[Vote of the Town relative to Line.] Derryfield May 4 Day 1789 At a Meeting of the freeholders & other Inhabitants Leagully Convenied Voted &c &c (among Other Articles) third Article Voted to Petition the General Court to Determine the West and North Lines of the Town Voted Ensign James Thompson to Carry the Petition to the General Court and to have it Done Recorded this fifth Day of April 1789 A True Coppy from Derryfield Second Book of Records Examined per John Goffe Town Clark Derryfield June 11th 1789 [In H. of Rep., June 12, 1789, James Betton, Archibald McMurphy, and Zachariah Chandler were appointed "To Το ascertain and establish the lines on the West and North of said Town, and report," which they did as follows:-ED.] In the house of Representatives June 10th 1790. The Committee appointed to ascertain and establish the west and north lines of the town of Derryfield, reported as follows (Viz) Pursuant to a vote of the General Court directing us the subscribers to notify the Selectmen of Chester, and then to proceed to establish and ascertain the lines on the west and north of the Town of Derryfield, The Selectmen of the Town of Chester were notified and attended upon the 23d day of June 1789. We begun at a place shewed to us, to be the bounds between Litchfield and Derryfield, from thence we measured up the Merrimack according to the General Course of the same eight miles, and there we placed stake and stones, from thence east-south-east about about one mile and a half to some marked trees shewed to us by General Starks, and he said it was Chester line; from thence upon the same course, we measured two miles and an half and fifty two rods, and placed a stake and stones, which is the north east corner of said Town. Signed James Betton, Archibald McMurphy, Zachariah Chandler, which was read and considered, and received and accepted, Sent up for Concurrence Thos. Bartlett Speaker. In Senate the same day read and concurred J. Pearson Sec'y [7-25] [Petition for an Incorporation to erect a Bridge over Merrimack River, 1792.] To the honorable the Senate and the honorable the house of Representatives of the State of Newhampshire in General Court convened Whereas the erecting a bridge over Merrimack river below Amoskeig falls between the towns of Goffstown and Derryfield in the County of Hillsborough would be of great public utility The Subscribers humbly pray your Honors to incorporate them and such other persons as may associate with them into a society for that purpose and to grant them liberty to build a suitable bridge at that place and to demand and receive a reasonable toll or compensation of such as may pass the same and to have and enjoy such privileges and immunities as are requisite for such a society and to your Honors shall seem meet and as in duty bound will ever pray [7-24] [Relative to Amoskeag Bridge, 1792.] To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened Humbly shew the Proprietors of Amoskeag-bridge that they have at great expence and risk erected the said bridge and have expended in so doing the sum of six thousand dollars, which is almost double the sum at first computed and expected it would cost That the bridge is situate a very commodious place for the public convenience-and is in fact for the goodness of the construction an honor to the State-The mony laid out by your petitioners in building said bridge has greatly benefited the Înhabitants of the vicinity-Your petitioners were induced to the undertaking of the aforesaid business in the presumption no grant would be made so near as to interfere with their emoluments granted them for building the bridge-They further shew that a grant made near them would but serve to injure both parties and but little benefit would accrue to the public-They humbly concieve that as the undertaking has proved so expensive and is even now hazardous-it is an enterprize which intitles them to the smiles-not the frowns of the public-They are perfectly willing (lest any one should apprehend they are realizing a large property by the Grant) to give up or release to the State their estate in the bridge, upon a reimbursement of the money by them expended and a reasonable compensation for their extra trouble and expence-this they conceive must silence all objections to their motives being patriotic and for the public good-Upon all these considerations they think they have a just right to make this reasonable request-which is that Your Honors would secure to them that previlege which they before building the bridge apprehended they had viz that no other bridge should be erected so as to interfere with or injure their dear earned property-Wherefore they most humbly pray Your Honors that you would grant them liberty to bring in a bill to secure to them their heirs assigns the exclusive previlege so far that no toll bridge, shall be granted upon Merrimack river within ten miles of said bridge-nor any such bridge be erected within such limits And as in duty bound will ever pray Exeter Dec 19 1792 Ed S'Loe Livermore J: Macgregore [7-26] Nath' Peabody In behalf of themselves and the other Proprietors [Petition for a Grant of Land, 1794.] To the Honorable Senate and house of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire convened at Exeter on the forth wednesday of December AD 1793 The petition of the subscribers citizens of said State humbly sheweth, That Your petitioners have an intention of begining a settlement in some uncultivated part of the Cuntry and On enquiry find that they could be Accommodated with lands in several of the States, or in the Neighbouring Goverment of Canada on very Moderate terms, but as they have a particular affection for their Native State and an entire satisfaction in its constitution and Goverment would Greatly prefer a settlement therein, and as the support of the State Greatly depends upon Agriculture we think that Cultivating the wilderness will ad to her welth number of Inhabitance and Respectability, and Your petitioners having been informed that there is in the northerly part of this state a tract of unlocated Lands and conceiving that it might be advantageous to the state to dispose of said Lands to persons who would make immediat settlement thereon, and likewise that it would be to the advantage of Your petitioners to obtain a Grant of part of said Lands on reasonable terms Your petitioners therefore humbly pray Your Honors would Grant and confirm to them a tract of Land eight Miles Square (without lakes or ponds being included in the Measure) some place where it will be Most convenient and joining on the Grants that has been made on which Your petitioners will make a settlement as soon as may be and either Give a reasonable consideration therefore or on any Other conditions as your honors in Your Great wisdom shall think best, And Your petioners as in duty bound shall pray— Derryfield February the 3rd 1794 Samuel Moors Nathaniel merrill Winthrop Bradbury Ezekiel Gardener William Stevens David Stevens Archibald Starks Zebedee Rowell Asa Hesetine Jun' John parham Juner William Parham Jur David Rowell John Gilmore Israel Webster [7-27] [Petition to have a Gore of Land incorporated with Derryfield, 1795.] To the Honorable senate and House of Representatives to be convened at Hanover upon the first Wednesday in June AD 1795. The petition of the subscribers humbly sheweth that there is a tract or Gore of Land Lying between Chester and Derryfield, upon which some of your petitioners now live, said land was formerly supposed to belong to Derryfield but the lines being assertained we find it otherways. Wherefore We your petitioners belonging to the said Town of Derryfield and said Gore unitedly pray your Honours 'that we may be incorporated into one body politick, And your petitioners as in duty Shall ever pray [7-28] [Samuel Blodgett for a Charter to construct a Canal around Amoskeag Falls, 1794.] To the honorable the Senate & House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire, the Petition of Samuel Blodget most respectfully sheweth, That a spirit of enterprize and exertion has of late been wonderfully and successfully displayed by the citizens of a neighbouring State in the erection of bridges and forming of canals, even in places, which, not many years since, were esteemed impracticable-that a canal round Patucket falls is nearly compleated-that another leading from said falls to Boston, by a rout not exceeding twenty miles, will be commenced next spring-that a third carried round the falls at Amoskeag would, in conjunction with these, open a direct water-communication with Boston & Newburyport to the inhabitants of an extensive country on the banks of the Merrimac above said falls, the wood and timber of whose forests are now of inconsiderable value, occasioned principally by the loss of immense quantities of lumber of the most valuable kind in passing over |