into consideration, & Grant him his heirs & assigns the Sole & exclusive previledge of building and altering Chimneys according to his plan within this State forever or for such term of time as Your Honors please, or take such order respecting the same as shall appear most proper & Your Petitioner will ever pray Portsmouth Nov 30th 1791— John Young The Committee on the within Petition report that the prayer be so far granted that an exclusive right be given to the Petitioner for fourteen years & that he have leave to bring in a Bill according W. PAGE for the Committee [In H. of Rep., Dec. 2, 1791, the foregoing report was accepted, and on Dec. 12, an act was passed granting John Young the exclusive right of building chimneys in the way described as his invention.-ED.] [6-86] [Capt. Samuel Young's Petition, 1797.] To the Honble Senate and House of Representatives convened at Concord & now setting The Petition of Sam Young of Concord in the County of Grafton humbly shews that on or about June 1775 your Petitioner for and at the request of the Inhabitants of Concord and other adjacent Towns, made application to the then new hampshire Congress for ammonition to defend themselves from the ravages of the enemy that he received a cask of Powder and gave his receipt or note therefor to be paid if it was not wanted for publick use, lead & flints your Petitioner purchased & transported them to said Concord with the Powder and deposited said powder lead & flints in the Custody of Cap' Richardson who was to deliver the same to the Soldiers of his Company if it appeared necessary. that said ammonition was made use of in alarms-that in the year 1776 soon after the defeat of General Montgomery your Petitioner marched to Canada, that fire arms for part of his Company could not be obtained that on my arrival at St Johns I made application to the Commanding officer of that Garrison for Guns-he Informed your Petitioner there was no spare arms in that garrison, but gave directions to purchase Guns of the Soldiers who had them & were dischargd & on their march home your petitioner purchd twenty six of sd Guns for the use of his Company and gave from eight to twelve dollars apiece for them that when your petitioners Comp'y was discharged he agreed with a wagoner to transport said guns from Mount Independence to Charlestown N° 4 had made a chest & put them therein on which Gen' Gates ordered that they should be deposited in the stores or Magazines for the use of the Army and that your petitioner should receive pay therefor from the state of New hampshire, your petitioners situation was such that he was obliged to purchase said Guns as he had received marching orders from the commanding officer at St Johns & was obliged to deposit them in the public stores & has not yet been able to git any settlement or pay therefor. Concord 12th June 1797 Sam' Young [An arrangement was made by the legislature, June 15, 1797.-ED.] LITCHFIELD. The territory embraced in this town was a portion of the old Dunstable grant, made by the government of Massachusetts Bay, Oct. 16, 1673, O. S. (Oct. 27, 1673, N. S.). Several "farms" had been granted in this vicinity prior to this; one, of territory now in Litchfield, was granted to William Brenton, who was afterward governor of New Jersey, and the locality was known as "Brenton's Farm." At the time of the Dunstable grant, the Naticook Indians occupied the locality now known as Thornton's Ferry, and relinquished their claim to the Dunstable grantees for a small sum of money. In 1732 all of the Dunstable grant lying east of Merrimack river was incorporated by the government of Massachusetts into a town by the name of Nottingham, which in 1734 was divided, and the north part incorporated by the name of Litchfield. The settlement of the province line. in 1741 decided the territory to be in New Hampshire; and in answer to a petition from the inhabitants, the town of Litchfield was incorporated by the governor and council of that province, June 5, 1749,—the town of Nottingham being thereafter designated as Nottingham West until its name was changed to Hudson in 1830. Settlements were made in the part of Dunstable now in this town about the year 1720, by families from Billerica and Chelmsford. Hon. Wyseman Claggett, who resided in town during the latter portion of his life, was attorney-general of the province from 1765 to 1769; of the state from 1776 to 1778, and again in 1781; a member of the council in 1776 and in 1781. He died Dec. 4, 1784, at the age of 63. [6-68] [Warrant for Town-Meeting, 1743.] Province of New Hampshire To William Reed Constable for the District of Litchfield on the East side of the River Greeting You are hereby Required in His Majesties Name to warn all the freeholders and other Inhabitants of the District of Litchfield on the East Side the River to meet and conven at the Meeting house in Litchfield upon Munday the thirty first Day of oct' Instant at two of the clock in the after Noon then and ther when Meet To See if the District will Chouse one man or more to go to Portsmouth to the General Court to make answ' to a Petition Nath" Hills James Hills John Robinson and others have Lodged theire and to Impower the s man or men that may be chosen with full power to act in Behalf of the District in aney affier as he or they so chosen Shall think convenent and See that You make Due Return of this warrant and your doings thereon to our Selves before or upon the day and time before mentioned as You will Answer Your Default at Your Perrell Given Under our hands and Seal Dat' at Litchfield the 24th Day of oct' anno Dom. 1743 and in the Seventeenth Year of his Majesties Reign A True Copy Examined by me By virtue of this warrant I have warned all the freeholders and other Inhabitants of the District Called Litchfield on the East Side of Merrimack River William Reed Constable A True copy Exam" by me John Bradshaw Town Clerk [Vote at said Meeting.] At a Town Meeting Regualery assembled at Litchfield on oct ye 31 1743— Voted that John Bradshaw be moderator for s meetingVoted that Jo Blanchard Esq' and Dec" John Cummings and m' James Nahor be a Comitte to make answer to a Petition that Nath" Hills James Hills and John Robinson and others have made to yo Greate & Gerneral Court of yo province of New Hampshire to answer to s Petitioners A True copy Examined by me— John Bradshaw Town Clerk [The petition of Nathaniel Hills and others, referred to in the foregoing, was for the purpose of obtaining a charter for a town to comprise the north part of Nottingham and the south part of Litchfield, which did not succeed. See Vol. IX, pp. 468–471.—ED.] [6-69] [Relative to paying Rates in two Towns, 1746.] To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor &c the Hon his Majestys Council & Assembly in Gen" Court Conveined at Portsmouth in New Hampshire April 1746 The Petition of us the Subscribers Inhabitants of that tract of land formerly in the town of Dunstable lately Incorporated into a District Called Litchfield & in that part of sd District which Interferes with Londonderry bounds According to the late runing per Mr Walter Briant— That ye Petitioners Setled under the Grants of ye Massachusetts Bay And have Continued to pay their Rates to Litchfield by whome their poles and Estates was with Litchfields Envoice Returned to this Hone Court but so it is that this Last Year notwithstanding they were Rated as Usual to Litchfield And there pay'd their full proportion to town minister And Province Taxes yet thay were also Rated in Londonderry and by their Constables Destrained for the same & have paid it as per Rec which your Petitioners Humbly Apprehend a great Hardship and know of no Relief unless your Excellency & Hon" should see meet to Relieve us Wherefore your Petitioners Humbly pray You to Consider the premises & direct that One of the s Towns Return the rates Recd as aforesaid or Otherwise relieve us as may seem meet & y' Peti" as in Duty Bound shall pray &c Ebenezer Spauldyng lennard commins [6-70] [James Hills's Receipts, 1745.] Litchfield January yo 22d 1745 Received of m2 Ebenezer Spaulding the Sum of Three Pounds old Tenor being in full of one List of Rates to me to Collect bearing Date June ye 28th 1745 Reced by me James Hills Constable [6-71] Litchfield Jenewary the 29 1746 recvied of Ebenezer Spolding for town and provence reats the Sum of three Ponds and Euight Shillings old tener I Say recvied by me James Hills Constable for Litchfield [R. 2-188] [Invoice of Lieut. Pelatiah Russell's Equipments Lost in the Service, 1757.] A Good new Beaver hatt tow new worsted Caps and one Linnen one tow new Linnen Shirts and one Wollen Shirt three good Jackets and one Coat and tow Pair of Leather Breetchis three Pair of Stockings and one Pair of Shoes and one Pair of Mogezens one Silk-hankerchief and one Cotten hankerchief and a Gun and Snapsack and Powder horn― Province of New Hamp1 September 23d 1758 Then Olive Russell of Litchfield in the Province of New Hampshire Widow personally appeared and made solemn Oath that the articles of Cloathing above mentioned is a just and true acct of what her Late Husband Lieut: Pelatiah Russell carried along with him when he went from home in the Province service in the year 1757 Sworn Before Math" Patten Just: Peace |