USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Westminster > History of Westminster, Massachusetts (first named Narragansett no. 2) from the date of the original grant of the township to the present time, 1728-1893, with a biographic-genealogical register of its principal families > Part 7
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This vote passed the house, the council concurred, but the new governor, Jonathan Belcher, refused to give it his sig- nature.
At this point, the matter "hung fire" for more than two years, although the grantees, or their proper agents, were all the while doing what they could to advance their interests and gain their purposed ends. The council receded from its origi- nal position in their favor, and for a time hindered progress, but the governor proved to be the most serious obstacle in the way of success. At a meeting of grantees, held Jan. 13, 1730-I, Messrs. Jonathan Williams and Nathaniel Goodwin were added to the previously appointed committee to wait upon the general court and secure favorable action in the premises -a trust they no doubt fulfilled.
On the 17th of February, the house, on petition of Thomas Hunt and others, passed a resolve substantially as before, ex- tending the time for receiving claims, however, to the first Wednesday in June, and ordering that the former committees for laying out the. townships and for determining claims, per- form the service before assigned them, respectively. The council concurred, so far as extending the time of receiving claims was concerned, but declined to approve of additional land appropriations, and ordered "that lands already granted [that is, two townships of the contents of six miles square each] be given and confirmed to such persons as have their claims allowed, any former order of this Court to the contrary not- withstanding."
The grantees held a meeting Feb. 24th, and in order to obvi- ate the necessity of calling the whole body together for the purpose of guarding and furthering their interests, voted "that there shall be a Standing Committee to Act and Carry on the Affaires from time to time that lies before the General Court." This committee consisted of "Col. Wm. Dudley, Col. Thomas Tyleston, Capt. Edw. White, Messrs. Nathaniel Goodwin, Sam- uel Chandler, Jonathan Williams, Edward Shove, Jonas Hough- ton, and Jabez Hunt," who were authorized to petition the court for further grants of land, and when successful, to notify the interested parties accordingly. Then the meeting adjourned till the Ist of September following.
By action of this committee, it is presumed, the matter of new grants was considered by the legislature on the 4th of the next June, 1731, with the same result as before; the house
45
MESSAGE TO THE COUNCIL.
voting in favor of the proposition, the council refusing its con- currence.
At a grantees' meeting, held Sept. Ist, as per adjournment, a committee consisting of Colonel Tilestone, Jonas Houghton, Nathaniel Goodwin, Samuel Chandler, Jacob Wright, and Sam- uel Kneeland, was chosen, "to regulate and settle the two townships granted by ye Gen. Ct. to the Narraganset Soldiers whose names are in the lists Allowed of by the General Court," and "to petition the Gen. Ct. (If there be Occation) for more land."
Agreeably to these instructions, the committee caused a peti- tion to be presented at the next session in December, by Mr. Samuel Chandler. Whereupon the house repeated its previous action in favor of the request, and appointed a committee to prepare an address to the council, with the view of inducing that body to concur therein. While this subject was under advisement, the standing committee of the grantees, at a meet- ing held Jan. 6, 1731-2, instructed Samuel Kneeland, who had been chosen their clerk, to confer with the said committee of the house of representatives, for the purpose of aiding them in their work and making it as effective as possible. The re- sult of all this is indicated in an extract from the court records :
"In the House of Representatives, 19 Jan. 1731-2. Ordered, that ye fol- lowing message be sent up to the Honble Board.
" Whereas. there have been several endeavors to accommodate the Nar- rhagansett soldiers & their Descendants with a Suitable Quantity of Land for the Settlement, as an Acknowledgement & Reward for their great Ser- vice to this Country, which have failed hitherto of the desired Success. This House have thought it might tend to promote a good understanding & Harmony in this Court to lay before the Honble Board wherefore it is that the Representves have come into the Grant of a Tract of six miles square to each number of one hundred and twenty persons, which they have made this Session in answer to the Petition of Thomas Tilestone & others. a Commtee in behalf of themselves and the rest of the Soldiers & their Des- cendants who were in the Narraganset War. And one great Reason is that there was a Proclamation made to the Army in the name of the Governmt. -- as living witnesses very fully testify, -when they were mustered on Ded- ham Plain, where they began their March, that if they played the Man took the Fort and Drove the Enemy out of the Narraganset Country which was their great Seat, that they should have a gratuity in Land beside their Wages; and it is well known that this was done; and as the Conditions have been performed, certainly the Promise, in all Equity and Justice ought to be ful- filled: and if we consider the Difficulties these brave men went through in Storming the Fort in the Depth of Winter & the pinching wants they after- ward underwent in pursuing the Indians that escaped, thro' a hideous wilder- ness famously known throughout New England to this day by the name of the hungry March; and if we further consider that until this brave tho' small army thus played the Man the whole Country was filled with Distress & fear & we trembled in this Capital Boston itself, and that to the Goodness of God [and] to this army we owe our Fathers and our own Safety and Estates. We cannot but think yt those Instrumsts of our Deliverance and Safety ought to be not only justly but also gratefully & generously rewarded & even with much more than they prayed for. If we measure wt they re- ceive from us by wt we enjoy & have received from them, we need not men-
46
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
tion to ye Honble Board the Wisdom Justice & Generosity of Our Mother Country & ye Ancient Romans on such occasions. Triumphs. Orations. Hereditary Honors & privileges: All the Riches, Lands & Spoils of War & conquerd Countries have not been thought to great for those to whom they have not owed more if so much as We do to those our Deliverers & we ought further to observe, what greatly adds to their merit that they were not vagabonds & Beggars & Outcasts of whch Armies are sometimes consider- ably made up who run the Hazards of War to avoid the Danger of Starv- ing; so far from this that these were some of ye best of Our Men, the Fathers & Sons of some of ye greatest & best of Our families and could have no other view but to serve ye Country & whom God was pleased accordingly in a very remarkable manner to Honor & Succeed. Of these things the Honble the General Court of the Late Colony of the Massachusetts in those days was not insensible & accordingly gave to ye Soldiers being upward of Five Hundred abt Two Thirds of the Army that went from ye Massachusetts & the late Colony of Plymouth, a tract of abt forty thousand acres in the Nipmug Country, this, or the value of it these Soldiers would be contented with & take in their Brethren of Plimouth too tho' that shd take away two thirds of wt was granted them, and would after that have more in value than wt they now ask for them all, for every one must own that 40,000 acres in the Heart of the Country, as the Nipmug Country is, is of more value than five times that quantity in the Borders & in danger if there should be a French war as is and would be the case with all the unappropriated Lands of the Province wch they now ask for.
" It is hoped that the neglect of these petitionrs so long or the province's having disposed of the Nipmug Country to others & so defeated their ancient Grants will not be thought to wear out any more than it rewards their merit. The Grant seems to be to have been made in acknowledgemnt both of ye promise & of ye fulfilling ye condition & being well entitled to it & there is great Reason to fear that publick Guilt wd ly upon the Country if we should neglect & continue in the Breech of this Promise after it has been made & omitted for above fifty years.
" As to the late Grant of two Townships to Seven or Eight hundred of these Soldiers. It is so far below the value of the Land they conquered & the price the Province had for it when it was sold & the money divided to the Colonies that carried on the war. It is such a Pittance of wht they ob- tained for us, so exceedingly beneath wt the Province has defeated them of, which was granted to about Two-thirds of them in the Nipmug Country, that it is rather mocking and deriding them to offer it. Beyond wt has been offered it shd be Considered that to grant the present petition & give such a quantity of Land as may be worth Settling & upon Conditions of bringing forward Townships is more agreeable to Charter and for the publick Good than to Give away Tracts of Land & suffer and even tempt men to let them ly waste & unimproved, for in the way that has been proposed & in which some Progress has been made the Lands will be divided into such scraps that they will not be worth receiving."
This message was read in the council on the same day, Jan. 19, 1731-2, and appears to have had its designed affect, inas- much as that body immediately voted to concur with the house in its action upon the matter so long held in abeyance. But the object sought for was still unattained, on account of the refusal of the governor to affix his signature to the resolve, and to win him over to the support of the cause of the soldiers, and the approval of the action of the court became now the effort and aim of the standing committee of the grantees. Accord- ingly, at a meeting held the day after the favorable action of the council, Jan. 20th, they voted "that Mr. Samuel Chandler wait
47
CLAIMANTS APPROVED - ADDITIONAL GRANTS.
upon Mr. Samuel Wells [a man of high standing and of great influence in public affairs] and Desier him to use his Intrist with his Excellency the Governor to sine the Grant of both Houses to the Narraganset Soldiers"; also voted "that Mr. Jonathan Williams wait upon ConIl Byfield for the same."
Time went on, and the executive remained firm in his opposi- tion. But the standing committee were equally firm and deter- mined in their course. They would not suffer their case to be defaulted, or fail from want of proper vigilance and action on their part. They therefore, on April 13th,
"T'oted, that Messrs Nathaniel Goodwin and Jonathan Williams git a Peti- tion writ to put into the General Court at their next Session in May for a further Grant of land to the Narraganset Soldiers, the Grant made at the last Session not having been Sined by the Governor."
Soon after the sitting of the court, on the Ist of June, the same committee
"L'oted, that Mr. Nathaniel Goodwin pay for writing the Petition and that Mr. Samuel Chandler forward the Petition as fast as Posable in the House of Representatives" [of which body he was a member ].
A week later, June 8th, they
"Toted, that Messrs Nathaniel Goodwin and Jonathan Williams pay the Secretary for putting the Petition into the Councle."
"l'oted, that as many of the Committee as have an Oportunity to forward the Petn with the Honble the members of the Genral Court use there Intrist with them that the prayer thereof be granted."
On the same day, a petition from parties now unknown, praying for a revival of the original petition of Thomas Tileston and others, was introduced into the house, resulting in the passage of an order granting additional tracts of land, with accompanying provisions for laying them out, etc., as set forth hereafter. This order was approved by the council, but the governor refused or neglected to sign it.
On the 28th of June the committee chosen to examine claims and approve titles of soldiers, reported to the court a complete list of persons having a right to a share in the lands granted, or to be granted, to the number of eight hundred and forty. A vote accepting and adopting the report, and affirming the rights of those named, was passed by both houses, whose action the executive endorsed by his signature.
Two days later, June 30th, the house made a formal grant of five new townships, with accompanying provisions for placing them in possession of the grantees, etc., and this action was concurred in by the council on the 4th of July, but the gov- ernor withheld his approval.
On the 6th of July the standing committee of the grantees, learning that the executive still refused his signature to the
48
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
orders of the court, and that the said court was about to ad- journ, met and
"Toted, that Samuel Chandler and Samuel Kneeland go to Mr. Samuel Wells to know wheather he has been with the Governor and used his Intrist with him to sine the Grant and if he has not been to Desier him to go forthwith."
"T'oted, that Nathaniel Goodwin, Samuel Chandler Jonathan Williams and Samuel Kneeland wait upon the Secretary [of the Province probably] for to know wheather he has laid the Grant before his Excellency the Gov- ernor for him to sine."
Here matters rested for more than eight months. All that was deemed possible had been done to carry the project through to a successful issue. The interested partes had only to await patiently the final action of the executive. At length he yielded. On the 20th of April, 1733, he affixed his name to the order granting additional lands, and on the 26th he did the same to that providing for the survey of five new townships, and for their proper ordering and settlement. On account of the intrinsic importance of these orders, as terminating a long struggle for the Narragansett soldiers' rights, and as securing to their first proprietors the several grants involved, the full text of them is herewith given :
"In the House of Representatives, June 8, 1732. Read and in answer to this petition [of Thomas Tileston] ordered, that such further Grant of Land be made to the Petitioners as that every One hundred and Twenty persons, whose Claimes have been or shall be allowed of by this Court within four months from this time, may have a Township of the Contents of Six miles square under the same Regulations and Limitations with the other Towns Already Granted, and that the Committee formerly appointed to lay out the Towns for the Narraganset Souldiers be a Committee to Lay out the Land above granted, and that the Province be att the charge of laying out the Same but not of any Subdivitions to any perticular persons.
"Sent up for concurrence, J. QUINCY, Speaker.
" In Council June 9 1732. Read and Concured J WILLARD Seer'y.
" April 20 1733 Consented to J BELCHER."
" In the House of Representatives, June 30, 1732. Read and Ordered' that the prayer of the Petitioners be granted, and that Majr Chandler, Mr. Edward Shove, Colll Thomas Tillston, Mr. John Hobson, and Mr. Sam]] Chandler, or any three of them, be a Committee fully Authorized and Im- powered to Survey and lay out five more Tracts of land for Townships of the contents of Six miles Square each, in Some of the unappropriated Lands of this Province, and that the said Lands, together with the Two towns be- fore granted, be granted and disposed of to the Officers and Souldiers who wear in the Narraganset war, or to their Lawfull Representatives as they are and have been Allowed by this Court, being Eight hundred and fourty in number in the whole. And is in full Satisfaction of the Grant formerly made by the General Court as a reward for their Publick Services. And the Grantees shall be obliged to Assemble within as short a time as they Can Conveniently, not Exceeding the Space of Two months, and proceed to the Choyce of Committees respectively to Regulate Each propriety or Town- ship which is to be held and Injoyed by one hundred and Twenty of the Grantees Each and in equeal proportion, who Shall pass such Orders and Rules as will effectually oblige them To Setle Sixty Families att least in each Township with a Learned Orthodox Minister within the Space of
49
DIVISION OF NARRAGANSETT GRANTEES.
Seven years from the Date of this Grant; Provided always, that if the said Grantees Shall not Effectually Settle the said number of families in Each Township and also, lay out a Lott for the first Settled Minister, one for the Ministry, and one for the Schoole In Each of the said Townships, They shall have no advantage of but forfit their Respective Grants, anything to the Contrerary Contained notwithstanding. The Charge of the Survey to be paid by the Province.
" Sent up for Concurrence J QUINCY Speaker
" In Council. July 4, 1732. Read and concured. J. WILLARD Secr'y.
"April 26, 1733. Consented to. J. BELCHER."
Thus it was, at the expiration of nearly six years after the Narragansett soldiers and their proper representatives first pre- sented their claims to the provincial government, asking for grants of land in accordance with the promise made to them in good faith, as they believed, that those claims were allowed and their prayer answered.
Assignment of Townships. And now, having come into legal possession of the several townships conveyed and confirmed to them (though some of those townships had not yet been located), it was in order for the grantees to adopt, at their earliest convenience, such measures as were calculated to secure the fulfillment of the conditions on which their petitions had been granted. To this end, their standing committee con- vened on the very day upon which the governor affixed his sig- nature to the last order of the general court, and, in connection with other less important items of business,
"Voted, that Samuel Kneeland [the clerk] make Seven Devisions of the Narraganset Grantees, each Devision to contain one hundred and twenty of the said Grantees and to place the said one hundred and twenty of each Devision as near as he can together.
"Voted, that he git all the Votes and Orders of the General Court relating to ye seven Townships granted to the Narraganset Soldiers, for Direction to this Committee's calling a Proprietors meeting.
"Voted, that NathI Goodwin, Jonathan Williams, and Samuel Kneeland, draw up an Adverst for calling a Proprietors' Meeting sd Adverst to be laid before the Committee for there Apribation at there next meeting."
At that meeting, held May 3d, the advertisement was pre- sented and approved, and Samuel Kneeland was directed to have it printed and sent to the several towns in which the grantees lived. He was also directed "to write a list of the grantees of each Town and send with the Adverts."
At a meeting of the committee, held May 31st, it was
" Voted, That Samuel Kneeland wright a list for each Township granted according to the Devision now made by the Commitee, in order to Di- vide the Grantees into seven Society's at their Aproaching meeting, the Said list to [be] laid before the Grantees for their Apribation."
The advertisement provided for in one of the preceding votes was sent as directed to the various towns of the province in which the grantees resided. It called for a meeting of the whole body on Boston Common the sixth day of the follow-
4
50
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER, MASS.
ing June. In pursuance thereof, the grantees assembled at that date. Before any business was transacted, the standing committee gave up "their Votes, the Account of their meet- ings, the lists, papers etc. by their Clark to the Grantees." The following report of the proceedings on that occasion is taken from the original records of the clerk, now in possession of Charles H. Campbell, Esq., of Nashua, N. H., the larger part of which was copied into the first book of the proprietors of Narragansett No. 2:
" Boston June 6, 1733. At a meeting of the Narraganset Grantees or the Narraganset Soldiers mett by an Advert from their Commitee Impowered to call Said Meeting by the Vote of sd Grantees upon Sept. 1, 1731.
"Voted, that Conll Thomas Toylston be Moderator of this meeting.
" T'oted, that Samuel Kneeland be Clark to the Grantees at this meeting.
"Voted, that their be a Committee chosen to examine the late Committee's accounts and all the former accounts.
"L'oted, that there be of this Committee Vizt Con! Benjamin Prescott Esq. John Richardson Esq. & Capt Joseph Ruggles be this Comtee.
" Adjourned at 2 O'Clock to meet in the Common of ye Towne of Boston." "Two o'Clock in the afternoon. Att a meeting of the Narraganset Grantees mett by ajournment in the Common of the Town of Boston.
"Voted. that the Grantees Allowed by the General Court amounting to the number of Eight hundred and fourty in the whole be Devided into Seven Distinct Societys, each Society Consist of One hundred and twenty of the said Grantees which society shall be Intituled to One of ye Town- ships granted to the Narraganset Soldiers, &c."
The meeting then proceeded to make the division indicated by this vote, naming the towns to which the members of each society belonged, and appointing committees to have charge of the affairs of each society, respectively. The method of pro- cedure is shown by an extract from the records, pertaining directly to the purpose and character of the present work :
"Voted, that one of the said Societys shall Consist mostly of the Proprie- tors belonging to the Towns of Cambridge, Charlestown, Watertown, Wes- town, Sudbury, Newtown, Medford, Maulding, Reding.
"Toted, that Mr. John Cutting of Watertown, Mr. James Lowden of Charlestown, and Capt Joseph Bowman of Watertown, be a Committee for the Said Society."
Having constituted the several societies of grantees corre- sponding to the number of townships to be distributed among them, it was thereafter, at the same meetimg,
"T'oted, That each of the Several Committees for the Respective So- cieties now chosen be Directed and Impowered to take a List of the Society for which they are Appointed and Joyne with the other Committees in As- signing the Townships to each Society &c. and also to assemble the Grantees of their Respective Societies to Chuse a Clark and Commitees from time to time to manage and Transact any Affairs that may be thought needfull and make such Rules and Orders as may be Proper and for the benefit of the Society and bringing forward the Settlement of the Township that shall be assigned them, as aforesaid.
"l'oted that all past and the present charges of this meeting be paid by the wholl Society. Adjourned for one day."
51
LAST MEETING OF THE WHOLE BODY.
June 7, 1733. The grantees met at Mr. Luke Verdey's, in Boston, and
"Voted, that ye Report of the Committee Chosen yesterday (to examine ye late Committees accompts and all former accompts) be accepted and the money Due being one hundred and Twenty-nine Pounds, Eleven Shillings and Eight pence be paid accordingly to the Several Persons to whom it is Due.
"Voted, that Deacon Jonathan Williams of Boston be Treasurer of the whole Narraganset Society or grantees, and it is further Ordered and Voted that ye Severial Societys pay their Proportionable part of the One Hundred and Twenty nine Pounds Eleven Shillings and Eight Pence (Due from the whole Society) to Deacon Jonathan Williams of Boston Treasurer and by him to be Repaid to the late Committee to whom it is Due to Discharge said Debt."
"Voted, that Samuel Kneeland be the Clark of the whole Narraganset Society or grantees and that he is Impowered by said Grantees to keep all the Records Papers Resolves and Votes of or belonging to the sd Grantees and that he give coppies to any of the grantees or Others, Attested under his hand, he being under an Oth for a faithful Discharge of his trust.
"Voted, that the Charges of this meeting being Seven pounds ten Shillings and Six pence, be paid by the Severial Societies to the Treasurer in the same method that other Debts are to be paid in."
This appears to have been the last meeting of the whole body of Narragansett grantees ever held. Their interests were duly entrusted to, and all business relating to their affairs was there- after transacted by, the committees appointed to represent the several societies into which they had been divided, and the ac- tion of those committees was, in every instance, regarded as authoritative and final.
By request of Thomas Tilestone and others, committee of the society located in Boston and vicinity, an informal gather- ing of such members of the several committees as could be conveniently reached, was held in that town on the 7th of Sep- tember, when it was decided to call a meeting of all the com- mittees at the house of Mr. Luke Verdey on the 17th of October, next, at nine o'clock in the morning, for the purpose of making the proper assignments of the several townships to the different parties authorized to receive them, and the clerk was directed to issue notifications accordingly. Then adjourned to that date.
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