And Whereas it will be a great benefit and Advantage to the Non resident proprietors owning Lands there by Increasing the Value of their Lands or rendering easy Settleing the same, Your Petʳˢ. also pray that they may be at their proportionable part according to their respective Interest in Lands there, for the building a Meetinghouse and Settling a Minister, and so much towards Constant preaching as in your wisdom shall be thought proper.
Settlers on the aforesᵈ. Lands
Obadiah Parker Willᵐ Colburn
Josiah Blood Stephen Harris
Jerahmal Cumings Thoˢ. Dinsmoor
Ebenʳ. Pearce Peter Pawer
Abrᵐ. Taylor Junʳ Benᵃa Farley
Henry Barton Peter Wheeler
Robert Colburn David Vering
Philip Woolerick Nathˡ. Blood
William Adams Joseph Taylor
Moses Procter Willᵐ Shattuck
Thoˢ. Navins
Non Resident Proprietors
Samuel Browne W Browne
Joseph Blanchard John Fowle Junʳ.
Nath Saltonstall Joseph Eaton
Joseph Lemmon Jeremiah Baldwin
Samˡ Baldwin Daniel Remant
John Malven Jonᵃ. Malven
James Cumings Isaac Farwell
Ebenʳ Procter
In the House of Representatives Dec. 12ᵗʰ. 1738. Read and Ordered that the Petitioners Serve the Towns of Grotton and Dunstable with Coppys of the petition.
Read again and Ordered that the further Consideration of this Petition be referred to the first tuesday of the next May Session and that James Minot and John Hobson Esqʳˢ. with Such as the Honourable Board shall joine be a Committee at the Charge of the Petitioners to repair to the Lands petitioned for to be Erected into a Township first giving Seasonable notice as well to the petitioners as to the Inhabitants and Non Resident Proprietors' of Lands within the sᵈ Towns of Dunstable and Groton of the time of their going by Causing the same to be publish'd in the Boston Gazette, that they carefully View the sᵈ. Lands as well as the other parts of the sᵈ. Towns, so farr as may be desired by the Partys or thought proper, that the Petitioners and all others Concerned be fully heard in their pleas and Allegations for, as well as against the prayer of the Petition; and that upon Mature Consideration on the whole the Committee then report what in their Opinion may be proper for the Court to do in Answer there to Sent up for Concurrence.
Read and Concurred and Thomas Berry Esqʳ. is joined in the Affair
Consented to
A true Copy Examᵈ. per Simon Frost, Depʸ Secʳʸ.
In the House of Repᵗⁱᵛᵉˢ June 7ᵗʰ: 1739
Read and Concurred
[Massachusetts Archives, cxiv, 268-271.]
The Committee Appointed on the Petition of the Inhabitants and Proprietors situated on the Westerly side of Dunstable and Northerly side of Groton, Having after Notifying all parties, Repaired to the Lands, Petitioned to be Erected into a Township, Carefully Viewed the same. Find a very Good Tract of Land in Dunstable Westward of Nashuway River between sᵈ River and Souhegan River Extending from Groton New Grant and Townsend Line Six Miles East, lying in a very Commodious Form for a Township, and on said Lands there now is about Twenty Families, and many more settling, that none of the Inhabitants live nearer to a Meeting House then Seven miles and if they go to their own Town have to pass over a ferry the greatest part of the Year. We also Find in Groton a sufficient Quantity of Land accommodable for settlement, and a considerable Number of Inhabitants thereon, that in Some Short Time when they are well Agreed may be Erected into a Distinct Parish; And that it will be very
