FOUNDERS OF FORT NO. 4, CHARLESTOWN, NH From: Farns10th@aol.com - Janice Farnsworth Topic:  The Granting of Fort 4, Part 3 Source:  History of Charlestown, NH, The Old No. 4 by Rev. Henry H. Saunderson printed at Claremont, NH 1876 Chapter 1 Circumstances Connected with the Granting of No. 4 p.6 At a Great and General Court held in Boston the Twenty- fourth day of November One Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-six the following Vote passed the two Houses and was Consented to by the Governor viz't. Voted - That Thomas Wells of Deerfield, Esq. be and hereby is empowered to assemble the Grantees of the Township Number Four on the East Side and next adjoining to Connecticut River giving timely Notice to the said Grantees admitted into said Township by the Committee of this Court to meet and assemble at some Suitable Place in order to Choose a Moderator and Proprietor's Clerk and Committee to Allot and Divide their Lands and to Dispose of the same and to Pass such Votes and Orders as by them may be thought Conducive for the Speedy ful- fillment of their grants and also to agree upon methods for Calling of meetings for the future, provided none of their Votes Concerning the Dividing and Disposing of their Land that shall be passed while they are under the Care and Direction of the Committee of this Court shall be of force before they are Allowed of by the said Committee." By the words "At a great and General Court held in Boston on Nov. 24, 1736, etc," it does not mean that the above vote was passed on that day for it was not passed till the December following. The committee consisting of eleven persons from both houses of the General Court had proceeded in the discharge of their duty to lay out the specified townships on the Connecticut River and had sub- sequently in the month of September, 1736, given notice to the petitioners to meet at Concord, Massachusetts, for the purpose of complying with the conditions on which they would be granted. *A large number attended the meeting (*see Hist. of Northfield, p. 226 for names of the sixty bondsmen and also the proprietors, see Miscellany) of whom sixty complied with the conditions prescribed and were admitted as grantees. The south bound of Township No. 1, was placed at a point on the river four and one half miles and twenty rods north of the southerly end of Merry's Meadow which would be near the present dividing line be- tween Hinsdale and Chesterfield. The north bound of No. 4, was in the upper part of the present town of Charlestown, NH. The plat of these town ships know by the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 was accepted by the General Court, Nov. 30, 1736, and December 13, the following persons were appointed and empowered to call the first meeting of the several proprietors for orani- zation, viz: Samuel Chamberlain of Westford, for No. 1 (Chesterfield) Nathaniel Harris of Watertown, for No. 2 (Westmoreland) John Flint of Concord, for No. 3 (Walpole) Thomas Wells, Esq., of Deerfield, for No. 4 (Charlestown) ~~~~~~~~~~ p.7 Thomas Wells, Esq., of Deerfield, having been empowered to call the first meeting of the Grantees of No. 4, re- cords his notification as follows: Hampshire ss. Deerfield, March 29, 1737 "Pursuant to the order or authority above granted to me the Subscriber, I have caused the grantees or the prop- rietors of the Township of Number 4 above mentioned to be notified to meet at the house of Joseph Billings of Hatfield on Tuesday the Fifth of April next at Ten o'clock in the forenoon by Posting notifications of the Time, place and occasion of Said Meeting in Towns of Northampton, Hadley, Hatfield, Deerfield and Sunderland the places where the Grantees dwell." This meeting was notified on the petition of Jonathan Wells of Deerfield and met at the time and place appoint- ed. Capt. Thomas Wells of Deerfield was chosen Moderator, and Benjamin Dickinson of Hatfield, Proprietor's Clerk; and the following persons viz. Capt. Thomas Wells, Capt Nathaniel Coleman, Lieut. Joseph Clesson, John Catlin, and Noah Wright were voted committee for the township, whose duty it should be, as early as convenient to re- pair to it, and inspect it, and in the first place, lay out sixty three house lots upon upland, in the most de- fensible manner they could, agreeably to the order of the General Court, in the place which had been previously selected by the Proprietors, or if on examination, any other location should be adjudged more convenient, it was left discretionary with them to lay them out there. They were then to proceed to divide the meadow and inter- val lands in the township into into one or more divisions "to and amongst the proprietors: as on inspection, they might consider most conducive to their interest; yet it was left to the direction of the committee either to make a division of the whole of the meadow land, or only a part of it, as they should judge best. The committee were also directed to lay out convenient and necessary highways in the township, and in all the divisions of the lands. They were moreover directed to ascertain convienient places for a corn mill, and saw mill, and make a report of doings in the premises for the confirma- tion of the proprietors, at their next meeting; the whole to be done at the charge of the proprietors. The following method was also adopted for calling sub- sequent meetings, viz. That Five of the proprietors of Said Township, applying themselves to the Clark (clerk) of Said Proprietors, in their application setting forth the Time, Place and and Occasion of Said Meeting; and the clerk Setting up Notifications in the towns of Northampton, Hadley, Hat- field and Deerfield, five days at least before the time of Said Meeting; Setting forth also in said Notifications the Time, Place and Occasion of Said Meeting shall be sufficient for the calling of a meeting of the Said Proprietors for the future." p.8 The following vote was also passed at this meeting. "Voted - By the proprietors that they will Choose a Committee to require an account of those persons, that were entrusted with the money for Carrying on the Petition for the afore said Township; and also to receive from the former Committee an account of their Charge in Laying view- ing the land in said township; and their charge in laying out and dividing the same, so far as they proceeded; and that the said committee, when the accounts are adjusted, to lay the Same before the Proprietors to pass thereon, at their next meeting." "Voted - That Capt. Isael Williams, Noah Wright and Nathaniel Kellogg be a Committee for the End afore Said. The next meeting of the proprietors is thus recorded in the Proprietors' Records page 11. "At a meeting of the proprietors of the Township0 of No. 4, on the East Side of the Connecticut River, at the House of Joseph Billings, in Hatfield on Tuesday, the 28th of June, Anno Domini, 1737. 1st. Voted - That Capt. Nathaniel Coleman of Hatfield, be Moderator of the Proprietors' Meeting. 2d. Voted - The whole accompts that hath been past of money expended and Labour done for bringing forward the Settlement of said Township. 3d. Voted - That the whole accompts here rendered, in proportion be paid by each man, before he draws his Lotts. 4th. Voted - The sum of fourteen pounds money, be granted to be Improved for Making and cutting a Road, as the dir- ection of the proprietors shall be hereafter. 5th. Voted - That Ensign Zach. Field of Northfield and Orlando Bridgeman of Fort Dummer be a committee with their assistants for marking and cutting a Road. 6th. Voted - That each proprietor shall pay his portions of money agreed upon by the Proprietors before he draws his Lots. 7th Voted - That the lots (viz.) No. 14, 15, and 19 to 38, that is not judged in quality, equivolent to other lots, that the committee that shall hereafter be chosen shall determine how and what land each one shall have, to make those lots equivolent to the other lots. 8th Voted - That they make choice of Joseph Billings of Hatfield, Proprietor's Treasurer. 9th Voted - That they allow Nathaniel Dickenson of Hat- field three shillings (O.T.) for bringing up the Proprietor's Book. 10th Voted - That the Several divisions of Lots that are now Laid out, be drawn for by those that have paid their money* (see miscellany for this drawing) (below) p.633 Historical Miscellany Grantees Admitted to No. 4 (Note: these are grantees - see the List of the Original Proprietors p. 634.) The following list is copied from one in possession of the Hon. George Sheldon of Deerfield, Mass., and contains the names of the persons who gave bonds to the value of forty pounds for fulfilling the conditions which were enjoined by the Act of the General Court of Massachusetts on all who were admitted as grantees. The heading is as follows: "A list of grantees admitted into the Township No. Four on the East Side of Connecticut River above the Great Falls: viz., Those that gave Bonds." Capt. Jonathan Wells; Samuel Barnard; David Field, on his father's Right; Joseph Clesson; Joseph Severance; Mary Wells, on David Hoit's Right; John Datting, on Joseph Cotton's Right; Benjamin Mun on John Mun's Right; John Nims; Thomas Wells; Thomas Wells for John Wells, heirs, John Hensdall, on John Arm's Right; Daniel Belden, on Wm. Belden's Right; Jno. Wait; Jno Fitch;, on Benjamin Field's Right; Samuel Moody on Thomas Hovey's Right; Nathaniel Coleman on John Well's of Hatfield's Right; Benjamin Field, on John Ellis's Right; Jonathan Bridgeman for James Bridgeman's heirs; Samuel Dickinson; Samuel Dickinson on Samuel Church's Right; John Smith; Martha Warner for her father, Daniel Warner; Stephen Crowfoot; Joseph Eastman for John Montague's heirs; Samuel Church for Nathaniel Warner's heirs; Joseph Wait on Benjamin Wait's Right; Nathaniel Dickinson the third; Aaron Graves for John Graves; Ebenezer Nims; Benjamin Dickinson for Samuel Foot's heirs; Daniel Russell for Thomas Russell's heirs; Jesse Warner, on Samuel Warner's Right; Samuel Gilbert on John Bridgman's Right; Joseph Smith; John Dickinson on Joseph Church's Right; Eliphalet Allis for Samuel Allis' heirs; Ebenezer Barnard for Thomas Barnard's heirs; Richard Billings; Israel Williams and Joseph Marsh for John Marsh's heirs; Nathaniel Colman, Jun., on Robert Boltwood's Right; Samuel Boltwood; Ebenezer Sheldon; Nathaniel Wait; Solomon Boltwood; Joshua Belding for Stephen Belding; Nathan Dickinson for Ebenezer Dick- inson; Ebenezer Warner; Nathaniel Ingraham for Jonathan Ingraham; Joseph Billings on Zach. Field's Right, of Hat- field; Joseph Wright; Noah Wright for his father, Joseph Wright; John Bridgman; Benjamin Stebbings; Zachariah Field, Northfield; Nathaniel Kellogg; Thomas Stearnes; Noah Jones; and Jeremiah Ballard to give bond to Col. Willard. By Order of the Committee, John Chandler, Jr. & Josiah Willard - Copy from file examined by Simon Frost. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p.634 Original Proprietors of No. 4. Joseph Clesson, Deerfield Capt. Stevens, Rutland Stephen Crowfoot, Hadley Samuel Church, Hadley James Severance, Northfield Benjamin Stebbins, Northampton Samuel Smith, Northfield Ebenezer Nims, Deerfield Daniel Russell, Sunderland Samuel Gillit, Hatfield Daniel Belden, Deerfield Benjamin Dickinson, Deerfield Nathaniel Dickinson, Northfield Jos'a Wright, Northfield John Smith, Hatfield Benjamin Field, Hatfield Thomas Wells, Deerfield Waitstill Hastings, Hatfield Joshua Belden, Hatfield Nathanial Kellogg, Hadley Stephen Kellogg, Hadley Daniel Warner, Hatfield Nathan Dickinson, Hatfield Richard Billings, Hatfield Jonathan Bridgman Aaron Graves, Hatfield John Wait, Hatfield Jonathan Wells, Esq. Deerfield John Nims, Deerfield James Billings Hatfield Ebenezer Warner, Hatfield Noah Wright, Northfield Lieut. Wetherby Ebenezer Barnard, Deerfield Orlando Bridgman, Northfield Samuel Dickinson, Deerfield Elisha Perkins, Hadley John Fitch, Northampton Stephen Farnsworth, Groton (founder 1740) John Field, Hatfield Eliphalet Allis Nathaniel Coleman, Hatfield Joseph Smith, Hatfield Joseph Wait, Hatfield Nathaniel Coleman, Northfield Zachariah Field Samuel Field, Deerfield Jesse Warner, Deerfield Samuel Mitchel, Deerfield David Hoit, Deerfield Nathaniel Coleman, Hatfield Joseph Eastman, Hadley John Catlin, Deerfield John Dickinson, Hatfield Thomas Wells, Deerfield Author's note: It appears from the above table that there were four proprietors' rights which were not drawn. Two of these proprietors were Deacon William Dickinson of Hadley and Capt Israel Williams of Hatfield. The other two probably were Obadiah Dickinson, of Hat- field and Mr. John Hinsdell. The proprietors appear to have been among the substantial men of Hampshire County and several of them had at the time, or obtained subsequently, no little distinction. Amond whom we mention Capt. Israel Williams, Orlando Bridgman of Bridgman's Fort, Capt. Nathaniel Coleman Capt Zachariah Field, Jonathan and Thomas Wells, John Catlin, Nathaniel Kellogg and Noah Wright all of whom acted well their part in their time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Only three of the original founders so far as it has been ascertained became settlers of No. 4 (Charlestown) These were Stephen Farnsworth, Lieut. Ephraim Wetherbe (written Witherby and sometimes Wetherbee) and Capt. Phineas Stevens. Samuel Farnsworth was killed in an Indian attack at the fort and David Farnsworth returned to Groton prior to becoming a permanent resident. Lieut Obadiah Dickinson, Lieut Joseph Clesson and Lieut Joseph Billings retained their proprietors' rights for a few years. It is possible that Mr. Billings might have settled in town for a short time, as his name occurs among the proprietors under the New Hampshire Charter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End Part 3 ************************************************* * * * * 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.