Petition of Selectmen for remission of taxes. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Governor and The Petition of the Selectmen of Canterbury in the Province of New Hampshire in behalf of the Inhabitants of said Town Most humbly Shews That by reason of the few Inhabitants in said Town, its being a Frontier and so more exposed to the Incursions and depredations of the Enemy and by Reason of the war this and the last year with the Indian Enemy your Petitioners and others the Inhabitants of said Town are rendered unable to pay the Provincial Taxes laid upon them the last and the present year. That it is with great difficulty under their present circumstances, that they can maintain and support themselves, should they pay no provincial Taxes at all-Wherefore your Petitioners most humbly Pray your Excellency and Honours That you will be pleased to Ease the said Inhabitants of the Provincial Taxes laid upon them the last and this present year and for such further time as to your Excellency and Honours shall seem just and reasonable and in such way and manner as you shall Judge most suitable and proper and that your Petitioners may have opportunity to enforce the prayer hereof and your petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever pray &c Nov. 30th 1756 JOHN MOOR ARCHELAUS MOOR Selectmen Province of Read in Council & ordered to be sent down to the Honble House Theod. Atkinson Secy. Petition relating to the Original Charter. Province of New Hampshire} To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Captain General Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire, And the Honble His Majesties Council Humbly Sheweth Josiah Miles Yeoman and Thomas Clough House wright both of Canterbury in said Province & a Com mittee appointed by the said Town to apply to your Excellency & Honours on the Following acc't. viz: That the Township of Canterbury was Granted by the Late Honble John Wentworth Esq' Lieut. Governor and Commander in Chief in and over said Province dec'd to a Number of persons whose names are in a Schedule herewith presented attested by the Late Sec'y Richard Waldron Esq' dec'd as Clerk of that Council and said Grantees procured a Copy of the said Charter and Recorded the same in their Town book of said Canterbury, a Copy of which Charter attested by the Town Clerk of said Canterbury is herewith also presented, And as the Inhabitants of the said Township have been at Great Trouble & pains in Settling said Township and have been a Great part of the time since the obtaining the Charter aforesaid Labouring under an Indian War (and many Rumors thereof when it was not an actual Warr) and said Township being a frontier the Inhabitants had as much as they could Subsist under to maintain their Respective familys without making any Enquiry into their Charter priviledges. But at Length Some people among them making Enquiry about the said Charter found a Transcript thereof in their Town Book but without any attestation and on further Enquiry Could not find the Original Charter nor any attested Copy thereof any where nor any Record thereof in the Secy office and as the aforesaid Secy Waldrons house was burnt with many publick papers of the Province they are apprehensive the said Original Charter was then burnt Wherefore the said Josiah and Thomas as aforesaid pray that the said Copys aforesaid may be Recorded in the Secy's office and they confirmed in their Respective Estates as tho they now had the aforesaid Original Charter, and they as in Duty bound shall Ever pray Portsmouth Jany 16, 1756. In Council Jany 17, 1756. The Within Petition read & order'd that the Secy. record the Copy said Charter & Schedule it appearing to the Council that the Copys are Genuine. Theod. Atkinson Secy Petition of Inhabitants of Canterbury to be set off from Bow. Province of) New Hamp To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Captain General Gov & Commd in Chief in and over His Majestys Province of New Hampe, The Honble His Majestys Council and House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened June 14th 1764. The humble Petition of Archelaus Moor Gent. Henry Elkins W Gault, Enoch Webster, William Curry, W Moore Joseph Mann Husbandman Ann Curry widow & Stephen Gerrish Gent. Sheweth That your Petitioners are Settled on a Tract of Land in form of a Gore which until lately was deemed a part of the Town of Canterbury in said Province, and lays between that and Bow; But upon running the Canterbury Line about 12 years ago, the said Gore was found to be Land in right of Mason's Patent, And Thereupon the Proprietors of the said Town of Canterbury have Chosen a Committee to Treat with Mr. Mason's Representative, about the Purchase of the said Land That your Petitioners are very desirous of being annexed to the Town of Canterbury, rather than Bow, as they are within Two miles of Canterbury Meeting House, and are distant six Miles from that of Bow, and also as they have several Family Connexions in Canterbury Your Petitioners therefore humbly Pray your Excellency and Honours That the aforesaid Gore of Land may be by An Act of the General Court annexed to and Incorporated with the said Canterbury & partake of all the Priviledges thereof And your Pet's shall Ever pray &c In Council June 14th 1764 W. CLAGETT for Petrs. Read & Ordered to be sent down to the Honble House T. Atkinson, Jun. Secy. Province of Ordered That the petitioners be heard thereon the Second Day of the Sitting of the General Assembly after the first Day of July next & that they at their own Cost put up notification at all the public places In Canterbury & Bow, Incerting therein the substance of this petition, & order of Court thereon that any persons Concerned therein may appear & Shew Cause if any they have why the prayer thereof should not be Granted A. Clarkson Clerk New Hamp In the house of Representatives Jany 23d 1765 This petition being Read Voted That the prayer thereof be Granted & the petitioners have leave to bring in a Bill accordingly In Council Jany. 23a 1765 A. Clarkson Clerk T. Atkinson Junr. Secy. Read & Concurred Petition of Abiel Foster about Town records. Province of New Hamp To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq' Governor in chief in & over said Province The Honourable the Council and House of Representatives in General Assembly conven'd The Humble Petition of Abiel Foster of Canterbury in the County of Rockingham Clerk, as agent for & in behalf of the Proprietors of Canterbury aforesaid Sheweth that a vast Number of Papers containing the Votes and Proceedings of said Proprietors touching their most important Concerns as Proprietors, and by which, many Estates in said Canterbury have been conveyed and are now held by some Neglect or Omission of the Clerks of said Proprietors, have not been recorded. Upon the Discovery of which said Proprietors appointed a Committee to collect, inspect, examine and see that the same should be recorded in the Proprietors Books. The said Committee according to their appointment carefully examined said Papers and found them to be in the hand writing of the former Clerks of said Proprietors most of them among the files of said Proprietors to have all the Marks of original fair & Genuine Minutes and Entries some made thirty years ago, which Papers the Committee have within six months past caused to be recorded in the Books of said Proprietors, the Record of which Papers contains Eighty Pages in folio or more. And as the same Papers were not attested by any of the former Clerks of said Proprietors, tho' they appear to be truly made as aforesaid, Your Petitioner humbly conceives that the Interposition of your Excellency and Honors will be necessary to authenticate the Same. Wherefore he humbly prays in behalf of said Proprietors that a Committee of the General Court may be appointed to inspect and examine s Papers and Records lately made and to report thereon, and that s Papers and records may be authenticated by your Excellency and Honors either by act or Resolve of the General Assembly or in any other way that your Wisdom may suggest And your Petitioners as in Duty bound will ever pray &c ABIEL FOSTter. January 19th 1774. Province of In the house of Representatives Jan 19th 1774, Voted that the Petitioner cause the substance of said Petition to be printed in the New Hampshire Gazette three weeks successively and that any party having any Objection may be heard thereon the third day of the sitting of the Gen' Assembly after the 20th of February next Win Parker Clr. Assembly In Council Jan 19 1774. Geo' King D. Sec. NOTE. This Petition was renewed April 5th, 1774, and acted on as follows. [ED.] Province of In the House of Representatives April 9th 1774 Voted, That the Petitioner be heard on this Petition on the second day of the Siting of the General Assembly after the tenth Day of May next and that he Cause the Substance of this Petition and Order of Court to be Printed three weeks Successively in the New Hampshire Gazett that any Person may Shew Cause why the Prayer of the Petition Should not be Granted In Council eodem Die Read & concur'd Geo King D. Secy M. Weare Cl Province of In the House of Representatives May 13th 1774 New HampsThe within Petition being Consider'd and the Parties heard thereon by their Council Voted That Samuel Cutts Esq Col Christopher Toppan and John Giddings Esq' be a Committee of this House to Joyn with Such as the Honble the Councill Shall appoint to inspect and Examine the Papers and Records mentioned in the Petition and Report thereon to the General Assembly M. Weare Cl CHARLESTOWN, [Originally Number Four, was first granted by Massachusetts, Decr, 31, 1735. It was incorporated by Charter during the administration of Gov. Benning Wentworth, 2 July, 1753. ED.] Letter from No. 4 to Colonels Willard and Hinsdale. No. 4. October 19th 1743. Honred Gentlemen We the Inhabitants of this Township being apprehensive that we are very much Exposed and in hazard In case of a War between y nations and are Sensible that we are not Capable of Defending our selves in Case of a rupture by Reason |