[7-82] [Vote of the Town, 1761.] Att the Annual Meeting in Monson March 23; 1761, Voted to Grant the petition of Hollis namely that a Mile and half or their about be Sett of to Hollis agreable to the Petition of said Hollis And Voted the South Side of as above by the Major part of the North Side it, being an artickle incerted in the Warrant for Said MeetingCopy, per Benja Kenrick Town Clark Monson Decem: 28, 1762 [7-84] [Vote relative to locating a Meeting-House, 1756.] Att a Town meeting held in Monson December, 6th day, 1756, Voted, to Set the Meeting House in the most Convenient place nere the Center of the Town Monson, march, 16 1763. A Coppy p' Benja Kenrick, Town Clark [7-85] [Hollis asks for a Portion of Monson, 1763.] Whereas there was an articall in the warrant for the annuall Meeting to be held in Holles march the 2nd 1761 to see if the Town would Petition the Town of Monson for one mile and a half or there abouts on the south side to be annexed to the Town of Hollis Pursuant to said articall Voted to Petition the Town of Monson for one Mile and a half or there abouts on the south side of said Monson to be annexed to the Town of Holles and Chose Doctor John Hale Francis Worcester and Jonathan Taylor a Comtee to Pefar Said Petition Holles January the 3d 1763 A True Coppy Pr Sam" Cumings Town Clerk of Holles [R. 2-285] [Benjamin Hopkins's Bill, 1761.] Monson June yo 25 1761 Account of Cap Samuel Gerrish Company who victualed at my house and the mens Names [Sworn to Oct. 15, 1767, before John Goffe. In H. of Rep., May 25, 1768 "Voted that it be Dismissed."-ED.] [7-86] [Relative to Annexation of a Portion of Monson to Hollis, 1773.] Province of New Hampshire To the Honble His majestys Council & House of Representatives for said Province-Gentlemen Whereas by your Vote & Order at yr Late Session Our Town Namely Monson may be heard next week if the Court be then Setting on their vote & Petitions Relating the Setting off and Annexing a part of Our said Town to Holles-But there having very Lately been Some New Proposals made by Some of Our Neighbours (Concerning It) both in Holles & Amherst of a very pacifick tendency which if Complied with we Apprehend will be more Advantageous than Any Measures yet Con certed Therefore pray that your Hon" Would Suspend the affair untill the Second day of y' first Session After the first day of Sep' Next that we may in the Interim Consider & Settle said Proposals & We as in duty bound Shall ever pray— Dated at Monson April the 29a 1763— [7-87] [Petition to be annexed to Hollis, 1762.] Province of New Hamp To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq: Gov' &c The Hon his Majestys Council & Assembly of said Province The Petition of us the Subscribers being Inhabitants of the South side of the Town of Monson in said Province-Humbly shews that we Can be Much better Accommodated as to Town priviledges by being Annexed to Holles Than to remain as we Are That our said Town of Monson Are Desirous of having the Thing done as may appear by their Vote March the 23a 1761 We Therefore pray that Your Excellency And Hon" would Take the premises under your wise Consideration and Grant it According to the Ten' of said Vote And We as in duty bound shall ever Pray Dated at Monson Oct' ye 18th 1762 [7-88] [Reasons for not granting foregoing Petition.] To His Exelency Bening Wentworth Esq' Governer in chief in and over his Majesties Province of New-Hampshire, The Honourable the Council, and House of Representatives in General Court Assembled We the subscribers Inhabitants and freeholders in the Town of Monson in the province aforesaid Humbly shew, that, Whereas the south of Monson aforesaid has petitioned the General Court aforesd to be Annexed to Hollis: And as the Honourable Assembly has seen Cause in Their great Wisdom and Clemency to send to us for our Reasons, why the prayer of sd Petition should not be granted so may it please your Exelency and Honours We with the lowest Submission beg leave to offer them—and in the first place we look upon the Town of Monson sufficient to support the Gospell, provided it was settled; And we Impute the Reason of its not settling to the Neglect of Building a Meeting-House and settling the Gospell: It also appears to us quite an unreasonable thing that the south of Monson should be Annexed to Hollis, a Numerous People able to support the Gospell without them and we Humbly pray that their Requst May ne'r be Granted for if so we are disenabled to Defray Town Charges and to settle the Gospell, and we are well Assured that your Exelency and Honours will take no pleasure in inlarging of one Town by ruining of another and it apears to us that the Scheem they are upon to break Monson has no Heigher ends then Private Interest and an Immence Damage to the Publick the Consaquence will be either fatal to Amherst and New-Boston in splitting And taring them to pieces and puting them to an immence Cost and Bring on a quarel that perhaps may not soon end or else it will leave us under very distressing Circumstances by the smallness of our Number and Scantiness of our Town And now may it please your Exelency & Honours we Esteem it our Duty as a Body Politick to use those Means which has the greatest Tendency to promote its Increase and flourish In order there unto the Town was for Building a MeetingHouse in order for a Gospell Settlement and indeed went so far as to get a vote for it though afterward when said vote was laid before the Town they did not see Cause to Comply with it And if the Laws of the Government oblidges every Town to have a Meeting-House and an orthodox Minister verily such Towns or Members thereof as Refusd Cast Contempt on Authority and we are well assured that their offence in such a Wise assembly shall not be their Defence—and as the Building of a Meeting-House and settling of the Gospell has been an effectual Means to the Increase of a Society so the Neglect has proved the Contrary, and as the Chief of the Land is settled on each side of the Town-so the land that lays wast and Destitute of Inhabitants lies in the Middle of the Town which although perhaps Reputed by some to be Broaken land Infeasable for Settlement yet in our Judgment tis as good Land as any in the Town except a piece on the River, and is it reasonable may it please your Exelency and Honours that Members of a Society after they have kept back the Increase thereof that a part of that Sosiety should go of to another town and leave the Remainder unable to Defray their Charges, as will be the Case with us if the South sid is set to Hollis being at a great and Continual Charge to maintain our Poor-(as also the one half of two large Bridges upon Soughegan River which are a Constant and very heavy Cherge,) And if we are as Dutifull Subjects as others why ought we not to have our Properties Continued, and if we pay our dues as well as others Subjects why may we not have our Religious Privelidges Supported, and as this Honourable Assembly hold the same so undoubtedly it will be thought fit to oblidge those that have Refused to Comply with what duty and Interest Requires as also the promoting the Public Weal and Interest-therefore finally suffer us to suplicate your Exelency and Hon" to lay a Tax upon the Land in the Town of Monson to enable us to build a Meeting House in order to a Gospell Settlement and so we as in duty Bound Shall ever pray. Furthermore we the Subscribers Inhabitants and freeholders of the Town of Monson do Impower and desire Benja Hopkins and Joseph Gould they or either of them to wait upon the General Assembly and oppose said petition and to shew how unreasonable the prayer thereof, is; so that the Same may not be granted, and also to Petition for such Priviledges for the Town to forward the settling the Gospell as they shall think best. Monson March ye 18th 1763 Benjamin Hopkins Joseph Gould Benjamin Hopkns Jun George Burns John Burns Jun' Thomas Burns [7-92] [Address expressing Satisfaction with the County Arrangement, 1769.] To his Excellency John Wentworth Esq' Cap Gener" Governor and Comd &c. the Honorable his Majesties Council and House of Representatives for the Province of New Hamsh' We Inhabitants of Monson in the Province aforesaid take this Opportunity to Return our most Sincere and hearty Acknowledgements to your Excellency & Honors for the great Wisdom Exhibited in forming & establishing the Lines of the Middle County-We humbly beg your Excellency & Honors, in your great wisdom & Clemency, will Make no Addition to sd County, being Sensible, any addition will Cause Confusion in s County-We, likewise, earnestly Desire, that Amherst may be the Shire Towne, notwithstanding what may have been Advanced to the Contrary by one in whom we put great Confidence-And We as in Duty bound Shall ever Pray— |