History of old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869 online

74


128


130


53


30


62


140


52


100


128


116


104


114


52


13


126


108


84


66


19


91


98


64


132


51



35

127
56
15

103
57
94
49

105
9
18
77
27
8
91

100
16
37
6
46
78
23

122

110
30
80
55
51

112

124
92

121

123



* Voted to him by way of settlement.



PROPRIETARY HISTORY.

TABLE — continued.



5T



NAMES.



H. L. ADB. O. H. 2p.2d 3d D. 4th D. 5th D. 6tll D,



Parsonage lots

Samuel Penhallow, Esq. . .

James Perkins

Thomas Phipps, Esq

Capt. Joshua Pierce

Capt. Thomas Pierce

George Pierce

Jonathan Plummer

John Prescutt

John Prescutt, Jr

James Prescutt

Samuel Prescutt

Ichabod Roby

Rev. Xathaniel Rogers . .

Robert Row

Eleazer Russell

Capt. "William Rymes . . .

Joseph Sanborn

Kathaniel Sanborn

Benjamin Sanborn

Reuben Sanborn

John Sanborn

Enoch Sanborn

Edward Sanborn

Capt. Jonathan Sanborn.

Jerry Sanborn

School lots

John Shackford

Samuel Shackford

Capt. Henry Sherburne .

Samuel Sherburne

Capt. Joseph Sherburne.

Dja. Samuel Shaw

John Sniy

Rev. Thomas Simms

Thomas Silver



128

56

25

5T

131

121

103

105

146

33

2G

116

142

2

127
135

40

3

115

14
120

49

8

112

29

148
51
13
11

137
60
35
68
67



37
34
50

126
16
57
44

111

120

128
65
64

119
88

117
32
80

106

118

122
25

112
68

124
58
79
22
92
89
90
66
29

107
3
9



90

57

133
95
21
5-
39
79
25

126

130
96
82

111
45
38
58
92
31

117
54

127
27

120
48
59
89
55

119
49

109

56

37

1

105
23



78

122

84

101

123

18

10

15

58

51

70

31

81

05

40

133

54

103

38

72

2

117

107

28

48

128

67

47

8

63

45

76

96

115

29

25



90

93

70

80

96

53

84

88

31

122

121

17

54

2

4

28

59

8

55

89

66

120

103

106

33

3

91

97

74

21

30

69

107

1

26

38



38


32


-


54


92


89


88


119


29


122


78


109


11


104


66


121


134


118


19


42


111


65


108


52


42


113


88


126


21


82


29


90


98


75


126


3


124


136


62


107


7


53


78


36


6


134


34


2


28


28


60


27


72


126


47


91


21


55


3


119


7


96


84


30


22


99


49


1


106


94


40


50


77


31


38


45


137


13


64


43


-


70


75


81


118


62


34


60


44


114


80


46


113


50


105


126


106


85


54


91


6


43


20


120


76


117


112


107



58



HISTORY OP CHESTER.

TABLE — concluded.



NAMES.


H. L.


ADD.


O. H.


2p. 2d 3d D.


4th D.


5th D.


6th D


Susannah Small


134

109

111

45

39

145

136

16

15

150

113

34

41

102

55

47

124

65

64

9

133

B

101
62
74
48
58

143
12
43


61
109

30
102
108
129

67

39

98

49

60

56
101

99

23
116

54

14

12

70

78

Farm

84

5

13

123

2

69

103

28


76
18

132
51

103

97

66

26

7

134
72
65
42
00
12

112
11
13
61
68
32

Of

41

34

138

14

84

115

118

121


124
9

53

125

5

114

62

60

24
132
120
119

64

57

85

23
111

89

27

83

109

250)

200 J

50)

30
118

94

32

129

4

92

11


73

7
114

81

51

36

6

108

78

45

65

98

14

10

18
111

76

60
123

92

29

acres.

125

24
127

32

58

42

23

48


113
74
35

112

33

1

46

111
62
22
44

115

105

131
8

102

43

3

58

2

71

41
26

103
63
66

101
14
57


68

111

9

13

100

50

52

135

38

5

24

54

49

102

88

80

59

107

131

09

74

77

35
132
27
81
8
61
30


32




20


Benjamin Smith


75


Elislia Smith

Samuel Smith


47
33


CaDt. Henrv SloDer


125


Jacob Stdini3,ii


102


Steitlien Sweat


108




19


David Tilton


85




117


Samnpl Thoninson


97


Philip Towie


45




71


Caleb Towle


63


Col. Shadrack Walton


69


Col. Peter Weare


86


Nathan Web'^ter


22




79


Capt. Ebenezer Wentworth

Benning Wentworth


1

4




58


Thomas AVhitiner


14


William White


40


Capt. Richard Wibird


101


Capt. Joshua Wingate


24


Col Thomas Westbrook


01


TTpnrv Works


7




115







CHAPTER IV.

SETTLEMENT OF THE LINES.

At a meeting of the proprietors held at Kingston, Dec.
31, 1723,

" Voted, That a Committee be Chosen to Join with the
Londonderry Committee to run the Line between Chester
and Londonderry.

" Voted, That Sam" Pcnhallow, Esq'', George Jaffrey,
Esq', and Capt. Henry Sherburne be the Committee."

At a meeting March 31, 1726, it was

" Voted, That the Selectmen be a Committee to Apply
to the Gov' & Council for a Committee to run the line be-
tween Exeter & Chester, and that they forward the Com-
mittee that are Appointed to run y'' line between Chester &
Londonderry to make their return as Soone as possible."

At a meeting on the 31 of Oct., 1726,

" Voted, That Caleb Towl & Sam^ Ingalls be a Commit-
tee w^'* the Selectmen to see that the line between Chester
& Nottingham be run'd according to Charter, and also the
head line of Chester."

Tliese lines were run soon after, as appears by the
accounts. Ichabod Roby charges for four days between
Exeter and Chester, five and a half days next Nottingham.

I have not been able to find any return of the running of
these last lines, but there was a tradition which I had from
my father, many years since, that they ran out their four-
teen miles, and not finding the river, stopped and took
legal advice, and were directed to run to their monument
regardless of the measure ; that they ran to and across
the river, and then made the head line curve half a mile.



60 HISTORY OF CHESTER.

The head line is crooked ; but the most probable hypothesis
is that they started at the three pines at Londonderry, and
took a course too far west and so made a curve, and per-
haps came out the west side of the river. Tliis line comes
to the river just below Martin's Ferry and crosses the
river. The road to the Ferry laid out in 1766 came to
the river " where Lousy brook enters the river," then
began at the west bank and ran about northwest to the
line of the town.

At a town meeting, March 13, 1794,

" Voted, Stephen Chase, Arthur Livermore, & Will"^
White, Esqrs.,be the Committee (with full Power in behalf
of the Town of Chester) to settle with Derriileld and Goffs-
town, and petition the General Court in Order to make the
River the Jurisdiction line from allenstown down to Derri-
field."

There was probably an Act passed to that effect, but I
have not seen it.

The fourteen-mile line, according to the surveys for Car-
rigain's map taken about 1805, was Raymond against Not-
tingham, three miles two hundred and fourteen rods ;
against Decrfield, two hundred and eighty-eight rods ;
Candia, six miles two hundred and twelve rods ; Chester,
now Hooksett, against Allenstown, five miles one hundred
and sixty rods; making sixteen miles two hundred and
thirty-four rods to the river.

EXETER LINE.

Oct. 15, 1726. Clement Hughes, Robert Smith and Jolm
Sanborn, selectmen, preferred a petition to the Governor
and Council, showing that Capt. Tobias Langdon, Capt.
Timothy Gerrish and John Smith had been appointefl to
run the head line of Exeter, and did it under the direc-
tion of the selectmen of Exeter, and made a return to them
instead of to the Court. They pray for a committee " to
run the two miles that Exeter is to run a W. b, N. point
above Dover, and then upon a straight line to a beecli tree



PROPRIETARY HISTORY, 61

on Kingston side lino, appointed and marked in 1718 by
the grand committee chosen by the General Assembly to
fix the bounds of each town ; which straight line is the
dividing line between Chester and Exeter."

Dec. 16, 1726. Clement Hughes, for himself and in be-
half of the rest of the selectmen of the town of Chester,
petitioned the Lieut.-Governor and Council, showing :

" Tliat the Prop^ of y° Town of Chester in the year 1722
Obtained a Charter which bounded the said Town on
Exeter head bound, which bounds were made certain in
the year 1718 by a Grand Committc chosen for that pur-
pose by y" Gcn^ Assembly in y*" year 1715, as appears by
the return of said Committe in the Secretary's office ;
but the Clerk that drew up the return of said Committee
made a mistake therein. Saying that Exeter Should run ten
miles upon a W. b. N. Line from the North tree, whereas
the Committee's Intent and former settlement was from
the South tree, as can be made to appear by Living Evi-
dence, &c., Sundry of y® Gentlemen that were of y® Com-
mittee being now alive; and the Selectmen of Exeter taking
advantage of s'^ mistake would tend to the ruin of the Town
of Cbester.

" Yo"" petition'^ therefore humbly prays that the said Mis-
take may be rectified, and that no room may be left for
Future Contention between ^the afore**^ Towns. And your
Petitioner as in duty bound shall ever pray.

" Dec. 16, 1726. Clement Hughes."

" In Council, Dec"- 15, 1726.

" The Selectmen of Chester appearing to Prosecute their
Petition for a Committe to run the head line of Exeter
which is the Dividing line between the s^ Towns, and the
Selectmen of Exeter also appearing, and both parties being
fully heard, It is Or'^ that the Prayer of the Petition be
Granted ; that Nath' Weare, Esq., Deacon John Cate &
Dan' Lunt be a Committe, or the Maj"" of them, to run and
settle y"" s'^ Dividing line, and That they begin at the red
oak tree marked for Dover west northerly bounds, and run
from thence upon a West & by North point of the Compass
two miles for Exeter bound on that side, and from thence
upon a straight line to the beach tree marked for Exeter
west northerly bounds, according to the grand committee's



'62 HISTORY OF CHESTER.

return in y® year 1718, and that they measure from the
said Beach tree along Exeter side line, being E. & b. S., to
a Commonly Called Exeter South tree, which is the bound
next Hampton ; and they make report to this board of their
doings therein sometime between this time and the Tenth
of Jan^ next, and that the Charge be paid by the two Towns
jointly.

E. Waldron, Clr. Con."



'J



THE committee's RETURN.

Pursuant to an order of the lion''''' the Lieut Governor
& Council of his Majest* Prov^ of New Hamp'' bearing date
Dec'' 15^^, 1726, Wee, The Subscribers, have been at the
Red Oake Tree Marked for Dover West Northerly bounds,
& Run from Thence upon a West ct by north Point of the
Compass two miles, making allowance for Windfalls & Un-
eveness of Ground, and there markt a Young Red oak Tree
for Exeter Bounds on that Side ; & from thence Run South
twenty-nine Degrees and Thirty Minuts West, Eight miles
and ninety Rods, without allowance to the Beach Tree
Marked for Exeter West Northerly Bounds.

Jan>- 9, 1726-7. John Gate,

Daniel Lunt.



LONDONDERRY LINE.

January 6, 1725-6. Henry Sherburne, Thomas Packer,
Samuel Ingalls and John Sanborn, in behalf of the pro-
prietors of Chester, petitioned Gov. Wentworth and Coun-
cil, showing :

" That two years since they Chose a Committe to Join
with a Committe of Londonderry to run the Lines be-
tween the two Towns, which the said Committee accord-
ingly began, and made some Progress in it, but did not
Compleat them by reason that the Committee of London-
derry would not Consent to allow the usual allowance (of
Eleven Chains for ten) for windfalls, &c., in y® woods in
the measure in the W. N. W. side Line, and would allow
only bare measure, which was unreasonable, and never
Practiced before ; the reason being so Exact is because the
Proprietors of Londonderry have artfully contrived to have
it in their Charter to Ligross to themselves the fishing



PROPRIETARY HISTORY. 63

place at Amoskeag, by taking into their Town a small gore
of Land at the Head of Chester, untill it takes the said
fishing place, they having measured it beforehand for that
purpose. Their Ingrossing to themselves y® fishing ])lace
will not only be greatly prejudicial to Chester but also to
the other new towns."

They pray for a committee. Day of hearing the 25th in-
stant and order of notice. The prayer granted and James
Stevens appointed surveyor, Benj. Barker and Jno. Call-
ton chainmen, and Capt. John Gilman and Edward Hall
to keep tally and see that proper allowance is made.

THE committee's RETURN.

Province of New Hampshire :

Pursuant to an order from y^ Hon'''" Jo° Wentworth,
Esq', Lieut. Govern' and y*^ Hon'"'*^ Council for the province
affors**, passed in Council JbP 25, 1725-6, Ordered, that M'
James Stephens should be Surveyor to Run y'' Course of
y® Dividing lines Between y'' towns of Londonderry & Ches-
ter, and W Benj'"* Barker and John Callton to Carry y^
Chain to Measure y*" s'' lines, and that Capt. John Gillman
and M"" Edward Hall to go one w'*^ y*^ One Chain man & y®
other yf^^ j^' other Chain Man to give just allowance as
they thought fitt.

The forementioned Committe y*^ IS*'^ of this Instant
Oct'", and began a Beetch tree on Kingstown head line and
Run W. X. W. Course and Measured y'^' Same, and gave a
just Allowance according to y*^ best of our Skill <fc Judg-
ment, Untill we Made up ten Miles to three pitch pine trees
standing on a plain & Marked, and then turned on a North
Cource three miles an half to a great Rock in a little hol-
low w*"" a heap of Stones upon it and Marked trees beside
it. all y® afFors*^ lines by Marked trees, the aforesaid Com-
mittee being upon oath.

Ja^ Stephens, Surveyor.

Beni^ Barker, ) ^i .

T 1 n 114. ( Chammen.

John Callton, )

John Gillman, ) ^ „„ „
Edw^Hall, 'I Overseers.

Province of New Hampshire, Portsm*'', Mar. 23, 1726-7.
Entered & Recorded this above written Instrument in y®
province Records, Book 15, page 254 and 155.

P' M. Hunking, Record'.



64 HISTORY OF CHESTER.



KINGSTOWN LINE.

The charter of Kingsto^Yn is dated Aug. 6, 1694. Be-
gins " 7 miles westward of the Meeting house in Hampton,
thence a due course W. B. N. ten miles into the country ;
for its breadth is 4 miles Northerly from said head point of
the west line from s^ Meeting house, and southerly to within
three miles of the Northermost side of Merrimack River."
This had been run by the grand committee as far as
Island Pond, though crooked against Chester, or at least
not in a line to the beech tree, the corner ])etwcen Chester
and Londonderry. The charter of Londonderry on a con-
tinuation of this line lay " due south."

May 10, 1728, David Cargil preferred a petition in l)chalf
of the proprietors of Londonderry, asking for a committee
to settle the line between Londonderry and Kingstown.
He represents that Kingstown charter says " southerly,"
and they claimed S. by W., and that Londonderry charter
says south and that there is no discrepancy, the meaning
being south. The committee repaired to the north bound
of Kingstown and found the old line to run south between
eight and nine degrees west. The line in 1805 ran south
three and a half degrees west. Hence the controversy.

At a meeting October 6, 1741,

" Voted, That mr. John Macmurphy, Robert Boyes, Esq',
and Insin Jacob Sargent Shall Ijc a Committee to See how
Large Kingstown Grant is, and to see what Land yet re-
mains to be Laid out between Said Kingstown head Line
and the Land already Laid out in this town."

At a meeting June 27, 1745,

"Voted, messrs. Capt. John Tolford, John Robie, John
Moore and Enoch Colby Shall be a Committe to treat with
Kingstown Committe that are Chosen to Settle the Lines
between Said towns of Kingstown and Chester, and to Set-
tle with them upon the following Conditions : if they will
Settle with us (viz.) agreeable to their Charter and our
Charter as they bound one upon tlie other, and to make
Return of their doings to the Proprietors at their next
meeting."



PROPEIETARY HISTORY. 65

At a meeting of the proprietors of Chester, Dec. 4, 1745,

" Put to vote whether to Settle the bounds with Kings-
town agreeable to their Desire, passed in the negative.

" Voted, That Robert Boyes, Esq'", mr. Nathan Webster
and Lieut. Thomas Wells Shall be a Committee to take
Care and get a Sirvaior to Run our town Line Bounding
upon Kingstown, and from the Corner of Nottingham to
the River and the head Line of the town, agreeable to our
Charter ; and to get Chainmcn to measure where it is need-
full ; and to do what is needfull to be Don in that affair at
the Proprietors' Charge, and rj.ake return to the Proprietors
at the adjournment of this meeting."

At the adjournment March 4, 1745 [1746],

"Voted, That Robert Boyes, Samuel Emerson, Esqrs.,
and Capt. John Tolford, Shall be a Committe to Petition
the Governor and Council for a Committe to be appointed
by them to Run and Settle the Line between Kingstown
and Chester agreeable to our Charter."

The petition of Samuel Emerson and Robert Boyes,
dated Jan. 24, 1746, to the Governor and Council, in the
Secretary's office, shows, " That the petitioners, the tenth
day of May, 1722, obtained a Charter from this Hon. board,
with a great many valuable Priviledges, <fec., with a grant
of land set forth in said Charter by metes and bounds ; but
part of said lines or bounds have never been run by order
of this Hon. board, especially between your petitioners and
Kingstown, whereby your petitioners hath been laid under
considerable difficulty which yet subsists. May it therefore
please your Excellency and this Hon. board to appoint a
survovor and chainmen to run and mark out said line
according to the metes and bounds in said Charter," itc.
The petition seems not to have been granted.

There seem to be discrepancies in the dates. The peti-
tion for a meeting is dated Nov. 15, 1745 ; the warrant
Nov. 16, 1745 ; the adjournment March 4, 1745 ; but if the
adjournment was 1746, then the petition is dated before the
choice of the committee.
5



66 HISTORY OF CHESTER.

The next we find is at a meeting of the proprietors of
Chester, June 20, 1759,

" Voted, That major John Tolford, mr. John Rohie and
Capt, Anthony Towl shall be a Committee to Treat with
the Proprietors of Kingstown and make a Settlement of the
Lines Between the s'^ Towns of Chester and Kingstown
witli them, agreeable to our Charter and theirs, if they will ;
and if they Refuse to Do that, then they have Power and
are hereby autliorized to Petition the Governor and Council
for a Committe to Establish and Settle the Said Lines, In
behalf of the Proprietors of Chester."

At a meeting of the proprietors of Chester, March 11,
1760,

" Voted, That Major John Tolford, Mr. John Robie, and
Capt. Anthony Towl, all Proprietors of Chester aforesaid,
they or either of them be, and hereby are, agents and attor-
nes for the Proprietors aforesaid, for them and in their
name to agree with the Proprietors of Kingstown and
make a final settlement of the Lines between said towns of
Chester and Kingstown, or in order thereunto, if necessary
and advisable, to Prosecute and defend in the Law any
Petition, action or actions. Real, Personal or mixt, wherein
the Said Proprietors are or may be Literested or Concerned,
in any Court or Courts, to final Judgment and Execution,
with full power to Substitute one or more attorney or attor-
nies under them, and to transact and Do to all Litents and
purposes as the said Proprietors might do if Personally
Present.

" Voted, That the Charge that our Said agents and attor-
nies shall be at in Prosecuting and Defending the aforesaid
Petitions, action or actions, Shall be Raised and Repaid
them by the Proprietors of Chester aforesaid ; and also for
their time and trouble their-in."

It seems that Kingstown Proprietors take their turn to
petition, for we find that John Tolford for the proprietors
of Chester, April 23, 1771, made answer to a petition of
Benja. Stephens and Elislia Sweat, agents for the propri-
etors of Kingstown, preferred to the General Assemljly
April 2, 1761, in which he says, " And the respondents beg
leave to say that the petitioners suggest that the respon-
dents have lately raised a dispute concerning the bounds



PROPRIETARY HISTORY. 67

between Kingstown and Chester, and would remove the
west line of Kingstown further eastward. Now, the respon-
dents say that the said dispute has been of long standing,
and that they, the respondents, now are, and always have
been ready to run the line between Kingstown and Chester
agreeable to the bounds of Chester Charter, and that they
do not desire one foot of land more than is contained
within the bounds of Chester Charter ; and that they would
further observe that were it not for Chester Charter, the
respondents apprehend that the westerly bounds of Kings-
town would be nearly a mile and three quarters more to the
eastward than where the respondents claim, and that they
have often desired the Proprietors of Kingstown to run the
lines between them agreeable to Chester Charter, and have
no objection to the bounds between the said two towns to
be properly run and settled, agreeable to the Charter of
Chester, by per-sons unpredjudiced and that understand the
compass and running of lines."

The line was run, as appears by the petition of Isaac Bias-
del, Joseph Linn and Jabez Hoit, and was as it now stands
and ran as the north road to Sandown runs, twenty rods,
or at right angles seventeen rods, east of the crooked line
claimed by Kingstown. But this did not end the contro-
versy ; but at a meeting of the proprietors November 9,
1772, John Tolford and Samuel Emerson were made agents
with similar powers to those given in 1760.

June 10, 1783, Isaac Blasdel, Joseph Linn and Jabez
Hoit, selectmen of Chester, preferred a petition to the
General Assembly, showing that tliey had been called upon
to return a true inventory of all lots or tracts of land in
Chester to the Secretary's office, which they had done, but
find that seventy-two acres of the land have been i^nven-
toried in Sandown ; that the lines between the towns were
never, so far as they knew, perambulated according to law,
though the selectmen of Kingstown and also the selectmen
of Sandown had often been requested to do it. Though
the selectmen of Sandown, in November, 1782, consented
to perambulate the line between said towns, which was sur-



68 HISTORY OF CHESTER.

vejed and marked by "Walter Bryant, Jr., Esq., in Decem-
ber, 1761, by agreement of the proprietors of Kingstown
and the proprietors of Chester, agreeably to a resolve of
the General Assembly in May, 1761, and the agreement of
the proprietors and Esq. Bryant's return, yet the selectmen
of Sandown refused to sign any return to be recorded.
They pray the General Asseml)ly to consider the difhculty,
when Chester claims a straight line and Sandown a curve
or rather a crooked one. [An abstract.] Day of hearing,
the second day of the next session.

The proprietors of Chester June 7, 1785, " Voted to
James Waddel, Samuel Wilson, Timothy Wells, Sargent
Wells and Benjamin Wells, the land they have respectively
in their possession laying west of Bryant's line," which
was the end of the controversy.

TYNGSTOWN LINE.

At a meeting held June 9, 1741,

" Put to vote whether to take any notice of the Propos-
als made by the Committees meet to Confer upon the town-
ships of Chester and Tyiigstown Infringing upon Each other;
past in the Negative."

This was at first thought to be a clerical error and to
mean Kingstown. But such is not the fact. There was a
long controversy between Massachusetts and New Hamp-
shire about the line between them, and Massachusetts had
granted towns up the Merrimack. Among others there
was a company of volunteers went on snow-shoes, in the
winter of 1703, to Winncpissiokee, against the Indians,
commanded by Capt. William Tyng of Dunstable. A pe-
tition was presented to the General Court of Massachusetts
December 13, 1734, by Ephraim Hildreth and John Shep-
ley, in behalf of themselves and other soldiers, for a grant
of land lying on the east side of Merrimack river, between
Suncook and Litchfield. The grant was made on certain
conditions and was " Tyngstown." Major Hildreth settled
there and built the first mill on the Cohas at Harvey's.



PROPRIETARY HISTORY. 69

They had a meeting-house near the old corner of Chester,