HANOVER. [Hanover was granted by charter July 4, 1761, to eleven persons of the name of Freeman, and 52 others, principally from Connecticut. The first settlement was made in May, 1765. ED.] Petition of John House about Islands in Connecticut river. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Captain General, Governor and Commander in Chief in and Over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire in Council The Petition of John House of Hanover in the Province aforesaid, Gentleman, unto your Excellency & the Honble Council Humbly shews That your Petitioner was one of the first settlers of said Township with great fatigue and Expence, and has continued to improve his Interest there to this Time, That he purchased of James Hovey two certain Islands in Connecticut River at an expence of twenty Pounds Lawfull money, which Islands lies opposite to said Township and contains together about twelve acres and have always been improved by said Hovey and your Petitioner on a Presumption that they belonged to said Township & said Hovey claimed them in his Right of Proprietorship & Prior occupancy, your Petitioner has been since informed that all Islands in said River not Expressly mentioned in Town grants still remain the Property of his Majesty and for the considerations aforementioned, He humbly hopes to obtain y' Excellencys and Honours Favours to him, in continuing him in his Possessions & Improvements of said Islands & to grant him the Property of the same, or otherways to relieve him on the Prayer of this his Petition as y Excellency and Honours may Judge best, And your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever pray. Portsm° December 29th 1770. JOHN HOUSE. HILLSBOROUGH. [A settlement was begun in this town in 1741, by James McCalley, Samuel Gibson, and others; but was broken up in 1744. It was resumed not far from 1759; and incorporated by charter, Nov. 14, 1772. ED.] Petition in relation to roads in Society lands. Province of New Hampshire To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq. Captain General, Governor & Commander in chief in and over said Province The Honble his Majestys Council and the Honble the House of Representatives for said Province in General Assembly to be convened at Portsmouth in said Province on the 20 Day of march next. The petition of Divers of the Inhabitants of Hillsborough in said Province Humbly sheweth that the Inhabitants of said Hillsborough were obliged to cut and clear a road through a Tract of Land call'd the Societys Land near eight miles in Length which Road we have maintained on our own Cost near seven years being the only way we could come to our own Lands which road has cost us a great sum of money and for two years past we have been obliged to pay province Taxes-Wherefore we Humbly pray your Excellency and Honours would please to make an act to oblige the proprietors & owners of said Societys Land to maintain and keep said Road in repair for the benefit of themselves the Inhabitants of said Hillsborough & Inhabitants of the country around us, your petitioners in duty Bound will ever pray. Hillsborough Feby. 15th 1770. Samuel Bradford Anthony Morin Samuel Bradford In Council March 28th 1770 The within Petition was read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly. Province of Geo: King, D. Secry New Hamps} In the House of Representatives March 28th 1770. Voted, That the Petitioners be heard on their Petition on the third day of the siting of the General Assembly after the first day of May next and that they cause the Substance of their Petition and this Order of Court to be Published two weeks successively in the New Hampshire Gazett that any person may shew cause why the Prayer thereof should not be granted. M. Weare, Clr. Province of In the House of Representatives Jany 1st 1771. The New Hampshr within Petition being Considered and appearing Reasonable Voted, That the Petitioners have liberty to Bring in a Bill for the purpose mentioned in the Petition M. Weare, Clr. The Deposition of John McCalley of Lawful Eage testifyeth and sayes, that to his certain Knowledge that the Road through the Society Land so called leading to Hillsborough was cut out at the Cost of the Inhabitants of said Hillsborough. June the 18th 1770. Province of John McCalley. June the 18th 1770. Then the above named John New Hampshire} M'Calley Personally appeared and after Due Caution and careful Examination made a solemn oath to the truth of the above Deposition by him signed to be used at the General Court of the Provence aforesaid in behalf of the Petition that the Inhabitants of Hillsborough has prefered to said General Cort, Praying that the Road through the Society land may be made Good at the cost of the owners of said land. Before, William Clark, Jus. Peace. The Deposition of John Gibson of Lawful Eage testifyeth and says that he helped to clear out the Road through the Society land so called that leads to Hillsborough and that it was done at the cost of the Inhabitants of said Hillsborough (1). June the 18th 1770. John Gibson. June then the above named New Hampshire) Gibson Personally appeared and after Due caution and carefull Examination made solemn oath to truth of the above Deposition by him signed to be used at the General Cort of the Provence aforesaid in behalf of a Petition that the inhabitants of Hillsborough has prefered to said General Cort Praying that the Road through the Society land leading to Hillsborough may be made good at the cost of the owners of said Land. Before William Clark, Jus. Peace. (1) The above depositions were to be used in behalf of the foregoing petition for roads. ED. Petition for an Act of Incorporation. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Captain General, Governor and commander in chief In and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, And to the Honourable his Majestys Council of said Province. The Petition of the subscribers Inhabitants of a Township called Hillsborough in the Province aforesaid, Humbly sheweth, That we have been subjected to the payment of Province & County Taxes as fully as the inhabitants of towns in this Province, but have not enjoyed equal priviledges. We are humbly of opinion that, Collecting of Taxes would be facilitated to us, good order maintained, the culture of our land Encouraged, and many inconveniences removed and good purposes answered by an incorporation. Therefore we pray that said Township Butted and Bounded as follows viz. Beginning at the Southeast corner of a Beach Tree marked 7, from thence South Eighty four degrees & 30 minutes west about six miles by the Society Lands so called to a Beach tree marked 7 & 8, from thence north fifteen degrees West about six miles by comon Land so called to a Beach Tree marked 7 & 8 from thence North Eighty four degrees & 30 minutes East about six miles to a Beach tree marked 7, from thence about six miles by the Town of Henniker to the Bounds first mentioned may be erected and incorporated a Body politic infranchised with the same powers & Priviledges that other Towns in this Province have & enjoy. And your Petitioners as in Duty bound will ever Pray. Jonathan Duren Archibald Taggart John McCalley George Bemaine William Clark William Jones Benjamin Lovejoy Jr Joseph Clark Isaac Andrews Alexander McClintock Samuel Bradford Petition of John Hill in behalf of Hillsborough and Peterborough, for protection from the Indians. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Capt General & Governor in Chief in & over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, To the Honble his Majesties Council & House of Representatives in General Court Assembled. Jn Hill in behalf of himself & the other proprietors of a Township N° 7, in the line of Towns commonly called Hillsborough & another Township called Peterborough both in the Province of New Hampshire, humbly shews That your Petitioners & the other s proprietors have been at great Charge & Expence in settling & bringing forward ye sd Townships to their present circumstances, there being near 40 familys that would now be in Each of s Towns but are discouraged by the danger of an Indian War, & are now ready to go on if they can be protected in their settlement. Wherefore your Petitioner in behalf of himself & the other proprietors pray in Consideration of the great Expence they have been at in these settlements and the manifest advantage that will accrue to this Province from them, that being Frontier Towns they may be Defended & protected by this Government as Your Excellency & Houns shall seem meet & your Petitioners shall ever pray &c. Indorsed, "John Hills, Petition 1744." JOHN HILL. HINSDALE. [This town was originally part of Northfield, Ms., from which it was separated when the boundary line was established in 1741. It was in-, corporated by charter, Sept. 3, 1753. ED.] Petition of Col. Ebenezer Hinsdale in behalf of Northfield. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General, Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire and the Honorable His Majestys Council for said Province. The Humble Petition of Ebenezer Hinsdale of Northfield in said Province Esq' In behalf of himself & others Proprietors of the Land in said Place a List of whose names is herewith presented, Shews, That they & those under whom they claim said Land have possessed & Improved the same upwards of Seventy years having first entered thereon under a Grant of the Government of the Massachusetts Bay & have in that time Encounter'd all the Difficulties of the Indian Wars & Struggled with other hardships Incident to Frontier settlements begun in the wilderness remote from cultivated Lands: That they have Improv'd the same to a Considerable Degree by reason whereof the said place is not only of great advantage to the settlers but useful to the Government wherein it is situate in many Respects too obvious to need enumerating, whereby they have som Just pretensions to such Favours as may be granted by the Government to any of his Majestys Good Subjects & with regard to such as have relation to this settlement to be prefer'd to any others: That if no Legal title to the said Lands can be derived to the |