Province of New Hampshire, Portsm° 23d June 1772. These Certify that this Plan of beginning at a white Pine Tree marked I. G. October 1765, &c. standing on the Westerly side of Israel's River, (so calld) & nearly opposite the 2a crotch from Connecticut River from thence running W. 163 Rods to the Easty line of Lancaster, thence S. 69° W. 168 Rods, from thence S. 6 Miles & 260 Rods to a Rock Maple Tree, from thence East 5 Miles to a Stake, from thence N. 7 Miles to a Stake, from thence W. 4 Ms to the bound began at. Contains 24581 Acres of Land. N. B. The Bounds represented by the black Lines of sd Plan were actually Survey'd & mark'd out & returned to me by Mr Vere Royse Dy Šurv' & the bounds represented by the dotted lines are known by Calculation.- Attest: Is: Rindge S' G1 KEENE. [Granted by Massachusetts as Upper Ashuelot April 20, 1733. Incorporated as Keene April 11, 1753, and named in honor of Sir Benjamin Keene. The northeast corner was included in the limits of Sullivan, incorporated Sept. 27, 1787. Another portion, with parts of Nelson and Marlborough, went to make up the town of Roxbury, Dec. 9, 1812. A part of Swanzey was annexed Dec. 10, 1812. An act was passed July 1, 1868, by which the town of Roxbury was to be annexed to Keene whenever the provisions of the act were adopted by a majority of voters in both towns, but this has not yet been done. A city charter was granted July 1, 1865, but was not adopted till July 3, 1873. See Massachusetts charters preceding; X, Bouton Province and State Papers, 394, as to participation in movement for union with Vermont towns; XII, Hammond Town Papers, 306; Index to Laws, 268; Annals of the Town, from 1734 to 1790, by Salma Hale, 2, Collections of the N. H. Historical Society, 71; same, with corrections, additions, and a continuation from 1790 to 1815, pub. 1851, pp. 120; sketch, by J. N. McClintock, 3, Granite Monthly, 548, and 4, id., 499; sketch, Hurd's History of Cheshire County, 1886, p. 24; sketch, Child's Gazetteer of Cheshire County, 1885, p. 223; Historical Address, by W. O. White, 1876, pp. 34; Historical Sermon, by C. B. Elder, in N. H. Sentinel, Jan. 31, 1894; Half Century Sermon, by J. S. Barstow, 1868, pub. 1873; Baptist Church, by W. H. Eaton; Baptist Churches in N. H., by E. E. Cummings, 1836, p. 16; Lawrence's N. H. Churches, 1856, p. 275.] P-S [KEENE CHARTER, 1753.] *Province of New Hamp *1-149 George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France & Ireland King Defender of the faith &ca To all Persons to whom these Presents Shall come Greeting Keene Whereas Sundry of our Loveing Subjects before the Settlement of the Dividing Line of our Province of New Hampshire aforesaid and our Other Government of the Massachusetts Bay had by Permission of our Said Government of the Massachusets Bay begun A Settlement of A Tract of Land on Ashuelot River so Called and made Sundry Divisions of & Improve ments upon the Said Tract of Land And there remain'd till the Indian Warr forced them off and our Said Subjects being Desireous to make an Immediate Settlement on the Premisses & haveing Petitioned our Governour in Council for his Majestys Grant of the Premisses to be so made as might not subvert & Distroy their former Surveys & Laying out in severalty made thereon as aforesaid Now Know Ye that we of our Especial Grace Certain Knowledge & mere motion for answering the Ends above Said and for the Due Encouragement of Settling the Said Plantation by & with the Advice of our Trusty & wellbeloved BENNING WENTWORTH Esq our Governour & Commander in Chieff in & over our Said Province of New Hampshire in America and of our Council of our sd Province Have upon the Conditions & Reservations herein after made Given & Granted and by these Presents for us our heirs & Successors Do give & Grant unto our Loveing Subjects Inhabitants of our Said Province of New Hampshire and our Other Governments in New England And to their heirs and Assignes for ever whose names are Entered on this Grant to be Divided to & amoungst them into So many & Such Shares & Proportions as they now hold or Claim the same by Purchas Contract Vote or Agrement made amoungst themselves All that Tract or Parcel of Land Scituate Lying & being within our Said Province of New Hampshire Containing by admeasurement Twenty three thousend & forty Acres which Tracts is to Contain Six Miles Square & no more out of which an allowance is to be made for highways and unimprovable Land by Rocks Mountains Ponds & Rivers One thousend & forty Acres free According to a Plan thereof made & Presented by our Said Governours orders *1-150 And *hereunto Annexed Butted & bounded as followsViz-Beginning at A Beach Tree the North West Corner & Runs South Six Degrees an an half East four miles & Seventy rods to A Beach Tree marked Thence runs East Ten Degrees & a half South Six miles & one hundred & Eighty Rods to A heap of Stones thence runs North Seventeen degrees East Six Miles & Eighty Rods to A Tree marked being the South East Corner of Boyle thence runs West five Degrees and an half South Eight Miles & Two hundred & fifty rods to the Bounds first mentioned And that the Same be and hereby is Incorporated into A Township by the name of Keene and that the Inhabitants that Do or Shall hereafter Inhabit the Said Township Are hereby Declared to be Enfranchized with and Intituled to all & every the Previledges And Immunities that Other Towns within our Said Prov ince by Law Exercize & Enjoy and further that the Said Town as Soon as there Shall be fifty families Shall have the Liberty to open & keep A Market one or more Days in Each week as may be tho' most Advantagious to the Inhabitants also that the first Meeting for the Choice of Town officers & other affairs Agreable to the Laws of our Said Province Shall be held on the first Wednesday in May next which Meeting Shall be Notifyed by M' Benjamin Bellows who is hereby Also Appointed the Moderator of the said first Meeting which he is to Notify & Govern Agreable to the Law & Custom of our Said Province And that the Annual Meeting for ever hereafter for the Choice of Such officers for the Said Town Shall be on the first Tuesday in March annually-To HAVE & TO HOLD the said Tract of Land as above Expressed togeather with all Previledges and Appurtenances to them or their respective heirs and assigns forever upon the following Conditions (Viz) that every Grantee his heirs & assignes Shall Plant or Cultivate five Acres of Land within the Term of five years for every fifty Acres Contained in his or their Share or Proportion of Land in the Said Township & Continue to Improve & Settle the same by Aditional *Cultivations on Penalty of *1-151 the forfeiture of his Grant or Share in the said Township and its reverting to his Majesty his heirs and Successors to be by him or them regranted to Such of his Subjects as shall Effectually Settle & Cultivate the Same-That all white & other Pine Trees within the Said Township fit for masting our Royal Navy be Carefully Preserved for that use & none to be Cutt or fell'd without his Majesties Especial Lycence for so Doing first had & obtaind upon the Penalty of the forfeiture of the right of Such Grantee his heirs or assigns to us our heirs and Successors as well as being Subject to the Penalty of any Act or Acts of Parliament that now are or hereafter Shall be Enacted That before any further Division of the Said Land be made to and amoungst the grantees A Tract of Land in the most Comodious Place the Land will admit of Shall be reserved & marked. out for Town Lotts one of which shall be allotted to Each Grantee of the Contents of one Acre Yeilding & Paying therefor to us our heirs & Successors for the Space of Ten years to be Computed from the Date hereof the rent of One Ear of Indian Corn only on the first day of January next Ensueing the Date hereof-And every Proprietor Settler or Inhabitant Shall Yield & Pay unto us our heirs & Successors Yearly & Every Year for ever from & after the Expiration of the Ten years from the Date hereof Namely on the first Day of Jan'y which will be in the Year of our Lord Christ One thousend seven hundred & Sixty three One Shilling Proclamation money for every hundred Acres he so owns Settles or Possesses and so in Proportion for a Greater or Lesser Tract of the Said Land which money shall be paid by the Respective Persons abovesaid their heirs or assignes in our Council Chamber in Portsmouth or to such officer or officers as Shall be appointed to receive the Same and this to be in Lieu of all other rents & services whatsoever In Wittness whereof We have Caused the Seal of Our said Province to be hereunto affixed Wittness BENNing WentworTH Esq our Governour & Com’ander in Chieff of our Said Province the 11th Day of April in the year of our Lord Christ 1753 & in the 26th year of our reign B Wentworth By his Excellencys Com'and with Advice of Council Theodore Atkinson Se Entred & recorded According to the Original under the Province Seal the 11th Day of April 1753 *1-152 Theodore Atkinson Sect Thomas Bacon, *The Names of the Grantees of Keene-Viz Obediah Blake, Titus Belden, Joseph Fisher Ebenezer Forces's heirs, Joseph Gile's heirs, Daniel Hawse, Jabez Hill, Henry Messenger's heirs, |