USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Abington > Historical sketch of Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. With an appendix > Part 8
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The officers from Abington, in the continental ser- vice, were --
Jacob Pool, Captain. Luke Bicknell, Captain. John Ford, Lieutenant. David Jones, jr. Surgeon.
Among those who died in the service, are the follow- ing-
George Bennett, Nathaniel Bicknell, jr. James Clark, Gershom, son of Benjamin Farrow, Samuel Green,
David, son of Benjamin Gardner, Thomas Hunt, jr. Solomon, son of Samuel Nash,
David, son of Peter Nash, Jacob Noyes, jr. Moses, son of deacon John Noyes, Prince Palmer, Abner Porter, jr. Nathaniel, son of Whitcomb Pratt, Abel, son of James Reed, Cuff Rozarer,
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Jesse Stoddard, Thomas White,
Jonathan, son of Thomas Whitmarsh.
The services of the militia were, perhaps, more im- portant and expensive, than those of the continental troops raised by the town. Immediately after Bunker hill battle, a company, consisting of 58 non-commis- sioned officers and privates, enlisted for 8 months, and served at Roxbury. The officers were, William Reed, Captain, Samuel Brown, Lieutenant, David Cobb, En- sign. Various other tours of duty were performed at different times, and for different periods of service, either about Boston, or at Rhode Island, in 1777-78- 80 and 81. Almost every man in town capable of bear- ing arms, was in the service, for a longer or shorter time.
REPRESENTATIVES.
The town does not appear to have been represented in the Legislature before 1735; and afterwards not until 1753. The following list has been mostly taken from the general court records. It became necessary to resort to them, as there is no record in the town books of the choice of any representative, except the first in 1735, until 1796.
1735. Samuel Pool, Esq.
1753. Mr. Jacob Porter.
1754. Mr. Jacob Porter.
1755.
1756. Mr. Jacob Porter.
1757.
1758. Mr. Jacob Porter.
1759. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1760. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1761.
Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1762.
Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1763. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1764. 1765. Dea. Samuel Pool.
1766. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1767. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1768. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1769. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
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1770. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1771. Capt. Woodbridge Brown .*
1772. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1773. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
1774. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
Delegates to the 1st Provincial Congress, at Salem, October 5, 1774,
Capt. Woodbridge Brown, Dr. David Jones. To the 2d, at Cambridge, 1st February, 1775, Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
To the 3d, at Watertown, 31st July, 1775, Dr. David Jones.
REPRESENTATIVES CONTINUED.
1776. Capt. Woodbridge Brown.
.
1777.
Capt. William Reed.
1778. Dea. Samuel Pool.
1779.
1780.
1781. Lieut. Samuel Brown.
1782. Lieut. Samuel Brown.
1783. Lieut. Samuel Brown.
1784. Lieut. Samuel Brown.
1785. Lieut. Samuel Brown.
1786. Lieut. Samuel Brown.
1787. Jacob Smith, Esq.
1788. Jacob Smith, Esq.
* Hutchinson, in a note in the 3d volume of his History of Massachusetts, says,-' The principal friends of the British administration in the Legislature, were, Israel Williams, John Worthington, John Murray, Josiah Edson, Timo- thy Woodbridge, William Williams, Thomas Gilbert, and Edward Hartwell. On the other side, the Representatives of Boston, with Joseph Hawley, James Warren, Jerathmiel Bowers, James Prescot, John Whitcomb, Joseph Gerrish, William Heath, Woodbridge Brown, Thomas Gardiner, Timothy Danielson, and Thomas Dennie.'
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1789.
Jacob Smith, Esq.
1790. Jacob Smith, Esq.
1791. Jacob Smith, Esq.
1792. Col. Luke Bicknell.
1793. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1794. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1795. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1796. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1797. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1798. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1799. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1800. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1801. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1802. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1803. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1804. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1805. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1806. Col. Aaron Hobart.
1807. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1808. Rev. Samuel Niles.
1809. Rev. Samuel Niles.
Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1810. Rev. Samuel Niles. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1811. Rev. Samuel Niles. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1812. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq. James Bates, Esq.
1813. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1814. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1815. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
1816. Nathan Gurney, jr., Esq.
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1 1819. 1820.
- not represented.
1821.
Nathan Gurney, Esq.
1822.
1823.
not represented.
1824. 1825. 1826. 1827. Jared Whitman, Esq.
1828. Benjamin Hobart, Esq.
Micah Pool, Esq.
1829. James Bates, Esq.
1830. James Bates, Esq. Micah Pool, Esq.
1831. James Bates, Esq. Micah Pool, Esq. John Cushing, Esq.
1832 .* James Bates, Esq. Micah Pool, Esq. John Cushing, Esq.
1833. James Bates, Esq. Micah Pool, Esq. John Cushing, Esq.
1834. James Bates, Esq. Micah Pool, Esq.
John Cushing, Esq.
1835. James Bates, Esq. Micah Pool, Esq.
* In 1831, the Constitution was so altered, as to change the commencement of the political year from the last Wednesday in May, to the first Wednesday in January ; and the time of electing Representatives, from May, to the 2d Monday in November.
Jonn Cushing, Esy
1836. John Cushing, Esq.
1837. Not represented.
1838. James Bates, Esq.
Mr. Harvey Torrey.
1839.
Mr. Harvey Torrey.
Elihu Hobart, Esq.
James Ford, jr., Esq.
Woodbridge Brown, delegate to the Convention held at Faneuil Hall, in Boston, 22d September, 1768 .*
Dr. David Jones, delegate to the convention at Con- cord, in 1779, assembled to take into consideration the depreciated state of the currency.
Dr. David Jones, delegate to the convention at Cam- bridge, in September, 1779, to form a state constitution.
Rev. Samuel Niles, delegate to the convention at Boston, in 1788, to act on the ratification of the Fed- eral Constitution.
Nathan Gurney and Jared Whitman, Esqrs., delegates to the convention assembled at Boston, November 15th, 1820, to revise the constitution of the Commonwealth.
* Gov. Bernard, in June, 1768, had prorogued and then dissolved the Gen- eral Court, because they refused to rescind, as they were required to do, the Resolution, which gave birth to the circular letter from the House of Repre- sentatives to the legislative assemblies of the other colonies. Application was made to the governor, to convene them again, but he declined doing it without the express order of the king. A large body of troops had been ordered to Boston, to enforce the various acts of trade, at the point of the bayonet. In this very critical state of affairs, at tlie instance of the town of Boston, dele- gates from 96 towns and 8 districts, met at Faneuil Hall. Being a voluntary assembly, and of course without power, all they could do was to state their grievances ' felt and feared.' Beside addressing the people, they sent an able letter to Mr. Debert, agent of the province, in England, and a petition to the king, which they desired the agent to deliver with his own hand. The con- vention sat about a week. The day after their adjournment, two British regi- ments arrived at Boston, and before the end of the year, the town was garri- soned by about 4000 regular troops.
17
MISCELLANEOUS PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN.
The first town meeting was held 2d March, 1713. The town officers then chosen were-
William Hersey, Moderator.
William Hersey,
William Tirrill, Selectmen.
William Reed,
William Reed, Town Clerk.
James Nash, Town Treasurer.
Joseph Josselyn, Constable.
Edmund Jackson,
Nicholas Porter, Surveyors of Highways.
Ebenezer Whitmarsh,
Edward Bates, Fence-Viewers.
7th March, 1715. William Hersey, William Reed, Joseph Lincoln and Nicholas Shaw, were chosen a com- mittee with the Selectmen ' to lay out ways, where it shall be most convenient, with least damage.'
5th March, 1716. Voted, ' That every man sixteen years old and upwards, shall kill twelve black-birds, or pay two shillings to the town charge, more than their part.'
1st August, 1716. A Lecture day, ' the town voted, that the town rate should be six pounds.'
5th March, 1721. Samuel French, James Nash and
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Joseph Lincohi, were chosen Trustees of the money loaned the town, by the Province.
4th March, 1723. Jeremiah Hatch was appointed Pound-keeper, with ' liberty to make use of his Barn in the room of a Pound.'
2d March, 1724. Voted, ' That the Drinkwater people* shall have liberty to make a Pound upon their own cost, and Isaac Hatch was chosen keeper of said Pound.'
5th September, 1726. 'Lieutenant William Reed, Mathew Pratt, Edward Bates and Samuel Noyes, were chosen a committee to draw up objections, in answer to the Drinkwater people's petition to draw off from them.' And it was voted, that 'Mathew Pratt and Samuel Noyes should carry the answer to the court.'
This remonstrance against setting off a part of the town to Hanover, a copy of which is before me, states that there were then in Abington 53 heads of families. Five of them had been then lately married, and had ' neither house nor home, but as they sojourned under the roofs of others.' Six were widows, ' whose families were much reduced and in low circumstances,' leaving but 34 ' to support the public charges.' That the town contained a considerable tract of land, yet that little of it was capable of settlement, except the easterly part, ' which was chiefly in gentlemen proprie- tors' hands, who did neither sell nor settle their lands, they living in other towns.' That the eight petition-
* The people here referred to, lived in the neighborhood of Drinkwater river, now in Hanover and Hanson. According to tradition, this river derived its name, from the circumstance, that the first mill upon it, was raised without the use of ardent spirits.
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ers* were ' but about four miles distant from the Meet- ing-house-and if it were objected, that the way was difficult and impassable, yet several responsible men had offered to make it good and passable for horse and man, for £5 charge.'
17th April, 1727. Voted, That Mr. Mathew Pratt, Dea. Samuel French, Dea. Edward Bates, Mr. Samuel Pool and Samuel Noyes ' be agents to meet the com- mittee,f that are appointed by the General Court to view our town, in order to take off the petitioners of the east part of said town, and to offer the reasons, they shall agree upon, why the town are not willing they should be set off.'
28th March, 1735. Christopher Dyer and Obadiah Reed, were chosen 'to agree with the Selectmen of Braintree, about the line between our town and Brain- tree, and renew the line with them, as they think best, if they will not exact the line, they have sued our town for.' Also, 'to indemnify and clear Nicholas Shaw, Jacob Reed and Edmund Jackson of all charges, that shall arise, about their being sued by Braintree, if our town do not stand a trial with them, in the law. Jacob Ford entered his contrary detest against the pro- ceedings of the meeting.'
* They were, Elijah Cushing, Jeremiah Hatch, Nathaniel Davis, Joseph Bryant, Job Otis, Nehemiah Cushing, Benjamin Loring and Isaac Hatch.
- t This viewing Committee were, Lieut. Gov. Tailor and Elisha Cooke, Esq., of the Council, and Ezra Bourne, Esq., Maj. Tileston and Edward Ar- nold, Esq., of the House. They reported in favor of the petitioners, although they said ' it would put the Inhabitants of Abington under some difficulties, respecting their supporting the public worship of God, for that several large tracts of land within the town, did not pay towards the maintenance of the minister.' Abington afterwards petitioned for leave to tax the 'dormant lands,' and for a grant of 'a small piece of Province land in the north-east of the town, called Waldo's farm.' Their request was so far granted as to allow the town to tax the dormant lands an half-penny an acre for three years. The tax was to be applied to the support of the ministry.
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17th November, 1735. Voted, ' to send a Petition to the General Court, that we may be eased upon the Province taxes.' The Petition was presented and a Resolve passed thereon, 13th January, 1736, ' That the sum of £32 16s. be granted and paid out of the public Treasury to the Selectmen of Abington, to reimburse the like sum, they had paid as a fine for not sending a Representative, anno 1734, and what they were over charged in the Province tax.'
31st May, 1736. ' It was put to vote, whether the town would do any thing towards taking care of Sim- eon Nash, and fitting up a place at his house or at the School-house, and it was voted in the affirmative. And the town passed a vote, that they would do nothing for him, provided he was carried to Weymouth-and the town chose Esquire Pool and Jacob Reed to go and tell Simeon Nash's wife, what they had agreed upon at the meeting.'
7th March, 1737. Voted, ' That any person, that shall kill any grown wild cat this year, within our town, shall have twenty shillings.'
22d May, 1738. Voted, to petition the General Court ' for a straight line from Accord Pond to Angle Tree.'
31st March, 1741. Voted, ' That the manufactory money shall pay our town charges this year.'*
28th May, 1744. Mr. William Sprague was chosen ' to carry in a Petition to the General Court, to have a line stretched from Accord Pond to Angle Tree.'
26th May, 1746. The town voted off ' a part of their
* See Appendix E.
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township to a number of Petitioners.' The part taken off was at the south end of the town. It was annexed to the corners of four of the neighboring towns to form, what was for many years called, Tunk Parish in Pem- broke, now Hanson.
27th December, 1748. Lieut. Ephraim Spooner was chosen to meet delegates from other towns, at ' Mr. Sil- vester's in Hanover, to see if they can put a stop, to the speedy building of a Court House at Plymouth.'
20th August, 1750. Voted, ' to send in a Petition to the great and General Court, in order to see, if the court will take off the fines, laid upon us in the years 1749 and 1750.'
27th June, 1751. Voted, ' that Woodbridge Brown should have that half acre of land, that the old Meet- ing-house now stands on ;'-he paying Peter Nash for the land to sit the new one on.
27th November, 1753. Voted, ' to join with Brain- tree, to send a Petition unto the General Court, to see if the court will settle the Patent line, between Brain- tree and Abington.' Afterwards, in the same year, an agent was appointed ' to answer a law suit commenced against Abington by Braintree, and carry on a law suit against Braintree, in order to settle the Colony line, which is the bounds between said towns.'
14th May, 1753. Voted, ' that the foxes shall be killed, and he that kills them shall have two shillings per head, for grown ones.'
16th May, 1754. Voted not to set off ' the south- east corner of the town to Pembroke.'
5th September, 1756. Voted, 'that the men that went unto Nova-Scotia, shall draw the money out of
135
the Treasury for the tax, that was laid upon their heads.' These men were with Col. Winslow.
10th January, 1760. ' The town chose Dr. David Jones to purchase a bell of about 600 lbs. weight.'
28th December, 1761. Voted, ' that John White, a neutral Frenchman,* should receive out of the Trea- sury two shillings per week, for keeping his mother.'
25th August, 1766. Dr. Jones, Capt. Ebenezer Reed and Mr. Ebenezer Whitmarsh, were chosen a committee 'to give the Representative instructions, rela- tive to making good the damage done in Boston, to a number of gentlemen.' This refers to the damages in August, 1765, to the office and dwelling-house of the distributor of stamped paper, and the house and other property of Gov. Hutchinson.
8th January, 1770. Voted, ' to accept of the Meet- ing-house bell, that was new run by Mr. Aaron Hobart.'
25th May, 1775. Voted, ' that it was an indecent way, that the female sex do sit in their hats and bon- nets, to worship God in his house ; and offensive to many of the good people of this town.' Before this censure upon fashion, it had been the custom for fe- males as well as males, to sit in meeting uncovered. Our fathers' notions of decorum might be very proper, in the abstract. If, however, personal comfort had been regarded, it might have been thought, that in the spa- cious unwarmed Meeting-houses of former days, all, who did not believe in the utility of 'mortifying the body for the sins of the soul,' would have felt the ne- cessity of covering the head, at least in winter.
* See Appendix F.
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February 11th, 1777. The currency of the country being in a state of rapid depreciation, the town agreed on the prices of labor, provisions, and various articles of merchandize-a list is on record.
1st June, 1778. 'It was put to vote, to see if the town would accept of the constitution; and it passed in the negative.' This was the constitution agreed upon by the council and house of representatives in convention, February 28th, 1778. The principal ob- jections to it were, the want of a bill of rights, and not vesting the executive powers exclusively in the Gov- ernor.
2d August, 1779. Voted ' to accept and put in force the resolves of the state convention, that met at Con- cord on the 14th of July,' to adopt measures relative to the depreciation of the currency.
29th May, 1780. The town voted their acceptance of the constitution agreed on by the convention, but were for so modifying the 3d article in the bill of rights, as to allow every one to pay his money for the support of public worship, where he attended. They were, also, for limiting the number of counsellors and senators to 34.
6th September, 1781. The constables were ordered to receive for taxes, 'one new emission dollar, in the room of 40, old emission.'
25th September, 1786, a meeting was holden to act on a circular letter from the selectmen of Boston, rela- tive to ' the commotions in the commonwealth.' The following votes were passed-
1. ' That the exhorbitant salary given the Governor, is a grievance.
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2. That the money raised by excise and impost, not being appropriated to the discharge of our foreign debt and interest, is a grievance.
3. That the fee-table being so high, is a grievance.
4. That having four inferior courts, in this county, when two might answer the same purpose, is a griev- ance.
5. That we esteem it a grievance, that a debtor should be exposed to be confined in jail, when he has real estate to satisfy the creditor's demand.
6. That we will inviolably adhere to our happy con- stitution, and ever seek for redress of any grievances, that may exist, in some orderly way.'
9th June, 1788. Voted ' that no person shall set up any cake or cakes, or any thing in imitation of cakes, or throw any stones or sticks at them, within half a mile of the meeting house, each way on the public road, or on the green, near the meeting house. Any person so offending, shall pay a fine of 5 shillings, for the use of the town .? It is not very apparent, what was the object of this attempt at legislation. It might have been, to check, on town meeting days, a practice, the tendency of which was, to promote in the young a spirit of gambling .*
14th January, 1793. Mr. Niles, Col. Hobart, and Mr. Jacob Dyer, were appointed a committee to pre- pare instructions to the representative, regarding the re- peal of the then law against theatrical exhibitions .-
* This vote reminds of a law of the Old Colony, in 1669, prohibiting all persons, going to or coming from the meeting house on the sabbath, from smoking tobacco, within two miles of the meeting house, under a penalty of 12 pence.
18
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Their report is said to be on file-but, like most of the many other reports made to the town, is not to be found.
1st April, 1793. Voted ' that all persons that suffer their dog or dogs to go to meeting, at the meeting house, when the people assemble for public worship, shall pay the same fine as is provided for breach of the sabbath.' This is another attempt at legislation.
11th March, 1805. Voted 'to divide the town of Abington into two separate towns ; 68 in favor of a division, and 47 against it.' At the same time, a com- mittee of five persons, not residents of the town, were appointed, to run the dividing line.
6th April, 1807. The town refused to 'vote off Aaron Hobart and others, as a separate religious society in the south part of the town'; and appointed Daniel Lane, jr. and John King, Esqrs., agents to attend the Legislature, and oppose their petition to be set off.
15th September, 1812. The town adopted a pre- amble and resolves, reported by a committee, relative to the war, then recently declared against Great Brit- ain. In these, the war, which had been waged against ' paper blockades,' in derogation of our rights as a neu- tral nation, and against the British claim of a right to impress her own seamen out of American vessels on the ocean, and her practice, under that claim, of im- pressing naturalized and native American citizens, was declared to be both just and necessary. The town pledged their support in carrying it on-inculcated obe- dience to the constitution and laws of the land-depre- cated all opposition to the war in the shape of mobs,
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and all measures that tended in any way to destroy the union of the states, &c. &c.
5th April, 1813. Certain rules, eleven in number, were adopted by the town, for the regulation and orderly government of their town meetings.
5th April, 1819. The towns in Plymouth County were required, by a resolve of the Legislature, passed on several petitions presented, to vote on the question of establishing a new county town. In Abington, there were 196 in favor of the measure, and 6 against it.
9th March, 1835. Voted ' to build a house for hold- ing future town meetings in.' Subsequently, it was agreed to build the house on a half acre of land given by Capt. Thomas Hunt, and situated on the northerly side of the road, near Jesse Dunham's. The cost of the house was about $3,000.
SELECTMEN.
The Selectmen were generally, if not without excep- tion, Assessors. To avoid repetition, their names are given, the first year they were chosen, and the number of years they served, without noticing the yearly chan- ges.
1713.
William Hersey, 2
1713. William Tirrill,
2
1713. William Reed, 10
1714. Samuel Porter, 3
1714. Edmund Jackson, 1
1715.
Andrew Ford,
1
1715.
Edward Bates, 10
1716. Samuel French, 7
1716.
James Nash, 2
1718. Nicholas Noyes,
1
1718.
Samuel Pool,
6
1719.
Joseph Josselyn,
1
1719.
Samuel Noyes,
1
1720. Joseph Lincoln,
2
1720.
Hezekiah Ford, 1
1721.
Edmund Jackson, 3
1723.
James Nash,
1
1728.
Mathew Pratt, 1
1728.
Jacob Reed, 8
1729.
Joshua Shaw, 11
141
1729.
Samuel Jackson, 3
1730. Samuel Reed, 2
1730. Thomas Tirrill, 1
1733. Christopher Dyer,
4
1734. Nicholas Shaw,
3
1735.
Ebenezer Bates, 1
1735.
Obadiah Reed,
8
1736.
Jacob Porter,
3
1737.
Joseph Hersey,
4
1739.
John Noyes,
12
1740. Ephraim Spooner,
8
1744.
Daniel Reed,
15
1752.
Nathaniel Pratt,
1
1755.
Woodbridge Brown, 11
1756.
Samuel Norton,
8
1758. Samuel Pool,
6
1760.
David Jones,
6
1763.
Josiah Torrey, 10
4
1775.
Joshua Howe,
5
1775.
Benjamin Bates, jr.
3
1775.
Joshua Shaw,
3
1778.
Daniel Reed, 2
1780.
Daniel Shaw,
12
1780. Jacob Smith, 11
1783. Jacob Pool, 10
1785. Luke Bicknell,
1
1786. Jacob Dyer, 1
1786. Thomas Reed,
1
1786. Edward Cobb, 1
1790. Josiah Torrey, 4
1771.
William Reed, jr.
1772.
Samuel Brown, 5
142
1792.
Benjamin Thaxter, 1
1793. Nathaniel Howe, 1
1794. Ephraim Noyes, 6
1794. Daniel Lane, jr.
13
1798. Samuel Norton, 12
1799.
Noah Ford, 1
1799.
Nathan Gurney, jr. 24*
1806. William Wales, 10
1813. Micah Pool, 11
1816.
James Bates, 12
1819.
Jared Whitman, 5
1821. John Cushing, 9
1824. David Beal,
14
1830.
Asaph Dunbar, 1
1833.
Joseph Cleverly, 6
1833.
Spencer Vining.
6
* Of the above period of service 22 years were in succession. Mr. Gurney now resides in Boston, and is a member of the Board of Aldermen, and also a member of the Senate for the County of Suffolk.
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TOWN CLERKS.
William Reed, from 1713 to 1718, both years included.
Edward Jackson, 1719 to 1723.
Samuel Noyes,
1724 to 1729.
Jacob Reed,
1730.
Thomas Tirrill,
1731.
Jacob Reed,
1732 to 1749.
Woodbridge Brown, 1750 to 1754.
Josiah Torrey,
1755.
Woodbridge Brown, 1756 to 1777.
Samuel Brown,
1778 to 1783.
Luke Bicknell,
1784 to 1798.
Richard Briggs,
1799.
Luke Bicknell,
1800 to 1814.
Samuel Norton,
1815 to 1820.
Ezekiel Thaxter,
1821 to 1832.
John Nash.
1833.
APPENDIX.
A.
OLD AND NEW STYLE.
To explain double dating, some account is necessary of the old and new style.
The solar year, being the exact time in which the sun moves from one equinox to the same again, is equal to 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 50 seconds. As that period did not consist of a number of entire days, Julius Cæsar ordered, that in every period of 4 years, 3 of the years succeeding each other should contain 365 days, and the 4th, 366. The additional day in the latter year was to be added to the 23d of February, and that day reckoned twice. As the Romans had, therefore, two sixth days, preceding the calends of March, that year was called (from bis and sextus) a Bissextile year.
As the addition of one day in 4 years was too much, by 44m. 44s. amounting to one entire day in about 129 years, the vernal equinox was constantly falling back, so that in 1751, instead of occurring about the 20th, it fell on the 9th or 10th of March, making the difference between the solar and civil year, about 11 days.
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