Dunstable April ye 2d 1757 A true Coppy taken from Dunstable town Books Pr. Jonathan Lund Town Clerk At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Dunstable assembled according to Law on Monday the Second Day of March 1746–7 Extract of the Votes of Said Meeting. Whereas it has been proposed by the Inhabitants of this Town of Dunstable at Several Town Meetings to agree upon a Place Where to Erect a Meeting house for the Public Worship of God In this Town & no place being agreed upon & it Being Necessary that a place Should be fixed or agreed upon for Said Use & to Prevent the Charge of a Courts Committee in Settling the Same & that the Same May be Don Just & Equal it is Proposed that a Committee of three Judicious men hereafter to be Named be chosen (Belonging to some Other Town or Towns) & that they be fully Impowered to meet & agree upon or fix a Certain place for Erecting a Meeting house In this Town of Dunstable & that they View the Land in Settling the Same & that the Said Committee or the Majr Part of them Certify to the Clerk of this Town (In Writing by them Signed) the Place they Shall agree upon or fix for Said use & that In their Judgment it is a place that is Just & Equal & Will Best acomodate the Inhabitants of this Town of Dunstable & the Clerk is hereby Ordered to Record the Same Which Being Done shall be & Remain the Place for Building a Meeting house In this Town for the use aforesaid if the Land Can be had for the Same & that the Select men Desire Said Committee to Meet In this Town & agree upon a Place as aforesaid upon the Cost & Charge of this Town Voted In the affirmative Dunstable April ye 2d 1757 A true Coppy taken from Dunstable town Book Province of New Hampshire Pr. Jonathan Lund Town Clerk We the Subscribers Being Chosen a Committee By the Town of Dunstable In said Province at their Meeting the 2d Day of March 1746-7 to fix & agree upon a place to Erect a house for the Public Worship of God In Said Dunstable according to the Directions in said Vote given us having Viewed the Land & hearing all Parties fully thereon So far as they See Cause have fixed & agreed That the Place for Builds the said house on be & hereby is stated (as In our Judgments most Just & Reasonable to be all Circumstances Considered) By the high Way on the Easterly Side thereof about four Rods from said Way at a small Pine Marked against Mr Samuel Whitings New field (so called) Near the Place Where the Road Comes from Phineas Lunds. as Witness our hands this 23d Day of May 1747 A true Copy Attes Joseph Fitch Jon Lovewell Town Clerk Dunstable April ye 24 1757 A true Coppy taken from Dunstable town Book pr. Jonathan Lund Town Clerk At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town of Dunstable In the Province of New Hamp' Being Regularly Assembled at the house of Mr Thomas Harwood the 21st Day of December 1753 Then Voted the Place Whereon to set up a house for Public Worship on Lords Day be at the Crotch of the Roads as Near as Can be With Convenience (Near the house where Jon Lovewell Now Dwells) Voted that the old Meeting house be Took Down Moved & Set up on the Place this night Voted for that Purpose & that the Same be forthwith Done & that the Honble Joseph Blanchard Esq Zacheus Lovewell Thomas Harwood Joseph French John Butterfield Jonathan Lund Ephraim Adams Jon Lovewell & amasa Parker be a Committee to Effect the Same & that the Necessary Charges be paid by this Town Dunstable April ye 24 yr 1757 a true Cop taken from Dunstable town Book Pr. Jonathan Lund Town Clerk Then Voted that Joseph Fitch of Bedford Capt. William Laurance Esq' of Groton & Capt. John Chamberlain of Souhegan East be the Committee to settle the Meeting house Place as afores & that they make Report Within three Months Voted that Capt. Rob' Fletcher be Chosen to Serve In the afores Comtee in Case Either fail Dunstable April 2d 1757 A Copy Taken from Dunstable Town Book [Here follows a plan of Pine Hill on the west part of Dunstable, which is omitted. ED.] DURHAM. [This town was originally part of Dover, and long had the name of Oyster-River. It was incorporated during the administration of Gov. Belcher, 15 May, 1732. ED.] Petition for Incorporation as a Town. To the Honble John Usher Esq' Levt Govern' Comand' in Chief of his Majests Province of New Hampshire and to the Honble the Councill. Wee the Subscribers Inhabitants of Oyster River Humbly Petition and Pray That whereas, his Moste Sacred Majesty King William has been pleased through his grace and favor to grant unto yo1 Hon by his Royall Commission with ye Councill full Powers and authorities to Erect and Establish Towns within his Majesties Province and whereas now y' Petitioners have by divine providence settled and Inhabited that Part in this his Majests Province Comonly Called Oyster River and have found that by the scituation of the place as to Distance from Dover or Exeter butt mere Especially Dover now being forced to wander through the Woods to yt place to meet to and for y management of our affaires are much Disadvantaged for ye Present in our Business and Estates and hindered of adding a Town and People for the Hon' of his Majesty in the Inlargement and In creas of his Province Wee humbly Supplicate that yo' Hon' would take itt to yo' Consideration and grant that we may have a Township confirmed by your honours which we humbly offer the bound Thereof may Extend as followeth. To begin at the head of Rialls his cove and so to run upon a North west line seven Miles and from thence with Dover line Parrelell untill we meet with Exeter line that yo' Hon' would be pleased to Grant this Petition which will not only be a great benefitt Both to the Settlement of our Ministry The Population of the place the Ease of the Subject and the strengthening and advantaging of his majest' Province butt an Engagement for yo' Petitioners Ever to pray for the Safety & Increase of yo' Hon's and Prosperity Ecclesiastical document relating to Durkam, 1723. Reverd Hon. & beloved. understanding Col. Davis & his wife are abt to Joyn in full com with yo' church this is y" by virtue of ye communion of churches to enter my objection agst y for scandalous crimes untill their publick confession & reformation 1 crime agst him is his hipocrisy in pretending he could not with our church on acctt of Capt. Jones who (as he said) had taken a false oath ab' Capt. Hills land at y falls with Jos meader also when he Considered not the beam in his own eye relating to another oath he himself took concerning Wheelwrights pond 2 crime is his Sacrilegious fraud in his being The ring leader of the point peoples first rase of my first years sallary retaining 16 pound thereof now almost sixteen years 3d crime is his Sacrilegious covetousness of the parsonage land for his son Daniel acting thereby like Ahab coveting & forceable entry upon Naboths Vineyard 4th his late wresting the Law of this Province in his partial Spite agst his own legal minister for so innocently playing at nine pins at a house no ways license for a Tavern & also for reproaching & defaming s minister as being in drink or disguised therewth besides his the s1 Jas. Davis being so desperately & notoriously wise in his own conceit his pretending to have so much religious discourse in his mouth & yet live so long (40 years) in hatred unto contempt of & stand neuter from our crucified Saviour & his honouring his sons & his wife also above the Lord of Heaven by his hearkeing to them more & rather than to him I sam 2:29 in the second place ag" her the sd Elizabeth his wife. 1st crime is her railing agst the s minister publickly at the church meeting in the meeting house by saying that the s minister told a lie in the pulpit abt Sobriety Thomas &c 2 crime is her profane mockery at christ's ordinance of a church meeting for discipline by her saying in a way of derision theres going to be another caball now i e a horse raceing from caballas the starey constellation or else a secret council for some mystery of iniquity 3d crime is her being disorderly as a busy body at every one of her husbands Courts to be his advisor or intermedler in his passing judgt in any case as if he sha regard her more than his oath the Law or evidence if these criminals will have these crimes to be proved at any church meeting to hear the Same wch y reverend pastor Mr. Jona Cushing may please to appoint. Then as the Honble Col. Richard Waldron Esq. is one of the members of yo' Church in full comunion & a chief Justice of peace for the Province as a Subject I desire but as an ambassad for Christ I demand of his Hon' aforesaid a blank sumons & notification seasonably as a complaint to sumons evidence for the confirmation of ye premises as witnesses [two Hebrew words] (1) Pastor. the woman's 4th crime is her so evidently insnaring her son Thomas into so many denials of any such concernt with Sobriety Thomas in all that Scandalous business. For which cum multis aliis &c as baptized Children of the covenant by their (1) This was undoubtedly written by Rev. Hugh Adams, of Durham. See Prov. Pap. Vol. IV. and V., "Adains." ED. prop' minister they are both of ym laid under ye Censure of his pastoral rejection as unbaptized heathen man & woman as Warranted by the law of christ in Titus 3:10 1 Tim° 1:20 Titus 2:15 Math 16:19 Mal 2:7 1 Sam 15: 23 Math 3:10. Acts 8:13 21:23 untill thir publick Confession & amendm1 of life -concerning whom therefore I must suppose in charity for yo church by the receiving such among you wd not dare to transgresse these written orders in the Apostolick Law of Christ I Cor. 5:11 & Sundry other Scriptures. Petition of sundry aggrieved inhabitants of Oyster River. To the Honorable John Wintworth Esqre Lieut Govenor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majtes Province of New Hampshire in New England and to the Honorable his Majstes Counciel and Representatives for said province. The Humble Petition of Sundry aggreved Inhabitance of the parish of Oyster River Most humbly Sheweth Whereas we the Subscribers In Habitance of said parish Have allways been Constant hearers and Paid our Rats to the Minister of said Parish as by the Rait List of assessment Will make appear and Likewise Sundry of us have Been at a Consederabel Charge in Bulding a Meating House in said parish it being Nier and more Convenent for us to attend upon the Publick Worship of God at Oyster River Meeting House then at Cochecho Meeting House which is a great way further for us to go tho Never the Less as we understand we are in Danger of Being Excluded from our said Priviledges by such an Unequal Line of Boundary between the parish of Oyster River and Cochecho which if being so stated will be Greatly to the Damage of yo' Petitionors. We do therefore Humbly Crave Liberty of the More Mature and Superior Judgment of your honours in the General Assembly praying yor honours to take it in Consideration that there may be a more Equael Line of Bound'ry Set so that yo aggrieved petitionars may not be under such Grat hard ships, and yor petitioners shall ever pray, Joseph Daniel John Tasker Samuel Chasley JOSEPH JONES in behalf of the Rest whose names are to be given in Samuel Daves Joseph Hiks James Busell John Busell |