in their Annual Meeting the 25th of March 1762 that we should be set off from them as a Distinct parish about five miles and a half in Length and about four miles in Breadth as followeth, viz) Bounding Northerly upon Nottingham line Easterly on the old Hundred acre lotts so called, Southerly on the Long Meadow parish as that is voted off already, and westerly on the forty acre lotts. Wherefore we pray that we may be In corporated into a parish agreeable to the above mentioned Bounds and be Invested with all those privelidges that other parishes have within this province The granting of which we Humbly Concieve will be a great benefitt too your Humble · petitioners and our familys And your petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever pray Chester March 22 Anno Dominie 1763 Benja" Batchelder Sam Mooers William Putned? Winthrop Wells Jonathan Hills Benj Smith In Council June 2d 1763 James M'Clure Theophilus Clough Thomas Chretchet Gilman Dudley David Hills Samuel Eastman Zachariah Clefford Read & Ordered to be sent down to the Honble House T. Atkinson Jun. Sec. Province of In the house of Representatives June 24 1763 Ordered That the petitioners be heard thereon the second Day of the Sitting of the General Assembly after the first Day of Aug. next & that they cause the substance of this petition & order of Court thereon to be advertized In the New Hampshire Gazette three weeks successively, that any persons concerned may appear & Shew Cause if Any they have why the prayer thereof should not be Granted In Council Eodem Die Read & Concurred A. Clarkson Clerk T. Atkinson Jun. Sec. Province of In the house of Representatives Dec 24 1763 New Hamp This Petition being Read Voted that the prayer thereof be granted & that the petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly Eodem Die in Council read & Concurred A. Clarkson Clerk Theod Atkinson Jr Sec. Petition to confirm bounds, &c. Province of New Hampshear Chester Dec' 1771 To His Exelency John Wintworth Esq Captain Generall & Governor in & over His Majesties Province of New Hampshear &c To the Honourable his Majesties Councill & House of Representatives Now assembled The Petition of us the Subscribers Being in Number the Greatest Part of a Destrict or Parish Commonly_Called the Long Meadows Humbly Sheweth that being by a Vote of this Town in the Anuel Meting in the month of March A D. 1753 Voted of for a Parish By Certain Limited Bounds More Clearly set forth in said Vote the Coppy of Which Being Ready to Be Produced, Humbly Prayeth that Your Exelency & Honours would be Pleased to Confirm & Establish said Vote & Bounds, and Grant Unto Us all Parish Privelidges with full Power to Hier a Gospell Minister to Preach Unto us, or to Settle & Ordain one Över us for the Better Conveniency of our attending the Publick Worship of God, and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound will Ever Pray Thomas Fowler Thomas Fowler Junr. Mark James Horn Samuel Peirce Thomas Sharlay Robert Gilcrest James Grimes Wm Brown Junr. The foregoing Petition was read and ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly. Geo. King Dep. Sec. In the House of Representatives Decr 19, 1771 Voted that the Petition's at their own cost Serve the Selectmen of Chester with a Copy of this Petition & order of Court thereon that they may be heard & Shew Cause if any they have why the Prayer thereof shoud not be granted on the third day of the sitting of the Gen' assembly after the 10th day of February next In Council Dec 19th 1771 Read & Concurrd Geo. King D. Sec. Attest Wm Parker Clr. Chester Dec. the 24. 1771 Selectmen We the Selectmen of Chester Have this Day rec'd this Petition JOHN ROBIE NATHAN WEBSTER J of Chester [The following is a copy of the Vote above referred to:] At a meeting of the free holders and inhabitants of the Town of Chester, the 29th day of March 1753, last. Capt. Abel Morss being moderator for said meeting;-amongst other things. Voted, That the after mentioned tract of land may be in corporated into a Parrish, 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 Chester, and run straight to a pitch-pine tree being the south west bound of Nathaniel Halls Land by Penicook path, then north north-east by said Halls Land as far as that goes, and then straight to the south-east corner of the 39th Lot in the second part of the second Division; then North 29 Degrees east to the North-east bound of the 43 Lot in the aforesaid division, then west norwest to Tower Hill pond, and then streight to the north-east corner of Derifield, then south by Derrifield to Londonderry Line and so by Londonderry Line to the first bound mentioned. A true copy taken from Chester Town Book of Record, as Attests SAM EMERSON, Town Clerk. [The following names appear to be connected with the foregoing. ED.] Hugh Crumbie one son Thos McMaster one Wm Grimes & one son Jesse Harriman Tho Sharlow 4 sons Dea Adam Willson 2 sons John Crafford Moses Underhill Agreed upon by the Subscribers Chosen as a Comitee for the Presbetrain Parish in Chester part from ye Lower End of y town and part from y Long Meadow so call'd viz: that ye Long Meadow part so call'd is to have have ye one half of ye Preching for Nine months from y first of March to ye first of December During ye time that the Revd John Wilson is able to Preach and ye Remainder to the Lower End of y town, and that ye Long Meadow party is to pay y" Sum of twenty pounds Lawful money yearly During the Revd John Wilsons minestry and Colect y1 part of ye money them selves and ye Lower End of ye town to pay twenty five pounds, and Colect there one money them selves. Chester April ye 20th 1772. N. B.-Each party Bound in Bonds to proform ye above agreement or apply to the Generl Cort to Establish the agreement according to y above themselves. MATH FORSAITH JOSEPH LINN Committee for the Presbetrain Parish Answer to the Petition for a Parish being set off. Province of New Hamps're Rockingham Ss) To his Excellency John Wentworth Esqr. Capt. Gen' Governor & Comm' in chief in & over sd Province. The Honble his Majesty's Council, & House of Representatives in Gen1 Assembly Conven'd May 9th 1772 The Answer of Andrew Jack, Henry Morse, & Robert Wilson Gentlemen, a Committee in behalf of the Presbyterian Parish in Chester in said County to the Petition of John Patten & others, petitioners for a Parish to be set off in said Chester as by their Petition dated Dec 11th 1771, will more fully appear Humbly Sheweth, That whereas the Parishioners of said Presbyterian Parish have been cited to Shew cause why the prayer of said Petition should not be granted-We, in behalf of said Parish appear, and beg leave to suggest to your Excellency & Honors that s Petitioners Join'd with the rest of said Parish in the Choice of the Revd John Wilson for their Minister and voted him a certain Yearly Salary and have been, and still are well satisfied with his life and Doctrines, but for other Reasons they desire to be set off as a distinct Parish, altho' they are convinced it is their duty to perform their contract with said Minister, & in Consequence thereof did, at a legal meeting held at sa Chester, mutually agree with the rest of said Parishioners in the lower End of the Parish to have one half the Preaching for nine months yearly from the first day of March, to the first day of December during the time that the said Minister was able to preach, and the remainder of his Preaching should be to the People of the lower end of said Parish and that the said Petitioners pay the sum of Twenty pounds lawful money yearly during the ministry of the said John Wilson, and collect that part of the money themselves, and the Parishioners at the lower End of said Parish Then agreed with said Petitioners to pay to s Minister Twenty five pounds like money Yearly during said Term, and to collect the same themselves. Now we in behalf of the lower End of said Parish have no objection to the prayer of said Petition being granted so far as it respects their being set off as a distinct parish, provided they continue to fulfil their agreement before mentioned by paying to s Minister duly the said sum by them agreed to pay him. But inasmuch as the lower end of the Parish are utterly incapable of maintaining a Minister themselves they pray that said Petitioners may not be freed from paying the sum aforesaid agreeable to their before ment contract May 21 1772. AND JACK Committee in behalf of the Presbyterean Parish in Chester The Long medow Parrish ought to be Bounded thus: Beginning at Londonderry Line at a Stake and Stones Being the South West Bound of Land sold to Thomas Cochran by the Proprietors of Chester and Run Streight to a pich pine tree being the |