Petition of the Proprietors of Canterbury about cutting a road, &c. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majesty's Province of New Hampshire the Honble His Majesty's Council & House of Representatives in General Court Convened The Petition of Thomas Young of New Market in said Province Innholder & Samuel Adams of Durham in said Province Physician as Agents for & in behalf the Proprietors of the Township of Canterbury in said Province & in behalf of the Inhabitants of that place Humbly Shews That the said Proprietors have for some few years last past applied themselves more closely than at first to the pursuit of proper measures for Settling the said Township, & among other things tho't proper for that end have built a meeting house & from time to time hired a minister to Preach to the Inhabitants, which has encouraged the Settlement so that there are about thirty Families now upon the spot. That the said Proprietors have with considerable expence cut a way from Durham up into the Country upwards of twenty miles towards the said Township of Canterbury, which if cut thro' will be of Great advantage not only to that place but to the Province in General and which they are not able to Effect, & must (with other designs formed for the End aforesaid) fall thro', for want of Proper Laws to Compel such Proprietors as neglect to pay their proportion of the Charge & of such necessary taxes as have from time to time been laid upon them That it is Evident beyond Contradiction that such designs cannot be executed without Considerable cost & Expence & that every Proprietor ought to bear his proportion of the Charge which has not been done in this case, but the Burthen has been borne by such as were voluntary in the affair & so Reasonable as to do what they Knew they could not be Compelled to by Law Relating to the good of the Propriety That there are several years taxes not fully paid but arrearages due from Sundry of the Said Proprietors the want of which has been Supplied by others advancing such sums as were necessary and as occasion call'd for them which is a great grievance & a most unreasonable thing that the Charge of carrying on a settlement should be defrayed by some & the advantage be reap'd by all, or that some should be exempted from the charge & yet be equally Intitled to the Profits with those who have born it That the said Township is a valuable Tract of Land & the settlement thereof (as your Petitioners humbly conceive) deserves the Countenance of the Government as much as & per haps more than any new Township in the Province upon more accounts than can be here Enumerated & without which the Settlement will necessarily go on heavily & Slowly as it has hitherto done Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly Pray that an Act may now be passed to Enable the said Proprietors by their Select men or other officers to Compel such Proprietors as have not paid their proportion of the Rates which have been assessed, to pay them forth with & in default thereof to Dispose of so much of their land, or anything thereon that will Raise the Money as was lately done for the Proprietors of Nottingham or to Levy the same as the Constables of Towns do the Town & Province tax and that Effectual Provision may also be made to Enable them to Raise money upon themselves for the future & Enforce the payment in such a Summary & Expeditious method as may answer the Ends of the Propriety & promote the Settlement & thereby the General good and your Petitioners in behalf of their Constituents as in duty bound Shall ever pray &c Feb'y 25th 1741. Feby the 27th 1741 In the House of Representatives THOMAS YOUNG Voted That the Prayer of the Petition be granted & that the Petitioners have Liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly the act to Continue five years and no longer In Council March 9th 1741-2 James Jaffry Class Read & Concurred Richd Waldron Sect Same day assented to B. WENTWORTH. Petition of Proprietors of Canterbury for a Bridge. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire. The Hon'ble His Majestys Council & House of Representatives for said Province in General assembly Convened the 22d Day of Feb in y 17th year of His Majesty's Reign. The Humble Petition of Samuel Adams & Joseph Drew both of Durham in said Province as the Major part of a Committee of the Proprietors of Canterbury Chosen to find out & clear a Way or Road from Durham to said Canterbury Shews That yo' Petitioners with Benja Smith of said Durham were chosen & appointed for the business aforesaid and have with Considerable Expence found out & Clear'd a Place for a Road from Durham to Canterbury which may be made with little farther expense (Saving the building a Bridge over Sun Cook River over which the said Way must unavoidably run) a very good Road That your Petitioners Conceive the Public advantage of good Roads Especially in a time of War for flight or other occasions are so obvious that nothing need to be said on that head and that as every Town is in some Degree benefited thereby where there is a call for an Extraordinary Charge it ought not to be the burthen of the town to which it leads only but of every Town and in this Case the Charge could not be born by that Town That in order to make the said way answer all the good purposes designed thereby there must be a good Strong Bridge Built over the said River & the Proprietors of Canterbury having been at a very great expence already in Clearing Said Way and carrying an end other affairs to promote their Settlement are not able to Build the said Bridge at their own Cost Wherefore your Petitioners Pray that a Bridge may be built at the charge of the Province over the said River at the place to which the Way Cleared as afores leads That the same may be forthwith proceeded upon before the Ice breaks up because of the advantage of working upon it And that as the said Way is not opend by any authority of Law it may be Established by the authority of the General assembly for a Publick Road and your Petitioners In behalf of the Proprietors of Canterbury and all others concern'd as in Duty bound Shall ever pray &c In the House of Representatives Feb 23d 1743-4, The within Petition Read & Voted, SAM ADAMS JOSEPH DREW Provided the Proprietors of the Town of Canterbury Build a Bridge this year Suficient for carts & carriages to pass and repass on over Suncook River where the way is Now Cutt to to Travell from Durham to Canterbury & will Warrant to Maintain the Same Bridge for ten years That there be paid the said Proprietors the Sum of fifty pounds Bills of Credit out of the Interest Arising on the twenty five thousand pounds Loan out of that part of said Interest appropriated for Cutting Roads &c when So much shall be in the Treasury In Council Feby. 24th 1743 read & concurred James Jaffrey Clr Assm B. WENTWORTH Petition of Canterbury men for wages. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Captain General, and Governor in chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire To the Honble his Majesty's Council of said Province And to the Honble House of Representatives, in General Court assembled at Portsmouth, within & for the Province of New Hampshire aforesaid 1754 The Petition of Jeremiah Clough, Philip Call, Samuel French, Thomas Clough, Ezekiel Clough, Henry Elkins, Samuel Moor, Samuel Shepherd & James Shepherd humbly sheweth : That whereas your humble Petitioners, by Order of his Excellency the Governor, Kept the Garrison at Canterbury in the Province of New Hampshire aforesaid, as follows viz Jer. Clough begin with y 5th of Jan 1747-to ye 20th of November following Thom Clough beginning with ye 5th of Jan 1747 to ye 8th of Ezek Clough May following, Henry Elkins beginning with the 5th of Jan 1747-to the 12th of August following Sam Moor Sam Shepherd beginning with the 9th of May 1747 to ye James Shepherd beginning with ye 13th of August 1747 to the 20th of Novem' following. And faithfully & effectually performed all necessary Duties in said Garrison, according to our respective stations so that the Enemy never took any advantage to the Damage & Hurt of said Garrison, or of any that belonged to it, during the whole time above mentioned. And yet your humble Petitioners have never as yet been allowed any Wages, or Billeting for our Service, except £100 new tenor toward Billeting, received pr. Cap' Clough, tho' other Soldiers who served since we did have been paid both Wages & Billeting. Therefore we your humble Petitioners humbly pray your Excellency & your Honours to take our Case into your wise Consideration, & to grant us wages and Billeting, for the time which we have served, as afores'd. For which Goodness, your humble Petitioners for your Excellency & your Honours, as in Duty bound shall ever In Council March 2a 1754 read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble House of represenve Theodore Atkinson Secy Province of In the House of Representatives March 24 1754 upon New Hamp' Reading the within Petition Voted that it be dismiss'd. Attest Matthew Livermore Clerk Petition of Canterbury for remission of Tax, 1754. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Captain general, & Governor in chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire. To the Honble his Majesty's Council; And to the Honbie House of Representatives in General Court assembled. The Petition of the Inhabitants of Canterbury in the Province of New Hampshire aforesaid humbly sheweth That whereas your humble Petitioners (whose Names are hereunto subscribed) are reduced to great Difficulties, & Charges by the threatening Aspect of a War, we humbly pray your Excellency & your Honours to consider & compassionate our distressed Circumstances; & to remit our Proportion of the Province Tax for this year 1754 & till the pressing Danger & Difficulties of War are over. For which Goodness your humble Petitioners for your Excellency & your Honours as in Duty bound shall ever pray Jeremiah Clough Thomas Clough Josiah Miles John Bamford Samuel Shepherd Solomon Copp Benjamin Blanchard John Gibbons John Dolloff James Gibson James Lindsey James Shepherd Joseph Simons Joseph Elis James Scales Ezekiel Morrill William Moor Henry Elkins Province of In Council July the 24th 1754 New Hamp' read & ordered to be sent Down to the Honble House of representatives Theod Atkinson Secy. |