History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire, Part 90

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1200

USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 90
USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 90

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Voted that all former acts and proceedings of the Proprietors, or those esteemed Proprietors, Respect- ing the Divisions of the Lands Contained in the township of Winchester be Ratified and Confirmed,

1 Col. Josiah Willard died December 8, 1750.

562

HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

and be esteemed valid as tho' Now Transacted. Voted that House-Lot No. 6 at the Bow, being a Publiek, be for the first Minister that shall be settled in the ministry in Winchester, together with all ye after Divisions, what have been or may be Granted to sª house and do in anywise belong to Said house- Lot. Voted that House Lott No. 2 at ye Great River, with all after Rigts and divisions to the same apper- taining, be for a Glebe for the Church. Voted that House Lott No. 20 at the Great River, be for the Incorporated Society for Propogating the Gospel in foreign parts. Voted to Give to the Honble Theodore Atkinson, Esq', three hundred acres of the Lands Contained in ye Charter Granted us of the Township of Winchester, and that the Comtee appointed to Complete ye Laying out ye Divisions Granted be impowered to Lay out Said three hundred acres and return a plan to be Recorded.

" Voted, that the Comtee appointed to settle ye Claims of the Grantees be desired to Examine and find out what of Rates formerly Granted & made are yet unpaid and not allow the Claims of such Parsons to be Recorded as are found to have been deficient in ye Payment of said Taxes & Rates, as one ye Claims of Such Lands as the former Claimes and owners thereof are found to have been deficient untill ye Re- speetive Rates be paid. Voted and Chose Major Josiahı Willard & Collo Wm Symes a Comtee To pro- vide a Minister. Voted that any Seven of the Pro- prietors of Winchester Requesting the Proprietors Clarke to Call a meeting, The sª Clarke Posting up a notifycation in Said Winchester for a Meeting of Said Proprietors at Least fourteen Dayes before ye time Specified for Said Meeting Shall be Legal Warning and any Meeting in Consequence of such Warning Shall be a legal Meeting."

At this point the meeting was evidently dis- solved, though the record does not state it.

It ought not to be supposed that, though ab- sent from the settlement during the seven years last preceding the above recorded town-meeting, the proprietors were inactive or neglectful of their interests in the grant. Several meetings were held, evidently at which officers and com- mittees were chosen to protect their interest, as the following shows :

"At a Meeting of the Proprietors of the Towship of

Winchester in ye Province of New Hampshire, held at ye House of Moses Marsh inholder in Hadley on Tuesday the Tenth Day of April 1750 according to Notifycation published in one of ye weekly news Pa- pers agreable to a vote of Sª Proprietors at their last meeting. Voted and Chose Major Josiah Willard Moderator for Sª Meeting. Voted that Major Josiah Willard be desired to take ye Proprietors Book of Records into his care and keep it at his House in Win- chester till ye further order of Sª Proprietors. Voted that the Consideration of ye several articles contained in Sª Notifycation be refered till the Time to which this Meeting Shall be adjourned. Voted that this Meeting be adjourned to Tuesday the Eighth day of May next to be holden at the House of Major Josiah Willard in Winchester at Ten Oclock fore noon then and there to aet upon the above mentioned articles.

"Attest JOSIAH WILLARD Moderator.

"And then met again upon Sª adjournment May 8th 1750 at time and plase. Voted on the second Article and Chose Josiah Willard jr Proprietors Clerk Voted on the 4 and 5 Articles and chose Colonel Josiah Willard, Josiah Willard Jun' Capt William Syms, Let Elias Alexander, Sam1 Ashley and William Willard as a Com- mitte to complete the house Lots at the great River, and all other Divisions that are to lay in sª Township and to lay out highways and to make such alterations as shall be thought needfull and Return Plans of the Same and no Plan to put on Record without four of the Committe Signing sª Plan. Voted on ye 6th Arti- cle, that any five of the Proprietors Requesting a Meeting of the Proprietors in writing sitting forth the articles, the Clerk be Directed to set up a Notifyca- tion insum Publick Place in Said Township, Fourteen Days before Said meeting. Then Voted to Dismiss this meeting.

" JOSIAH WILLARD Moder."

"Hampshire, S. S., Jan'y 18th, 1751.

"Then Major Josiah Willard, Esq., was sworn to the faithful. Discharging of the office of a Proprietors' Clerk of Winchester, to which office he was Chosen by the sd Proprietors at their meeting in May 8th, 1750.

" Before me,

"SETH FIELD, Just. Peace.

" Entered and Examined

" Pr JOSIAHI WILLARD, Props Clerk."

563

WINCHESTER.

"On the 2ª of July, 1753, a petition of Ebenezer Hinsdale, Esq., in behalf of himself & Sundry persons inhabiting at a place called Northfield, lying on the north of the dividing line of the Province of New Hamp' and the Massachusetts Bay, praying that the Petitioners, &c., may be incorporated & invested with town priviledges, &"., & in case such a charter is in- consistent with his Majties Instructions that then the said tract with an adition of his Majtys unappropri- ated lands adjacent thereto, may be granted to the Petitioners, &c., agreeable to his Majties sª Instructions, which petition was read, and also at the same time a letter signed by the Selectmen of that part of North- field aforesaid, that lyes in the Massachusetts Govern- ment, on the South side of the said dividing line sett- ing forth that they were informed that sundry persons were designing to petition for the above said lands lying on the north of the sd dividing Line in which they were also interested, and praying they may be allowed time to petition for the said lands, &c., which the Council took under consideration & passed the following resolve, viz. : that his Excellency be desired to suspend the making any grant of the premises for two months, and that the inhabitants of Northfield that live on the south side of the dividing Line, & in the Massachusetts Government be advised of this resolve by a letter from the Secry that they may, if they see cause, petition for the said lands, & that if they do not, that then & in such case his Excellency be desired to make out charters for the same, agreeable to the above-mentioned petition of the inhabitants on the north side of said dividing Line.

" At a Council, holden at Portsmo, on Saturday, September 1st, 1753. Present,-His Excellency B. Wentworth, Esq., Gov", Henry Sherburne, Esq., John Downing, Esq., Theodore Atkinson, Esg., Sampson Sheaffe, Esq., Richd Wibird, Esq., Daniel Warner, Esq. A petition of the settlers and claimers of land in the north part of Northfield, so-called, who live on the south side of the Province Line, and also the petition of Ebenez" Hinsdale in behalf of himself & others claimers of Land in said Northfield, who live on the north side of the said dividing line as entred the 2ª day of July last, praying for a grant of the said tract of land lying on the North side of the sd dividing Line, agreeable to his Majties Instructions, &c., both of which was read at the Board as was also the king's attorney, & solicitors' opinion relating to these sort of grants, &c., and then his Excellency asked the Coun-

cil weither they would advise him to make out charters of grant for the same in such a manner that the present settlers & claimers may be invested in their rights, as they imagined they held the same before the running the said Province Line, to which the Council did advise and consent, as also that a strip of the King's Land should be added on the west side of the Connecticut River so as to include the farms of Sargeant and South, so-called. At a Council holden at Portsmº, on Wednesday, September 5th, 1753. Present,-Ilis Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq., Governor, Henry Sherburn, Esq., Theodore Atkinson, Esq., Richd Wibird, Esq., Sam1 Smith, Esq., Sampson Sheaffe, Esq., Daniel Warner, Esq. Upon reading the petition of Ebenez" Hinsdale, Esq', praying to have an alteration made in the dividing Line between the towns of Winchester & Hinsdale, for the better accommodating the inhabit- ants of both towns, with respect to the incorporation only, agreeable to the charter of the said townes, to which the Council did agree & consent, and advised his Excellency to grant a charter of Incorporation accordingly, agreeable to a plan exhibited, to begin eighty rods easterly on the Province Line from Con- necticut River, & there to run north by the Needle."

This new grant of September 5, 1753, cut off from the town of Winchester all that por- tion of the original grant of April 4, 1733, lying above the original bounds of Northfield as granted by the province of Massachusetts, or purchased from the Indians in 1672 (the lands of " Messamet") and 1687 (the lands of "Nawlet") that lay between the point of intersection of the north bound of Northfield with this new line, " due north by the needle," commencing at a point eighty rods on the "New Province Line" from the Connecticut River, and said river. It added to Winchester a strip of territory on the southwest corner, from the territory of Northfield, about three and a half miles in width on the new province line, four miles and one hundred and ninety- seven rods in length north, and about one and one-half miles in width at the old Northfield corner on the northeast, which was three and three-fourths miles from the Connecticut River, as originally established by the General Court

564

HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

of Massachusetts, June 21, 1733. This new line served as the base for the survey of the town of Winchester in 1797. This survey is recorded as follows :

"N. 2° W., Eight and one-half miles to Chester- field corner; thence E. 8º S. on Chesterfield line, five miles and ninety rods to Swanzy. On Swanzy and Richmond line Eight and one-fourth miles, South on Warwick, Mass., and Northfield, Mass., W. 10º N. Six and one-fourth miles to Hinsdale corner on the State Line between New Hampshire and Massa- chusetts."

This survey includes that portion of Rox- bury, or Gardiner's Canada (now Warwick, Mass.), that lay above the new province line in 1753, and was, by the express terms of Win- chester's grant of that, included in said Win- chester's territory. This strip was two and one-half miles in length on the province line, and two miles and fifty-two rods on the Rich- mond line, the north bound being parallel with the province line.

Hinsdale was thus established September 5, 1753, partly from the old Northfield grant above the province line, and only in small part, whilst much the larger part was from the territory of Winchester,-territory that had been granted to her in 1733 by Massachusetts, and again in 1753 by New Hampshire. No formal action seems to have been taken by the proprietors or freeholders of Winchester in regard to this loss of or addition to her terri- tory, all the records of her town or pro- prietors' meetings being silent upon the subject.

Having had her boundaries adjusted and her vested rights recognized by New Hamp- shire, her citizens immediately applied them- selves to the reconstruction of their dwellings, clearing new fields and improving the means of communication with each other and with the outside settlements.

At their annual meeting held on Tuesday, the 5th day of March, Anno Domini, 1754, they voted " to raise the sum of seventy-five pounds, New Tenor, to defray ye charge of ye Ensuing

year, to Pay for Preaching. Voted, that ye Seventy-five pounds, New Tenor, Raised at our Meeting Last august, be Laid out in Mending highways, and the same allowance for Men and Teams as was then Voted them at Sa meeting, and that there be a Rate made by it Self for the Sa Sum." The sum voted to be paid for work on the highways, August 21, 1753, was " Four shillings and sixpence to a Man p' Day, and two Shillings for a yoke of oxen per Day." They also voted at a meeting held at the house of Major Josiah Willard, on April 22, 1754, to " Build a meeting-house, forty-four feet long, thirty-four feet wide and twenty feet posts, and to set the Meeting-house where it was before, upon the same hill ; and they chose Major Jo- siah Willard, Colonel William Syms; Lieu' Simon Willard, Ebenezer Alexander, Sam1 Ashley, a Comtee to build the Meeting-house." No decisive action was taken under this vote, and the settlers remained without a meeting- house till 1760, when, at their annual meeting, held at the house of Col. Josiah Willard, March 4, 1760, they voted again " to Build a Meeting- house, forty-four feet in length and Thirty-four feet in Bredth, and Twenty feet between joynts," " and to be shingled and Inclosed be- fore the next winter." They then chose Colonel Josiah Willard, Esq., Colonel William Symes and Lieutenant Samuel Ashley a committee to do the same. The committee evidently im- mediately proceeded to carry into effect the vote of the town, and to a certain extent ac- complished their purpose, for the notification of the annual meeting of March 3, 1761, warns "all the freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Town of Winchester, duely qualified to vote in Town affairs, to Meet at the Meeting-house in Said Winchester," ete. This building was never fully completed, and was abandoned in 1795 for the building which now stands in our public square, and is occupied in part by the town as a town hall, and in part for religious purposes by the Universalist Church. Till 1764 all the officers chosen by the proprietors, and

565

WINCHESTER.

at the different town-meetings, were, and were obliged to be, members of the Orthodox Church, else they could not be qualified to perform their official duties ; but at a town-meeting held on the 6th of March, 1764, the right of men to hold office in Winchester regardless of creed was recognized ; for the warrant under which this meeting was held reads :

" PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

"To Reuben Alexander, Constable for the Town of Winchester, in the Province of New Hampshire, Greeting :- In His Majesty's Name you are hereby required forthwith to warne all the freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Town of Winchester to meet at the Meeting-House in Sª Town of Winchester on Tuesday, the Sixth day of March next, at Ten of the Clock in the forenoon, to Chose Town Officers of All Denominations, to serve the Town this present year. .

" JOSIAH WILLARD, " SAMUEL ASHLEY, " NATH'L ROCKWOOD,

Selectmen of Winchester."

At this meeting Colonel Josiah Willard was chosen moderator ; Nathaniel Rockwood, town clerk ; Colonel Josiah Willard, Esq., Lieuten- ant Samnel Ashley and John Gould, selectmen and assessors; Colonel Josiah Willard, town treasurer ; Samson Willard, constable ; Joseph Dodge, Samson Willard and Hilkiah Grout, surveyors of highways; Ensign Ebenezer Alexander, tithingman ; William Temple, John Peirce and Nathaniel Brown Dodge, fence-view- ers ; John Gould, deer-reeve ; Reuben Alexan- der and Isaac Temple, hog-reeves ; Ensign Ebenezer Alexander to take care of meeting- house ; all of whom were on the same day sworn " to the faithful discharge of their several offices. Before Josiah Willard, Justice of Peace." From the date of this meeting to the present time a man's religious belief or want of belief has not been made a critical test as to his fitness to serve the town of Winchester in an official capacity.

Up to this date, from November 12, 1736, when the Rev. Joseph Ashley was settled as a

minister of the gospel by vote of the proprie- tors, and for many succeeding years, the minis- ter was chosen by a direct vote in open town- meetings, and their compensation provided for by general taxation, in the same manner as other town expenses. In fact, the " minister " was one of the town officials.

It was not till 1770 that the town found it- self able or in a situation to require a division of its school money, or the establishment of school districts in different sections of the town ; but this year a school was established near the meeting-house, one near Echobod Franklin's, and the other near where Mirey Brook road comes into the Country road, " Each District to Draw their own Proportion of money Granted for Schooling if laid out in Schooling. The Neighbourhood of Capt Samuel Smith was also allowed to draw their proportion of money if they will lay it ont in schooling ; Granted for schooling." " If these Parties do not lay out their money in schooling, they shall pay it to party or parties that do keep," was the vote, and "Twenty pounds, Lawful money," were appropriated for the support of schools, and John Gould, Ebenezer Alexander and Captain Samnel Smith were chosen a committee to " Transact the whole Business of the Schools." The first representative to the General Assembly of New Hampshire, which was convened at Portsmouth, May 22, 1771, was chosen in the person of Colonel Josiah Willard, Esq., at a meeting of the freeholders held on May 20, 1771. Colonel William Ashley was the next representative, and he was elected in 1774. In this year was also established the practice of exempting from the payment of poll-tax per- sons of seventy years of age and upwards.

Winchester bore zealously and generously all the burdens that fell to her share of the expen- ses of the Revolution and its war. She com- menced her active support of the Continental Congress by a vote, on September 19, 1774, directing that " Two pounds be taken out of the Treasury," and to be used " for the support of

566

HISTORY OF CHESHIRE COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

the Delegates that are gone to Philadelphia." On the 12th of May, 1775, Captain Samuel Smith, Ensign Reuben Alexander, Nehemiah Honghton, Philip Goss, Jeremiah Pratt and John Alexander were chosen a Committee of Inspection. This committee was chosen under an article in the warrant,-" To see if the town would provide a convenient stock of powder and lead." Article 2 in the warrant for a meeting held Monday, June 1, 1775, reads,- "To see if the people will concur with what our Provincial Congress has done in bearing our proportion of money in the support of the war," and the vote was "to pay the two thou- sand men agreable to the Congress, and to comply with what they have done."

On the 7th of September, 1775, the se- lectmen, Reuben Alexander, Joseph Stowel and Nehemiah Houghton, issued a public re- quest, directed to John Stearns, one of the constables, in the following language :

" Whereas, as the Provincial Congress has re- quired us to take an exact account of the fire-arms and powder that belongs to the town, wee therefore desire that each man would return the same to us."

At a meeting held on the 12th day of De- cember, 1775, " Col. Samuel Ashley was chosen to represent the said Town of Winchester in general Congress, to be holden at Exeter on the 21st Day of December, 1775, and for the year insuing," and voted that he be instructed to do what is set forth in the warrant, viz. : Article 2d,-

" To Elect one person having a Real Estate of the Value of two hundred Pounds, Lawful money, in this Colony, to Represent them in general Congress, to be held at Exeter on the Twenty-first day of De- cember Next, at three of the Clock in the afternoon, and to impower such Representative for the Term of one year. Their first meeting to Transaet Such Busi- ness & Pursue Such measures as they may Judge Necessary for the publiek good, and in Case there Should be a Recommendation from the Continental Congress that this Colony assume Government in any Perticular Form which will Require a house of Rep- resentatives, that they Resolve themselves into such

a house as the said Continental Congress Shall Rec- ommend, and it is Resolved that no person be allowed a seat in congress who shall, by himself or any person for him, Before the Said Choice, Treat with Liquor any Electors with an apparent View of gaining their votes or afterwards on that account."

This resolution incorporated in this warrant by the selectmen has a very familiar look ; for influencing voters by offers of liquor, money or other prized or valuable considera- tions has been considered one, if not the greatest bane of modern politics. But we can- not otherwise than believe from the above- quoted language that our forefathers were given to the same weaknesses and wickedness as our- selves in this respect, for had not the evil been observed, and its pernicious effects noted, Reuben Alexander, Nehemiah Houghton and Joseph Stowel, as selectmen of Winchester in 1775, would never have resolved against its practice.

The second article in the warrant for the meeting of January 20, 1778, reads,-" To see what method the Town will Come into Respect- ing Raising men to fill up our Cotto in the ('ontinental army."

The third, -- " To see what method the Town will take Respecting the Vote of the House of Representatives, Passed Dec. 17, 1777, of call- ing a free Representation of all the People of this State for the Sole Purpose of Framing and laying a Permanent plan or System for the future Government of This State," and they " voted that the Town will make a Rate to hire our Quotto of men in the Continental Army, and that those that have been in the Service Shall Be alowed out of Sd Rate as much Pr month as we are obliged to give now Pr month," and then "voted to Chuse a Commeetys to transact the business of hiring the above men and to make this Rate." Then "voted that this commety consist of Seven, and Lieut. Nehemiah Houghton, Joseph Stowel, Mr. Enoch Stowel, Lt. Benjamin Willson, Mr. Josiah Stebbins, Capt. Rheuben Alexander and

567

WINCHESTER.

Mr. Abraham Scott were chosen." They also " voted to instruct our Representative to call a free Representation of all the People in this State to Lay a Plan of Government for the future."

On the 6th of April, 1778, they chose Colonel Samuel Ashley as a delegate to sit in the convention at Concord to form a plan of government for the State.

At a meeting held on the 10th day of June, 1778 (which had but two days' notice), they voted "that those men that ingage for the Ser- vise agoing to Rhodisland State Shall be alowed as much per month as the Continental Soldiers, and to be alowed in the Rates in Like man- ner."

On the 8th of July, 1779, the town " voted to raise the five men sent for from our Court for the Continental Service, and two for to go to Rhodisland State," and " to Hire these or the above men as the Continental men was in the year 1778, and the hire to be made into a Rate as was done then."

On the 16th of September, 1779, the town voted on the question of " Excepting the Plan of Government Sent us by the Convention at Concord ; 35 voted in the affirmative and 18 in the negative,"-showing a voting population of fifty-three, which was probably the full vote of the town, as a question of such magnitude as the formation of a permanent State govern- ment, and one involving such questions of utmost moment as renouncing allegiance to one ruler and government, through rebellion, and accept- ing a new form of government and new rulers, establishing a new nation amongst the family of nations, would create such an interest as would be sufficient to cause every person en- dowed with the right of suffrage to exercise that right if it were possible for him to do so.

On June 29, 1780, the town " voted to Hire the Continental men (Now sent for) In the same way and manor as formerly they was Hired, viz. : by a Town Tax," and Mr. Simon Willard, Lieutenant Abraham Scott and Lieu-

tenant John Alexander were chosen " a committe for the Purpose of Hireing Said Continental men." On the 5th of August they " Voted to raise the Beef sent for as our Quoto from our General Court." Also, " that the Selectmen should class the People of the town into classes in order for each class to provide their Quoto of sª Beef." Another requisition for soldiers having been made by Congress, it was " Voted, February 5, 1781, to raise the Continental men sent for by our Court, and to raise the above soldiers By a Rate as formerly, and Mr. Samuel Wright, Lt. Enoch Stowel, Mr. Daniel Smith, Lt. Abraham Scott and Mr. Nath Brown Dodge were chosen a committee for the above purpose." On the 28th day of March, 1781, the town " voted not to join with the State of Vermont." This vote was an answer to a request that had been presented to the voters of Winchester to join with Cornish, Lebanon, Enfield, Dresden, Canaan, Cardigan, Oxford, Lyme, Piermont, Haverhill, Bath, Lyman, Gunthwait, Apthorp, Landaff and Morristown, and form a union with Vermont. These towns, lying on the east side of the Connecticut River, had, on March 11, 1778, petitioned the new State of Vermont to be united with that State. Evidently this reply was not satisfactory to Vermont, for it appears by the fourth article of the warrant for a meeting to be held on April 21, 1781, that Ver- mont sought to exercise jurisdiction over Win- chester notwithstanding her emphatic refusal to join the attempt at union. The article reads,-" To see what notice the town will take of the warrant sent to our Constable from the State of Vermont." The vote was expressed in terse, emphatic language. "Voted not to join the union with Vermont." The towns that did vote to join the Vermont union were Hinsdale, Charlestown, Claremont, Plainfield, Grafton, Lyme, Gunthwait, Surry, Acworth, Newport, Grantham, Dresden, Dorchester, Lan- caster, Gilsum, Lempster, Cornish, Marlow, Hanover, Haverhill, Piermont, Westmoreland, Saville, Cardigan, Lyman, Morristown, Bath,

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire, Part 90

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis Number of Pages: 1200

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1200