Cleared & in a Great Measure well finish'd a Road thro' Said Town Mark & Lay'd out by a Committee appointed by an Act of the General Court; That it has not been in your Memorialists power Strictly to fulfil the Several Conditions in Said Grant Stipulated That the Time Limited in his Majestys Grant of Said Town for Doing the Duty of Settlem1 Expird the Last Month Your Memorialists therefore pray that they may be Indulg'd a Little While to Compleat the Settlemt afores & your rialists as in Duty bound Shall Ever pray &c Memo SAMPSON STODDARD Petition for the Extension of the Charter of Acworth, 1772. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq' Cap Genel Governor & Commander in Chief in & over his Majesty's Province of Hamp the Honble his Majestys Council for Said Province The Petition of Jonathan Blanchard of Merrymac in Said Province humbly shews That your Petitioner is Considerably Interested in the Town of Acworth in Said Province under his Majestys Grant thereof, hath with Co Sampson Stoddard been making Large Improvements there by Persons under them much to the emolument of Said Town That the Time Limited for Doing the Duty Condition in the Grant aforesaid Expir'd the 19th Day of September 1771, that a Number of the Original Grantees have Neglected to Perform the Several Conditions in Said Grant Express much to the prejudice of the Settlem1 of Said Town, Namely David MacGregore, James MacGregore, Thomas Craige, James MacGregore Jun' Alexand' Clark, James Miltimmer, Jonathan Gilmore, Ďaniel Macfee, Robert Adams, Ephraim Adams, Samuel French, Oliver Farwell, Oliver Farwell Jun', Thomas Davis, the Revd Ebenezer Bridge, Edward Goldstone Lutwyche, Samuel Wentworth Esq, Peter Levius Esq', Col Jonathan Greeley, William Symes, Maj John Wentworth, Wiseman Clagget Esq', Samuel Cumings & Robert Fletcher: Wherefore your Petitioner humbly Prays that your Excellency & Honors woud Take the Premises into Consideration Grant your Petitioner & his as'ciate Col' Sampson Stoddard a further Time to Compleat the Duty Enjoyn'd upon their Interest which is Nearly Done & otherwise Dispose of the Delinquent Prop' Interest & Shares to such of his Majestys Good Subjects as Will Effectually Settle & Cultivate the Same & your Petitioner as in Duty bound shall ever pray &c JON. BLANCHARD. Gov. Wentworth's Warrant to inspect the Settlement in Acworth, May, 1772. Province of To Simeon Olcott Esq' Capt. Benjamin Church Esq' M2 Elijah King and Mr Thomas Sparhawk, Greeting. Pursuant to an order of Council of 30th April ult you, or any three of you, are hereby authorized and Impowered to Survey and Inspect the township of Acworth in this Province: and return into the Secretary's office, upon Oath, the exact State of Settlement & Cultivation upon each Lot or Share therein, together with the number of Families & Settlers actually resident with the Roads and Buildings in said Township which Business you are desired to enter upon immediately, so as to make your Return, as aforesaid, by or before the 25th day of May Inst for which this is your full and sufficient warrant. Given under my hand at Portsmouth the First day of May in the Twelfth year of His Majesty's Reign Annoque Domini 1772. By his Excellency's Command with advice of Council. Theodore Atkinson Secry J'WENTWORTH. Pursuant to the within warrant we ye subscribers have surveyed and Inspected the Township of Acworth with the Settlements Cultivation on each Lot or Share of Land therein, and also the Families, Settlers Buildings & Roads in ye same, & find the State thereof as represented in the Schedule hereto annexed, and make return of ye same accordingly SIMEON OLCOTT May ye 16th 1772. The within is an exact State of ye settlement & Cultivation on each Lot & Share of Land in ye Township of Acworth in the Province of New Hampshire, with ye families & Setlers therein and about four miles of the main Road leading from Charlestown to Boscawen, at ye westerly End made passable for Carriage and ye Remainder of ye same Road Cut about one Rod wide and so far leveled that Carriages might pass with Dificulty Also one other Road from ye said Main Road to the Mills, about two Miles in length well made & fit for Carriages, which with some few private Roads made passable only for man & horse is all the Improvement & Cultivation we could find in said Township: which is humbly submitted. Cheshire ss May 18th 1772 Then Mr. Elijah Thing personally appearing made Oath to yo Truth of ye above Report by him Signed before me SIMEON OLCOTT Just Pai ALSTEAD. A True List of the Inhabitants now Settled in the Town of Alstead, with their familys, and those that have begun to settel, and single men, that have worked on their Land Viz: Twenty five Families now Inhabiting in said Town, also ten Single men, at work on their Land that are now resident also nine men more that have been and made Considerable Improvement on their Land some of which have ten, twelve, and some near twenty acres, under Improvement, and are all coming into Town with their families in the Spring as soon as the Season will admit of it, also Sundry Persons to the number of Eight that have made Considerable Improvement on their Land some have ten acres others near twenty and one about Thirty acres under Improvement which are moved off and Expect to have others on in their room directly. All which is a True account of what is done Toward the Settelment of said Town of Alstead. Taken by us the Subscribers this 23 day of December 1771. SAMUEL CHANDLER Selectmen of Alstead. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Captain General and Commander in Chief in and over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire &c: and to the Honorable His Majestys Council in said Province &c The Humble Petition of the Proprietors and Inhabitants of the Township of Alsted in said Province Humbly Sheweth That whereas the Charter of said Alsted is out and thereby some of the rights or Shares are become forfited: But we do rely on Your Excellency and Honors Clemency and Mercy when you shall see the account of what Persons is already settled and settling in said Town, and as by the Providence of God our Crops has been for these four years past much shortened by frost Dearth and worms and the last year by Blast which has caused Provision to be very scarce, and as that many of those People that Settle new Towns have but littel money to help themselves with and as the Scarcity of Provision has been such had People moved in much faster than what they have they must have Suffered for want of Provision as it could not have been Procured with money had they had it. Therefore your Petitioners Humbly pray that Your Excellency and Honors would take it into Your wise Consideration and if Consistant with your Wisdom to Lengthen out the time to those that have been Delinquent in doing their Duty would take it as a great favour, If Your Excellency and Honors should think it not Proper to Grant any further time to those Delinquent to do their Duty in we Your Petitioners the Inhabitants pray that it may be Granted to us for our Children that have endured the many Fatigues and Hardships in bringing forward the Settelment of Said Town, and Your Petitioners as in Duty bound Shall ever pray Jeneuary the 13th 1772. Shubel Waldo Samuel Chandler Jason Wait Oliver Shepard Andrew Beckwith Joseph Brown John Thomson Edward Waldo Daniel Waldo Gideon Delano Elias Brown Barnabas Delano Elijah Cone Those Names above Is What of the Inhabitants that has signed & those below Is men that Live out of town that have Land in s District: B. Bellows Abishai Delano AMHERST Jonth Chase [Amherst was granted by the Government of Massachusetts, 26 April, 1733, and was called Narraganset No. 3, which name was afterwards exchanged for Souhegan West, which it retained until the charter was granted, 18 January, 1760, by Gov. B. Wentworth. It was not under the government of New Hampshire until 1741, when the establishment of the line separated it from Massachusetts.-ED.] PAPERS RELATING TO AMHERST (INCLUDING MONSON). Request of the Inhabitants of Souhegan West for a suitable Guard to defend them from the French & Indian Enemy, 1744. Att a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Settlement or Plantation, called Souhegan West in the Province of New Hampshire at the house of Dan' Wilkins ye 16th of June 1744. Unanimously agreed that Dan Wilkins of this place in the name and behalf of the Settlers here Represent to the Governor and Council of New Hampshire our destressed Circumstance on account of our being Exposed to the French and Indian Enemy our Low Condition & Inability to subsist here unless a Suitable guard may be had to defend us when about our work; and that he make suitable application that these things may Immediately be obtained. witness to the vote SOLOMON HUTCHINSON (1) (1) Mr. Hutchinson was the first Town Clerk when Amherst was incorporated. He died in Maine, at the age of 90 years.-ED. |