Joseph Parkins
Thomas Bickford
Ralph Horll

Samual Parkins

Joseph Jones Jun'

Benj. Jones
John Jones
John Rand

正

John Remiss
Timothy Moses

Thomas

Samuel Chesle

John Allan

Dec. 10, 1729.

-?

Eli Demerett

William Demerett
John Demerett
John Huckins
Job Demerett

Derry Pitman
Thomas Willey Jun.

Joseph Daniel the third
Noel Crose

John Daniel
Benjamin Evens
Harvey Buswell
William Buswell

Petition of Francis Mathes and others for a new parish in

Durham.

To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq' Governor and Commander In Chief in & over His Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in New England, the Honble His Majesty's Council and House of Representatives for said Province In General Court Convened Jany. 31st 1739

The Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of the Town of Durham in Said Province Humbly Shews,

That the Inhabitants of the Said Town are divided Into two parties Respecting their Ecclesiastical affairs, the One such as adhere to the Reverend Mr Hugh Adams the late Minister of the Said Town & who Continues so to the said party, the other (who are much the Greater) are such as have Oppos'd his Standing in that Relation to them, & still Continue so to do. That notwithstanding it was the opinion & Result of the late Ecclesiastical Council held there that it would not be Expedient for him to be any Longer the Minister of the said Town yet considering his former Services his advanced years and the unhappy Circumstances of himself & Family they Earnestly Recommended and press'd it upon the said Inhabitants that they should Liberally make Provision for his Support during the Stay of himself & Family among them-which is what would be highly agreeable to your Petitioners

That altho Several propositions have been made touching that matter yet nothing has been agreed on nor any care taken to Secure the performance thereof in the manner Recommended as aforesaid.

That your Petitioners apprehend it would be a great Indecency if he who was once & so long the Minister of the said Town should have no other provision made for his Support than what the Law Provides for one of the poor of the Town

and that he should be Reduced to a Necessity of Depending upon such a Subsistence

That your Petitioners are desirous Still to Sit under his Ministry and are willing to support him & his Family Suitable to his character & Station among them, and conceive that his being Comfortably Supported would have a good Tendency & be the Means of making peace in the Town (respecting Ecclesiastical matters) and would keep all parties quiet & Easy. But your Petitioners however willing are not of ability to afford such Support while they are Subject to & pay towards the Maintenance of another Minister, in the Town.

Wherefore they most Humbly pray that they with Such others of the Said Town as will associate with them (not Exceeding the one half) may be Exempted from paying toward the Support of any other Minister & May be discharged from all charges of that nature laid on them by Law by their Opponents from the time of the aforesaid Result and may be Incorporated as a Parish during the Life of the Said M Adams in order to Maintain him & his Family & to Enjoy the Benefit of his Ministry.

Or that the Town in General may be Obliged to afford him a Comfortable Subsistence during his abode there Or that Such other Method may be pursu'd as this Honble Court in their Great Wisdom & goodness Shall think proper for the peace of the Town & the Ease of that aged Gentleman-and your petitioners as In duty bound Shall ever pray &c.

Towerthey Durgain
Joshua Durgain
Hazekiah Marsh
Joseph Duda
Joseph Duda Jun.
Benmor Dnda
John Cromut
Phillip Cromut
David Davis
Jacob Tash
Isacc Mason

Nathanael Watson

Nathaniel Frost

John Smart

John Mason

Benjamin Burdet

Pumfret Whitehouse

Vallitin Hill

Sam Adams
Sam Willey
Joseph Bickford
Abraham Banneck

Benjamin Banneck

Jonathan Durgain
William Wormwood

Joseph Edgerly

February the 15th 1739-40. In the house of Representatives.
The within Petition read and Voted the Petition be dismissed.

Read and the Question put whether the Council Concurr'd with the representatives vote.

four voted yea & four nay weh were all that were present.

A list of Names of all the Soldiery that Is, under my Comand from Sixteen years old and upward as the Law Directs.

A true Coppy of the List Rool taken yo Last Training Day and Coppyed out July ye 29th 1740 Total 86

Joseph Drew Clerk

Daniel Meader's Petition, Feb. 11, 1745.

To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Govenor & Commander In Chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire the Honble His Majestys Council & House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened the 11th Day of Feb 1744-5

The Humble Petition of Daniel Meader of Durham in the Province of New Hampshire in behalf of himself & the People called Quakers Inhabitants of Durham afores Shews

That your Petition' was Chosen Constable of the Said Town at their annual Meeting in March 1743 for that year & at the same time One Isaac Clarke was chosen a Constable or Collector of the Minister Rate thereby Intending to Exonerate the Constable of the Town (properly so called) from that service.

That since that Choice M Hugh Adams has Recovered a Judgment ag y s Town at the Court of Appeals for a considerable sum of Money wh the Town was obliged to Raise, a Meeting was called & a vote was past for Raising a sum of Money but Expres'd in a Covert disguised manner purposely concealing the use & design to which it was to be applied with an Intent as your Petitioner Conceives both to oblige him to Collect it & the Quakers to pay a part of it who are Exempted by law from paying any part of money Raised to the use for wh this was Really designed--And pursuant hereto a list of Rates was made wherein all Denominations were taxed towards the sum voted as aforesaid & artifice & contrivance used to get it into the hands of your Petitioner & to oblige him to Collect the money.

W

That as the Laws of the Province do not oblige any man or men to pay towards the Support of any way of Worship but that which he or they attend much less will they Compel any man to Collect money for the Support of that mode of worship from which he dissents and the money adjudged to Mr Adams aforesaid & which has been Collected (with other money) and since paid to him Comes within the meaning of the Province Laws granting Liberty of Conscience & other Privileges respecting Religious worship as any sum to be raised for any ministers yearly Salary.

Wherefore y' Petition' Humbly prays that as the Quakers have not yet paid the part of said Rates which they were assessed they may be Exempted & discharged from paying the same and he Exonerated from the burthen of making such Collection And farther as your Petioner conceives the Collecting any part of Said Rates was an unjust Imposition on him he Prays that he may be paid by the Said Town a Quantum Meruit for that Service and he will as in Duty bound Ever pray &c DANIEL Meder.

Petition of Joseph Thomas and other inhabitants of Dur

ham.

To the Honble the House of Representatives for the Province of New Hampshire in General Assembly Convened Nov 1755.

Humbly Shows. Sundry of the Inhabitants of the Town of Durham in Said Province That they apprehend themselves aggrieved By the Return made by two of the Select men of Said Town of the Person said to be Chosen to Represent the Said Town in the Last Election for That they Conceive upon a fair Examination of the Facts Relative thereto, it will be found That Joseph Thomas their Late Representative was really the Person Legally chosen & Ought to have been so Returned.

That the true State of the Case is thus, upon Reading & Counting the Written Votes put in it appeared that Lieut Stephen Jones had one more Vote than Said Thomas upon which there appeared a Sufficient Number (who being Doubtful whether it could be so upon a fair Examination) Desired a Poll to Put the matter beyond Dispute which was accordingly Granted the Event of which was that there were thirty nine Polls in favour of said Thomas & thirty two Polls in favour of said Jones-whereupon the Moderator Declared the said Thomas the Person Elected & Directed the Clerk to make the Entry accordingly-Yet so it is that the said Jones is Returned as the Person Elected & said to be Notified to attend accordingly all which upon an Impartial Inquiry will Turn out as your Petition's apprehend to be a Misrepresentation & a bold Infringement upon the Rights & Libertys of the Electors & worthy of Inquiry & Exami" wherefore your Petitioners Humbly pray the Premises may be taken under Consideration by this Honble House & Such a Resolution form'd thereupon as shall be found upon Examina" to be agreeable to the Truth of the Different