itants but as those houses being built & duly Improved greatly Encourages Settlers & raises the Value of the Lands Your Petition humbly Prays That they may be authorized to lay a Tax for a Limited time on the Lands in said Township for so much annually and for such a time as will be Sufficient to defray the Charge of Building such a Meeting house & School house within said Township and they will ever Pray &c SAM ROBINSON In Council December 8th 1763 Read & Sent down to the Honble Assembly Province of In the house of Representatives Dec 9th 1763 Voted That the petitioner be heard thereon the second day of the sitting of the General Assembly next after the first day of Feby next & that he Cause the substance of this petition & order of Court thereon to be advertised three weeks successively in the New Hampshire Gazette that any persons concerned may appear & Shew Cause if any they have why the prayer thereof should not be Granted In Council Eodem Die Read & Concurred T. Atkinson Jun. Secy A Clarkson Clerk BOSCAWEN. [This town was granted by Massachusetts, and was called Contoocook, until incorporated by New Hampshire, 22 April 1760. ED.] Petition of Contoocook, Penacook and Canterbury for protection from the Indians, 1747. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Captain General and Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hamp' To the Honorable his Majestys Council and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened the twelfth Day of November 1747 The petition of Phineas Stevens, (1) Ebenezer Eastman and Jeremiah Clough in Behalf of themselves and the Inhabitants of Contoocook, Pennycook and Canterbury, in said Province, most humbly shews That the said Places are frontiers and lay open and exposed unto the French and Indian Enemy. That they are not able to protect and defend themselves in Case of a Vigorous attack from the Enemy which they have Reason to fear may be the Case as soon as there Shall be Snow Sufficient to travel with Snow Shoes That unless they are protected, the Inhabitants Will be under a Necessity to break up and leave their habitations and so Consequently the frontier will be bro't nearer. (1) He was the first minister of Boscawen. ED. That your Petitioners humbly conceive it will be much better for the Province to have those Places Protected than to have them broke up. Wherefore your Petitioners humbly Pray your Excellency and Honours to take this Petition under your wise Consideration and be pleased to Grant such a number of men for each of the before mentioned Places and for such time as to your Excellency and Honours shall seem meet and reasonable and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever Pray &c PHINEAS STEVENS In Council Nov 12th 1747 read & sent down to the Honble House. Theodore Atkinson Secy Contoocook Petition for aid. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Captain General & Govonner in chief in and over his Majestie's Province of New Hampshire In New England The Petetion of ye Inhabitants of a Plantation called Contoocook in ye sd. province of New Hampshire Humbly Showeth That where as your Humble Petitenrs being Certtainly Informed of a Declaration of war Between ye King of England and France and Tharefore Looking upon our selves as Exposed contenualy to ye atacks of ye Indians who are subjects or allies to ye King of France and we would Beg Leave Humbly to Lay our Case before your Excellency May it Pleas your Excelency we have Been at Great Expence and Labour in Bringing to ye settlements in ye plantation so far as thay are att this time by setteling a gospel minister erecting Houses subduing Lands and Bringing too a cosidable Quatity of Wilderness and in erecting proper Fortifications for Defence in case of an Indain war one of which was Built in y year 1739 a building of considerable Expense to ye proprieters and of great conseqence to ye Inhabitants being 100 feet square and all this to advance ye Kingdom of Christ in the world and farther to enlarge and advance his majestie's Dominions in the american continent we have Like wise been att great expense and cost in erecting houses to Dwell in and in moving from our habitations the most of us into sd Fort in order for our security till proper help shall arive to us for want of which many persons have Removed and more are Removing from us to the Great Discouragement of those that tarry behind and all tho we might Defend our selves in our Fortification yet we cant support our selves becaus we have none to gard us in our Busness and more over the commanding ofecer in the place has so far neclected the people that thay are very uneasy he never having caled them to Gether since he Recd his commission Refusing to Repair to the fort or to tak any care of it or the people in it never seting any watch or ward so that the Inhabitants are without a Leader yet they have consantly Keept a watch and ward in said fort or gareson Those with many others are the Difecultys we Labor under two many to be hear enumerated of which we Humbly Beg Redres of your Excelence in such way and maner as your Excelency in wisdom shall think Best and your Humble petisions as in Duty Bound shall ever pray &c Contoocook June ye 5th 1744 Richard Flood Joseph Easman John Fowler Jacob Flanders William Emery Samuel Emery. Andrew Bohonan Daniel Rolfe Petition from Sundry Persons at Contoocook, Praying for military officers. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Honored S we the Subscribers Being Souldiers of Contoocook Do Humbly Desire your Excellency to Grant to Mr John Rollins of said town a Captins Commission and Likewise a Left & Insins Commishon to two other men of said town whome he the said Rollins shall nominate the Performance whereof will Grately oblige your Humbel and Dutifull Sarvants Contoocook November ye 29th 1743 Jacob Flanders Josiah Bishup Enos Bishup John Ellet Thomas Cook Nathanel Danford William Dogiden Jacob Flanders Junior Edward Fitchgaull Moses Call Sinkler Been Daniel Rolf Ezekiel Flanders Richard Flood John Johnson Willan Peters Andrew Bohonon David Barker William Danford John Call Nathanel Maloon Sam Emmery Contoocook Petition for a land Tax for support of a minister. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire To the Honorable His majestys Council & House of Representatives in General assembly Convened the twelfth day of November 1747 The Petition of the Proprietors of the Plantation calld Contoocook in the Province of New Hampshire most humbly Sheweth-That your Petitioners have had a minister of the Gospel Setled among them for about the space of seven years That notwithstanding the Difficulties arising from the War he hitherto has continued at said Plantation and would still continue there if supported and maintained by the Proprietors That for want of a Law to enable and Impower the said Proprietors to Raise money and Collect the same for the support of the ministers there The Burden thereof lyeth on a few Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly pray your Excellency and Honours, That by a special act they may be authorized and Impowerd thereunto and that not only the Lands of the Residents but also of the non Resident Proprietors may be rated towards the support of the Ministry there for such time and in such Proportion as shall be judged reasonable by your Excellency and Honours and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever Pray &c JOSEPH COFFIN, for and in behalf of the Committee of Said Proprietors. Nov 13th 1747 In Council read & concurred orderd to be sent down to the Honble House Theodore Atkinson secy Petition for Authority to Collect Taxes. Province of New Hampshire j To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Captain General and Governour in Chief in and over said Province And To the Honble his Majesties Council and House of Representatives in General Court now Assembled The Petition of us the subscribers Humbly Sheweth that the Proprietors of the Town of Boscawen have at their meeting from time to time Voted sums of money as they thought needful to carry on their publick affairs & particularly a sum of money to purchase a Right of land in said Town of Boscawen for the Encouragement of the settling a gospel Minister in the Town The Right have been purchased and given to the Rev. Mr. Robie Morrill The money have been Assessed and such original Right was proportionately Taxed And now for want of Legal power to Collect said money some part of said proprietors (notwithstanding their forwardness in voteing said money) neglects or Refuses to pay their Equal part thereof & for want of said money's being Collected and paid in there is an action in Law Commenced against said proprietors in order to recover said money which is greatly to the prejudice and Damage of the rest of said proprietors whoe have paid their ful part of said money & tends greatly to hinder the propagation and Settlement of the Town Therefore We Humbly pray your Excellency & Honours to Invest said proprietors with ful power & legal authority to Collect what money hath already been or Shall hereafter be voted by said proprietors for their use by makeing sale of the Delinquent proprietors Land or in any other way your Excellency & Hon's in your great Wisdom Shall think best and your petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever pray Dated Boscawen august 24th 1765 Province of GEORGE JACKMAN Jun Comte for said. In the House of Representatives Sept 9th 1767 New Hamps Voted That the Petitioners be heard on their Petition the third day of the Siting of the General Assembly after the fifteenth day of October next and that the Petitioners at their own Cost Cause the Substance of y Petition and order of Court to be printed three weeks successively in the New Hampshire Gazett and Boston Gazett That any Person may appear and Shew Cause why the Prayer thereof should not be Granted In Council Septem' 11th 1767 Read & Concurred M. Weare Clr T. Atkinson Jun Secy Province of In the House of Representatives Feb. y* 19th 1768 The within Petition being Considered and appearing Reasonable and no Objection made against it Voted That the Petitioners have liberty to Bring in a Bill to answer the Prayer of the Petition In Council Feb. 24th 1768 M. Weare Cl Read & concurred Geor King Dep Sec. |