and of our COUNCIL of the same, agreeable to our said Procla and upon the Conditions & Reservations herein after mentioned given and granted & by these Presents for us our Heirs & Successors do give & grant unto him the said JOHN FENTON and to his Heirs & Assigns for Ever a certain Tract or parcel of Land situate lying & being within our said Province, containing by Admeasurement THREE THOUSAND Acres, as by a plan or Survey of said [tract] exhibited by our Surveyor General of Lands for our said Province by our said Governor's Order & returned into the Secretary's office of our said Province, (a Copy whereof is hereunto annexed)

may more fully and at large appear: Butted and *1-418 Bounded as follows Viz Beginning at a Hemlock Tree standing in Cardigan North Line, from thence running South Sixty four Degrees East Three Hundred & Sixty Rods to a Stake, from thence North Thirty Degrees East Four Miles and Sixty Rods to a Stake, from thence North Sixty four Degrees West Three Hundred & Sixty Rods to a Stake and from thence South Thirty Degrees West Four Miles and Sixty Rods to the Bound began at.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said Tract of Land as above expressed to him the said JOHN and to his Heirs and Assigns for Ever upon the following Terms Conditions and Reservations, VIDELICET.

FIRST. That the said Grantee shall cut clear & make passable for Carriages a Road of Three Rods wide thro' the said Tract as shall be at any time hereafter directed or order'd by the Governor & Council, which Road is to be completed in ONE YEAR from the date of such Order or Direction of the Governor and Council aforesaid, On Penalty of the forfeiture of this Grant, and of its reverting to us our Heirs & Successors.

SECONDLY. That the said Grantee shall settle or cause to be settled Six Families in Five Years from the date of this Grant; in failure whereof the Premises to revert to us our Heirs and Successors to be by us or them enter'd upon & regranted to such of our Subjects as shall effectually settle & cultivate the same.

THIRDLY That all white & other Pine Trees fit for Masting our Royal Navy be carefully preserved for that use and none to be cut or felled without our special Licence for so doing first had and obtained on penalty of the forfeiture of the Right of the Grantee in the said Tract of Land his Heirs and Assigns to us our Heirs and Successors as well as being subject to the Penalties prescribed by any present as well as future Act or Acts of Parliment.

FOURTHLY Yielding and paying therefor to us our Heirs and Successors on or before the 19th day of Feb 1781, the rent of one Ear of Indian Corn only if lawfully demanded.

FIFTHLY That the said Grantee his Heirs and Assigns shall yield & pay unto us our Heirs and Successors yearly and every year for Ever from & after the expiration of TEN Years from the date of this Grant, which will be in the Year of our Lord Christ 1782, ONE SHILLING Proclamation Money for every Hundred Acres he so *Owns Settles or Possesses and so in *1-419 proportion for a greater or lesser Tract of the Land aforesaid, which Money shall be paid the respective Proprietor or Settler in our Conncil Chamber in Portsmouth or to such officer or officers as shall be appointed to receive the same: And these to be in lieu of all other Rents and Services whatsoever.

IN TESTIMONY whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province of New Hampshire to be hereunto affixed Witness JOHN WENTWORTH Esq': our aforesaid Governor & Comm' in Chief the 19th day of February in the Twelfth year of our Reign & in the year of our Lord Christ 1772.

By his Excellency's Command

with advice of Council.

J'.{i

L. S. Wentworth.

Theodore Atkinson Secretary.

Province of New Hampshire. Portsmouth 17th Feby 1772. These Certify that this Plan beginning at a hemlock Tree standing in Cardigan North Line, from thence running South 64° East 360 Rods to a Stake, from thence N. 30 E. 4 Miles & 60° Rods to a Stake, from thence N. 64° W. 360 Rods to a Stake, from thence S. 30° W. 4 Miles & 60 rods to the Bound began at, Contains 3000 Acres of Land & is found by a Survey or Plan of said Tract as taken & returned to me by M' Jotham Cummings Depy Surveyor. Att Is. Rindge S. G1

Province of New Hampshire. Feby 24th 1772.

Recorded to the Original Patent, & plan annexed, under the Province Seal.

HENNIKER.

[This town was Number 6 in the line of towns from Merrimack to Connecticut River, granted by Massachusetts January 16, 1735-6. As some of the grantees came from Marlborough, Mass., it was sometimes called New Marlborough or

Marlborough-town. Granted by the Masonian Proprietors, July 16, 1752, to Andrew Todd and others, and sometimes called Todd's-town. Incorporated as Henniker November 10, 1768, and named in honor of John Henniker, M. P.

See Massachusetts charters preceding and Masonian Papers in following volumes; XII, Hammond Town Papers, 189; Index to Laws, 235; History, by L. W. Cogswell, 1880, pp. 807; sketch, Hurd's History of Merrimack County, 1885, p. 340; Baptist Churches in N. H., by E. E. Cummings, 1836, p. 22; Lawrence's N. H. Churches, 1856, p. 387; address, 115th anniversary of Congregational Church, by J. M. R. Eaton, 1884; Historical Address, 66th Anniversary of Formation of Bible Class, May 1, 1814, by L. W. Cogswell, pp. 16.]

[HENNIKER INCORPORATED, 1768.]

*Province of New Hampshire

*1-319

Henniker. GEORGE the third by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth.

To all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting.

WHEREAS Our Loyal Subjects inhabitants of a tract of land within our Province of New Hampshire known by the name of N° 6) in the line of Towns & containing Six miles square, & bounded as hereafter mention'd Have humbly Petitioned & Requested us that they may be erected & incorporated into a Township and infranchised with the same priviledges which other Towns within our said Province have & Enjoy by Law; and it appearing unto us to be conducive to the general good of our said Province, as well as of the said Inhabitants in particular, by maintaining good order & encourageing the Culture of the land, that the same should be done KNOW YE therefore that we of our especial Grace, certain knowledge & for the encouragement & promotion of the good purposes & ends aforesaid and with the Advice of our trusty & well-beloved JOHN WENTWORTH Esq' our Governor and Commander in Cheif of our said Province, & of our Council of the same, have erected and ordained and by these Presents for us our heirs & Successors Do will and ordain that the Inhabitants of the Tract of land aforesaid and others who shall Inhabit and improve thereon here after (the same being butted and bounded as follows viz' Beginning at the North west corner (nearest) of New hopkinton so called then on a strait line to the North east corner of Hillsborough so called being by estimation Six miles, then by said. Hillsborough line to the South east corner thereof, being supposed

to be Six miles then on a strait line to the south west Corner of said New Hopkinton, then by that to the corner where it begins, all the said lines being supposed to be Six miles each-be & hereby are declared to be a town Corporate, and are here by erected and incorporated into a Body Politic and Corporate to have continuance and succession for ever: by the name of HENNIKER-with all the Powers and Authorities, Priviledges, Immunities and Fran*1-320 chises which any other Towns in said Province by Law have & Enjoy, to the said Inhabitants or who shall hereafter inhabit there and their Successors for ever: (always reserving to us our heirs and Successors all white pine trees which are or shall be found growing and being on ye said Tract of land fit for the use of our Royal navy, reserving also to us our heirs and successors the Power and right of dividing said Town, when it shall appear necessary and convenient for the Inhabitants thereof, PROVIDED nevertheless and 'tis hereby declared that this Charter and grant is not intended and shall not in any manner be construed to affect the private property of ye Soil within the limits aforesaid, and as the several Towns within our said Province are by the laws thereof enabled and Authorised to Assemble and by the Majority of the Voters present, to chuse all officers & transact such affairs as in the said Laws are declared-We do by these Presents nominate and appoint ELIAKIM How to call the first meeting of said Inhabitants to be held within the said Town, at any time. within three months from the date hereof giving legal notice of the time & design of holding such Meeting after which the annual meeting in said Town, shall be held for the choice of said Officers & the purposes aforesaid on the first Monday of March annually. IN TESTIMONY whereof we have caused ye Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed Witness our aforesaid Governor and Commander in Cheif this 10th day of November in the 9th year of our Reign & in the year of our Lord Christ 1768

By his Excellencys Command with advice of the Council

T: Atkinson Jun: Secry

Recorded according to the November 1768

L. S.

J' Wentworth

original Incorporation this 10th

Attest: T: Atkinson Jun Secty