At a Leagel meeting of the Freeholders and inhabitants of the Parish of Hampton falls held the Second day of Sept 1765-Col Meshech Weare choosen Moderator for said Meeting Voted That the people caled Presbyterians in this parish be set off as a Distinct Parish by them selves according to the foregoing Notification for the above meeting. Hampton Falls December 31st 1765 Copy attested by Caleb Sanborn, Parish Clerk. Petition for a Presbyterian Society. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General Governor and Commander in Cheif in and over his majesties Province of New Hampshire &c-To the Honorable his Majesties Council and House of Representatives for said Province Convened in General Assembly-November 21st, 1765. The petition of the subscribers, Free holders & Inhabitants of the Town of Hampton Falls in said Province-Humbly Sheweth. That about Two years ago The Revd Mr Pain Wingate in the congregational way & manner was settled in the work of the ministry in said Town, That the Religious sentiments of and Doctrines preached by the said Rev Mr Wingate are very different from those of your Petitioners-and disagreable to them-That your Petitioners apprehended they could not be profited by the peaching and ministration of the sd Revd Mr Wingate That the measures taken by the said Town in order to the settlement & support of the said Mr Wingate are as your Petitioners conceive unprecedented and Justly Grievous to them, and that therefore your Petitioners and many others Inhabitants of said Town (near one half thereof) constantly opposed his settlement there and dissented therefrom: That your Petitioners are conscientiously of the Presbyterian Perswasion respecting Church Government, Doctrine Discipline and Worship That they with others of their Brethren of that Perswasion have for sometime past been regularly formed into a church, built a meeting house in said Town for the publick Worship of God, Called and settled a minister in the Presbyterian way, namely The Rev Mr Samuel Perley: That your Petitioners conscientiously and constantly on the Lords days and at other times occasionally attend the publick worship of God there, according to their said Perswasion; That the premises notwithstanding the select men of the said Town of Hampton Falls for the last year assesed and Rated your Petitioners for the support of the said Mr Wingate and obliged them to pay the same, That the selectmen of said Town for the present year have again assessed & Rated your Petitioners for the same purpose, which your Petitioners apprehend to be a Grievous & unreasonable Burthen upon them Wherefore your Petitioners Humbly pray your Excellency and Honours to take their case under your wise consideration And as they conceive themselves to be Intitled to his majesties Grace & Favour in allowing to all his subjects Liberty of Conscience—and that it is unreasonable for them to be compelled to pay towards the support of a minister they do not nor cannot hear and attend upon for the Reasons aforesaid When at the same time they are at the expence of maintaining publick worship among themselves in that way and mode they think most agreable and nearest to the directions given in the Scriptures by the Great head of the Church, and where the True Doctrines of Grace & Salvation are preached according to their Opinion of those things: They pray your Excellency & Honours would grant them Relief in the premises by Exonerating them their Families and Estates and all others within said Town of Hampton Falls who are of the same Perswasion and attend the publick worship of God with them from all ministerial Rates and Taxes in said Town (Excepting to their own minister) and by setting them off as a distinct Parish for ministerial affairs only, and by enabling the said Presbyterian congregation to raise & Levy on themselves such Taxes and assessments as they shall from time to time find necessary for the support of the ministry and publick worship of God among themselves-or grant your Petitioners such other Relief as your Excellency and Honours in your wisdom shall see fit, And your petitioners as in Duty bound will ever pray &c. &c. Thomas Leavitt Ebenezer Knowlton Samuel Selley Thomas Brown Enoch Boid Province of New Hamp' November 27th 1765 The foregoing Petition read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly Province of T. Atkinson, Jr Secry New Hamp} In the house of Representatives Nov2 27th 1765. The annexed Petition being Read and considered, Voted, That the Petitioners be heard thereon the second Day of the siting of the General Assembly after the first day of January next, and that the Petitioners at their own cost serve the selectmen of Hampton falls with a copy of the Petition and order of Court that they may appear and shew cause if any they have why the Prayer thereof should not be granted. In Council Nov 28th 1765 Read & concurrd. Province of T. Atkinson Jr. Secry. M Weare, Clr. New Hamp} In the House of Representatives July 2a 1766. The foregoing Petition being taken under Consideration and the Parties heard thereon: Voted, That the Petitioners have liberty to Bring in a Bill for them and their Estates to be set off from the Parish of Hampton falls to act in all Respects as a distinct Society or Parish by themselves Except paying their Proportion of the Province tax untill a new Proportion thereof. The line of said New Parish to be fixed by a committee of the General Court with liberty for such of the Petitioners as shall not fall within said new Parish to Poll of with their Estates and Belong thereto and for any who shall fall within said new Parish who are not of the Presbiterian Perswasion to Poll off with their Estates and belong to the old Parish, and for any who are not of the Presbyterian Perswasion who have or shall have Lands within said New Parish to Poll off said lands to belong to the old Parish agreeable to the Purport of a Vote of the Parish of Hampton falls the Second day of Sep 1765. M. Weare, Clr. Province of New Hamper In the House of Representatives July 9th 1766. Upon a motion of the Petitioners for some alteration in the foregoing vote Voted, That it be understood that any non Residents who have or shall have Lands in either Parish shall have liberty to Poll off their said Land to that Parish which they shall choose. In Council Eod Die Read & Concurr'd. T Atkinson Jr. Secry. M. Weare, Clr. Petition in answer to the foregoing Petition. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General Governour and Commander in Chief In and Over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, The Honoure his Majestys Councill and House of Representatives in General Court Assembled. Jany 1st 1766. We the Subscribers, Chosen by the Parish of Hampton falls a Committee on their behalf, to make answer to a Petition Exhibited to the General Assembly Nov 21st 1765 By a Number of Freeholders and Inhabitants of s Parish Praying to be Excused from Paying to the Support of the Rev M Paine Wingate Setled in the work of the ministry in said Parish &c. Beg Leave Humbly to Represent to your Excellency and Honors that the Reasons assigned by said Petitioners are such as ought by no means to Prevail for their being Exempted in the manner They pray for. And this we trust will clearly appear from a true state of facts Relative to these affairs We would therefore Inform your Excellency & Honors That Mr Wingate Having Preached in the Parish for some months before Mr Baileys Death and Afterwards to the General Satisfaction of the People The Parish with the Advise of the Neighboring ministers Proceeded to give him a call to Settle in the work of the ministry there, which call was unanimous by the Church, and General by the Parish, not more than three or four Persons opposing his Settlement. But the terms of Settlement not being agreed on he gave a Negative answer After which the Parish heard some others on Probation and gave Mr Micah Lawrence a call to settle, which we mention because it has been Represented as if the Parish were unreasonably set for Mr Wingate's settlement and no other person. But the same persons who opposed Mr Wingate's settlement opposed the settlement of Mr Lawrence; which made the Generality of People think their opposition was more from a disposition to make Difficulty in the Parish than from any Reasonable objection they had against Either of the Persons. But Mr. Lawrence also gave a Negative answer on accompt of terms of settlement. Whereupon the People in General Signified their Desire to Renew their Call to Mr Wingate, and agreed to get him to Preach for four Sabbaths, if he could be Procured. It is true this was opposed by those who had all along opposed his settlement, but this was then but three or four Persons Mr Wingate was accordingly Procured for four Sabbaths; after which a meeting was called. Notice being up two Sabbaths as usual, to see if the Parish would Renew their Call to Mr Wingate to settle which we mention, because it has been Rep resented as if there had been some unfair Proceedings as to this meeting, tho' in what Particulars we could never find. At this meeting there was again a general Vote of the Parish to Renew their call to Mr Wingate, not more than six or seven Voting against it, and he had also again a unanimous Vote of the Church at the Same meeting also were voted terms of settlement which being five Pounds Sterling more than had been Voted before there were more Persons against the terms of settlement than against the call, tho' we think not more than ten or twelve at that time. But after wards many of these Petitioners spoke of it as an Extravagant sum (the sum is 55 £ Sterling in the whole besides the Personage) and made this the Ground of uneasiness, and of stirring up Persons against Mr Wingates Settlement Representing that it was too much for such a Poor Parish to Pay, and if that were taken off they would be Easy; this was their General talk and the whole Ground of complaint then made. With what Propriety they Desire to take off (as they say) near one half and to maintain another minister when but a year or two ago the whole Parish were not able to pay fifty five pounds Sterling yearly, we must leave to themselves to Explain. The truth is the whole Parish is not more than sufficient to support one minister Properly, Tho' we think there was no Reason to find fault with what was Voted Mr Wingate; Thus matters Rested for some time and it was Generally tho't that the uneasiness which had arose on accompt of the Salary would subside, But sometime after some of those Persons who had all along opposed our Settlement went about, and in a very Private manner Procured a Number of Persons to Sign a Paper to Signify to Mr. Wingate that there was a great Number of Persons in the Parish against his settlement, in order to Discourage him from acepting, which being accidentally heard of by one or two Persons who were for Mr Wingates settlement, and of the time when they Designed to carry the same to Mr Wingate it was tho't Proper that some Persons should go and meet them at Mr. Wingates to Know what Objections there were, and Endeavor to clear up any Difficulties that might be made, accordingly three or four Persons went and met the Persons who had been Procuring Signers, and informing them of what they heard Desired to Know who were uneasy and what their Objections were, that they might clear up the Matters if they could. But they Reply'd that what they had to Say was to Mr Wingate they had nothing to say to any Body Else, and after the other Persons were with drawn they Delivered a Paper to Mr Wingate Signed by a considerable Number of Persons Signifying that they were against his setling, without assigning the Least Reason, and when they were asked the Reasons Declined giv |