and that as soon as the said Town shall *2-501 consist of Fifty Families, a Market may be opened and kept one or more Days in each Week, as may be thought most advantagious to the Inhabitants. Also, that the first Meeting for the Choice of Town Officers, agreable to the Laws of our said Province, shall be held on the last Tuesday in November next which said Meeting shall be Notified by M' Samuel Chace who is hereby also appointed the Moderator of the said first Meeting, which he is to Notify and Govern agreable to the Laws and Customs of Our said Province; and that the annual Meeting for ever hereafter for the Choice of such Officers for the said Town, shall be on the Second Tuesday of March annually, TO HAVE and to HOLD the said Tract of Land as above expressed, together with all Privileges and Appurtenances, to them and their respective Heirs and Assigns forever, upon the following Conditions, viz. I. That every Grantee, his Heirs or Assigns shall plant and cultivate five Acres of Land within the Term of five Years for every fifty Acres contained in his or their Share or Proportion of Land in said Township, and continue to improve and settle the same by additional Cultivations, on Penalty of the Forfeiture of his Grant or Share in the said Township, and of its reverting to Us, our Heirs and Successors, to be by Us or them Re-granted to such of Our Subjects as shall effectually settle and cultivate the same. II. That all white and other Pine Trees within the said Township, fit for Masting Our Royal Navy, be carefully preserved for that Use, and none to be cut or felled without Our special Licence for so doing first had and obtained, upon the Penalty of the Forfeiture of the Right of such Grantee, his Heirs and Assigns, to Us, our Heirs and Successors, as well as being subject to the Penalty of any Act or Acts of Parliament that now are, or hereafter shall be Enacted. III. That before any Division of the Land be made to and among the Grantees, a Tract of Land as near the Centre of the said Township as the Land will admit of, shall be reserved and marked out For Town Lots, one of which shall be allotted to each Grantee of the Contents of one Acre. IV. Yielding and paying therefor to Us, our Heirs and Successors for the Space of ten Years, to be computed from the Date hereof, the Rent of one Ear of Indian Corn only, on the twentyfifth Day of December annually, if lawfully demanded, the first Payment to be made on the twenty-fifth day of December. 1763 V. Every Proprietor, Settler or Inhabitant, shall yield and pay unto Us, our Heirs and Successors yearly, and every Year forever, from and after the Expiration of ten Years from the abovesaid twenty-fifth Day of December, namely, on the twenty-fifth Day of December, which will be in the Year of Our Lord 1773 One shilling Proclamation Money for every Hundred Acres he so owns, settles or possesses, and so in Proportion for a greater or lesser Tract of the said Land; which Money shall be paid by the respective Persons abovesaid, their Heirs or Assigns, in our Council Chamber in Portsmouth, or to such Officer or Officers as shall be appointed to receive the same; and this is to be in Lieu of all other Rents and Services whatsoever. In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed. Witness BENNING Wentworth, Esq; Our Governor and Commander in Chief of Our said Province, the Sixth Day of August In the Year of our Lord CHRIST, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty three And in the Third Year of Our Reign. By His EXCELLENCY'S Command With Advice of COUNCIL, Theodore Atkinson jun' Se Pro' of New Hamp' August 6th 1763 B Wentworth Recorded according to the original Charter under the Pro' Seal *The Names of the Grantees of Alstead-Viz Samuel Chase Samuel Chase Jun' Benj Garfield Bradford Chase Ephraim Sherman Jonathan Dudley Jun' Jacob Gibbs T Atkinson Jun' Sec' *2-502 Abraham Batcheldor Daniel Chase Josiah Brown Caleb Chase Ebenez' Rawson Nath" Barrell & Theodore Atkinson jun' His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq a Tract of Land of Five Hundred Acres as marked on the Plan B-W- which is to be Accounted two of the within Shares one Share for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in foreign Parts one Share for Ă Glebe for the Church of England as by Law Established-one Share for the first Settled Minister in said Town And one for A School there for ever Pro' New Hamp' August 6th 1763 Recorded from the Back of the Original Charter of Alstead under the Pro' Seal Prove of New Hamp' August 6—1763 Recorded from the Back of the Original Charter of alstead under the Pro Seal T Atkinson Jun Sec" [ALSTEAD CHARTER RENEWED, 1772.] *Province of New Hampshire L. S. GEORGE the Third by the Grace of 1-401 God of Great Britain France & Ireland KING Defender of the Faith &c. TO ALL whom these presents shall come GREET ING. WHEREAS WE of our special grace certain knowledge & mere Motion for the due encouragement of Alstead settling a New Plantation wthin our said Province extended of New Hampshire by our Letters Patent or Charter under the Seal of our said Province Dated the 6th day of August 1763, in the Third year of our Reign, did grant a Tract of Land equal to Six Miles square, bounded as therein express'd, to a Number of our Loyal Subjects whose Names are enter'd on the same, to Hold to them their Heirs and Assigns on the Conditions therein declared to be a Town Corporate by the Name of ALSTEAD as by referrence to the said Charter may more fully appear. And whereas the said Grantees have *prefer'd *1-402 a Petition to our Governor of our said Province in Council, specifying sundry Difficulties which prevented their full compliance with the Terms of the Grant aforesaid, And that the said Town is in great forwardness of being completely settled And therefore Praying that no advantage may be taken of the breach of the Conditions aforesaid, but that some further Time may be allowed them to fulfill the same: all which being duly Consider'd. KNOW YE that We being willing to encourage & promote the Cultivation & Settlement of the said Tract Have of our further grace and favour suspended our Claim of the forfeiture which the said Grantees may have Incurred and by these Presents for us our Heirs and Successors, (by and with the advice of our Trusty and well beloved JOHN WENTWORTH Esq: our Governor & Commander in chief of our said Province & of our Council of the same) do grant unto the said Grantees their Heirs and Assigns the further Term of Three Years for performing and fulfilling the Conditions Matters and things by them to be done as aforesaid; Except the Quit Rents which are to remain due & payable as express'd and reservd in the Original Grant or Charter. IN TESTIMONY whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed Witness our Governor & Commander in Chief aforesaid, the 24th day of January in the 12th year of our Reign Annoque Domini 1772. By his Excellencys Command with advice of Council Theodore Atkinson Secretary. Province of New Hampshire 25th January 1772. J' Wentworth Recorded according to the Original Grant under the Province Seal. AMHERST. [Granted by Massachusetts as Narragansett No. 3, Dec. 18, 1728. Afterwards called Salem Narragansett and Souhegan West. The grant was confirmed by the Masonian Proprietors, Dec. 1, 1759. Incorporated as Amherst, Jan. 18, 1760, and named in honor of Lord Jeffry Amherst. The incorporation was renewed Jan. 7, 1762. A large part of Monson was annexed in 1770. A portion of the town was combined with parts of Hollis and Mile Slip to make up the town of Milford, Jan. 11, 1794. Mont Vernon was set off and incorporated Dec. 15, 1803. A part of Milford was annexed Dec. 20, 1842. See Massachusetts charters preceding, and Masonian Papers in following volumes; IX, Bouton Town Papers, 6; XI, Hammond Town Papers, 57; Index to Laws, 18; Historical Discourse, 100th Anniversary of Dedication of Congregational Meeting House, by J. E. Davis, 1874; Proceedings of Revolutionary Committees of Safety for Hillsborough County, by E. D. Boylston, 1884; History, by Daniel F. Secomb, 1883, pp. 978; sketch by same, Hurd's History of Hillsborough County, 1885, p. 219; Baptist Churches in N. H., by E. E. Cummings, 1836, p. 21; Recollections of Busy Life, by Horace Greeley, 1873; Life of Horace Greeley, by James Parton, 1885; Lawrence's N. H. Churches, 1856, p. 150; Rambles about Amherst, by W. B. Rotch, 1890, pp. 67; Bills of Mortality, 1805-14, by John Farmer, 14, Mass. Historical Society Collections, 73; id., 1805-1819, 1, Farmer and Moore's Historical Collections, 80; id., 1815-1826, 22, Mass. Historical Society Collections, 298; sketch, by John Farmer, 12, id., 247; revised as Historical Sketch of Amherst, 1820, pp. 35; 2d edition, continued, 1837, pp. 52; id., 5, Collections N. H. Historical Society, 79; petition of inhabitants, id., 253; History of Purgatory, by C. J. Smith, 1889, pp. 8.] |