Line will Strike Pickpocket mill, and then to run from new Market Line South to s Mill the Bounds first mentioned. Exeter May 5th 1739. According to y Desire (by Mr. Russell) I have hear Sent A List of all The military officers In Exeter with The Date of There Commissions under Gov Belcher. My one Comission bares Date May 7 1731. Capt. Peter Gilman Capt. Sam Gilman, Capt. Thomas Dean, Capt. Edw Hall, Lieut Daniell Gilman, Lieut Isreall Gilman Ens" Rich Mattoon. All These Comissions bares Date July 120 1731. Leut. Dudley Odlin Cor Ezek Gilman Quarter Mast Jon Connor, Leut Theophilus Smith, Ens" John Gilman, Ensign James Levit. These Comissions Bare Date Oct. 21 1737. I am with Respect s' Your very Humble Sarv John Gilman. To The Hone Rich Waldron Esq Petition for a Parish. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire in New England. The Hone His Majesty's Council & House of Representatives in General Court Convened. The Humble Petition of Sundry Inhabitants of the North Westerly Part of the Town of Exeter in said Province Shews. That your Petitioners being Settled in the aforesaid part the said Town Labour under Great Difficulties in attending the Public Worship of God by Reason of the Distance & badness of the Way to the Meeting House Most of em living More than seven miles from it, & some above nine, so that many Persons in their Families can attend the Public Worship but seldom. That being most of them new Settlers (tho' upon good land) are not able to maintain a Minister among themselves while they are Subjected to & actually pay their proportion to the maintenance of the Gospel & other Charges in the Town. That a considerable Parish might be set off from the said Town by the following Metes & Bounds v'z. Beginning at the North West Corner of Exeter & from thence running South 29 Deg. W. partly by Nottingham & partly by Chester line four miles and an half & from thence to extend carrying that breadth of four miles and an half East & by South till it comes to the head line of New Market Parish being bounded North❜ly partly by Nottingham & partly by Dover Line and Easterly partly by New Market & partly by Exeter the said four miles & an half being something Broader than New Market & so extending a little beyond it upon Exeter which would Comprehend your Petitioners Estates & yet leave a Large and able Parish at the Town below 'em (which would hardly miss 'em) And tho' they are but few & Foor in Comparison of the rest of the Town yet they would Gladly bear the charge of Supporting the Gospel among themselves were they Exonerated from that & other Town Charges & duties in the other part of the Town-But as the aforesaid Bounds Comprehends a Tract of very Good Land they have reason to think from that as well as by experience that they shall Increase in number every year & Especially when accommodated better with respect to the Public Worship. That a Parish Incorporated by the aforesaid Boundaries with the usual Privileges & Immunities would be a Considerable means of Cultivating & Improving a large Tract of Land which is now unsubdued, inasmuch as People will be thereby Encouraged to go out & Settle there, & the Public in General as well as the said Town in Particular Benefited thereby. Wherefore your Petitioners Pray This Honble Court would Please to take the Premises under Consideration and Grant that they may be incorporated into a Parish with the usual Parish powers & Privileges by the Metes & bounds aforesaid & Exonerated from paying to the Support of the Minister of the Town & other Town charges & duties that so they may support & Maintain the Gospel a school &c. among themselves with more conveniency for themselves & Families-Or in such other manner as this Hone Court in their Great Wisdom & Goodness shall think proper & your Petitioners as in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray &c. Theophilus Wodley Samuel Norris John Norris Jonathan Norris Jeremiah Prescut Jun. Joseph Edgley Moses Relings. In the House of Representatives Jan 15th 1741 The within Petition Read and Voted That the Petitioners forthwith Serve the Select Men of Exeter with a Coppy of the Petition and the Votes thereon-That the Town of Exeter may appeare at the Gena! Court or Assembly next Tuesday fortnight to Shew Cause (if any they have) why the prayer of the Petition may not be granted-And if the General Court or Assm Shall not be then sitting, Then to appeare the Third day of the Sitting of the next Sessions of Gen' Assembly. In the House of Representatives Feb. the 24 1741 The within Petitioners were heard and the dellegates from the Town of Exeter and they agreed that the Bound shall be as followeth viz. to begin at Durham Line at the North West corner of the p'ish of New Market and from thence Bounding on the head Line of said New Market to the South west Corner of the same, and from thence to run South ab1 twenty nine degrees West parallel with the head Line of the Town of Exeter Extending to half the breadth of the Township of Exeter from Durham Line aforesaid and from thence to run West & by north to the Midle of the head Line of the Town of Exeter and from thence to bound upon Chester and Nottingham to the North West corner of Exeter and from thence bounding East & by South on Nottingham & Durham to the first bounds. Therefore Voted that the prayer of the Petition be granted & that they be set off by the Bounds aforesaid and have all powers within themselves as any Town within this Province Keeping & supporting an Orthodox Minister to preach among them (excepting the Choice of Represente) and untill they shall have liberty to have one among themselve they have liberty to Joyn with the Town of Exeter in the choice of Men to Represent the Town as usuall and that they pay their Proportion of the charge of such Representatives and that they be not Exempted from paying any charge of the Town of Exeter that has already been assest upon them and that they have Liberty to bring in a Bill Accordingly. James Jeffrey Cler. AssTM In Council Feb. 3, 1741-2 Rich Waldron Secy. Feb. 3, 1741-2 Assented to B WENTWORTH Whereas there is a Petition preferred to the General Court by the northwesterly part of this town to be incorporated into a Parish & sd Court have Ordered s Petitioners to Serve the Selectmen with a Copy of s Petition that the town of Exeter may appear at the General Court on Tuesday the Second of Feby next to Show Cause if any they have why the Prayer of s Petition may not be Granted-These are therefore to Notify all the Freeholders and other Inhabitants belonging to the town of Exeter to assemble themselves together at the town house in Exeter on Monday the first day of February next at one of the clock afternoon then and there to choose two or more fit persons to represent this town in General Assembly if they see fit to make answer to the above Mentioned Petition in Behalfe of the town of Exeter. Dated at Exeter Jany ye 23d 1741-2 Thomas Deane Selectmen A true Copy Attest Elisha Odlin town clerk At a meeting of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the town of Exeter holden at the town house in s Exeter Feby 1st 1741-2 1 Voted Samuel Gilman Esq' Moderator of sd Meeting 2 Voted That two men be chosen to make answer to the Petition preferr'd to the General Court or assembly by the Northwesterly part of the town with power to act before s Court on behalf of the town as they shall think proper. 3 Voted That Samuel Gilman Esq' & Lieut Theophilus Smith be thee two men for the End afores A true Copy Attest Elisha Odlin town Clerk At a meeting of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the town of Exeter held at the town house in s Exeter Feby 8th 1741-2 Voted Lieut Daniel Gilman Moderator for sd meeting Voted That the meeting be adjourned to this day fortnight one of the clock in the afternoon to meet again at the town house. The meeting being again met according to adjournment this 22d day of Feb 1741-2 Voted Thomas Deane Clerk for sd meeting. Voted That the Petition of the Inhabitants of the Southerly & South westerly part of the town of Exeter be granted and that they be set off to be a Parish by themselves and that they have set off to them and their successors the one Halfe of the Breadth of the Land in s town Lying at the westerly End thereof for a Parish and that it be Bounded as followeth viz: Beginning at the head of New Market Line then running on a South line to Exeter Great Fresh River and then halfe a Mile up s river, & then South to Kingston Line and so to the head of the township Provided that the above s Parish doe settle an Orthodox Minister of Christ and maintain & support the same and all other Parish Charges within the same of themselves. A true Copy Examin'd this 23d day of Feb 1741-2 pr. Me Elisha Odlin town Clerk Counter Petition. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governour and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire and to the Honble his Majesties Council & Representatives now in General Court assembled. Humbly Sheweth your Petitioners (Subscribers hereto) Freeholders and Inhabitants of the South westerly part of the Town of Exeter that your Petitioners for Several years past have with Some of our Neighbors erected a house for the Publick worship of God in the most convenient place as we then and now think for the ease and benefit of the Inhabitants of that part of the Town in General and have in the winter time carry'd on the Publick worship in it but Several persons of that part of the Town haveing of late without our Privity or Consent Petitioned the Town to be set off as a Parish within Particular boundaries as Mention'd in their Petition and the Town having met to consider their Petition adjourned the Consideration of the said Meeting to a further day and untill New Market & Eppin Parish lines were run but the Time of the meeting on the adjournment happening before the runing of New Market and Eppin lines your Petitioners and also Sundry of the Inhabitants of the Town Expected that the said meeting would have been further adjourned till the said lines had been run and that nothing would have been acted at said Meeting but being press'd on by the said Petitioners who themselves then unjustly voted for the Petition's being Consider'd and Granted by which means it was then consider'd & granted as afores by which Means if your Excellency with this hone court should confirm the afores vote then pass'd it would Greatly Injure your Petitioners and therefore your Petitioners humbly move your Excellency and this honble Court that the Consideration of any Petition that is or may be preferr'd to your Excellency and this honble Court for confirming the afores vote may not be heard and pass'd upon untill some convenient time be given your Pe |