USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Taunton > Quarter millinnial celebration of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 4 and 5, 1889 > Part 27
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In March, 1682, the Court divided the cape fishery money as follows: "to Barnstable scoole, twelve pound; to Duxburrow scoole, eight pound: to Rehoboth scoole, fiue pound; to Taunton scoole, three pound: and two pound to Mr. Daniel Smith." (VI Ply. Col. Rec. p. 102.)
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QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
APPENDIX V.
[Page 50.]
The Commission of Gov. Andros from King James II, dated June 3, 1686, may be found in Mass. Hist. Coll. 3d Series, Vol. 7, p. 139. The tax which produced such excitement in the Colon- ies was levied the next January as appears in the following order:
January the 4th 1686.
Ordered: That a single Country Rate of one penny in the pound be levyed & collected in all the late Colonyes and Provinces towards defray- ing the publick charge of this his Majtes Government.
January the 12th 1686.
"Ordered: That the Secretary send the order of Councill of the 4th instant to the Treasurer for Collecting the Rate to his Majtie, and that the Treasurer issue out his Warrants for collecting the same accordingly."
The treasurer at that time was Mr. John Usher.
The letter of Mr. Wilbore to Mr. Usher, referred to in the address has not been found, but it produced the following order from Gov. Andros and his Council.
"Shadrach Wilbore Clerke of the Towne of Taunton being by the Mes- senger brought before this Board and Examined about a scandalous fac- tious and seditious writeing sent from the said Towne to the Treasurer in answer to his Warrt for the publique Rate signed by him as Clerke he owned the same and declared it to be the Act of the Towne.
Ordered That the said Shadrach Wilbore be bound over to answer for the same att the next superior Court to be holden att Bristoll.
And that in reguard Justice Tho. Leonard was present att the Towne meeting when the said writeing was voted and did not hinder the same, that he be suspended from the said Office.
And that the Constables of the said Towne be likewise bound over to answer att the said Court for neglect of their dutyes in not obeying the Treasurers warrant.
And that the Constables and Select Men of the said Towne doe forth- with cause the said warrant to be fully executed. (Meeting held Wednes- day Angust 31st 1687. ")
(State Arch. Vol. 127, p. 59. Council Records Vol. 2. p. 137.)
This order was followed on the same day by a warrant for Wilbore's arrest, as follows ;
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APPENDIX.
To ye Sherriff of ye County of Suffolk. Whereas Shadrach Wilbore, Towne Clerke of Taunton, hath lately in ye name & with ye Consent of ye sd Towne Wrote & published a certain Scandalous factious & Seditious writeing, Therein very mueh Reflecting upon and Contamneing the Laws Authority & Govenmt of this his Mats'y territory & Dominion of New England the sueh writeing upon his Exam- ination before his Excellency in Councill he hath Confessed & Owned; these are therefore in his Mats'y Name to Require & Command yo to take into your Custody ye body of ye said Shadrach Wilbore & him safely keep in his Mats'y Goals untill he shall have answered for ye sd Contempt & MisDemeanor, & be from thence Delivered by due Course of his Mats'y Laws. Whereof fail not & for soe doing this shall be your Warrant Dated in Boston ye 30th day of August 1687.
By Order in Councill.
(Mass. Hist. Coll. 3d Series, Vol. 7, p. 190.)
Mr. Wilbore, after having been awhile in jail at Bristol, the then shire town, wrote this letter and petition to the Governor :
"The humble petition of Shadrach Wilbore, of Taunton, Town Clarke, To his Excellency, Sir Edmond Andrews, Knight Governor-in- Chief of his Majesty's Territory and dominion in New England.
" Humbly sheweth that whereas your petitioner (but as a servant) did in the name, and with the consent of the Town of Taunton (as Towne Clarke) as by virtue of his office judged himself obliged to do, did write a letter to John Usher, Esq., the contents of said letter or writing proving very offensive to authority for which your petitioner is very sorry that he should give any cause of offence to any, either by writing or any other way, for it was not in any way intended by your petitioner either to offend your Excellency or the government his Maj- esty hath set over us, and therefore wherein your petitioner liath offend- ed any person he craveth their pardon, entreating your Excellency to impute the offensiveness of said writing to the ignorance, weakness and unskilfulness of your poor petitioner as to law matters, entreating your Excellency to grant your poor petitioner a gracious pardon as to hon- ourable Court's sentence against him here at Bristol and remit it, or what of it your Excelleney shall think fit, beseeching your Excellency to consider what your poor petitioner hath suffered both at Boston and also here at Bristol, -at Boston his imprisonment there and charges for a release out of prison, and here at Bristol, it being five weeks sinee he was first committed to prison, entreating your Excellency to consider the inability of your poor petitioner and the time of the year (it being very cold for a poor prisoner) and alsoe his low estate and a great family of children (not needful to say the Town of Taunton hath already an- swered the matter then in question) and for the future your petitioner
.
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hopes he shall be more careful what he writes. So craving your pardon for giving your Excellency the trouble of reading these lines, hoping for your Excellency's gracious Answer shall rest your humble petitioner.
SHADRACH WILBORE.
" Bristol the 14th of November, 1687.
[State Arch. Arch. Vol. 127. p. 236.]
In 1689, the town voted to remunerate Mr. Wilbore in these words :
"This 21 day of November, 1689, It was voted and granted to Shad- rach Wilbore, the town Clerk, one hundred acres of land joining to his land at Bareneed, or somewhere thereabout, in consideration of his im- prisonment and suffering, he paying what money is due at that account, which is to say the five and forty shillings which we borrowed of Wiliam Wilbore of Rhode Island. "
APPENDIX W.
(Page 51.)
Province Laws. 1759-60. Ch. 36 .- An act for raising a sum of moncy by lottery, for removing the rocks and shoals in Taunton Great River, and thereby to render the navigation in said river more easy and less hazardous.
Whereas the navigation in Taunton Great River, between (the) Ware Bridge and Rocky Point, is much obstructed and straightened by reason of divers rocks and shoals in said river, and vessels are often sunk by running on the rocks between the said bridge and Rocky Point, to the great prejudice not only of trade in general, but to those particular per- sons who have occasion to transport their lumber and other commodities up and down said river for a market; to the end, therefore, that those obstructions may be removed, and the navigation in said river rendered more easy and less hazardous,-
Be it enacted by the Governour, Council and House of Representa- tives,
(Seet. 1.) That James Williams, Esq(r), Capt. George Willams, Mr. Rob- ert Luscomb and Mr. John Adams, all of Taunton, and Mr. Stephen Burt of Berkley, or any three of them, be and hereby are impowered to set up and carry on one or more lottery or lotteries, amounting in the whole to such a sum as, by drawing or deducting ten percent out of the
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APPENDIX.
same, may raise three hundred and fifty pounds, and no more; and that the said sum of three hundred and fifty pounds, raised by the deduction aforesaid, be, by the persons above named, paid to Messieurs James Walker, Israel Tisdale and Stephen Macomber, a committee appointed for the purposes in this act mentioned, within ten days after the sale of the tickets of said lottery shall be compleated, taking their receipt for the same; or, if the persons first above named shall think fit to raise said sum of three hundred and fifty pounds by more lotteries than one, then the money raised by each lottery, by the deduction aforesaid, shall, within ten days after the tickets of each lottery, respectively, are sold, be paid by them to the committee aforesaid, or the major part of them.
[The other sections of the act are omitted. ]
A copy of the tickets issued is here given :
T Taunton LOTTERY, No One May 1760 HIS Ticket [ No. 1100 ] intitles the Poffeffor to any Prize drawn againft faid Number, in a LOTTERY granted by an Act of the General Court of the Province of the Maf- fachufetts-Bay, April 1760, for removing the Rocks and Shoals in Taunton Great River, and to make the Navigation more eafy and lefs ha- zardous, fubject to no Deduction. E
G: Williams
APPENDIX X.
[Page 52.]
In March 1707 many inhabitants of the northerly part of Taunton, sent a petition to the town to bound them out a "pre- cinck," as follows .
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QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
"We whose names are underwritten, being part of the Inhabitants of Taunton Old Town, and part of Taunton north purchase, being all very sensible of the great difficulty that we are under in living so re- mote from the publick worship of God, and great need of haveing it set- tled amongst us, that so our children and those under our care & charge, as well as ourselves, nay enjoy the meens of grace, and in order theirto, we have this 27th day of novem., 1707, met together, and made choice of George Leonard and Nicholas White, whom we chuse as our agents to act in our behalf in makeing Request to the town to bound us out a pre- sink for the maintenance of a minister; and that, when we have pro- cured a minister to dispence the word of God amongst (us) we might be freed from paying to the minister & Schoolmaster at town, and we do also give our sd. agents full power to do any further act or acts, thing or things, that they shall see needfull to be dun for ye bounding of sd. pre- cink, and procureing an able orthodox minister to be orderly Settled amongst us, whether it be by petitioning to the General court to Settle the bounds of sd. precinck, or by any other way or meens whatsoever; as witness our hands the day and year above written. we further promise, that in case a minister be procured as abovesd., that we will each of us pay our proportion by way of rate for his maintenance, witness our hands, George Leonard, Nicholas White, Thomas Braman, sen., Thomas Stevens, Selvanis Camble, John Hodges, Nathaniell Hodges, Samuell Hodges, Jabez Pratt, Thomas Braman, jun., William Hodges, Robert Tucker, Ephraim Grover, Matthew White, Seth Dorman, Ebenezer Hall, John Caswell, jun., Benjamin Caswell. John Wethierell, Ebenezer Edy, Samuel Brintness, John Caswell, sen., Eliezer Edy, John Cob, Andrew Grover, l'eter Aldrich, Israel Fisher, Thomas Grover, Nathaniel Fisher, Joseph ; Briggs, Benjamin Williams, Nathaniel Harvey, John Briggs, jun., Nicholas Smith, John Newland, William Cob, Benjamin Newland, John Lane, John Briggs, John Skinner."
[State Papers, Vol. CXIII, p. 512. ]
George Leonard and Nicholas White were appointed a Com- mittee to present their request to the town, to whom on March 22, 1708, afterward, Mr. John Wetherell was added by a portion of the subscribers, the significance of which soon appears.
The very next day the committee drew up and sent this peti- tion to the town :
" March ye 23rd, 1708 .- Whereas divers Inhabitants of Taunton north purchase, together with divers of the Inhabitants of Taunton old town- ship, bordering on the north purchase, made choice of we, the subscrib- ers, whome they chose as thare Agents to make request to the town to bound us out a precinct for the maintenance of a minister; we whose
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APPENDIX.
names are underwritten, do therefore, in the behalf of our friends and neighbours, humbly and earnestly desire the town seriously to consider of the vary difficult circumstances that we are under in liveing so remote from the publicque worship of God, that great part of the year we can- not come to meeting; and that we can at no time of the year, without very great difficulty bring allmost any of our children to meeting; so that, if we continue long after this manner, the sowls of our children, and those under our care and charge, will be in danger of perishing for lack of knowledge. for it is Evident from scripture that faith comes by heering, and heering by the word preacht. Tho we are not insencable of our poverty, and great difficulty that we shall thereby meet with in carrying on such a desire, yet, on the other hand, we have caus to be thankfull that our neighbours are generally very forward to promote so good a work ; and our poverty can be no Argument to have our precinck lesened but rather Enlarged. wharefore we Earnestly desire and hope that the town will forward and incorage so good a design, and grant that the mili- tary line may be the bounds of the precinct, which is burt's brook, and from the mouth of sd. brook to the bridge neer william wetherell, and from sd. bridge north Easterly to the north-purchase line; that so we may not have one line for the military, and another for the minister. and, in hopes you will grant ns this our request, we subscribe ourselves your humble petitioners,
GEORGE LEONARD, JOHN WETHERELL, NICHOLAS WHITE."
[State Papers, Vol. CXIII, p. 513.]
The town not inclining to grant the request.
"June 18, 1708 .- At a meeting of some of the subscribers, they gave thare agents Liberty to pertition to the Genl. court for a township."
Accordingly on the 20 Oct., 1708, two of the Committee pre- sented this petition to Gov. Dudley :
"To his Excellency Joseph Dudley, Esquire, Capt .- Generall and Governor-in-chief in and over her majestie's province of the Massachu- setts bay in New England; And to the Honored councill and Representa- tives now convened in Generall Court this 20 day of October, 1708.
"The humble petition of Diverse of the Inhabitants of Taunton North purchase, humbly sheweth that sd. Inhabitants being very sensi- ble of the great difficulty they are now under in living so remote front the publick worship of God, and the great need of having it settled amongst them, that so their children, and those under their care and charge, as well as themselves, may Injoy the meens of Grace, They
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QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
make choice of us the subscribers, to be their agents, to make known their desire to the town of Taunton to have a precinct bounded out to them for their maintenance of a minister to dispence the word of God among them: and also to petition the Generall Court to settle the bounds of sd. precinct; and also to procure an able orthodox minister to be order- ly settled among them, as they appear by a writeing under their hands, dated November the 27th, 1707, and also on the 23d of march, 1708; by which writing they also promise to pay their proportion by way of rate for the maintenance of said minister provided as abovesd. In persne- ance of sd. power and trust commited to us, we have communicated this matter to the town of Taunton, at a town meeting; and although we have great Incoragement that the most considerable Leading men will be and are for it, yet there is some few that do hesitate about the bounds That we desire for sd. precinct; so that hetherto nothing of that nature is finished. and seeing our young ones increase and grow up apace, and that the Lord hath in marcy (as we hope it is in marcy) so inclined the hearts of our neighbors to earnestly to desire and seek after this thing, we therefore, the subscribers as agents for and in the behalf of sd. In- habitants, do humbly pray this Generall Court to grant this our humble petition, and the bounds of said precinct which we desire is, the line or bounds of the military company called the North purchase company may be the bounds of the said precinct, which is a brook called burt's brook, and from the month of said brook to wennaconnit bridge, and from sd. bridge north-easterd to the North-purchase line, but leaveing out of sd. precinct all the Inhabitants in the North purchase that com- monly go to Bridgewater meeting, who live on the Estardly side of the rhode that Leeadeth from winnacunnit to the bay,-for they in time hope to be a precinct with part of Bridgewater, which we shall not op- pose-but taking into sd. precinct all belonging to Taunton old Town- ship within the bounds above mentioned, but if all the North purchase ware Enexed to Taunton for the present, we think it woald be best for the manageing of public concerns ; ouly that the lands within the bounds settled and agreed on between the propriators of Taunton North pur- chase and thair neighbors, on all parts, be confirmed to said proprie- tors, and the abovesaid precinct settled for the maintenance of the min- istry in said precinct, and we farther pray that this honored court would also appoint a committee to order where the meeting-house should be sett. all which, if this honored court please to grant, your humble peti- tioners shall, as in duty they are bound, ever pray.
GEORGE LEONARD, { Agents for and in the be- NICHOLAS WHITE, S half of said Inhabitants.
[State Papers, Vol. CXIII, p. 510. ]
On this petition the General Court made this order :
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APPENDIX.
"22 Octo., 1708-Read in Council; and Ordered, that the Selectmen of Taunton be served with a copy of this Peton., and heard thereupon before this Court upon the second Tuesday of the next Session of ye sd. Court, if anything they have to say why the prayer of the within Peti- tion should not be granted."
ISA. ADDINGTON, Secry.
[General-Court Records, Vol. VIII, p. 391. ]
The service of this petition on the town led to a town meet- ing as follows :
Taunton, Feb. ye first day, 1708-9 .- Whereas ye selectmen of our town was served with a coppy of ye North purchas and South purchas petitions, and they caused ye town to meet together this day, and Read thayr petitions in ye town-meating, when matters was fairly debated; and there being many men of many minds, so that nothing was con- cluded on, only some persons would have ye selectmen to take thayr time, and write ye Court an answer.
So the assembly ware dismissed.
"JOHN WILBORE, Town Clerk."
This inaction naturally called for another meeting, thus stated:
" At a Legall Town-meeting, warned and held at Taunton publick meeting-house, the 22 day of February, 1708-9, It was voted that the town doth Impower the present selectmen to make return to the Gen- erall Court in answer to the petitions of the north and south purchasers.
" A true coppy transcribed by me,
" JOHN WILBORE, Town Clerk."
(State Papers, Vol. XI, p. 297-8.)
The Selectmen thereupon, in behalf of the town sent in this remonstrance :
"To his Excellency Joseph Dudley, Esquire, Captain-Generall, Gov- ernor-in-chief in and over her majestie's Provence of the Massachusetts bay, and the rest of the honorable Councill and Representatives Con- vened in General Court, May the 25, 1709, humbly Sheweth ;-
" That whereas the Honoured Court sent to the Selectmen of Taun- ton to show their reasons (if any they have) why Taunton North pur- chase and South Purchase should not have their prayer granted,-
" In answer whereunto, we say, that although it hath pleased God to Increase our numbers,-which, we hope, is in mercy,-yet must say, that, through the providence of God, a great many are so extream poor, and rates and taxes so high, that we find it hard and difficult to rub
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QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
along; and the Generality of the North purchase are so poor, that we ffear they will not be able to build a meeting-house and to maintain a minister. " [This relates to the South purchase, for which see hereafter.]
" But as for the North Purchase, we think it better ffor them to be a Township than a precinct.
" This is our last and finall answer, uppon mature concideration.
ISRAEL THRASHER, ) JOHN SPUR, ) Selectmen )
)
EZRA DEAN, )
! A
"We whose names are underwritten are of the same mind with those above,-" Thomas Leonard, Henry Hodges, Samuel Deane, Seth Williams, Joseph Williams. " . [State Papers, Vol. CXIII, p. 514.]
The Committee for the petitioners were not backward to strengthen their original petition by another in these words :
"To his Excellency, Joseph Dudley, Esquire, &c., 25 day of May, 1709.
" Whereas we, the subscribers, ageints for and in the behalff of divers of the Inhabitants of Taunton north purchase, and divers of the inhabitants of Taunton old Township, belonging to the north purchase millatary company, have petitioned this Honoured Court to bound said Inhabitants a precinct for the maintenance of a minister; and in said petition, we have not informed the Honoured Court how far said inhab- itants dwell from Taunton meeting-house; these are tharefore, to In- form this Honoured Court, that Benjamin Newland, Elezer Edy, and Ebenezer Edy. who dwell the nearest to Taunton meeting house of any of sd. Inhabitants, dwell at least five miles and a half from Taunton meeting-house, as neer as can be computed; and william wetherell, Sen., Jolin wetherell, Elezer Fisher, Israle ffisher, Nathaniel fisher, dwell about six miles from sd. meeting-house; and John Austin, John Briggs, junior, william Cob, Nicholas Smith, John Newland, Thomas Stevens, John Hodges, and Richard Briggs, dwell about seven miles from sd. meeting-house; as also Thomas Braman, Robert Tucker, and Nathaniel Hodges and Samuel Hodges, Selvanis Cambell, William hodges, George Leonard, Jolın Briggs, and Joseph Briggs, Dwell about eight miles from sd. meeting-house; and John Lane and John Cob dwell near 9 mile from sd. meeting-house; and petter Aldricli, nicholas white, mathew white, Seth Dorman, John Hall, John Caswell, Benjamin Caswell, and Joseph Elliot, dwell about ten miles from sd. meeting-house. Benjamin williams dwelleth about Eleven mile and a half from sd. meeting-house. All these
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APPENDIX.
abovenamed go to Taunton meeting: but Isaac Shepherd, Thomas Gro- ver, Andrew Grover, Ephriam Grover, Ephraim Sheldon, John Skinner, Samuel Brintnell, dwell farther from Taunton meeting-house than these abovenamed, (so) that they commonly go to wrentham meeting; and they dwell six, seven and eight miles from wrentham meeting. This account is as neer as can be computed without mesuring; as witness our hands.
GEORGE LEONARD. NICHOLAS WHITE. [State Papers, Vol. CXIII, p. 515.]
The controversy grows warmer, and the town proceeds to additional opposition, thus :
"June the first, 1709 .- At a Legall Town meeting, warned and held at Taunton publick meeting-house,
"2. It was put to vote, whether the Town would chuse a committee of five men to give Reasons, in behalf of the Town, to the General Court, why the petition of the North and South purchases should not be granted.
"3. It was voted that the town shall chuse five men to make Return to the Generall Court, and give their reasons why the prayers of the North and South purchasers should not be granted; and the persons then chosen for the committee were Lieut. James Leonard, Thomas Harvey, Ensign Phillip King, Ensign Thomas Gilbert, and Jonathan Padleford." [State Papers, Vol. XI, p. 299.]
This Committee promptly acted by sending in this petition : "To his Excly. Joseph Dudley, Esquire, &c.
"Whereas George Leonard and Nicholas White, as they call them- selves, agents for and in the behalf of divers of the Inhabitants of Taun- ton North purchase, and divers of the Inhabitants of Taunton old Town- ship, preferred a petition to this honored. Court on ye 20th day of Octo- ber, 1708, for the settling a precinct according to certain bounds sett forth in sd. petition; and in Reading sd. petition, in Octo. 22, 1708, this great and Generall Court ordered That the selectmen of Taunton be served with a coppy of sd. petition, and to be heard thereupon, &c., upon ye second Tuesday of the next Session of this Court, If any thing they have to say why the prayer of the petitioners should not be granted; and that the matter may stand In a true Light, we the subscribers, a commit- tee chosen in Taunton, would humbly offer to this honrd. Court, that, when the tract of land was bought (called the North purchase) by the Inhabitants of Taunton, It was designed for a Township by it Self, and not any ways to Damnifie the old township by taking any of the Inhabi- tants thereof then settled, or to be settled to make the purchase a Town- ship or precinct; for, If that may be, our forefathers and some of us layed out our own money miserably to our own wrong, and to the wrong-
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ing of our poor old town. and the petitioners well knew all the sircum- stances before they settled, and their imprudent settling sd. north pur- chase procures these difficulties; for, had they settled in or about the middle of sd. purchase, the people that are now there would have been capable of being a Township, and so to maintain A minister without breaking or harming the old town. and whereas it is Insinuated in sd. petition, that, when they had communicated to the town, They had In- coridgment that the most considerable Leading men would be for it, and as If there were but some few that did hessitate about the bounds; which must needs be some great mistake, or something else; for the town being warned together by the selectmen, upon their being served with a coppy of their petition, to consider that matter (and the south purchase peti- tion) there was such a contention and tumult betwixt the town,-that is, the whole body almost of the town and leading men and petitioners,- that the meeting was dismissed, and nothing done but confusion, and now we come to some few objections against granting the prayer of sd. petition (we humbly hope and fear will doo) upon a due consideration. First, as has been hinted, it is very griveous to and contrary to the minds of the body of the people of the old township,-Excepting some few that are Related and some ways Interested, as things plainly appear to us,- and, If granted, we very much fear will unsettell us in our present settled state. 2ly, we know no part of the old-township Inhabitants but are Equally concerned and obliged to pay to the Reverend Mr. Saml. Dan- forth, our settled minister. Though some may pretend that it is butt an Inconsiderable thing that is desired, we must say it is a great thing; for our charges are almost Intolerable already, and growing Every day. and the line the petitioners speak of would Incompass almost all our mead- ows, for they lye chiefly in that part of the town; and will separate some new houses from their lands, which must needs be a great confusion. 3dly, Sundry of our neighbours of the old Township, which will be In- composed within sd. line, If Granted,-considerable men,-have been with our selectmen, and manifested their great unwillingness to be joyned with the north purchase as a precinct, and offered to us sundry papers signifying that they had been persuaded and imposed upon by some of ye north purchase to joyn with them to petition for a precinct, but they wholly refused; but upon some other considerations, did sign some of these papers and so when they had got their hands and by these tricks the poor subscribers are quite contrary to their minds and Intents. Improve them, as it were deceiptfully, to make them part of the intend- ed precinct; which actions cannot be consistent with the truth and their good promises, but must needs be Displeasing to almighty God. the selectmen not agreeing to make answer to this honrd. Court, the se- lectmen warned a town meeting, June 1st, 1709; and the Town and peti- tioners mett together; and the town chose a commite, which are the
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