USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > West Newton > Our church, its history, its buildings, its spirit. The Second Church in Newton, West Newton, 1926 > Part 5
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2. Voted That the use of the Ministerial Pew be set up at Public Sale for the Term of one year from the date & in case the Precinct Standing Committee shall find it necessary to im- prove Sd Pew for the use of a Minister, the person who shall purchase the same, shall relinquish his purchase, & pay only for the time he shall improve sd Pew in propor- tion to the time hired for - and Mr. Nathan Park bid off the same for four Bushel of Indian Corn .-
3. Voted That Mess. Nathanl Greenough & Nathan Park be esteemed meet persons to improve the Pews Nº 12 & the Ministerial Pew the present Year.
4. Voted that 3 Cords of Wood be hereby granted in addition to the 12 Cord of Wood already granted to Mr. William Greenough to be delivered as the aforesd 12 Cord at time & place.
5. Voted to Choose a Committee to join with a Committee of the Church to invite Mr. William Greenough to Settle as a Pastor of the Church in this place & a public Teacher of Religion & then made choice of Alexd Shepard, Nath1 Greenough, Lt. Josiah Fuller for sd. Committee.
6. Voted & Chose Lt. Josiah Fuller, Mr. Jonathan Williams, Mr. William Hoogs for auditing the treasurers accts.
7. Voted that 4 Pew Spots be sold in the 4 back body seats.
8.
Voted that a Committee be appointed to estimate ye quan- tity of ground for 4 Pews in ye back body seats & the value of the same & make report at the adjournment of this Meet&, & then made Choice Alexd Shepard Jun., Col. Nathan Fuller, Lt. Josiah Fuller, Nathan Park, & Capt Sam1 Jenks, Joseph Jackson, & Elisha Severns be sd Comttee.
Voted that this meets be adjourned to the first monday in may next at 2 °Clock P M. at this place
At a Meet& of the Freeholders & other Inhabitants &c met on ye I Monday in May agreeable to adjournment made on the 3d day of April last.
I. Voted that the Sum of Four Thousand pounds be assessed on ye Polls &c to be pd into ye Precinct Treasury on or before the I day of July next
2. Voted that the 7th Article in the Warrant be adjourned to the next meets of the Inhabitants of this precinct. & the meeting was then disolved.
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Dr.
The West Parish of Newton to Nath Greenough*
Cr.
178I
1781
Nov. 9th To 10 Gallons of Wine
6/ £3" 0- =
Nov. 9th By Cash Rec. of Your Treasurer .. . £13"IO
To I Ditto of Port
5
4
By 12 Doz. of Bisquet.
1 0.6
To 4 Doz. Lemmons
5/
HE
o
By 5 Turkys. . I.IO
To 10 lb. Loaf Sugar
I /6
1 5
By 19 1b. Butter . . I. 2.10 .
To 3 Gallons Rum
5/4
By 16 1b. Cheas .
8
4
To 382 1b. Bacon
1/4
By } Bushel Cram"
I. 6
To 2 bunches of Onions
3
To 6 1b. Currants
9
4
6
IO II. 8
To 8 1b. Raisins
I/
8 "
0
I.IO. 5
To 22 Doz. Pipes
3/
7" 6
To Nutmegs & other Spice
1 6
£20.15" I
To 36 1b. Flower
8" 7
To 2} Doz. Eggs
2" 6
To 15 Loaves Bread
To 3 1b. Butter
I 2
3" 6
£14" 5"II
To 6 Tungs &c
14 6
£15" O"
To Sundrys of Col. Fullers Acc.
5 14" 8
£20"15" I
* Caterer's bill for the Installation Services of the first minister of the Church, November 9, 1781
.
. 6 .
To 78 1b. Beaf
6
By 6 Doz. of Eggs
.
By 17 Fouls . . I. 5. 6
To 3 Papers of Tobacco
By Cash in full.
Newton, Nov. 12th, 1781 Errors Excepted N. Greenough
APPENDIX
[IOI ]
THE SECOND CHURCH BOOK
The Deed of the Cemetery of the West Parish Church in Newton
TO ALL PEOPLE to Whom these Presents shall come, I Nathan Fuller of Newton in the County of Middlesex & Com- monwealth of Massachusetts Esquire. Send Greeting, KNOW YE, that I the said Nathan Fuller
In Consideration of the love & Esteem I have for the West Pre- cinct in Newton & also sixpence ... to me in Hand paid before the Delivery hereof, by a Committee of said Precinct.
The Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, Have given, granted, bargained, and sold, and do by these Presents, give, grant, bargain, sell, and convey unto the said Committee. . ...
their Heirs and Assigns forever,
to the sole use and improvement of said Precinct to be improved only as a Burying place for the repository of the Dead in said Precinct one Acre & an half Acre of Land be the same more or less bounded as follows - Viz. Beginning at the Southeasterly corner, then Easterly on Land of Nathaniel Greenough, North- erly & Westerly of land of said Fuller-Southerly on the Town Way-as the Stone Fence round said Tract now standeth. The said Fuller, reserving to himself and his Heirs the Liberty of feed- ing said Tract at all times as there may be occasion with Calves & Sheep only - also reserving the fruit that shall be produced from the Trees now standing on said Tract .- Said Precinct to Maintain the fence on said Town Way.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said granted and bargained unto said Committee for the Use of the Precincts as aforesaid . together with all their Appurtenances, to their the said Precincts use as aforesaid and.
to their Heirs forever.
And I the said Nathan Fuller
for myself, my Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, do hereby Covenant to and with the said Committee & Precinct that at the sealing hereof I am the lawful Owner of said granted Premises, with the Appurtenances, and stand seized thereof in my own proper Right, as a good Estate in Fee Simple, that I have lawful Right to sell the same as aforesaid, that they are free of all En- cumbrances whatever. And further, that I, my Heirs, Executors and Administrators, shall and will warrant and defend said granted Premises . . unto the said Com- mittee & Precincts
their Heirs and Assigns forever, against the Claims of all People.
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APPENDIX
In Witness whereof I the said Nathan Fuller have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this Twenty-fifty Day of September Anno Domini, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty One .
Signed, Sealed and Delivered in Presence of us, Sam1 Jenks Josiah Fuller
Nathan Fuller Middlesex Ss- January 28th 1782 The above-named Nathan Fuller personally appeared and owned this Instrument to be his free Act and Deed before me. John Woodward Just. Pacis
Letter to the Selectmen about an Intended Marriage
Newton November 4th 1782.
Gentlemen:
We the subscribers, are informed that there is an intention of Marriage between Mr. Isaac Williams of this Parish and a cer- tain Vagrant woman by the name of Crosby alias Crosman. .. we are so fully acquainted with her Character as to make it appear to us an indispensible duty, which we owe to this Town .... to ourselves & indeed to humane society .... faithfully to remon- strate against such a marriage which we humbly conceive would be attended with evil consequences to this town, if not to the sacred ordinance of Matrimony.
We therefore humbly pray you Gentlemen, (the Civil Fathers of this Town) would be pleased to use every lawful endeavor in your power to prevent such a marriage ..... and to that end Gentlemen we beg leave to recommend the speedy & immediate removal of this Vagrant Woman to the place to which she be- longeth, if such place may be found, relying on your wisdom to conduct and abilities to execute
We are Gentlemen with unfeigned respect your
To the Gentlemen Selectmen of Newton Friends & very humble Servants
Josiah Fuller Peter Drall
Alex. Shepard Jun'r Joseph Adams Jun'r William Upham Jr.
Joshua Jackson
Sam. Jenk
Nathan Fuller
Daniel Cheney
Daniel Jackson
Sam. Woodward
Joseph Fuller, Jun. .
Phinehas Jackson
Elisha Seaverns
Joseph Adams
Benjamin Prentice
Nathan Parkhurst
Samuel Jackson Jonathan Stone
David Fuller
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THE SECOND CHURCH BOOK
A Letter Concerning the Division of the Town into Two Parishes (About 1778?)
SIR Were you sensible of my feeling, and with what Reluc- tancy I give ye y& trouble it would be a sufficient apology. Nothing but an ardent zeal, faithfully to discharge the trust reposed in me by a respectable No. of the Inhabi- tants of this Town could induce me so often to intrude on yr patience. It is now more than 40 years since the aforesaid Inhabitants and their predecessors first pro- cured preaching by Subscription and for 16 year last past have procured Preaching the whole or part of each year in like manner frequent applications were made to the Town for relief - but as often refused
on application to the Hon. Assembly a Comttee was ap- pointed and after a full & fair hearing on the Spot - re- ported in our favor, but was stoped ..... a New Comttee appointed - which Comttee after a fair hearing reported in our favor - but at this day objections again take place ..... which objections I Wd conceive is confined to this single point whether the line shall run straight or whether there shall be Three Different courses. .. . the former will take in no land subject to a Tax to the Precinct withouy ye consent of ye owners
but about 18 Acres of unimprovd non-resident lands The whole taken in will not (I am almost certain) be 100 Acres. . . The latter will leave out one or More Fami- lies one Mile from the Meetshouse and take in others at Two Miles distance which must pass by those very houses left out to get to sd Meetshouse. it also leaves out 3 of the Petitioners. . from whence I can- not see but my Opponent give the Honble. Assembly all this trouble only for the small Tax on the 18 Acres of Non Residents lands which I am confident never was Taxed 2/ in One Year to the Minister. ..... these naked as they appear are all they hold up to view - but I mis- take if another Tax on the Precinct is not their object ... which they most certainly will obtain if the Bill is not Enacted this session .... Excuse me Sir when wth importunity I beg yr kind assistance in forwards. the progress of the Bill that the oppressive burthens of those Inhabitants may be removed. . . I cannot but sug-
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APPENDIX
gest our unhappy Situation, that we are now to be op- posed by all the Rhetoric & great powers of Majr Fuller not as a party in ye town nor as a Comttee of the town nor as a party Councellor. . . as he says - but I humble conceive it is all Three in one .. . . .. . he says he should not have made any objections now, only as I informed him the Comttee meaning ye Comttee of Newton Col. Hammond agreed to ye Bill which I at that time pre- sentd to him for his approbation ... which I really did meaning the Honble. Comttee of the Assembly whose right alone it was to agree to said Bill ..... poor subter- fuge for giving all this trouble to the Assembly for 2/ Annual income.
In haste can only beg you would pardon my freedom in thus loosely communicating my sentiment .. . .
Method of Raising Minister's Salary
To Mr. Adolphus Smith, collector of taxes for the West Precinct in Newton: Greeting,-
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are required to levy and collect of the several persons named in the list herewith committed unto you each one his respective portion therein set down of the sum total of such list it being four hun- dred and eighty dollars and eighty four cents, granted by the in- habitants of the West Precinct in Newton, at their annual meet- ing in March last, for paying the Rev. William Greenough his salary, and for defraying the contingent charges of the Precinct, the present year, and you are to transmit and pay in the same unto Captain James Fuller, Treasurer of said Precinct or to his successor in that office, and to complete and make up an amount of your collection of the whole sum, on or before the first day of November next; and if any person shall refuse or neglect to pay the sum he is assessed in said list, to distrain the goods or chattels of such person to the value thereof, and the distress is taken to keep for the space of four days at the cost and charge of the owner, and if he shall not pay the sum so assessed, within the said four days, then you are to sell at public vendu the distress so taken for the payment thereof with charges; first giving forty- eight hours notice of such sale by posting up advertisements thereof in some public place in said precinct; and the overplus arising from such sale, if any there be, besides the sum assessed and the necessary charges of taking and keeping the distress, you are immediately to restore to the owner, and for want of goods
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THE SECOND CHURCH BOOK
and chattels, whereon to make distress (besides tools or imple- ments necessary for his trade or occupation, beasts of the plough necessary for his cultivation of his improved lands, arms, utensils for housekeeping necessary for up-holding life, bedding and ap- parel necessary for himself and family) for the space of twelve days, you are to take the body of such person so refusing or neg- lecting, and him commit unto the common gaol of the County, there to remain until he pay the same, or such part thereof as shall not be abated by the assessors for the time being, or the Court of general sessions of the peace for said County. Given under our hands and seals this 12th day of July, A. D. 1828.
Ephraim Jackson ) Jonas Smith }ASSESSORS
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