USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Salisbury > The history of Salisbury, New Hampshire, from date of settlement to the present time > Part 4
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39
STEVENSTOWN.
said Owners shall have a saw mill built fit for sawing and making Boards and other Timber for the use of the settlers there and that the same be put under such a Regulation as shall best serve the interest of the settlement, and that each settler may be served in that Respect on Reasonable Terms; that within four years from said term, each owner of the said shares, shall fell the trees upon three acres of the Land belonging to his share, and within one year more, shall clear and fit the same for mowing or Tillage; that within six years, each of the said owners shall build a house of sixteen feet square or equal thereto on his respective share, and to have two acres of Land more fitted for Tillage or mowing and the said house fitted to live in; that within seven years after the said l'eace, the said owners shall build a meeting house within the said Boundaries, to be placed as aforesaid and finished fit for Public Worship within eight years from said Term, and some Person living in each owner's house there, and that within nine years from said Term, the said owners and settlers there maintain the Preaching of the Gospel, in said house ; that each owner of the said sixty shares Pay to such Person or persons, as shall be appointed by the Major Part of said Owners to receive the same, his proportion of all sums of money from time to time as the said major l'art of the said owners shall determine to be necessary to be paid for the carrying on the said settlement and accomplishing the matters and things aforesaid and what shall be hereinafter men- tioned for the making, Perfecting and finishing the said settlement ; that in laying out the said lotts care be taken to sort them in such a manner as to make the shares as equal as Possible, that the Lots be laid in Ranges, when the land will admit of it and land Left Between the Ranges for highways, of four rods wide and between the Lots of two Rods wide, where the land will admit of it; that a Plan of the whole when so laid out be made at the charge of the said owners and returned to the said Grantors, as soon as may be conveniently Done, at the charge of the said owners; that the seventeen reserved shares be exonerated, acquitted and fully exempted from Paying any charges towards making the said settlement, and not held to the conditions limited to the other shares, nor Liable to l'ay any charge, tax or assess- ment, untill Improved by the Respective owners thereof or any under them; that all white Pine trees fit for making the Royal Navy be and hereby are Preserved & granted to his Majesty, his IIeirs and successors forever, for that Purpose; that if any of the Grantees or owners shall neglect, fail and omit to make and Perfect the said settlement in manner aforesaid according to the true Intent and meaning of the several articles, matters and things herein before mentioned by them to be Done, the said Grantees and owners shall forfeit their Rights, shares and Interest, in the said granted Premises to the Grantors, their heirs and assigns, (saving such of the said owners, as shall have Done and Performed his Part and l'erposion of the said articles, matters and things,) his Respective Rights and share of the said l'remises, and the said Grantors, their Heirs and assigns, may and it shall be lawful for them or any Person or Persons for and in their name and stead to enter into and upon the Rights or share so forfeited, and the same again to seize, take Possession of, and apply to their own use, - Provided that if a war with the Indians should again happen before the expiration of several Limitations of time for the Doing and Per- forming the said matters and things Respectively, then the same term of years to be allowed after that Impediment shall be Removed, and in case any action or suit shall be Bro't against the grantees or owners for the said tract of Land or any Part
40
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
thereof, the said Grantees or owners, or such of them as shall be sued, shall and hereby are obliged to vouch the said Grantors, their heirs or assigns, and they the said Grantors hereby Promise and Ingage that they, their heirs and assigns shall and will at their own cost and charge Defend the respective suit upon our title and Persue the same to final judgment through the whole course of the Law ( if there shall be occasion ) and in case the final judgment in such trial shall be against the Grantors, the Grantees or owners shall recover nothing over in satisfaction of and from the said Grantors, their Executors or administrators, or any of them, and fur- ther it is the true intent and meaning of the Grantors and Grantees of these Presents that in case any of the sixty shares shall be forfeited to the Grantors by default of Performing the Proportion of duty, and making the said settlement as aforesaid, the said Grantors shall oblige those to whom they shall dispose of such shares to do and Perform their Proportion of the articles, matters and things herein enjoined and required of the original Grantees, and in case the said Grantors hold such forfeited Rights to themselves or any of them, they shall do and Perform all their Proportion of duty and part of their proportion of all charges as is herein required of the original Grantees.
Copy of Record,- Attest,
GEORGE JEFFERY, Proprs' Clerk.
Among the grantees are the names of three men who were named in the grant of Bakerstown. They were Elisha Sweatt, James Toppan, and Peter Ayers. It seems that only these three were sufficiently interested in the first grant to desire an inter- est in the same territory under a new name and organization.
NAME.
No name was given the granted township in the conveyance by the Masonian Proprietors, but the grantees with one accord, without formal action, designated it as "Major Stevens-Town," which in the course of time was abbreviated and called -
STEVENSTOWN.
(1749.) Immediately on receiving the grant, Oct. 25, 1749, forty-four of the grantees signed and issued the following -
WARRANT FOR A MEETING.
PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE:
This is to Give Notice to all that have any Right in the new Township or Grant of Land, called Major Stevens-Town, to meet at the House of Capt. John Ladd in Kingston, in s'd Province, Inholder, on Wensday the 6th day of November, 1749,
41
STEVENSTOWN.
at one of the clock in the afternoon to choose a Clerk for the Proprietors of s'd Township or Grant of Land, and to agree how the Meeting of the aboves'd Propri- etors shall be warned or C'alled, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, and to conclude upon and do any thing that may be thought necessary relating to s'd Township or Grant of Land, or for the Interest of the aboves'd Proprietors.
This is by Order and Agreement of us the Subscribers and others, Proprietors of the aboves'd Grant of Land.
As witness our hand, ()ct ye 30, 1749.
[ Signed by Forty Four Grantees.]
FIRST MEETING.
This meeting was held according to the warrant, and Elisha Sweatt was chosen Moderator, and Jedediah Philbrick, Clerk. The records show that the following votes were passed :
l'oted, "That the meetings of the Proprietors of the aboves'd Township or Grant of Land shall be warned or called from time to time, & at all times hereafter by a Com'te, that shall be chosen yearly for that purpose, or until such time as we shall be otherwise enabled by Law, and that the aboves'd Com'te shall warn a meet- ing at any time, upon the request of any Twenty of the s'd Proprietors."
D'oted, "That Elisha Sweatt, Benjamin Stevens, Samuel Fifield, Peter Sanborn, & Jedediah Philbrick shall be a Com'te to warn or call Proprietors' Meetings as aboves'd for the year ensuing."
l'oted, " That we will Lay out the s'd Tract of Land as soon as may be, after the following manner, viz :- In four Divisions, namely - One. Interval Lot to each Right or Share, and also one Home Lot of Sixty acres to each Right or Share, and also one Hundred acre Lot, and one Eighty acre Lot to each Right or Share."
l'oted, "That Lieut. Elisha Sweatt, Peter Sanborn, James Tappan, Henry Morril, Samuel Bean & Tristram Sanborn shall be a Com'te to Lay out the Land as afores'd."
l'oted, "That Jeremy Webster, shall be the Surveyor to assist and join with the s'd Com'te in laying out the Land as aboves'd."
The records of this meeting make no mention of Major Stev- ens, the prime mover in the enterprise to establish a new town in the wilderness. Five days before he had closed his eyes on mortal scenes and was numbered with the dead.
ACTIVITY OF THE GRANTEES.
The grantees were in earnest to commence a settlement. They had but to order by a majority vote, and the work was executed according to the directions. As soon as authority was given, they called their first meeting, on the briefest lawful
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HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
notice. Votes were passed directing the manner of assigning lots, and naming the parties to execute the duty. In two weeks more, on the 22d of November, though the lands were remote from the residence of the body of the grantees, the committee reported that they had laid out the lands as directed. The boundary of each of the four divisions, and of each "Right," is described in full in the Proprietors' records. The situation of each lot may be seen by the map in this volume.
NEW STYLE ADOPTED.
(1751.) This year the British Parliament passed an Act, providing that in the month of September, 1752, eleven days should be dropped from the calendar, in order to conform to the " new style," as established October 5, 1582, by Pope Gregory XIII, to rectify the errors into which the world had been led by disregarding the precession of the equinoxes.
BREAKING GROUND.
(1752.) The next meeting of the Proprietors, of historic im- portance, was held April 23, 1752, at the house of Benjamin Sanborn, in Kingston. At this meeting it was-
l'oted, "To plow twelve acres."
Voted, "To give Mr. John Webster and Mr. Jonathan Greeley Jun'r, the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds, old tenor, for plowing up twelve acres of Land by the 20th of May next ensuing."
l'oted, "To pay on each Right three pounds, old tenor, for to defray charges." Voted, "That the Committee shall make a rate, and commit it to the Collector for the above sum."
Although this is the first act of the Proprietors toward im- proving the soil, land had been previously cleared and plowed by individuals on the grant, as will be seen by a future vote, as well as by the terms of the grant.
( 1753.) The Proprietors this year voted to build four houses, " Stephen Call's house to be one of the number." Mr. Call had been for several years on the land granted, and had erected a suitable dwelling.
43
STEVENSTOWN.
FEAR OF THE INDIANS.
It was about this time, or a little before, that the Indians began to molest the inhabitants of this neighborhood. Some years before they had killed parties in Contoocook and carried others away captives. This year they made sudden and fatal attacks on the settlers and threatened to arrest all further efforts to make a settlement.
The Proprietors sent a guard of five men for the protection of the few families settled there. But this was not sufficient. Jeremiah Webster and others petitioned the Assembly and the Council to provide soldiers to occupy a fort which they had built and to defend the settlers. In response the Assembly sent a small company to guard the settlers, as appears by the record :
A GUARD PROVIDED FOR STEVENSTOWN AS A FRONTIER TOWN.
PROVINCE OF At a special Convention of the members of the General Assembly NEW HAMPR Sat Portsmouth on the 22d day of Augt 1754-in pursuance of an order from his Excellency the Governor, To the Sheriff of sd Province to summon the Members to Meet as on file.
Whereas his Excellency the Governor by his Message of the twenty first Instant takes notice of sundry Hostilities committed upon sundry of his Majesty's subjects at a place called Stevens Town within this Province by Indians ( suppos'd to be of the St Francis Indians ) and that the Inhabitants on the Frontier are much exposed and so put in fear that they stand in need of Protection and help - Therefore it is agreed upon by the members of the House of Representatives that there be the number of sixty men enlisted or Impress'd (and his Excellency is hereby desired to give orders for the enlist'g- Impres'g y't number ) for the protection and defense of the Frontier, not exceeding the space of two months, and that the Allowance for their pay subsistence and amunition be the same as at the latter end of the last Indian War- and in order for a fund therefor it is further agreed that there be so much of the Bills of Credit of ye Intrest of the Twenty five Thousand pounds loan in the hands of the Treasurer borrowing as will be sufficient for the same - and that for the Replacing the same in the Treasury it is further agreed, That there be a tax layd on the Polls and Estates within this Province Agreeable to the last pro- portioned to be payd by the 30th day of December, 1755, and that there shall be a Tax Bill for that end as soon as the Gen'l Assembly shall be in a condition to act in a legislative capacity.
MESHECH WEARE, Speaker.
The chapter on Indian Wars contains a full account of depre- dations, assaults and murders by the Indians in this vicinity.
44
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
ROAD TO COOS.
It was during this year that the route for "a road to Coos" (Northern New Hampshire ) was determined, John Stark being the guide. Zacheus Lovewell, of Dunstable, John Talford, of Chester, and Caleb Page, of Dunbarton, were the committee appointed by the Assembly to execute the work.
(1754.) June 30, voted, "That we will pay five men that have been to guard those that are at s'd Township."
The same party that last year were chosen by the Assembly to mark out a road to Coos were this year sent by the Governor to "explore the country."
(1755.) June 15, voted, "That Jeremy Webster, Esq. Peter Sanborn and Dea Elisha Sweatt are a Committee to enter and record our papers that are on file."
CHARTER ENLARGED.
(1756.) May 15, Jacob Gale, Samuel Fifield, and Peter San- born were chosen a committee to go to Portsmouth, when the Masonian Proprietors held their business meetings, to secure an addition to the charter of the township.
(1757.) Col. Ebenezer Stevens and Capt. Samuel Fifield were a committee for the same purpose.
The object of the amendment was to provide for the sale of such rights as were forfeited by neglect to conform to the con- ditions under which the charter was conferred. Some of the grantees had refused to pay the taxes assessed, even though repeated efforts had been adopted to make collections. The rights of such parties were liable at any time to be forfeited on claim of the original proprietors. It was important for the har- mony of the owners that they have the privilege of purchasing all such interests, to the exclusion of strangers or those who might cause trouble in the new settlement. This committee, it is reasonable to suppose, presented their case in person, as there is no record of any written request or correspondence.
The Masonian Proprietors considered the matter and granted their request, as appears by the accompanying document :
45
STEVENSTOWN.
PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE:
At a meeting of the Proprietors of Lands purchased of John Tufton Mason, Esq. in said Province held at Portsmouth, by adjournment on the 6th day of March 1758 the preamble and resolution following were passed :
Whereas the said Proprietors on the 25th day of October 1749 granted their Right to a certain Tract of Land containing the extent and quantity of six miles square, the Bounds of which are Particularly Set forth in said grant to Ebenezer Stevens, Jedediah Philbrick & others therein named on certain Conditions, Limita- tions and Reservations as may more particularly appear by Reference to said Grant, among which of sd Reservations is this viz. that every one of the sd. Gran- tees, who shall not comply with & Perform the several terms & conditions, accord- ing to the true tenor and meaning of the same, as expressed in the said Grant to the Grantees, as may more fully appear by the said Grant.
And whereas the Grantees have petitioned to the said Proprietors to grant to those of the said Grantees, who shall have performed the said terms and conditions, all such Rights & shares, aforesaid, as are or shall be forfeited to them, the said grantors as aforesd.
Therefore, Voted "That all the said Rights, shares and parts thereof, that are or shall be forfeited to the grantors, for the reasons aforesd, all Rights, Property, Interests and Demand, of the said Grantors, of, in and unto such forfeited Rights and shares, and any and every part thereof, are hereby granted to such of the said grantees as have and shall do, Perform and comply with the terms of said grant to be Determined by the Majority of grantees & disposed of as they shall agree and determine, with this Limitation, that the said grantees cause the same to be settled according to the tenor of the grant, within two years after the Indian wars shall be ended, but in default thereof the same shall Return to the said Proprietors as is declared in said above recited grant.
Copy Examined,
GEO. JEFFERY, Prop. Clerk.
In this as in other transactions the grantees were fortunate, as it kept the full control of affairs within the hands of those having a common interest. Unlike many other townships, Stevenstown had a full title to the soil. She had no claims to adjust, while in the case of many other towns there were long and costly contentions.
RIGHITS OFFERED FOR SALE.
(1759.) At a meeting of the grantees, March 22d, of this year, it was-
l'oted, "To sell three of the most deficient Rights at a publick vendue to the highest bidder, provided the owners of sd deficient Rights do not pay their arrears by the first of July next."
46
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
l'oted, "That Capt. John Webster, of Contoc'k, and those that are inhabitants at Stevenstown shall work as much on the ways in the township as their Rights are in debt to said Society, at two Pounds O. T. per day."
LAND GRANTED TO JOHN WEBSTER.
At the same meeting it was -
Voted, "That Dea Elisha Sweatt, Lieut John Huntoon, and Ephraim Collins are chosen a committee to lay out to Capt John Webster one hundred acres of land that was granted to said Webster."
A month later the committee, acting with the promptness that characterized the grantees, made their report that they had assigned a lot situated and described as follows :
" A certain piece of Land laid out to Capt John Webster of Contoocok, for building a sawmill on that tract of Land called Major Stevens-town, Bounded on the River on Jacob Morrill's land, thence running westerly on sd Morrill's land to the lowermost one hundred acre lot in the third Range, and so running on the easterly side of said one hundred acre lot and so running northerly [ easterly ] to the river, and so running on the river to the first mentioned bound, it containing one hundred acres as it is laid out and bounded, be it more or be it less, reserving a highway four rods wide through the same."
SLOW PROGRESS.
(1762.) There seems to have been some misunderstanding regarding the line between Boscawen and Stevenstown, for we find that Boscawen chose a committee to settle the line and bounds between the two towns.
For a period of eight years, perhaps more, there appears to have been but little progress in Major Stevenstown. A few dwellings were erected, additional settlers came slowly in, and but very limited areas of land were placed under cultivation. The people of Stevenstown had endured many hardships. They had a stubborn soil, mostly covered with a heavy growth of wood. They were in constant fear of the Indians; they had been subjected to great expense in defending their frontier, in building a fort, and in purchasing arms and ammunition. They began to grow discouraged, but not yet did they once propose to abandon the settlement. They resolved to go to the General Assembly for assistance. They petitioned for aid. The Prov-
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STEVENSTOWN.
incial Papers contain a copy of the petition, entitled, "Petition for aid in settling Salisbury," dated June, 1765. The word "Salisbury" was evidently substituted for Stevenstown by the copyist, as Salisbury had no existence until three years later. The petition is here given :
" PETITION FOR AID IN SETTLING SALISBURY." [ STEVENSTOWN.]
To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr Cap General Governor & Com- mander in Chief in and over his Majesties l'rovince of New Hampshire, and to the Honble his Majesties Council and llouse of Representatives in General Court assembled. The Petition of the Proprietors and Settlers of a Tract of Land in the Province aforesd, comonly called Stevens-Town, humbly Sheweth
That the sd Proprietors have been at great expence in settling sd Tract & en- couraging the same and in the late Wars have been at considerable cost to defend the same by Building a fort thereon & paying soldiers to keep the same, even at our own private expense And there are now many familys settled and many more settling. We have also Built a sawmill & are building a grist Mill, & yet there are costly duties to be performed -such as building the Meeting house, settling a Minister &c- And the s'd Petitioners being in no capacity to rais money for the Defraying these & other incidental charges, We therefore Humbly pray that your Excellency & Honours will be pleased to add to our cost & labour that further encouragement to settle the waste lands viz- To make an Act according to your Excellys & Honours Wisdom that will enable the sd Proprietors & settlers to rais moneys for the carrying on their settlement & defraying the Necessary charges that may arise for the future, And so your Petitioners shall as in duty bound ever pray &c
TRUEWORTHY LAD
In behalf & by order of the Proprietors and Settlers June the 12th day 1765
In Council June 20th 1765 Read and ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly
T ATKINSON Jun Secy
PROVINCE OF NEW } In the House of Representatives HAMPSHIRE June zoth 1765
This Petition being read- Voted That the Prayer thereof be granted so far as that the Petitioners have libity to bring in a bill accordingly A CLARKSON Clerk
In Council, Eodem die, Read & Concurr'd.
T ATKINSON Jun Secy.
(1766.) This year the following Act was passed, in compli- ance with the wishes of the proprietors of the several rights in the township:
48
HISTORY OF SALISBURY.
.
An act to Enable the proprietors of a Tract of Land called Stevens Town to raise money to carry on a Settlement thereof & to Enforce the payment by subjecting Proprietors Land to the Payment of the assessment on Each Orig- inal right
Whereas the Grantees of said Tract of Land have applied to the General Assembly representing the necessity of a Law to authorize them to raise money in a [ more ] summary way than agreed, voted by the sd Grantees or Proprietors of said land to build a meeting house, settle a minister, clear highways, build Bridges, and to carry on the other works necessary for the advancing & the more speedy settling said Lands & praying that an act may be formed for that End. And it appearing to serve much to the dispatch of settling said Lands
Be it therefore Enacted by the Governor Council and Assembly that the said Grantees or Proprietors are hereby Enabled & authorized at any of their meetings hereafter to be held, to choose any Officers or persons being Proprietors to do and perform any service necessary to the End aforesd, or assessors or Persons to pro- portion any sum granted to the several rights or shares to make assessments thereof with the names of the proprietors & sum assessed to Each right with an order to the Collector or Collectors to Collect the money and when & to whom to pay it; to appoint a Clerk to make regular Entries & keep proper Entries & records of their proceedings ; a Collector of the sums assessed, or more than one if they see cause, and any other Officer tho' not named which the proprietors shall find necessary or convenient, these officers to be under Oath for the Faithful discharge of their respective Trusts & shall Continue therein until the said Proprietors shall super- sede them by a New Choice and as rights of Land are daily transferred & the pres- ent Owner at any supposd time Cannot be Certainly Long known therefore all assembled it shall be made in the name of the Original Grantee or proprietor, who will always be known by him who holds under him
And when any such Collectors shall have met, assessment made in consequence thereof he shall give notice of the same by Carring an advertisemt thereof to be printed in the New Hampshire Gazette three weeks successively, of the sum assessed on the Original right which is finally subjected to the paymt, where & to whom the money be paid & the time appointed for Completting the Paymt & if the money shall not be sent by the respective Proprietors by the Expiration of Four- teen days after the last of said three weeks, the said Collector shall then advertise the intended sale of so much of the right of Land of theproprietors whose part of said assessment then remains unpaid, setting forth again the sum due the time & The Place propos'd for the sale, which advertizement shall be printed as afores'd & at the Time appointed if the money so due shall not be paid, the Collector or Collec- tors shall proceed to sell by Auction & is hereby authorized to Execute a good Deed or Deeds as the Case shall require of all the Title, Interest or Demand of such Proprietor in & unto such a quantity of any of his Lots as will raise money sufficient to answer the Tax assesssmt with all Incidental Charges.
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