USA > Vermont > Windham County > Whitingham > Some facts about the early history of Whitingham, Vermont > Part 4
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for the place to build a meeting house. Said wedth of Rod beginning fifteen rods east of the meeting house place thence running west as the road is now laid to the road that leads through the town North and South." The road that run through the town north and south was the one from Rowe line to Wilmington line, past the dwelling house now owned by Charles S. Goodnow. The road that run to the old com- mon began on Halifax line at the house of Thomas Hunt in what is now known as the Perry Hall pasture; thence southerly past Elijah Allen's, E. J. Corkin's, Geo. H. Burgess' and No. 5 schoolhouse to the center. Jesse Groves lived at the so-called Squire Bliss place lately sold by Wm. O. Barnes to Archie R. Morse. The road was to be three rods wide from Thomas Hunt's to Jesse Groves'. The select- men probably found the center of the town about seven and a half rods southerly from the north- east corner of the Brigham Young lot now owned by Charles E. Putnam, but the place voted among the windfalls must have been near Mrs. Mary E. Morse's, for many years the Baptist
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parsonage. James Reed's house, was the old Higley house, then near where Chas. S. Good- now's barn now is. July 21, 1788, the town voted to raise a tax of two pence on the pound to hire a minister, said tax to be paid in money, "Wheet," "Rey," corn, flax, or "neet" stock to be paid on or before the 25th day of De- cember next, and voted to meet on the sec- ond Monday in September next to clear off a place to build a meeting house. If this land was cleared off, and the tax all paid in so the minister could have a Christmas feast, it would all figure $54.61, but they did not raise so much, as at the meeting when the tax was voted, it was also voted that James Roberts, Esq., Silas Hamilton, Esq., James Angel, Tilson Bar- rows, Roger Edgcomb and all others that bring certificates agreeable to law before said tax is assessed shall be exempted from paying any part thereof.
They chose Amasa Shumway to collect this tax, and it seems he had to force the collection of some taxes, and suits were brought against him, and in one a judgment recovered which the town paid.
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At this time many of the ministers were mem- bers of Congregational Churches and doubtless preached according to that faith, and those per- sons who were members of churches of other denominations, and paid to these churches felt it was a burden which they should not bear to pay to support a state or town church, when they were assisting in supporting one of their own faith and practice ; this is probably the reason of the exemptions mentioned in the vote ; and at dif- ferent times certificates have been recorded, that persons paid and belonged to other churches. July 6, 1795, by vote of 29 to 8 voted to build a house of public worship 40 x 50. To raise £200 in timber boards, shingles and money, the timber boards and shingles to be apportioned by a com- mittee and to be on the ground by July 1, 1796, or forfeit their right to timber &c., and must pay in money in "lue" thereof. Samuel Day, James Roberts and Jabez Foster were the building committee. Voted that persons of every relig- ious denomination have free access to and in said house on any day of the week without obstruction or molestation. This meeting was adjourned to
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September 29 when it was voted that $400 of the £200 be paid on lists of 1795 and the remaining £80 be raised on the list of 1796. Voted that the meeting house be set on the height of land a few rods east of the school house in the center school district. A meeting was held February 1, 1796, to see if the town would vote to reconsider, which, by a vote of 22 to 13 was passed in the negative. They then voted on the question of postponement for one year, which was lost by a vote of 14 to 8, and in 1798 on the question, "Will you build a meeting house?" passed in the nega- tive, so it seems it was supposed they had recon- sidered the whole proceedings of the meeting house, but at a special meeting March 18, 1799, "Voted, unanimously, to build a meeting house : Yeas 41, Nays 2," 45 x 50, on the top of the hill on the common east of the center school house. At the March meeting in 1800 voted that all town meetings in the future shall be warned to be holden at the meeting house. At a meeting June 5 chose James Glass, Samuel Day and Jabez Foster a committee to "supply the house with Preaching the Insuing Year" and voted to ac-
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cept the meeting house. So after all this struggle the first meeting house was builded, underpinned and accepted, yet it was finished, neither on the outside nor inside, pews were not set, yet for the next few years the town voted money, and chose a committee each year to procure preaching.
October 25, 1804, the Congregational Church was organized as follows: "We, the subscribers, Inhabitants of the town of Whitingham being sensible of our obligation to walk together in all the ordinances of the Gospel of Christ, & to be united in fellowship & communion as deciples of our common Lord & Savior, Do now with the advice & assistance of Rev. Messrs Gershom C. Lyman of Marlboro, Resolved Smith of Rowe & Jesse Edson of Halifax, combine togather in the sacred relation of Christian brethren, in the firm belief of the following articles, as the Doc- trines of our religious faith, viz : we believe
There is one only living and true God, exist- ing in 3 persons, the Father, Son & Holy Ghost.
That God is Creator & Governor of all worlds, possessed of all natural & moral perfections in an infinite Degree.
That the Scriptures of the old & New Testa- ment are given by inspiration from God & are the only rule of our faith & practice.
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That God made man upright & holy, placed him under a covenant of works with a promise of life annexed to it in case of his obedience, & a threatening of death if he was disobedient.
That man, being left to his own free will, by transgressing the command of his Maker, fell from his original state of holiness & happiness, & involved himself with all his posterity in guilt and misery.
That fallen Man could never have made satis- faction to the divine law, or restored himself to a state of holiness, or obtained the Divine favour.
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the only mediator between God & Man,-that in order to effect a reconciliation between them, he assumed human nature & became God & man in two different natures & one person forever. That by obeying the Divine law & Suffering its penalty, in man's stead, he hath made atonement for sin, & opened the way for the pardon & sal- vation of sinners, in consistance with the honor of God as the righteous Governor of the world.
We believe that those who partake of the sav- ing benefit of Christ's atonement, are regenerate by the special operation of the Holy Spirit, hav- ing been "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy & without
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blame before him in love" (Eph. i. 4.). They must believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God, exercise hearty repentence for sin, & bring forth fruits of obedience in holy lives & conversation.
We believe that all who are born again of the Spirit & united to Christ by faith & love, shall be kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation (1 Pet. i. 5.) so that nothing shall ever separate them from the love of Christ (Rom. 8 : 35 &c.) .
We believe the resurrection of the body, & the re-union of the soul with it, and that both will be joint partakers of endless happiness or misery.
We believe there will be a great & general judgment, when the whole world shall stand be- fore Christ, the Judge of quick & dead to give an account of the deeds done in the body, the issue of which will be that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the right- eous into life eternal.
We believe it is the duty of Christians united in particular church relation to walk together in love to watch over one another in the Lord, & to encourage each other in the performance of Gospel Duties, to train up their children in the admonition of the Lord, to maintain family reli-
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gion & government & the public and private worship of God.
Sincerely subscribing to these articles as the doctrines of our religious faith & fellowship one with another & sensible that it is an awful thing to transact with the living God, we do now solemnly covenant with God, & with each other in the words following, viz :
We do now in the presence of God, & this congregation receive & own the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son & Holy Ghost to be our God.
We promise by the assistance of his grace, to yield ourselves at all times to be his willing & obedient subjects : sacredly to keep all his com- mands, & to walk in all the ordinances of the gospel blamelessly.
We covenant, through the assistance of his grace to dedicate our children to him in baptism, to be trained up for him; to walk in his church as faithful subjects of his kingdom & children of his family; to watch over one another with all carefulness, Christian tenderness & jealousy & will submit to the gospel admonition, discipline & instructions of the church of Christ in this place.
Sarah Brown, Sally Brown,
Susanny Pike, Martha Morley,
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Rachel Gains, Reuben Brown, John Cooley,
Stepn. Taintor,
Nathaniel Peck.
The subscribers having been duly embodied & formed as a regular church of Christ by our assistance chose Rev. Jesse Edson of Halifax as their Moderator.
Gersham C. Lyman, Preservid Smith, Jesse Edson.
Whitingham,
Oct. 25, 1804.
The same day Reuben Brown was chosen Sub. Mod. Jesse Edson, Mod."
As the foregoing commencement of the Con- gregational Church differs from another printed description it is no more than fair that I explain to my readers the authority on which I base my statements. Years ago I heard that the records of that church were in the hands of Ezra Smead, who then lived where Frank E. Davis, Esq., now does, at Elm Grove in Colrain, Mass. I went to see him and found he had the record, the original articles of faith, some confessions in writing, and some letters from other churches, &c. All these I bought and paid for, hoping that
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the town, the Congregational Church of the State or the Vermont Historical Society would be pleased to have these records for historical purposes. Mr. Smead said he would like to keep them to copy some records of his ancestors be- longing to that church. He also loaned the rec- ord to General Gaines, then hotel keeper in Colrain, as his ancestors also belonged to this church. While the record was there the hotel burned and this record with it, so that nothing can be told of its contents except that which may have been copied before. Ezra Smead went west and died there with the package containing the original articles of faith, and other papers addressed to me, which I received by due course of mail and have them in my possession now. Probably when Mr. Jillson wrote the "Centen- nial" address he had access to this record. He says this church worshipped in the old meeting house, but its light went out in 1823, after a hard, earnest and honest struggle to benefit mankind." He gives the names of seven of its pastors and says that the members consisted of not far from 50 persons, and names besides those who were
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first organized into the church: Rebecca Bas- com, Jerusha Bigelow, wife of Thomas, Sally Bigelow, wife of Samuel, Stephen Billings, John Blanchard and his wife Sally, Joseph Carley and his wife Sarah, Jonathan Carley, Lydia Car- negie wife of Andrew, Polly Cooley wife of John, John Fuller, Rachel Hammond, Betsey Haynes wife of Jonas, Abigail Hosley, Joseph Marsh, Sarah Martin, Mary Murdock, Polly Peck wife of Nathaniel, James Preston and his wife Elizabeth, Isaac Smead and his wife Polly, Rebecca Smith, Miss Susan Stickney, Clarissa Stone, Ruth Stone wife of William, Lydia Stone, Mercy Taintor, Patience Walker, Lydia Waste wife of Ebenezer, Eli Wood and Lydia his wife. Many of these names are in the letters from other churches referred to, together with the names of Rebecca Marsh wife of Joseph and Elizabeth Preston daughter of James. December 10, 1804, the town voted to join with the church in said town in giving the Reverend Preserved Smith a call to settle in said town as the minister and pay him three hundred dollars annually for his services, but it seems he did not care to continue
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his services here, and on April 1st, 1805, the town voted a tax of one cent on the dollar and ap- pointed the selectmen a committee to lay out the money as they "shall see fit."
In those days it was supposed that a church concerned itself about religious matters, and had no power to attend to financial affairs, and so a Society was formed to look after the finances.
November 12, 1806, the town "Voted to form into a society by the name of the first Congrega- tional Society in Whitingham" and at an ad- journed meeting chose Jabez Foster Clerk of said Society and Hezekiah Whitney Treasurer of said society. When this church was organized, many Baptists, Methodists and Universalists filed their certificates stating that they did not agree in religious opinion with a majority of the town, and thus saved paying the town church tax.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
"Whitingham, September 8th, 1808. A num- ber of brethren met according to appointment first took under consideration the duty we owe to God opened our meeting by prayer then pro- ceeded to consider the duty we owe to one an-
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another and the local distance from Sister Churches, Considering Church privileges and our desire for the advancement of God's king- dom in the world. After those serious considera- tions we mutually agree to form into a church if thought expedient by Council proceeded to Choose Walter Emes to serve as Clerk and agree to send to four Baptist Churches of Christ to assist in embodying said Church (viz) first Guil- ford, first Colrain, Heath & Halifax.
Whitingham, October the 18th, 1808. At an Eclesiastical Council Convened at the meeting house on the request of a number of Baptist Brethren in this place (viz) from the first church in Guilford, Elder Jeremiah Packer, Brethren John Noys and Joseph Olden, first Chh Colrain, Elder Thomas Purington, Brethren Hezekiah Smith & Isaac Chapen; from Heath Church, Elder George Witherell, brethren Aaron Gleason & Stephen Davenport; from Halifax Chh, Deacon Samuel Wood and David Allen and brother James Tucker; first Chose Elder Purington, Moderator, and Deacon Wood, Clerk. After Solemn prayer to God for Direction, brother Wilson from Somerset Church & brother Zenas Cary from first Col- rain & Deacon Asa Hackett from 2d Colerain
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Chh., being present were added to the council. Proceeded to Examine the articles of faith and Covenant, and voted to Acept them & the Breth- ren and Sisters that assent and Consent to the same are as follers :
Brothers
Sisters
Josiah Brown
Millicent Brown
Walter Emes
Katharine Emes
Joseph Stone
Sarah Franklin
Jonas Brown
Lois Brown
Joseph Olden
Leah Olden
Joel B. Emes
Esther Emes
James Warren
Susannah How
Joseph Brown
Dorcas Saben
James Carpenter
Lucy Tarbell
William Franklin
Olive Emes
Esther Emes, 2d
After an examination found them to be experi- enced in the religion of Christ, and baptized by Emertion, voted to give them fellowship in unit- ing together as a church of Christ in gospel order. Voted that Elder Thomas Purrington & Elder George Witherel arrange the articles of faith and Covenant this day adopted by them. Voted that Elder Purington give them the Right hand of fellowship as a Church of Christ; And Elder Packer to Charge them to Continue in
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Gospel Orders and to walk worthy of the Voca- tion wherewith they are called.
Thomas Purington, Moderator. Samuel Wood, Clerk."
Thus was the Baptist church organized.
October 27, 1808, Salem Shumway, Jemima Shumway, Patty Houghton, Katharine Emes 2d, and Anna Green were baptized into the church. November 18, 1808, the church met according to agreement, and opened with prayer. Chose Josiah Brown, Moderator, Walter Emes to serve as clerk, Jonas Brown to serve as deacon. Read the articles of faith, and covenant, and received them mutually as ours.
ARTICLES OF FAITH.
I. We believe in one God, infinite in nature, power, wisdom and goodness.
II. We believe in the trinity of persons-the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in essenc one.
III. We believe man was made upright, but hath apostatized by sin and wholly lost his moral rectitude and thereby become obnoxious to the penalty of the Divine Law and incapable of ex- tricating himself everlastingly-and therefore his salvation is alone through the Sovereign
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grace of God abounding through the obedience, suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
IV. We believe the salvation of the sinner through Christ is according to the gracious pur- pose of the Father which was given us in Christ Jesus before the World began. See II Timothy i. 9.
V. We believe none are subjects of this sal- vation but such as are effectually called and sanctified by the power of the Holy Ghost, adopted by the Father, pardoned through the blood of Christ, and justified through His right- eousness, and that evangelical birth and repent- ance are the only means through which we can enjoy this salvation.
VI. We believe all those who are effectually called will be kept by the power of God through faith into salvation and never finally perish.
VII. We believe there will be a resurrection of the dead and a final judgment, at which the wicked will be sent away into everlasting punish- ment.
VIII. We believe that Baptism is the visi- ble door into the visible church, and that ordi- nance is to be administered to none but such as give evidence of their faith, and that immersion is the only mode.
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IX. We believe that the Lord's Supper is to be administered to all those who are in the visi- ble church of Christ, who walk in Gospel order to do it in remembrance of Christ until His coming.
X. We believe the New Testament contains a perfect rule of discipline.
XI. We believe that no man has a right to administer the ordinances of the gospel unless legally authorized by the laying on of hands.
XII. We believe it is the church's duty to ad- minister to their elder's support so that he give himself to the ministry of the word that the word of the Lord be not hindered.
COVENANT OF THE CHURCH.
We do now in the presence of God submit ourselves to the discipline of Christ in this church, promising that by the assistance of His Grace, we will walk in all the ordinances blame- less ; having a due regard to all His Commands, to keep oneselves unspotted from the world that we may be blameless as the sons of God.
We do promise to watch over each other in love; bearing one anothers burdens and so fulfil the laws of Christ; to endeavor to comfort each other under temptations and infirmities; and to
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strengthen the weak; to rejoice with them that do rejoice and mourn with them that mourn; to pray with and for each other in all our tribula- tions, and in faithfulness to watch over each other and endeavour in brotherly love to reclaim any that go out of the Way, and not suffer sin upon our brother.
We promise by grace of God to pay a due re- gard to the Christian Sabbath and not forsake the assembling ourselves together on that day, and to endeavor to keep ourselves, or any under our care from unbecoming behavior or conversa- tion, but spend the time in the service of God; and whatever further light from the word of God is manifested to us by the spirit of truth we will cheerfully embrace.
Now to these promises which we have freely, solemnly and severally made in the presence of God, we call Heaven and Earth to witness, feel- ing ourselves under the highest obligations by the command of God and our own covenant and promises to observe.
Being sensible of our own weakness in insuffi- ciency we pray the God of all grace to enable us to stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, that we may have on the whole ar- mor of God, hastening unto the coming of the
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day of God, when Christ will receive his people to himself, when we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known. Amen.
At a meeting legally warned and holden in Whitingham, on the 10th day of April, 1809, to see if the town will form into a Baptist society, &c. 2d. Made choice of Amos Brown, Esq., Clerk of the said Baptist Society, and voted that the Baptists have the use of the meeting house one-half the time the next year, three months alternately. I suppose the Congregational church had the meeting house the other half. The Baptist church and society continued sepa- rate until the church was chartered in 1902 and united. Although several ministers of different denominations had preached in town, no other churches or religious societies were formed for about twenty years.
While the town had thus been looking after the religious interests of the people, they were not remiss in their rights, for at the annual meet- ing in March, 1782, "Voted that the Law Books at Capt. Hyde's be removed to the Town Clerk's" and "the law books be removed from
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Amos Green's to Lieut. Benjamin Blodget's." Thus we see the town had the possession of two law books.
While these men were making a town, re- deeming the wilderness to farms, making roads, and, with the help of the women, making so- ciety, matters were primitive, and domestic ani- mals at first run at large, but as fields were culti- vated and crops grown it became necessary to put up a defence to cattle committing damage, and at the March meeting, 1783, it was voted that sheep, horses and swine shall not run at large from the first of May until the Middle of October.
While all lived, it was not necessary to have cemeteries, but at the March meeting in 1784, Daniel Wilcox, Thomas Blodget and James Roberts were chosen a committee to look out some suitable place for a "Burying yard" in said town.
At a meeting in September, 1784, voted that the town meetings be held at James Reed's house in the future. This was near Charles S. Good- now's big barn, so it seems they tried to have the meetings near the center of the town.
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Money was scarce in those days, and in 1787, "Voted that the Select men serve free of cost to the town." Probably the honor of the office was sufficient.
The town early was looking after the educa- tion as well as the Christian teaching of the young and in 1789, voted to appoint a committee to divide the town into school districts.
The history of no town would be complete without some information about its defenders and the defenders of their country. From the best authority I have been able to gather that of the seventy men who lived or owned land here during the revolutionary struggle, fifty were soldiers before they came to this town. As there were no records which came down to us, kept in this town, until 1780, we can gather from them little information. December 17, 1781, the town "Voted to make allowance to those that done most in the present war." Who had this allowance, soldiers or civilians? I cannot say. March 28, 1782, "Voted to raise tow men for the ensuing campaign for eight months." "Voted to Rase seven men By town vote." After the war
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at the annual town meeting, March 6, 1786, Voted that the selectmen give orders on the treasurer for remainder of Isaac Rugg's and Henry Lee's wages due to them for services in the war, and for ten shillings due Lieut. Blodget. Probably because the war debt was so heavy, at that meeting it was voted that the town tax be paid in wheat at 4s. per bushel, rye at 3, corn 2s./6, oats 1s./6, flax 8d. per lb, sugar 15d. per 1b. Other taxes had been paid before in produce. These three items are all I am able to find in the records, but probably there were other records, and probably fifty men went to war from this town, during the continuance of the Revolution. Many of the early settlers bore official titles from corporal to colonel. Some of these titles were probably earned by service in the militia ; some in the French and Indian wars; and some in the Revolution. Mr. Jillson states that "A military order, dated, Windsor, 5th June, 1777" signed by "Samuel Fletcher, Colo." is addressed "To the Capt. or the inhabitants of Whitingham" calls "for its quota of men, to march to Rutland for the defense of the frontier of this State, the same
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to serve two months from the day they march, unless sooner discharged" and says on this order is a memoranda giving E. Davis, Nathaniel Davis, Eliphalet Gustin, Robert Bratton, Jr., Robert Nelson, John Nelson, Jr., Benjamin Nel- son and William Nelson credit for services ren- dered under this order. I find a company of sol- diers in the Revolution as follows: Capt. Josiah Fish, Lieuts. Moses Johnson, Isaac Lyman, Sergts. John Moore, Abel Johnson, Stephen Pratt, Micah Hatch, Corporals Levi Aldrich, Cornelius Miller, William Crawford, Joseph Gilbert, Fifer Noah Hopkins, Drummer Joel Knight, Privates Isaac Adams, Simeon Alger, Benjamin Alvord, Nathaniel Austin, Thomas Barnes, Philip Bartlett, Abishai Blodget, John Boyden, Benjamin Brown, Oliver Brown, Jona- than Burke, Israel Chipman, Jonathan Clayton, Willard Converse, Nathaniel Cummings, Cal- vin Ewins, James P. Frazier, Solomon Gilson, John Green, James Grimes, Israel Hall, James Hanley, Joseph Hartwell, Paul Hazelton, John Hooker, David Howard, Daniel Howe, Nathan Johnson, William Knapp, Henry Lee, Horton
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Lee, Benjamin Lyman, Eleazar Lyman, William Martin, John Negus, James Nichols, Samuel Nichols, Elijah Pike, Leonard Pike, Benjamin Pierce, Ebenezer Platt, Jonathan Pratt, Benja- min Randall, Jethro Randall, George Ray, Grindell Reynolds, Levi Robinson, Abraham Rugg, Isaac Rugg, Jersham Sawin, Samuel Sawin, Eli Scott, Abraham Shipman, Elihu Smead, John Stearns, Alex Stoughton, Joseph Temple, Thomas Turner, Phineas Underwood, James Uron, Timothy Wakefield, John Wallis, Abiathai Waldron, Samuel Wellman, William Whalen, Jonathan Whitney, Jonathan Wilcox, Asa Winchester, Samuel Wiswell, William Wyman, John Young. Of these, there lived in this town at some time during the revolution :- Lieut. Lyman, Sergts. Moore and Pratt, Privates Abishai Blodget, James P. Frazier, David How- ard, Henry Lee, Horton Lee, William Martin, Benjamin Lyman, Eleazar Lyman, Elijah Pike, Leonard Pike, Jonathan Pratt, Abraham Rugg, Isaac Rugg, John Wallis and Jonathan Wilcox. There was probably one or more Lieutenants from this town all the time of that war. Isaac
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Lyman became first Lieutenant, Adjutant and Quartermaster. This company also belonged to Col. Fletcher's Regiment. In Capt. Josiah Boy- den's company, Nathaniel Davis, Sergt. John Gault, and Alexander Gault were Whitingham names. In Joseph Tyler's company, Whiting- ham soldiers, Abram Rugg, named before, Corp. Thos. Haskell, Jonathan Pike, Jonathan Whit- ney, Samuel Parker, Abner Moore; Parker was a soldier in Massachusetts before coming to this town. Thomas Hunt, Thomas Stearns, Sterling Stearns were in Whitingham. The following names claimed to belong to another town lived here during some time of the revolution :- Elijah Easton, Thomas Haskell, Samuel Thompson and John Marks; the latter claimed to be in Draper, now Wilmington, in 1775, but served in a Massachusetts regiment and later in several different companies and, in 1783, claimed to have lived here several years. I think he was a surveyor and "pettifogger."
These are all the names that have come under my eye, but I believe every able bodied male from 15 to 60 years of age who was here during
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that time was a soldier and many of them were officers.
Professor Goodrich, in Vermont Revolution- ary Rolls, puts down a whole company from this town in 1782, but gives the name of only Lieut. Moor as commanding officer. I do not know if they were Revolutionary soldiers.
It seems that after the Revolution there was then thoughts of preparedness, for the town voted, November 14, 1803, to raise the money that is necessary to purchase the military stores necessary to supply the town as the "Law Di- rects."
Voted that the place to deposit said stock of ammunition shall be in the upper loft of the meeting house in a chest to be made at the ex- pense of the town for that purpose.
While no monument or lettered stone marks the earthly resting place of most of the early dead, and no record remains to tell thereof, at an early day many deaths occurred. April 13, 1801, it was voted that the selectmen shall pur- chase a "Poll or Grave Cloth" for the use of the town and that the same shall be kept in the
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Town Clerk's office. May 17, 1801, the town voted to fence the several Burying Yards in said town, viz: one in the center near Mr. Caleb Murdock's, one in the northeast corner of said town near Esq. Roberts and one in the southwest corner near Wm. Fuller's, on condition that the owners of said yards will sufficiently convey the same to the town for the purpose of burying grounds.
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