CHARLESTOWN, NEW HAMPSHIRE From: Farns10th@aol.com - Janice Farnsworth Capt. Phineas Stevens, Official Correspondence, Part 3 Source:  History of Charlestown, NH - Fort No. 4 by          Rev. Henry H. Saunderson, 1876 p.564 "Vote of the General Assembly of Massachusetts. Inasmuch as sundry persons belonging to this Province, some of whom were soldiers, and taken from the fort on Kennebeck River, are now in captivity at Canada - and as this court have been informed, that there are also divers persons in captivity, belonging to the govern- ment of New-Hampshire, therefore voted, that his Excell- ency the captain General, be desired as soon as may be, to write to the Governor of New-Hampshire, informing him that this court propose to employ Capt. Phineas Stevens of No. 4, to go to Canada to redeem the captives belong- ing to this government; provided the government of New- Hampshire, will also employ him and pay a proportionable part of the expense of his journey, according to the number he shall recover from their captivity  for the respective governments." The above letter and vote were submitted by Governor Wentworth to the Assembly of New-Hampshire, but owing to previous action on the subject, on the part of New- Hampshire, the proposition of Massachusetts was not adopted. Capt. Stevens was continued in his position as commander of the Fort at No. 4, till the close of the Cape Breton War, and on the commencement of the French War was again immediately placed in the same command.  His commission is dated April 26th, 1754.  He remained at Charlestown and retained this command till sometime in the year 1755 when he removed his family to Deerfield, Massachu- setts to go on military service in Nova Scotia to which I shall hereafter refer. The military services of Captain Stevens have thus far been chiefly referred to; but a brief consideration will now be given of his services rendered and the honors paid him as a citizen of Charlestown.  It has been seen that in the years 1735 and 1736 while the appeals which had been made both by Massachusetts and New-Hampshire to his Majesty the king of Great Britain to decide the boundary line between the two Provinces were still depending, the General Assembly of the Massachusetts Bay made grants of above thirty townships lying between the rivers Merrimac and Connecticut, which townships by the royal decision in 1738 fell within the Province of New-Hampshire.  These grants thus having emanated from an authority which had no jurisdiction over the soil, afforded the grantees no valid title to their lands. The Attorney and Solicitor General were therefore called upon to makea report in relation to what would be right and proper to be done inthe premises; in which it was substantially recommended that thosewho had made improve- ments on their lands should apply to the government of New-Hampshire for new charters confirming them in the rights and privileges which had been guaranteed to them by their charters from Massachusetts.  This important business, we find by the following from the 26th page of VIth volume of Provincial Papers, was committed by the Proprietors of No. 4 to Captain Phineas Stevens. At a Council and General Assembly, July 2nd 1753 among sundry other petitions was presented the following: "The petition of Phineas Stevens, Esq., in behalf of himself and the claimers and settlers of a tract of land on the Connecticut River known by the name of Number Four, setting forth that the said tract of land was heretofore granted to them by the Massachusetts Government, in pursuance of which they had divided the same and made great improvements thereon, and praying they might have a grant of the premises in such a manner as to confirm them in their several divisions, etc., which was read at the council Board, and the question being put whether they would advise his Excellency to make out a charter agreeable thereto, it passed in the affirmative unanimously." The newly incorporated township was named Charlestown and its first town meeting was appointed by the charter to be on the 2nd Tuesday in August, of which Mr. Stevens was appointed moderator by the governor. At this meeting Captain Stevens was elected first selectman and town treasurer, and John Hastings was chosen town clerk.  The next year also he was elected to all the offices he had held the year before.  This was his last year in Charlestown, as the next year he was engaged in military service in Nova Scotia. When about to leave for the expedition to Nova Scotia, Capt. Stevens removed his family to Deerfield, Massa- chusetts, where they resided till the time of his death when they again removed to Charlestown. Captain Stevens and his company sailed from Boston for Nova Scotia on the 20th of May and reached their destination in the Bay of Fundy on the lst of June. Their first work was to aid in the reduction of the French Fort, Beau Sejour, which surrendered on the 4th day after its investment.  The following extract of a letter from Lieut Elias Alexander of Northfield in connection with this fort may be of interest. It is dated Aug. 15th, 1755.  He says, "We still remain in camp and it is most likely we shall tarry here all winter.  The French that are in this place are obliged to take up arms for us, or go off, which they refuse to do, and they will be sent to France immediately. All their effects are forfeited to King George.  They have a great number of cattle and horses which will be for our use.  We have about 400 confined in the fort, and parties of our men are out daily bringing in the rest.  All the French that in Meaness (Minas) and anywhereelse in the country must bear the same fate." (History of Northfield by Sheldon and Temple.) The following letter written by Samuel Stevens to his father shows that at the time of its date, he was still at Fort Cumberland. "Deerfield, Nov. 10th 1755 Honored Father, After my duty to you and love to my brother with you (this brother was probably Simon Stevens) I would inform you that Enos is returned - came to Deerfield last Thurs- day and was joyfully received.  We have the pleasure of telling you we are all well at present, exceptmy mother, who is abed with a daughter, named Dorothy, both like to do well.  This is joyful news to tell you of, and we all desire to be joyful with you.  I have nothing re- markable to inform you of our army yet - gone to Crown Point.  I believe will go no further than Lake St. Sacrement, now called Lake George, for they have built a strong fort there and another at Lydius' Trading House called Fort Lyman.  I suppose their business this winter will be to keep those forts and I hear Governor Shirley is at Albany, returning homewards.  The Indians have done no mischief on our frontier since July. As to our affairs at home, they are somewhat difficult. I have received but very little money this summer, not more than we necessarily used in our own family.  Capt. Spafford has made up no Muster roll yet, but I believe he will be down in a few days.  I do not think but it will be a benefit to send this amount on your book against several men in your company that you may stop the money in your own hands as viz. Dr. Titus Belding, Old Tenor to Articles, f5,13,6. Thomas Stebbins, f14,6,0. Rufus Brown, f3,6,0 Gad Elmer, f11,15,8. Joseph Brooks, f19,13,0. Beriah Grandy, f20,8.l. This is a true account on your book. This I conclude with my mother's presenting her love to you and her son with you and I with the rest of my brothers and sisters present the same. With this blessing of God I hope the time will come when we shall all happily meet again. No more at present, but I still remain your most dutiful son,                   Samuel Stevens." (above) To Capt. Stevens The following is the direction of the letter.  To Capt. Phineas Stevens at Fort Cumberland in Shegnecto in Nova Scotia.  To carrier Mr. David Jefferson, Boston received and forwarded by your humble servant, Oliver Noyes.           Death of Captain Phineas Stevens In the following year while still engaged in the public service at Chenecto, he was seized with a fever of which he died, April 6th in the 51st year of his age. The character of Capt. Stevens is thus summed up by another. "He was athletic, hardy and resolute; ever ready to cultivate his acres or arm in their defense as well as for the protection of his countrymen.  He was truly a martial husbandman.                  "Who in the reaper's merry row,                   Or warrior rank could stand." A man of self-acquired education possessing deep penetration and intelligence, he was admirably fitted for the important public services in the performance of which he was entrusted by the government." To whichmay be added that the frontier on the Connecticut had no more able defender and Charlestown no more trust- worthy man.                   End: Official Correspondence                        of Capt. Phineas Stevens Children of Capt. Phineas Stevens and his wife Elizabeth (Stevens) Stevens: l. Samuel Stevens b. l735 at Rutland, MA m. Talitha (Polly) Bingham of Lempster           Children of Samuel Stevens and wife, Talitha Bingham:           l. Solon Stevens b. l778  d. l809  Practiced law at Exeter NH and Boston.           2. Enos Stevens b. l780 m. l8ll Martha Hunt dau of  Roswell Hunt and Mary               (Willard) Hunt of Charlestown.  Martha b. l792.                    l. Samuel Hunt Stevens b. l8l2 m. l836 Lucetta Putnam  He d.  l839                       a farmer at Rochester Illinois.                               l. Samuel Phineas Stevens b. l838 m.  Olive Slater res: Miss-                                  ouri.                   2. Mary Ellen Stevens b. l8l4 at Fort No. 4 m. l835 John Swain MD b.                       Newburyport, MA  Res: Ballardsville KY                   3. Harriet Stevens b. l8l7  d. l826                   4. Martha Ann Stevens b. l82l m. l839 George HUBBARD son of                        Samuel Hubbard                    5. Sarah Elizabeth Stevens b. l826 m. at Ballardsville KY in l846                       Robert Greene Blakemore of KY b. l8l5 He d. l853 at Oldham Co.                       KY                   6. George Enos Stevens b. l830 d. l832                   7. Harriet Prudence Stevens b. l832          3. Polly Stevens dau of Samuel and Talitha (Polly) (Bingham) Stevens              b. l782 m. l808 James Hervey Bingham Res: Alstead, NH She d. l8l8                      4. Samuel Bingham Stevens b. l783 m. l8l0 Joanna Folsom of Exeter b. l787             He d. l824 She d. l873 Res: Exeter NH             l. Samuel Folsom Stevens b. l8ll d. l854 Island of St. Thomas (4 children)             2. Elizabeth Stevens b. l8l6  m. l839 Prof. Wm. Norton son of Heman                 Norton and Julia (Strong) Norton  He b. l8l0 grad West Point l83l                 Prof. of civil engineering at Yale        5. Elizabeth Stevens b. l788 d. l789        6. Tabitha Stevens b. l792 d. l873        7. Prudence Stevens  b. l794 m. l8l7  Hiram Bingham of Claremont.  She d.            at Charlestown NH l872 2.Willard Stevens son of Capt Phineas Stevens and his wife Elizabeth, was twin    of his brother, the Hon. Samuel Stevens.  Willard b. at Rutland MA l735 m.     l773 Olive Willard  Res: Barnet Vt.  He d. l789 age 54       l. Dorothy b. l774       2.______       3. Clory Allen Stevens b. l776       4. Olive Stevens b. l78l d. l786 3. Simon Willard Stevens b. l737 at Rutland MA 4. Enos Stevens b. l739 at Rutland MA m. l79l Sophia Grout dau of Elijah Grout     and Mary (Willard) Grout b. Lunenburg, MA l765 5. Mary Stevens b. l742 at Rutland, MA m. Elijah King 6. Capt. Phineas Stevens, Jr. b. Rutland MA a physician 7. Catherine Stevens b. l747 at Rutland MA m. (1) David Stone Res: Windsor Vt     She m. (2) Capt. Jonathan Willard who d. l832 age 88  She d. l824 8. Prudence Stevens b. l750 m. Hon. John HUBBARD 9. Solomon Stevens b. l753 Res Barnet Vt  (born at Fort No. 4.) l0. Dorothy Stevens b. l755 at Deerfield MA    d. l758 ************************************************* * * * * 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. 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