cochran by the proprietors of said Chaster and run strate to a pitch pine tree being the South west bound of Nathaniel Halls Land by penicook path_than north north East By sad Halls Land as far as that gos and then Strate to the South East Corner of the 39th Lote in the Second part of the second division than North 29 Degrees East to the north east bound of the 43d Lote in the afforesaid devision then west north west to tower hill pond and then strate to the north Est Corner of Darefeld then South by Derryfeld to Londondary Line to the first Bound mentioned A true Coppy Taken from Chaster town Book of Record as ates to SAMUEL EMERSON town Clark Petition of Andrew Craige of Chester, 9 Mar. 1757. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Governor & Commander In Chief in & over His Majesty's Province of New Hampshire the Honble his Majesty's Council & House of Representatives for saide Province in General Assembly Convened the Ninth Day of March 1757 The Humble Petition of Andrew Craigge of Chester in said Province One of the Select men of said Town for the Year 1756 In behalf of himself & the other Select men of said Town for said Year Shews That by the Treasurers Warrant to the said Select to Levy the said Towns Proportion of the Province Tax for said year Several Different Sums are mentioned & ordered to be Levied and Paid into the Treasury at Different times and there are also two Sums Each of £ 203 :2 which the said Select were ordered as aforesaid to Raise which they by mistake took to be the same sum only twice mentioned in said Warrant by which Mistake the said Sum therein Last Mentioned is Omitted & no Tax has been made for Raising the same whereby the Said Town Falls so much in arrears to the Treasury That the time Limitted in said Warrant for Paying in the Said sum is Past & the Omission so Lately Discovered that the said Selectmen could not make a New Tax & Comite the Same Seasonably to be Collected before the annual Meeting at which new officers may be Chosen and the Present Town Officers Superseded besides that it would have Perhaps Occasioned Some Disputes & Differences in said Town. Wherefore your Petitioner most Humbly Prays That as this Omission is the Effect of Inadvertence & not of Design the said Selectmen may be Excused & Exempted from the Penalty of the Law in such Cases Provided That the Treasurer may be ordered to suspend Issuing an extent against them for this arrearage but that the said Town may have further time for the Payment thereof that the Selectmen that may be Chosen for the Present Year may be authorized to Levy the Same with the Tax for this Year in the Same manner as it Ought to have been done in the Year Past and that a Resolve of the whole Legislature may be Past for this Purpose or if that should be tho't Insufficient That your Petitioner may have Leave to bring in a Bill accordingly or that you would be Pleased to Grant Such other Relief in the Premises as in Your Great Wisdom & Goodness you shall judge Expedient and your Petitioner as in Duty Bound shall Ever Pray &c In Council March 9th 1757 AND CRAIGE. read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly Theodore Atkinson Sec. Province of In the house of Representatives March 10th 1757 New Hamps This Petition having been read & the Petitioner being fully heard thereon Resolved That the prayer thereof be granted & that the Petitioner have Liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly In Council Eodem Die Andrew Clarkson Clerk read & Concurrd Theod. Atkinson Secy. Consented to B. WENTWORTH. ADVERTISEMENT. These are to notify and warn the free holders and Inhabitants of the Town of Chester Qualifyed for Voting to assemble and meet at the old Meeting house in Chester upon Wednesday the Twenty sixth Day of this Instant January at one of the Clock in the afternoon of s Day 1st To chuse a moderator for said meeting 21y To see if the Town will Vote of that part of the Town called the north Parish or freetown so called to be a Town or Parish by themselves or to act and Do what shall be Thought proper in that affair Dated at Chester January 12th 1763 JOHN WEBSTER Selectmen of Chester At a meeting of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Town of Chester held at Chester January 26th 1763 agreeable to the fore going Warning Voted Deacon Ebenezer Dearborn moderator for said meeting 2ly Voted Sam' Robie Clerk pro tempore for said meeting Voted That That part of the Town of Chester Called the north Parrish or freetown as much as was Laid out in Parrish forme shall be set of as a Town or Parrish A True Copy Taken from Chester Town Book of Records Attest SAM EMERSON Town Clerk The Petition of the Inhabitants of the North parish in Chester, June 14, 1763. To His Excellency Benning Wintworth Esq' Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New hampshire The Honble his Majesties Councill and the Honourable House of Representatives in Generall Assembly Conven'd; The Petition of us The Subscribers Inhabitants of that part of Chester Call The North parish or freetown, Humbly Sheweth That your Petitioners Living at such a great Distance from the Town, That they have no advantage of the Ministry nor Schools notwithstanding they have for many years Paid There proportion, To the Support of Boath and the Town being sensable That It would be Just for us To be freed from that Charge have at a meeting held at Chester Jan" 26; 1763, Voted That, that Part of the Town of Chester call'd The North parrish or freetown, as much as was Laid out in parrish form, shall be Sett of as a Town or Parrish the bounds of s North Parrish so call'd are as fols beginning at the north East Corner of Chester upon the head line of Exeter at a beach or maple Tree being the bounds between Chester and Nottingham, So Running South ab. 29 Degrees west bounding on Exeter head line five miles to the South East Corner of the Lott No 30. then west north west five miles or so far as to contain all the old hundred acre Lotts then North 29 Degrees East Five Miles To Notting Line then on sd Line to the first bound We therefore Pray That all the Land Included in sa Bound, with all the poles & Estates therein Containd may be Incorporated into a distink Parrish from the Town of Chester and be Invested with Same powers and Priveledges That Towns in This Province are by Law Intitled To and That we may have Liberty to bring in a bill accordingly and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever Pray March 1st 1763. Daniel Gordin Wadligh Cram Joseph Giles Daniel Lane Ezekiel Lane David Lane Nathan Moulton Josiah Fogg Daniel Clay Caleb Row? Clemant Dollof Daniel Gordan Jr. John Cram Jonathan Dearborn -? Moody Benjamin Brown Isaac Clifford In Council June 14th 1763 Paul Smith Marston David Bean Alexander Smith David Been Jun Nathaniel Ethridge Read & Sent down to the Hon'ble assembly T. Atkinson Jun. Secy. Province of In the house of Representatives Dec 1st 1763 New Hamp This petition being read Voted That the petitioners be heard thereon the second Day of the Sitting of the Gen. Assembly Next after the 25th Inst & that they Cause the Substance of this petition & order of Court thereon to be advertised In the New Hamps" Gazzette two weeks successively that any person concerned may appear & Shew cause if any they have why the prayer thereof should not be Granted In Council Eodem Die read & concurred Theo Atkinson Secy. A. Clarkson Clerk. Province of In the House of Representatives Apr. 12, 1764, New Hamps This Petition & order of the Court thereon being read Voted That the prayer thereof be granted & that, the petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly. A. Clarkson Clerk Province of New Hance fire} Petition for a Parish. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Captain General Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesties province of New Hampshire in New England and to the Honourable his Majesties Council and house of Representatives in general Assembly convened The Humble Petition of us the Subscribers Inhabitants of the Northwesterly part of Chester in the province afores Most humbly Sheweth that the Situation of the place where we live is such that we cannot without Much Difficulty attend the publick worship of God with our familys in good Weather and at many times in the year not at all. And the Town of Chester being Sensible of our Difficulties have pass'd a Vote |