v.q NOTICE. Joint ResoLUTION, passed by the Legislature of New Hampshire. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court convened, That His Excellency the Governor be hereby authorized and empowered, with the advice and consent of the Council, to employ some suitable person, and fix his compensation, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to collect, arrange, transcribe, and superintend the publication of such portions of the early State and Provincial Records, and other State Papers of New Hampshire, as the Governor may deem proper; and that eight hundred copies of each volume of the same be printed by the State Printer and distributed as follows : namely, one copy to each City and Town in the State, one copy to such of the Public Libraries of this State as the Governor may designate, two hundred copies to the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the remainder placed in the custody of the State Librarian, who is hereby authorized to exchange the same for similar publications issued by other States. Approved July 6, 1866. EDITOR'S PREFACE. The special value of this volume consists in the information which it contains and communicates, relating to Towns in New Hampshire. It will be found indispensable in every Town History. We are little aware, at this period, of the sacrifices, trials, dangers and absolute sufferings which many of the early settlers endured in planting Towns in the interior of the State ; where, literally, they often suffered “from savage beasts and more savage men.” The border Towns were, for years, open to the incursions of Indians from Canada. Their earnest petitions to the Governor or to the General Assembly for help, clearly reveal to us their dangers and distresses. Besides this source of trial, others arose from disputes about boundary lines, the location of meeting-houses, the settling of ministers, irregularities in town meetings, &c. The volume is of great value, as giving the names of many, and in some cases, all the male inhabitants of the Towns, from which petitions were sent. These will enable descendants to trace their connexion with the early settlers. The volume, also, has an important value, in that, in the APPENDIX, it gives in full, all known facts relating to the Constitutional Conventions in 1778–1783, which resulted in the establishment of the first Constitution after the Revolution, 1784. The Editor is not aware that the facts herein have ever before been published, in connexion. He asks attention to the Note subjoined to the first and second articles of the Bill of Rights, on pages 896-898. In examining these “Town Papers,” readers will often do well to refer to the Provincial and State Papers in preceding volumes, of corresponding date, from which, in some cases, additional information will be obtained. GENERAL CONTENTS. The contents of the several MS. Volumes from which the following printed pages are transcribed, are noted and kept distinct herein as in Memorial of Sampson Stoddard and Jona. Blanchard Petition of Jona. Blanchard for extension of the charter Gov. Wentworth's warrant to inspect the settlement in List of families and settlers in Acworth, according to report of inspectors IO II I 2 Memorial of Rev. Daniel Wilkins for like aid, 1744 Petition for protection against the Indians, 1747-sign- Petition for aid from inhabitants of Monson (after- wards incorporated, in part, with Amherst) - Petition of Monson for annexation of a tract of land to them-names, 1754 -names Petition of selectmen of Amherst for extension of its Petition for pay for taking inventory of Lyndeborough, 13 Proposals of accommodation between Monson and Am- Letter of Rev. Daniel Wilkins, relating to Amherst Vote of Monson for a division and annexation to Am- herst and to Hollis, and Petition for the aforesaid Petition to be disannexed from Amherst, 1771—names 17 Petition against division of the town, 1771---names 17-19 Vote of Amherst in favor of annexing Monson, 1766 . Petition of John Shepard, jun., town clerk, in behalf Petition for a road from Charlestown to Amherst, 1773 Petition of inhabitants of Hillsborough county in rela- (1) Readers are reminded that names of persons in the same town, |