USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Plymouth > History of Plymouth, New Hampshire; vol. I. Narrative--vol. II. Genealogies, Volume I > Part 6
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For many years the proprietors, or at least some of them, claimed that Col. David Hobart had received more than an average value of
57
TOWN BOUNDARIES.
land in the first division in 1763. Finally, Colonel Hobart deeded to the proprietors all the land he received in the second division in 1788, being lots six and seven in the broken range, situated in the west part of the town. This land was sold to Enoch George and Ezekiel Gile for one hundred and six dollars. The deed is dated May 7, 1806. The proceeds were applied to the payment of debts.
A committee consisting of Lieut. Jonathan Robbins and Reuben Hobart, chosen for that purpose, reported in 1809 that one lot of two acres and twenty rods on Hebron River, worth thirty dollars, and the part of great lot No. 3 south of the pond, which was not in Cardigan, estimated at fifty cents per acre, were " all the com- mon land they can find which they view to be worth anything." The small lot on Hebron River was sold to Lieutenant Robbins, and part of lot No. 3 and one hundred acres on the mountain in Hebron were conveyed to Asa Hobart and Elizabeth Hobart, widow of Reuben Hobart, in compensation for their expense in a dispute with the proprietors of Cardigan. This conveyance is dated March 15, 1814, and the same day the propriety was dis- solved. For the purpose of distributing among themselves or of selling the common land, the association of proprietors was con- tinued fifty-one years. From time to time grantees sold their right in the township and were succeeded in the propriety by the purchaser, but the membership of the association was sixty at all times. From the beginning to the end the organization was able and honorable. It cannot be denied that in laying out house lots our worthies trespassed grievously on the borders of Campton, Cockermouth, and Cardigan, but when reminded of the fact they calmly and fairly met the accusation and made ample reparation. And when Cockermouth and Cardigan appropriated land in their domain they defended with vigor and settled every dispute with liberality.
From the beginning Abel Webster was the clerk of the propri- etors until 1781, when he resigned. Samuel Emerson was his successor and was continued in office until the organization was
58
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
dissolved. In this narrative of the grant and of the proceedings of the proprietors a particular mention of the Governor's Farm has been reserved for a separate paragraph.
In nearly all of the townships granted by Gov. Benning Went- worth there was a reservation of five hundred acres for himself. These reservations, generally located in a corner of the township and often adjacent to a river, were called Governor's Farms, and while he lived his title to these lands was not questioned. Gov- ernor Wentworth died Oct. 14, 1770, about three years after he was succeeded in office by his nephew John Wentworth. He had no children, and in his will he conveyed his entire estate to his second wife, Martha Hilton. This disposition of his wealth was a surprise and a disappointment to the Wentworth family. Immediately Gov. John Wentworth declared the title to all the reservations or Governor's Farms to be void. In this proceeding he was sustained by all the council except Peter Livius. By this proceeding the farms were restored to the king's domain and sub- ject to grant by Gov. John Wentworth. In the meantime, through a failure to fulfil the conditions, the charter of several towns in Grafton County had been forfeited, and in a renewal of their charters there was no provision for a Governor's Farm.
In Plymouth Gov. Benning Wentworth, with good judgment, located his farm in the northeast corner of the township. The farm in Campton was located in the southwest corner adjoining Rumney and Plymouth. The history of the two farms is involved. Having been wrested from the estate of Gov. Benning Wentworth, both farms were speedily granted. Isaac Rindge, surveyor-gen- eral of the province, appointed Jotham Cummings a deputy sur- veyor. Mr. Cummings surveyed both farms and returned the minutes and plans to Portsmouth in the spring of 1771. Mr. Rindge reported the surveys to the governor July 8, 1771, and three days later the governor granted both farms to John Atkinson of Newbury, Mass., who sold both grants to Moses Little, then of Newburyport, Mass., and subsequently of Campton. According to the dates of the record, Mr. Atkinson sold the land to Mr. Little
59
TOWN BOUNDARIES.
five days before the grant by the governor. In the progress of events the proprietors of Plymouth laid out lots that extended into both farms, and when reminded of the fact by Mr. Little, the pro- prietors admitted it and expressed a willingness to make repara- tion. On this account the proprietors of Plymouth conveyed to Colonel Little four fifty-acre lots, being Nos. 6, 11, 18, and 19 in the third range south of Newfound Lake.
The Governor's Farm in Haverhill was granted to John Parker of Portsmouth, the farm in Orford to William Simpson, the farm in Rumney to Elias Warner, the farm in Lebanon to William Parker, and the farm in Piermont to Thomas Martyn.
60
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
VI. THE TOWN.
THE charter of Plymouth was a grant of land to the pro- prietors and a grant of town privileges to those who became inhabitants. As stated in another chapter, the proprietors built the first roads, settled a minister, and were active in forwarding the settlement. As soon as the number of inhabitants were suffi- cient a town was organized and the proprietors surrendered the control of public affairs. The town was organized and the first town meeting was held at the house of Stephen Webster July 17, 1766. At this meeting the following town officers were chosen, but no other business was transacted.
Moderator - Stephen Webster.
Town Clerk - Stephen Webster.
Selectmen - Stephen Webster, Lieut. Winthrop Wells, John Wil- loughby.
Constable - David Webster.
Surveyors of Highways - Ebenezer Hartshorn, Capt. Ephraim Wesson. Fence Viewers - Gershom Hobart, Zachariah Parker.
Deer Reeves - Jotham Cummings, Silas Brown. Tythingmen - Capt. David Hobart, James Hobart.
Hog Reeves - Abner Keyes, Stephen Webster Jun. Sealer of Weights and Measures - Gershom Hobart. Auditors - Ebenezer Hartshorn, Abel Webster.
The second meeting soon followed and was held at the house of James Hobart Oct. 16, 1766. Capt. David Hobart was chosen moderator, and the town voted " To raise two pounds and ten shillings in money for the towns use for the present year."
At this meeting the town agreed to assume the contract made by the proprietors for the support of Rev. Nathan Ward.
61
THE TOWN.
The proceedings of other meetings will be found in lists of town officers and in chapters relating to roads, schools, the Revolu- tion, and ecclesiastical affairs.
From 1766 until the Revolution the settlement was happy and prosperous. It was a season of growth and development. The productive meadows on the Pemigewasset and Baker's rivers were under cultivation and yielded bountiful harvests. The clearings on the hillsides were annually enlarged, new houses and barns were erected, and in many instances the acres under tillage or grazing extended to the boundaries of the homestead. The products of fruitful farms supplied the substantial wants of the home and there was an annual surplus of beef, pork, peas, and oats for sale or exchange for other needed commodities.
A church was established and maintained, schools were sup- ported, and the young settlement was beginning to assume the dignity and enjoy the conveniences of a town.
During the French and Indian War, and at the beginning of the administration of Gov. John Wentworth, there were nine regiments of militia in the province. In the organization then existing only a few towns north of the latitude of Charlestown and Concord were included in any regiment. In the meantime new towns were assuming proportions of importance, and the new governor was an enthusiast in military affairs. During his ad- ministration of eight years he added six regiments. The governor at his pleasure appointed and commissioned the officers and named the towns which should constitute a regiment. The record of appointments was held as the private property of the executive and has never been accessible to the public. The only sources of information are the commissions which have been preserved and incidental mention in contemporaneous records.
The six new regiments were numbered ten to fifteen inclusive. The tenth regiment, organized in July, 1771, comprised the towns of Gilmanton, Barnstead, New Durham, Middleton, Wakefield, Wolfeborough, Tuftonborough, Moultonborough, Tamworth, Sand- wich, Meredith, Sanbornton, and the partially organized parish
62
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
now Alton. Joseph Badger of Gilmanton was commissioned colonel.
To complete the organization of Grafton County Governor Wentworth established two additional regiments, extending the militia system over the most populous sections of the county. These were called the eleventh and twelfth regiments. The eleventh included Plymouth, Holderness, Campton, Thornton, Rumney, Cockermouth, Alexandria, and New Chester. The field officers were John Fenton, colonel, David Hobart, lieutenant- colonel, and Jonathan M. Sewall, major, all of Plymouth.
The towns near Connecticut River constituted the twelfth regi- ment, with John Hurd of Haverhill, colonel, Asa Porter of Haverhill, lieutenant-colonel, and William Simpson of Orford, major. In January, 1774, the thirteenth regiment, including Hanover, Lebanon, and other towns in Grafton County, with Plainfield and Cornish in Cheshire County, was organized. It is probable that some of the towns in this regiment originally had been included in the twelfth regiment, and during the Revo- lution the twelfth was enlarged at the expense of the thirteenth. The field officers were Samuel Gilbert of Lyme, colonel, Jonathan Chase of Cornish, lieutenant-colonel, Elisha Payne and Ralph Wheelock, majors. The fourteenth regiment, made up of parts of existing regiments, was organized in January, 1774. Reuben Kidder of New Ipswich was the colonel, and his regiment in- cluded twelve towns in Cheshire and Hillsborough counties. The fifteenth regiment, the last of Governor Wentworth's military creations, was organized in January, 1774. The field officers were Andrew McMillan of Concord, colonel, Thomas Stickney of Concord, lieutenant-colonel, and Benjamin Thompson of Concord, major.
In his love of military affairs, in extending the system, and in perfecting an organization of the regiments, Governor Wentworth unconsciously was training the hardy yeomen for effective service in the Revolution. The organized militia of the province became the disciplined army of the State. In a subsequent chapter it
63
THE TOWN.
will appear that these regiments were accepted as a basis of organi- zation for the Revolution.
Early in the year 1773 the several towns in the province of New Hampshire made a return to the assembly of the number of polls and the value of ratable estates, from which in the month of May a table was prepared by the assembly as a basis for the proportionment of the public taxes. The apportionment of Ply- mouth expressed in a decimal notation was 4.35 upon each 1000, which was the exact proportion of this town in 1891. The State and town had grown with equal pace. The returns from Grafton County in 1773 are presented as an interesting exhibit of the comparative growth of the several towns.
POLLS.
RATABLE ESTATES.
POLLS.
RATABLE ESTATES.
£
Haverhill
76
100
Canaan
19
20
Plymouth
67
90
Cockermouth
20
17
Lebanon
70
85
Lisbon
10
10
Hanover
77
76
Lancaster
12
12
Lyme
61
64
Northumberland
12
12
Orford
46
48
Thornton
18
15
Rumney
36
37
Alexandria
11
9
Piermont
30
28
New Chester
30
30
Bath
27
27
Lyman
6
6
In the autumn of 1773, in response to a requisition of Governor Wentworth, the selectmen of the several towns of the province returned a classified census of the population of the province. A summary of the population of the towns of Grafton County is as follows: -
Haverhill
387
Dorchester
121
Plymouth
345
Cockermouth
107
Hanover
342
Stewartstown
88
Lebanon
295
Thornton
74
Lyme
241
Canaan
62
64
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTHI.
Orford
228
Ellsworth
50
Rumney
192
Northumberland 46
New Chester
179
Wentworth
42
Bath
150
Lancaster
37
Holderness
147
Apthorp
14
Campton
139
The classified return of Plymouth was made by Benjamin Goold, John Willoughby, and Samuel Dearborn, the selectmen for the year, from which it appears that the three hundred and forty-five persons living in Plymouth in the autumn of 1773 were divided as follows: -
Unmarried men 16 to 60 years of age
29
Married men 16 to 60
57
Married women
57
Boys under 16
90
Females unmarried
107
Widows
2
Slaves
3
Men over 60 - no return
Total
345
After the lapse of one hundred and thirty years it is impos- sible to present the names of every one of the three hundred and forty-five persons living in Plymouth in the autumn of 1773. The attempt however is an interesting investigation, and it tests the accuracy of the family registers contained in Volume II.
The following tables furnish the names of the twenty-nine unmarried men from sixteen to sixty years of age, and also the names of the fifty-seven married men from sixteen to sixty years of age. And as " unto the bow the cord is " it will not be doubted that the fifty-seven married women were the wives of the fifty- seven married men whose names are given in the table. That is easy. . In the column for men above sixty years of age there is no return from Plymouth. Gershom Fletcher was over seventy years of age in 1773, and he was at the time a substantial citizen of the town. The omission was either an oversight or an error in the copy. Benjamin Dearborn was sixty in August of that
65
THE TOWN.
year, and it is reasonable to assume that he was counted as one of the married men from sixteen to sixty.
The two widows who were not neglected by the seleetmen in an enumeration of the population were Bridget Snow, who came to Plymouth in widows' weeds, and Miriam Snow, widow of Henry Snow who died in Plymouth. The three slaves were Cisco and Dinah, servants of Col. David Webster, and probably one servant of John Porter, Esq.
The number and names of the children of several of the enu- merated families are not known, and in a few instances never will be ascertained. A record was not made, and knowledge has faded from the traditions of men. In addition to these there were several unmarried females living with their married sisters and other relatives whose names in every instance cannot be aseer- tained. For such reasons the number of boys under sixteen and the number of females unmarried of all ages will not be complete.
MARRIED MEN 16 TO 60.
BOYS UNDER 16.
GIRLS.
1
James Barnes
1
1
2
Elisha Bean
2
3
3
Ebenezer Blodgett
0
0
4
James Blodgett
2
5
5
Solomon Blood
1
1
6
Dr. John Brown
2
5
7
John Brown Jr.
0
0
8
Lieut. Josiah Brown
1
2
9
Silas Brown
10
Capt. Jotham Cummings
3
1
11
Benjamin Dearborn
0
1
12
Samuel Dearborn
2
1
13
Samuel Emerson
4
1
14
Edward Evans
15
Benjamin Goold
1
1
16
William Greenough
0
0
17
Ebenezer Hartshorn
18
James Harvell
19
Gershom Hobart
4
3
VOL. I .- 5
66
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTHI.
MARRIED MEN 16 TO 60.
BOYS UNDER 16.
GIRLS.
20
Capt. James Hobart
1
1
21
Peter Hobart
1
0
22
Col. David Hobart
0
1
23
George Hull
3
1
24
Ephraim Keyes
2
3
25 26
Phineas Lovejoy
1
1
27
Thomas Lucas
0
1
29
Onesipherous Marsh
0
1
Jacob Merrill
4
5
David Nevins
1
2
William Nevins
0
1
Zachariah Parker
0
0
Amos Phillips
4
1
Benjamin Phillips
1
0
Noah Phillips
1
0
Nahum Powers
1
1
Zebediah Richardson
2
1
James Ryan
1
William Simpson
1
2
Edward Taylor
1
1
John Webber
2
0
Rev. Nathan Ward
5
3
Jonas Ward
3
4
Abel Webster
3
4
David Webster
4
0
Stephen Webster
0
1
Stephen Webster Jr.
2
5
Benjamin Wells
0
2
Winthrop Wells
1
3
51 52
Joseph Wheeler
53
Solomon Wheeler
54
Timothy Wheeler
0
0
55
Dr. Abijah Wright
0
0
56
John Willoughby
4
4
57
Dea. Francis Worcester
3
1
Jonas Keyes
3
2
28
Samuel Marsh
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Peter Stearns
THE TOWN.
67
UNMARRIED MEN 16 TO 60 YEARS OF AGE.
Edward Arms
Jeremiah Blodgett Ebenezer Blodgett James Blodgett Joseph Brown John Calef
Ephraim Keyes Ezekiel Keyes Jacob Marsh Thomas McClure John Nevins George Patterson
Benjamin Dearborn Michael Dearborn
Benjamin Snow
Enoch Ward
Peter Dearborn
Abraham Ward
Dr. Peter Emerson
Abel Webster
Noah Hobart Joseph Hull
Amos Webster
Daniel Clough Webster
Nathaniel Hull Samuel Hull
Nathaniel Webster
Paul Wells
Ebenezer Keyes
Daniel Wheeler
68
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
VII. JOHN FENTON.
C COLONEL JOHN FENTON in his opinions and conduct in the early stages of the Revolution is a character for delinea- tion in the history of New Hampshire. As a county official, as a colonel of the eleventh regiment, as a temporary resident, and as the only representative from this town to the assembly of the province, he was a prominent actor in the prelude to the history of Plymouth in the Revolution. He served several campaigns in the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1761, and was commissioned a captain in the Queen's Royal Irish Regiment Feb. 13, 1762. Having served with his regiment about one year, he was retired from active service on reduced pay and resided several years in Boston and Charlestown, Mass. He was taxed in Charlestown in 1771, 1772, and 1773. He was also taxed in 1774, but the tax was abated. In the meantime he filled several temporary appointments under the government and transacted considerable business under powers of attorney from his former comrades in war. The selectmen of Boston in those days were accustomed to invite several gentlemen of distinction from Boston and vicinity to attend them in the annual visitation of the schools. Fenton was honored with an invitation and attended the selectmen in a visitation July 7, 1773.
Previous to the Revolution the King of England owned the unappropriated lands in the American colonies, and in his name and with his consent the governors made grants of townships or defined areas to individuals. Under the authority of a royal proclamation announced in 1763 the governors were authorized to make grants of land to officers and men retired from active
69
JOHN FENTON.
service. In 1764 John Fenton applied to Gov. Benning Went- worth for a tract of land to which, under the terms of the proc- lamation, he was entitled. For reasons unexplained the grant was not made for several years, but was made by Gov. John Wentworth in 1772, and is the subject of a paragraph in a former chapter. In this grant he is described as a resident of Charles- town, Mass. John Fenton married, 1775, Elizabeth Temple. The intention of marriage is recorded in Boston, Sept. 29, 1755. She was a daughter of Capt. Robert and Mehitable (Nelson) Temple. Her father was the grandson of Sir Purbeck Temple of Stanton Bury, England, and her brother John became the eightlı baronet and lived in England. Before he came to New Hampshire Fen- ton bought and sold several tracts of land in Charlestown, and subsequently he still owned a cultivated farm on which the battle of Bunker Hill was fought.
In the organization of Grafton County Gov. John Wentworth expressed his friendship and esteem for John Fenton by appoint- ing him Judge of Probate and Clerk of the Courts. At the same time the governor commissioned him a colonel of the eleventh regiment. Succeeding these substantial preferments Fenton came to Plymouth and remained a considerable part of the time during two years. He bought several rights in the propriety and pur- chased an extensive farm.
The farm was well stocked and well cultivated, and the farm- ing implements were more numerous and expensive than those owned by the other farmers of the town. While under the general supervision of William Simpson, who removed from Orford to Plymouth when appointed sheriff of the county, the land was cultivated on shares by William Tarlton and Amos Thompson. During the two years in which Fenton maintained a nominal residence in this town he divided his time between Plymouth and Portsmouth. In the discharge of official duties, and while building a dwelling-house in this town, he frequently journeyed from Portsmouth to Plymouth, but evidently he pre- ferred the sea breezes, the society and the luxury of a wealthy
70
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTHI.
town to the pure air, the sweet fields, and the homely fare of the settlement. He was taxed upon his land, but he never paid a poll or a personal tax in Plymouth.
In September, 1774, the governor and council assembled at Portsmouth, fearing a hostile demonstration on account of the expected arrival of a cargo of tea consigned to Edward Parry, called upon the justices of the peace of Portsmouth to preserve order in the town. In this proceeding Jolin Fenton is one of the four justices of Portsmouth who responded, and during the same month, as clerk of the court of Grafton County, he prepared a list and included himself among the justices of Grafton County, but the list was made and dated at Portsmouth.
In January, 1774, the voters of Plymouth petitioned the gov- ernor for permission to send a representative to the assembly, and a few months later they preferred a second petition to the same end. Of the later John Fenton was the first signer, and both petitions were signed by a large proportion of the voters of the town.
Ostensibly in answer to these petitions, and probably in an advancement of his plans, the governor included the towns of Plymouth, Orford, and Lyme in the writ of election of an assembly to be convened May 4, 1775. These towns had not been previously represented. Fenton lost no time. A meeting of the freeholders of Plymouth was holden Feb. 17, 1775. At this meeting John Fenton was elected a representative from Plymouth. Israel Morey was elected in Orford and Ebenezer Green in Lyme. The proceedings of the town meeting in Ply- mouth are found in State archives, and also in the New Hamp- shire Gazette, which in this instance compensates for the loss of the town records.
At a meeting of the Freeholders of the town of Plymouth, in said County, on Fryday, the 17th day of February. 1775 :
Voted, Mr. John Willoughby, Moderator.
Voted, That the Honourable Jolin Fenton, Esquire, represent this Town in General Assembly.
71
JOHN FENTON.
Voted, That the following Instructions be given to the Honourable John Fenton, Esquire, as our Representative, and that a copy of the same be forwarded by the Town Clerk to the Printer of the New Hamp- shire Gazette, to be published.
To the Honourable John Fenton, Esquire, Representative for the Town of Plymouth in the County of Grafton :
Sir : We the Freeholders of the Town of Plymouth, being highly im- pressed with the most favourable sentiments of you, from the many eminent services conferred on this County, and the town of Plymouth in particular, since your first acquaintance with us, should think it needless, at any other time than this, to give you instructions respecting your con- duct as our Representative in General Assembly. But when we reflect on the momentous affairs that are now pending between Great Britain and her Colonies, and the imminent danger that threatens them (for we look upon the interest to be mutual) we trust that you will not construe our instructing you to arise from any distrust or want of confidence, but from anxious wish and hearty desire to see the strictest harmony once more established between our parent state and her Colonies, according to their Charter and other rights, as they have been practised from the first accession of the august House of Hanover, to the time of the Stamp Act. We therefore think it our duty to instruct you as our Representative.
First, That you will do everything in your power to preserve the laws of the land inviolate, and by every legal means prevent a diminution of them in every respect whatever ; for should the people either throw them aside, or in any manner disregard them, we apprehend that anarchy and confusion must quickly ensuc.
Secondly, We recommend to you in the strongest terms, to discounte- nance every act of oppression, either as to the persons or properties of individuals, as we look upon such proceedings 'to be highly prejudicial to the common cause, and directly tending to fill the minds of the people with jealousies and distrusts, the bad effects of which must appear obvious to every man of common understanding.
Thirdly, We desire that you will not on any account give up, or in manner suffer a diminution of the rights and privileges we now enjoy, as we live under good and wholesome laws; and,
Fourthly, That you will do the utmost in your power to keep harmony in the House, that the publick affairs of the Province may be discussed with coolness and impartiality ; much depending on such conduct at this
72
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
time of our difficulties; also, that you will endeavor to have the House open, that those out of doors may be acquainted with the debates of their Members, the practice of secrecy heretofore used, tending much to the disquiet of numbers of their constituents.
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