USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 2
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7
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
plying with the conditions on which they would be granted. * A large number attended the meeting, of whom sixty complied with the condi- tions prescribed and were admitted as grantees." The south bound of township No. 1, was placed at a point on the river four and one half miles and twenty rods north of the southerly end of Merry's meadow (which would be near the present dividing line between Hinsdale and Chesterfield). The north bound of No. 4, was in the upper part of the present town of Charlestown, N. H. The plat of these townships known by the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, was accepted by the General Court, November 30, 1736, and December 13, the following persons were appointed and empowered to call the first meeting of the several proprietors for organization, viz. Samuel Chamberlain, of Westford, for No. 1, (Chesterfield) ; Nathaniel Harris, of Watertown, for No. 2, (Westmoreland); John Flint of Concord, for No. 3, (Walpole) ; Thomas Wells, of Deerfield, for No. 4, (Charlestown).
Thomas Wells, Esq., of Deerfield, having been empowered to call the first meeting of the Grantees of No. 4, records his notification as follows :
Hampshire ss. Deerfield, March 29, 1737.
" Pursuant to the order or authority above granted to me the Sub- scriber, I have caused the grantees or the Proprietors of the Township of Number Four above mentioned to be Notified to meet at the house of Joseph Billings in Hatfield on Tuesday the Fifth of April next at Ten o'Clock in the forenoon by Posting notifications of the Time, place and Occasion of Said Meeting in the Towns of Northampton, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield and Sunderland the Places where the grantees dwell."
This meeting was notified on the petition of Jonathan Wells of Deerfield, and met at the time and place appointed.
Capt. Thomas Wells of Deerfield, was chosen Moderator, and Ben - jamin Dickinson of Hatfield, Proprietors' Clerk; and the following persons viz. Capt. Thomas Wells, Capt. Nathaniel Coleman, Lieut. Joseph Clesson, John Catting,t and Noah Wright were voted commit- tee for the township; whose duty, it should be, as early as convenient, to repair to it, and inspect it, and in the first place, lay out sixty - three house lots, upon upland, in the most defensible manner they
* See History of Northfield, p. 226. For names of the sixty bondsmen and also of the proprietors, see Miscellany.
~ + John Catlin.
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HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
could, agreeably to the order of the General Court, in the place which had been previously selected by the Proprietors, or if on exam- ination, any other location should be adjudged more convenient, it was left discretionary with them to lay them out there. They were then to proceed to divide the meadow and interval lands in the town - ship into one or more divisions " to and amongst the proprietors" as on inspection, they might consider most conducive to their interests ; yet it was left to the direction of the committee either to make a division of the whole of the meadow land, or only a part of it, as they should judge best. The committee were also directed to lay out convenient and necessary highways in the township, and in all the divisions of the lands. They were moreover directed to ascertain convenient places for a corn mill, and saw mill, and make a report of doings in the premises for the confirmation of the proprietors, at their next meeting ; the whole to be done at the charge of the proprietors.
The following method was also adopted for calling subsequent meetings, viz.
" That Five of the proprietors of Said Township, applying themselves to the Clark of Said Proprietors, in their application setting forth the Time, place and Occasion of Said Meeting ; and the clerk Setting up Notifications in the towns of Northampton, Hadley, Hatfield, and Deer- field, Five days at least before the time of Said Meeting ; Setting forth also in the said Notifications, the Time, place, and Occasion of Said Meeting, shall be Sufficient for the calling of a meeting of the Said Proprietors for the future."
The following vote was also passed at this meeting.
" Voted-By the proprietors that they will Choose a Committee to re- quire an account of those persons, that were Entrusted with the money for Carrying on the Petition for the afore Said Township ; and also to Receive from the former Committee an account of their Charge, in viewing the land in Said Township; and their Charge in Laying out and Dividing the same, so far as they proceeded ; and that the said Com- mittee, when the accounts are adjusted, to lay the Same before the Proprietors to pass thereon, at their next meeting.
Voted-That Capt. Israel Williams, Noah Wright, and Nathaniel Kellogg be a Committee for the End afore Said.
The next meeting of the proprietors is thus recorded in the Pro- prietors' Records-page 11.
" At a meeting of the proprietors of the Township No. 4, on the East
9
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
Side of the Connecticut River, at the House of Joseph Billings, in Hat- field, on Tuesday, the 28th of June, Anno Domini, 1737.
1st. Voted-That Capt. Nathaniel Coleman of Hatfield, be Moder- ator of the Proprietors Meeting.
2d. Voted-The whole accompts that hath been past of money expended and Labour done for bringing forward the Settlement of S'd Township.
3d. Voted-That the whole accompts here rendered, in proportion be paid by each man, before he draws his Lotts.
4th. Voted-The sum of fourteen pounds money, be granted to be Improved for Making and cuting a Road, as the direction of the pro- prietors shall be hereafter.
5th. Voted-That Ensign Zach. Field of Northfield, and Orlando Bridgman of Fort Dummer, be a Committee with their Assistants for marking and cuting a Road.
6th. Voted-That each Prop'r shall pay his Proportion of money . agreed upon by the Proprietors, before he draws his lotts.
7th. Voted-That the lots (viz.) No. 14, 15 and 19 to 38, that is not judged in quality, equivolent to other lots, that the Committee that shall hereafter be chosen shall determine how and what Land each one shall have, to make those lots Equivolent to other Lots.
8th. Voted-That they make choice of Joseph Billings, of Hat- field, Proprietor's Treasurer.
9th. Voted-That they allow Nath'l. Dickenson, of Hatfield, three shillings [O. T.] for bringing up the Proprietor's Book.
10th. Voted-That the Several divisions of Lots that are now Laid out, be drawn for by those that have paid their money .*
1. Voted-That the house lots be drawn for.
2d. Voted-That the Meadow lots in the first Division be drawn for.
3. Voted-That the Second Division of Meadow lots be drawn for.
11th. Voted-That the Proprietor's Treasurer shall pay to the Respective Persons Their Several Sums of money that is due to them as their accompts then lay before them.
12th. Voted-That such Proprietors, that have not drawn their Lots, which are left in the hand of the Treasurer, first paying their proportion of past charges, may draw them with calling the Clerk and Treasurer together.
See Miscellany for this drawing.
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HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
13th. Voted-That we will choose a Committee to Confer with men about the building of a Saw Mill and Corn Mill, upon the most easy terms they can.
14th. Voted-Capt. Nath'el Coleman, Ensign, Zach. Field, Noah Wright, Nath'el Kellogg and John Catting be a Committee for the affors'd.
15th. Voted-That we will reconsider the eleventh vote.
16th. Voted-That the former Committee that were chosen to take in accompts, (viz.) Capt. Israell Williams, Nath'el Kellogg, Noah Wright, shall be empowered to give order to the Proprietor's Treas- urer to pay out moneys to the several persons to whom it is due.
17th. Voted-That we employ Nath'el Kellogg, of Hadley, to lay the plan he hath taken and draught of the township No. 4, &c. for the approbation of the general Court's Committee.
18th. Voted-That we accept the return of the Committee, refering to the Laying ont the Lotts and Highways, and Confirm them Agree- able as they are laid in the plan.
19th. Voted-That Joseph Billings' account be allowed for charges that hath arisen by the Proprietors, (viz.) £ 3 3s 10d.
20th. Voted-That the meeting be adjourned to the third Tuesday of October at eight of the clock in the morning.
AN ADJOURNMENT.
At an adjourned meeting on the eighteenth of October, A. Domini 1737 at the House of Joseph Billings in Hatfield.
1st. Voted-That Capt. Nath'el Coleman be one of the Persons with the Clerk and Treasurer, for persons to apply to, to draw their lots, and that either two of the three, shall be sufficient to draw his lott with paying his money.
2d. Voted-To make choice of John Catting to join with Orlando Bridgman, as a committee in behalf of Ensign Zach. Field to view and Mark a rode in the most Convenient Place as they Like Best to S'd Township.
3d. Voted-That this meeting be adjourned to the first Tuesday in January at eight of the Clock in the morning, to the House of Capt. Nathaniel Coleman, of Hatfield, Anno Domini 1737.
AN ADJOURNMENT.
" At an adjourned meeting on the 3d day of January, A. Domini 1737 at the house of Capt. Nathaniel Coleman at Hatfield, Inn- holder &c.
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HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
1st. Voted-That we will chuse a Committee to Prosecute (as the Law Directs) the Law upon Such persons as Refuse and Neglect to pay their just proportion of Past Charges.
2d. Voted-That we choose a Committee to Confer with the Pro- prietors of some of the Neighboring Towns to do their Proportion in Cuting a road to such Townships as they Shall agree to.
3d. Voted-Capt. Thomas Wells, Capt. Nath'el Coleman, Lieut. Joseph Clesson, Dea. William Dickingson, Nath'l Kellogg, John Cat- ting Com'tee men for afores'd Purpose.
4th. Voted-That Nath'el Coleman Shall have too pounds, Ten shillings for providing for the Proprietors.
5th. Voted-That Lieut. John Smith shall have one pound, five shillings for past Charges for the Proprietors.
6th. Voted-The sum of Eight Shillings to Joseph Billing, for past Charges.
The affores'd votes were voted at the affores'd Meeting, as attest,
NATHANIEL COLEMAN, Moderator. A true copy, attest,
BENJ. DICKINSON, Proprietor's Clerk.
The foregoing votes were presented to the Committee of the General Court for Approbation, which were read and approved of by s'd. Com- mittee.
Boston, 28th June, 1738."
WM. DUDLEY.
The next proprietor's meeting was held at the house of Obadiah Dickinson in Hatfield, Nov. 8th, 1739, and was called
1st. To chuse a Proprietors Clerk.
2nd. To take Suitable measures for the encouraging of the building of a Mill or Mills, in sd Township.
3d. To raise money to defray past Charges, and for the building of a Mill or Mills if need be, or otherwise to be disposed of according to the Direction of the proprietors.
4th. To do what may be thought proper in cuting off a Rode to said Township, and for the doing everything else that may be thought Prop- er for the bringing forward the Settlement of the Township.
The notification was signed by Benjamin Dickinson, Proprietors Clerk, and dated at Hadley, Oct. 22, 1739.
At this meeting Thomas Wells, Esq. having been elected Moderator, Major Israel Williams was chosen Proprietors Clerk, and sworn in ac- cordingly, when the following business was transacted.
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HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
It being proposed to said meeting that they would take some Suit- able Measures for the Incouraging the building of Mills in said Town- ship, they thereupon,
Voted-That that matter be refered to the Committee heretofore chosen for said purpose, to do and Transact in that affair agreeable to said vote Chusing a Committee.
Voted-That Thomas Wells, Esq. and Samuel Dickinson of Hadley be aded to sd Committee in the room of Mr. Zachariah Field and Noah Wright, who do not appear to act further in sd affair.
Whereas-The proprietors have been at considerable charge, and Moneys are now due to several persons who have been employed in the Service of said Proprietors, agreeable to your votes, Therefore,
Voted-That they will raise a Rate of two Hundred and Seventy pounds Upon the Proprietors, in order to defray the Same to be paid to the said Proprietors Treasurer.
Voted-That Mr. Israel Williams, Nathaniel Coleman and Nathaniel Kellogg be assesors fourthwith to proportion and assess the aforesaid Sum of Two hundred and Seventy Pounds upon the Proprietors, Each one their due and equal proportion thereof: and when they have per- fected the said assesments, to commit the Same to the person, that Shall be Chosen Collector, who shall forthwith collect the same and pay it to the sd Proprietors Treasurer.
Voted-That Mr. Israel Williams, Nathaniel Coleman, Nathan- iel Kellogg be a Committee to adjust accounts with all persons that have any Challenges upon the Proprietors, who shall and hereby are Impowered to give orders to the sd proprietors Treasurer for the Payment of what upon adjustment shall be due to them for Serv- ice done, and Moneys expended by order of said Proprietors ; the said Treasurer is hereby ordered to pay the same in full discharge thereof.
Voted-That if there be any Surplus remaining in the hands of the Treasurer, after the debts of said Proprietors are paid, it shall be in his hands for the farther orders and Disposal of said Proprietors.
Voted-That Mr. Israel Williams, Nathaniel Coleman, and Nathan- iel Kellogg be a Committee to attend the direction of law for making sale of all such delinquent Proprietors rights of Land, as shall neglect and refuse to pay their part of the affores'd Assessment, as by law limi- ted and required.
Voted-That the Expenses of this Meeting at the house of Mr. Obe- diah Dickinson be paid by the Proprietors of said Township.
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HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
The foregoing votes were passed by the said proprietors in the affore- s'd Meeting. Attest, Thomas Wells, Moderator."
The next meeting is thus recorded in the proprietors record :
" At a Meeting of the Proprietors of No. 4, on the East Side of the Connecticut River, being Legally warned and assembled this 29th day of Sept, 1740.
The Proprietors being informed that by the Determination of his Majesty in Council respecting the Controverted Bounds between the Province of the Massachusetts Bay and New-Hampshire, they are Excluded from the Province of the Massachusetts Bay to which they always Supposed themselves to belong ;
Therefore Unanimously Voted that a Petition be refered to the Kings' Most Excellent Majesty, seting fourth our distressed Estate and praying we may be annexed to the said Massachusetts Province ;
That Thomas Hutchinson, Esq. be Impow'd to present the said petition to his Majesty, and to appear and fully to act for and in be- half of this Town Respecting the Subject matter of said Petition accord- ing to His Diseression.
THOMAS WELLS, Moderator.
Voted-That the charges of this Meeting Amounting to the sum of £2. 11. 0, be paid by the proprietors.
THOMAS WELLS. "
How much had been done previous to this time in preparing No. 4 for settlement cannot now be ascertained. That some money had been expended is certain, but it is equally certain that some of the improve- ments which the proprietors voted to make had not been made. From their petition to his Majesty to be reannexed to Massachusetts, if the proprietors ever heard, no record was made of it. It was of such a na- ture that they could scarcely have had any expectation that it would receive a favorable answer. The exclusion of the township from Massachusetts was a great disappointment to the proprietors, and proved for upward of twenty years an exceedingly prolific source of trouble to the settlers, as from this history will hereafter be seen.
CHAPTER II.
SETTLEMENT OF NO. 4 .- PROVISIONS FOR ITS DEFENCE-THE ANTICIPA- TED WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE BEGINS-DEFENCE OF THE PLACE TILL THE CLOSE OF 1746, WHEN THE SETTLEMENT IS DESERTED FOR THE WINTER.
HE first settlement of No. 4 was made by three brothers, Sam- uel, David, and Stephen Farnsworth in 1740. They were natives of Groton, Massachusetts, but at the time of their re- moval to No. 4, were of Lunenburg. They were soon followed by Isaac Parker and sons, and Obadiah Sartwell from Groton, John Hastings of Hatfield, Moses Willard of Lunenburg and Phineas Stev- ens of Rutland, Massachusetts.
To appreciate the situation of these settlers, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the progress which the country had made at that time. Beginning then, at Boston, at that time as now the principal place in New England, we must not imagine it as containing its tens of thousands of inhabitants, but a taxable population of about eighteen hundred; for this, according to Holmes, was the number it contained in 1742. The same writer puts down the number of its dwelling houses, as seven hundred and nineteen. From this, we shall immedi- ately perceive, that it is not the Boston of our present ideas. In the same year the taxable persons in the county of Worcester, were about three thousand two hundred. The settlement most easily reached, was at Northfield, Massachusetts, which was on the Connecticut river, about forty-five miles below ; for though there were a few inhabi- tants at Upper Ashuelot, now Keene, and Lower Ashuelot, now Swanzey, there was no other way, at the time, of reaching them, ex- cept by way of Fort Dummer.
The nearest settlements within the present limits of New-Hampshire, with the exception of those already mentioned, were on the Merrimac and its branches. These were Penacook, now Concord, Suncook, now Pembroke, Contoocook, now Boscawen, New Hopkinton, now
15
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
Hopkinton, Souhegan East, now Merrimac, Souhegan West, now Amherst. Hollis was also settled under the name of Nissitissit, or the West Parish of Dunstable. West of the Connecticut, there were no settlements in the territory, now included in the State of Vermont, with the exception of Fort Dummer; and on the north, there were none this side of the borders of Canada. No. 4, was, therefore, the most advanced frontier settlement, environed by deep forests on every side, and the most exposed to the enemy in case of a French or Indian war, which, owing to the disturbed relations of France and England, was at any time probable. Indeed it was the apprehension of such a war that had long been the means of restraining emigrations, and preventing the progress of settlements on the Connecticut river, the lands on which were reputed to be exceedingly desirable. But the time at length arrived, when circumstances combined to create suffi- cient motives to induce their occupation, notwithstanding disastrous results had attended nearly all previous settlements on the river.
It has been seen that the township of No. 4, was granted originally by Massachusetts, but that subsequently, by the decision of King George II. it was found to lie within the boundaries of New-Hamp- shire, and that on learning this, the proprietors had petitioned the King to have the township set back again under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. This was in September 1740, and before the next meeting, which was held September 1, 1742, most of the proprietors had disposed of their interests in the township, probably owing to the doubtful character of their titles, at a very cheap rate. Only three of the original proprietors became settlers. These were Captain Phin- eas Stevens, Lieutenant Ephraim Wetherbe and Stephen Farnsworth. A few others held their titles for a while, but eventually disposed of them.
The settlement of the township was very slow, as, in 1744, there were not in it more than nine or ten families. This probably arose not so much from the inability of the proprietors to give sufficient titles to those who might have had a disposition to purchase their lands, as from certain signs which indicated that so far an advanced frontier was not likely for any considerable time to be safe. The French government had already commenced that series of agressions, through deeply laid plans, through which it undoubtedly calculated on ultimately becoming the ruling power upon this continent, and these plans were not only watched with anxiety by the Provinces but by the home government. The state of the times was therefore very
16
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
unsettled, and far from inspiring confidence in those who felt desirous of making for themselves new homes in the wilderness. For, in case of a war with France, there was certain to be in the American Prov- inces, as a necessary appendage, a war with the Indians. And this was generally understood. For though for some years previous the savages had held friendly relations with the inhabitants on our west- ern frontier on the Connecticut river, their character was too well known to allow of the expectation of their continuing their friendly intercourse, while the two nations should be at war. And an Indian war on the frontiers was far more than any other to be dreaded; and of this the people were too well aware to place themselves rashly in a position of immediate exposure to its dangers. Indeed the bare idea of one of their raids, was sufficient to excite in the minds of the set- tlers a degree of consternation seldom if ever experienced in the most terrible scenes of civilized warfare. Their cruelty was prover- bial, and nothing stood in the way of its exercise but their cupidity, which had grown with them to be so engrossing a passion as often to overcome their desire for exterminating their enemies, from the large reward which they hoped to obtain for their ransom. Their charac- ters were a compound of the basest qualities of the native Indian, com- bined with all that they could gather of greater baseness from the Canadian French of that period. The character of the Indian, when truthfully apprehended, can be contemplated with little complacency, when least corrupted by the vices of civilization ; but when affected by and brought under the power of these, it often reaches a point of degradation far below that which is reached by persons in civilized society who are brought under the same influences. It is true that human beings do not often become so demoralized as not to exhibit occasionally, some good and virtuous traits. Thus the tribe of In- dians whose place of rendezvous was in and around St. Francis, who for many years were the scourges of the settlers on the Connecti- cut, though far below the average savage, yet were not wholly defi- cient in qualities which were commendable and which have some- times been seized on, and made prominent to the alleviation of those darker traits in their characters, which it seemed about impossible to contemplate without feeling that they had little title to the appella- tion of human beings. Now with men of such characters roving the wilderness, still cherishing in their most friendly intercourse with the inhabitants, secretly hostile dispositions, and only awaiting fitting op- portunities for manifesting their hostility-making seasons of peace
17
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
only times for gaining knowledge which would be advantageous to them in war in making depredations and securing prisoners ; and moreover with the almost daily expectation that war would break out, who can wonder that the progress in the settlement was no greater ?
No. 4 had been settled only about three years, when it became ap- parent that war could not much longer be deferred, and the inhabitants deemed it wise to adopt measures for their own defence. A meeting was therefore notified on the petition of the following proprietors, viz. David Farnsworth, Moses Willard, Phineas Stevens, Isaac Parker, jun., Obadiah Sartwell, John Avery,* and Charles Holden,t for the purpose of considering the present circumstances of affairs and the danger we are in of being assaulted by an enemy, in case a war should happen between the kingdoms of England and France ; and to consid- er and transact what is proper to be done in respect of building and furnishing a fortification or fortifications in said Township for the de- fence and better security thereof. This meeting was notified by Dr. John Hastings, proprietors' clerk, and was held at the house of John Spafford, jr., Nov. 24, 1743.
At this meeting the erection of the Fort having been decided upon, the following votes relating to the election of committees and other matters essential to the carrying out of their design were passed :
1st. Voted-That John Hastings, Lieut. John Spafford and John Avery be a Committee to take accompts of men's labor at the Fort and to see the Fort completed. (To this Committee John Spafford, jr., and Samuel Farnsworth were subsequently added.)
2nd. Voted-That a Carpenter be allowed 9s., Old Tenor, per day ; each laborer 7s, per day, and a pair of oxen 3s. 6d, per day, old Tenor.
4th. Voted-That the above Committee be Impowered to finish or complete the Fort so far as they shall judge nescessary and convenient.
5th. Voted-That the charge of building the Fort shall be assessed upon, and paid by, the proprietors.
6th. Voted-That the Committee be allowed 5 £. 103. 0, for setting up the house at the North-West corner of the Fort and Completing the same.
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