Temple, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Petition of incorporation of the town of Temple, NH Source: "History of Temple", from D. Hamilton Hurd's, 1885, History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire1, pp. 672-677, transcribed by Ann Mensch. ================================================================== CHAPTER I. TEMPLE. The town of Temple lies on the southwestern part of the county and is bounded as follows: North, by Peterborough, Greenfield and Lyndeborough; east, by Lyndeborough and Wilton; south, by Mason and New Ipswich; west, by Sharon and Peterborough. This township embraced several tracts of land granted to individuals by the government of Massachusetts prior to 1740. The territory was granted by the Masonian proprietors in November, 1750, with the usual reservations. For some years it was called Peterborough Slip, and included the present town of Sharon. The town was incorporated August 26, 1768, and included one tier of lots on the west side of Wilton and the easterly portion of what was formerly known as Peterborough Slip or Sliptown, and was named for Hon. John Temple. Ephraim Heald was authorized to call the first town-meeting, which duty he performed, and the meeting was held at the house of Zedekiah Drury, October 10, 1768. A dispute concerning a strip of land between this town and New Ipswich resulted in favor of Temple. By an act passed January 12, 1781, a tract of land containing about four hundred acres, lying north of this town, called Borland's farm, was annexed to Temple. January 29, 1789, some territory was severed from the southest [sic] corner of Peterborough, and annexed to this town. By an act approved June 11, 1796, a considerable tract of land was severed from Lyndeborough and annexed to Temple. Petition for Incorporation.--The following is a copy of the petition for the incorporation of the town: "We, the Inhabitants of a place Called Peterborough-Slip, in Sd province Humbly petetion your Excellency and Honour That where as The Monadnuck Mountains Runs a Cross our Township, which in Impractable For Roads, So That we Cannot Settle The public Worship of God on one side of the Mountains so as to aComodate the other side of the Mountains, where fore we Humbley pray That we May Be InVested with Town prevelidges To The following Bounds: To wit,--Be Gining att peterborough, Southeast Corner, Running west on sd peterborough Line Til it Comes to a Beech Tree marked, Being the Northwest Corner of the Lott, No Eleven, in the Eighth Range of Lots in Sd peterboroughslip, Then Running South Between the Eleventh & Twelveth Lots, on a Line marked on the pinnacle of The Mountains til it Comes to the North west Corner of the Lot Eleven, in the Sixth Range, Still Running on the pinnacle of the Mountain, Through the Lots Twelve in the Sixth and fifth Ranges, on a Line marked to a Spruce Tree, Being the North west Corner of the Lot Twelve in the Fourth Range, Still Runing on the pinnacle of the Mountain, Through the Lots thirteen in the fourth Range and fourteen & fifteen in the Third Range, on a line marked on the pinnacle of the Mountains to a white maple att the foot of the Mountain Called and Known By The Name of Moffetts Tree, Then Runing west about fifteen Rods to the west Line of the Lot Fifteen in the second Range, Then Running South on Sd Line to New Ipswitch North Line, Then Running a bout East on New Ipswich North Line To the Southeast Corner of Sd petersboroughSlip, Still Runing East on wilton South Line the Length of Two Lots, Then Runing North Between the Eighth & Nineth Ranges of Lots in Sd wilton, inCludeing Two Teer of Lots to Linds Borough South Line, Then Runing West on wilton North Line and peterborough Slip North Line To peterborough East Line, Then Runing South on peterborough East Line to the South East Corner first mentioned--all So we Humbley pray your Excellency & Honours That the Loss of Wilton may be maid up To Them By your annexing a Tract of Land to Them on the East Side of wilton Called and known By The Name of The Mild Slip, and we in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray : & : C peterboroughslip : 11 : April, 1768. "FRANCIS BLOOD, } "JOHN MARSHALL, } Committee" "EPHRAIM HEALD, } This petition, however, was not granted, and on the 10th of the following June a second petition was presented, as follows: "To His Excellency Governor Wentworth and His Majestys Councel in the Province of New Hampshire : "Where as the Monadnock Mountains Runs a Crost our Township of peterboroughslip wich is Impractible for Roads so that we Cannot be acomadated to settle the publick worship of God so as to be Conveanant for the Inhabetents on both sides of the Mountains we the Inhabitants of the East side of the Mountains Humbly pray your Excellency and Honours that we may Have part of wilton anexed to us or that we may be anexed to wilton from the penicle of the mountains a Greable to the Bounds set forth in the petition laid before your Excellency and Honours by our Committee the fourth of may Last and we in duty Bound shall Ever pray & C-- "Peterborough Slip June 10th 1768 "Zedekiah drury, Thomas marshall, Seth Cobb, Jonathan Blood Jur., Joseph Heald, Jonathan Drury, Albe Serverance, John Cutler, John Cutler Junr, Benja Cutler, Jonathan Drury Juner, Joseph richerd sen, John marshall, Ebenezer Drury, Francis Blood, Zacheus Richardson, Oliver Heald, Josiah Robins, Artemas Maynard, John Maynard, Stephen Cobb, Eldad Spafford, Petter Heald, Zedekiah Drury Juner, Nathan Drury, Garshom Drury, thomas Drury, Stephen parlin, John Heald, Zechariah Emery, Daniel Drury, William Brewer, Joshua Todd, Abijah Goold, Joshua Foster, Ezekiel Goodale, James Foster, Amos Emery, Ebenezer Drury Junr, Eleazer Taylor, Aaron Fellt, Peter Fellt, John Brown, Joseph Brooks, William Drury, Silus Anger, Jonathan Avery, Benja Cragin, Joseph Reed, Ephraim Heald." This petition was granted, and the town was incorporated, as mentioned above, August 26, 1768. ================================================================== Ann P. (nee McRoden) Mensch mailto: mensch-family@worldnet.att.net ================================================================== * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.