History of the old township of Dunstable, etc

Front matter

J S ShtphtfR architect ''■j 9 .' 17th Bos-torn OWN HOUSE ,TsASBH HISTORY OF THE OLD TOWNSHIP OF DUNSTABLE; INCLUDING NASHUA, NASHVILLE, H0LL1S, HUDSON, LITCHFIELD, AND MERRIMAC, N. H.; DUNSTABLE AND TYNGSBOROUGH, MASS. KY CHARLES J. FOX. NASHUA : CHARLES T. GILL, PUBLISHER. 1846. Entered according to Act os Congress, in the year Eighteen Ilimdi ed aud Forty-six, BY CHARLES J. FOX, In the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in and for the District of New Hampshire. NASHUA: Murray it Kimball, printers. NOTICE. A few pages only of this volume were in type, when its author was called away by death, from the community who esteemed and the friends who loved him. As arrangements had been made for the publication of the work, a large subscription obtained, and the promise of its appearance given to the public, it was thought best that no delay should take place.

The his tory, as prepared by Mr. Fox, extended to the year 1840, during which the greater part of it was written. He had however, when undertak ing its publication, procured information from va rious sources, as to transactions since that peri od, especially with regard to the present state of business in the village of Nashua. To condense this information, and incorporate it with what had been previously written, — to collect such additional facts as seemed desirable to be preserved in a volume of this kind, and to superin tend the mechanical execution of the work, has been the task of the author's friends, — a task of some delicacy and difficulty, but rendered inter esting not only by the nature of the work itself, A NOTICE. but by its connection with one, who left so many claims to the affectionate remembrance of those who knew him.

If under such circumstances, mistakes should be found to have passed uncor rected, which the eye of the author would have discovered, — or if the information given should seem deficient on any point where the further re searches of the writer would have supplied it, the indulgence of the reader is requested. Of the Author himself, a brief notice in this place will doubtless be expected by those who are acquainted with the circumstances under which the work is published. It is hoped that before long, a more full account of his character, labors and influence will be presented to the world by one who knew him intimately, and who is in every respect eminently suited to the task. Charles James Fox was born at Antrim, N. H., in the month of October, 1811. He received his preparatory education at Dartmouth College, where he was graduated in 1S31.

Chapter I. The First Settlers Of Dun- Stable

Early settlers of New England. Valleys of the Merrimac and Nashua. VVinnipisiogee. Chelmsford and Gtoton. Johnson and Willard's company. — Litchfield. Amherst. Milford. Grant to John Whiting at Salmon Brook. Grants to Billerica; — to Gov. Endicott ; — Henry Kimball. Ancient and Honorahle Artillery Company. Petition for incorporation. Conditions. Boundaries. Name of Dunstable. Original proprietors. Lieut. Wheeler. John Cromwell. Indian tribes. Passaconoway. — Wannalancet. Wickasttck Island. Character and customs of the Indians. "The Bashaba's Feast." First settlers of Dunstable. First house lots. Orchards. Old Fort. Articles of agreement. Designation of place for die meeting house 7 3

Chapter II. The Indian War Of

1675. King Philip. Perilous situation of Dunstable. Indians remove. Garrison increased. Measures of Governor and Council. Friendship of Wannalancet. Mr. Tyng alone remains in Dunstable. His petition. Attack on Chelmsford. Fort at Pawtucket Falls. End of the War. Treatment of the friendly Indians. Mr. Tyng appointed their guardian. Allowances to him and to Thomas Whteler. — _ ,„ CONTENTS. ix. Sudden appearance of Mohawks. Second appearance. Wannalancet retires to Canada. Treaty of Nimeguen 28

CHAPTER 111. HISTORY FROM

1675 TO 1685. Town meetings. Selectmen. Efforts to settle a minister ; — to build a meeting house. Freeman's oath. First meeting house. First births in the town. — Saw Mill. Settlement of Mr. Weld. Character of the people. Extracts from the records of the Colony. Town meetings. Appearanceof a comet. Death of Hon. Edward Tyng. Increase of the town. Regulations respecting taxes, — wood, — swine. Mine Islands. Hezekiah Usher. Supposed Mines. Guard continued. Prices of wood. Highway from Groton. " Thirty acre lights." Settlement of Mr. Tyng's claim. Proprietors' names. Salary of Mr. Weld. Proceedings relative to a meeting house. Specie and produce. Town officers. Taxes. New alarm from the Indians. — "The Pilgrim's Vision." 38

Chapter IV. History From

1685 TO THE DEATH OF REV. Mr. WELD IN 1702. Meetinghouse built. Ordination ofMr. Weld. First church members. Covenant of neighboring churches. Churches in New Hampshire at this date. — Cranfield's oppressive edict. Removal of the Indians. Bridge in Billerica. Singular office. Revolution of 1688. French War of 1689. Indian attack on Dover. Garrisons. Letter of Major Henchman. Tythingtiian. Indian ravages. — Truce. War renewed. Murder of Hassell antl others. Garrisons in Dunstable. Representatives chosen. Strict regulation to prevent settlers removing. Grants for support of the ministry. Return of Wannalancet. Treaty of Ryswick. Joe English. His adventures. Grant to him. Capture of Mrs. Duston at Haverhill. State of the town. Compensation of Mr. Weld. Billerica bridge. — Bridge over Salmon Brook.

Wood-rate. Puritan X. CONTENTS. simplicity. List of inhabitants. Vote to glaze the meeting house. Petition for aid to support the min istry. Death of Mr. Weld. His history. ... 55

Chapter V. Indian Wars From

1703 TO 1713. Intercourse with the Indians. Measures for defence. The Old Fort. Queen Anne's War. Bounty for scalps. Capt. Tyng. Massacre of the Parris family. Petition for assistance. Block house. Customs at funerals. Garrison withdrawn. Grant to S. Butterfield. Attack on the Weld garrison; — Blanchard's;— Galusha's. Grants by General Court. Petition of Jacob Gallusha. Ambuscade. Death of Joe English. Precautions against the Indians. Garrisons. Whiting. Hassell. Account of Indian wars from Bancroft, — from Mary Rowlandson 75

Chapter VI. Ecclesiastical History From

1702 TO 1737. Imperfect accounts. Grant to the town. Rev. Samuel Hunt. His petition. Rev. Mr. Parris. Meeting house repaired. Assistance continued. Increased prosperity. Rev. Mr. Cheever. Salary. — Mr. Treat. Votes. Rev. Mr. Peirpoint. Rev. Mr. Coffin. Facetious remark of Col. Taylor. Rev. Mr. Prentice. His marriage and death. Salary. 94

Chapter VII. Indian Attack Of

1724. Peace of Utrecht. Prosperity. Indian disturbances renewed. Jesuits. Father Rasle. Attack at Merry Meeting Bay. Frontier towns. Dover. Garrison at Dunstable. Peeker's company, — Fairbanks'!?. — Death of Hon. Jonathan Tyng. Scouts. Attack on Norridgewock, and death of Rasle. Incursion of Mohawks. Cross and Blanchard captured. The pursuers waylaid and cut off. Monument. Second fight. Name of Indian Head. William Lund captured CONTENTS. XI

Chapter VIII. Lovewell's War And Love Well's Fight

Petition of Lovewell and others. The Pequawketts. Lovewell's first expedition. Its success. Second excursion. Thirty men dismissed. Surprise ten Indians. Capt. Tyng's excursion. Lovewell's third expedition. Fort built and guard left there. Names of the party who proceeded. Arrive at a pond. Particular account of the Fight. Fate of the survivors. Liberality of the General Assembly. Expedition to bury the dead. Petition of Dunstable. Petition of John Lovewell, senior. Further military operations. Alarm of the Indians. Further compensation to Lovewell's party. Ballad on Lovewell's fight. Death of Paugus. Second Ballad. Restoration of peace. Anecdotes of Indian hostilities Ill

Chapter IX. Civil History Of The Town Until Its Division By The

NEW STATE LINE IN 1741. Increase of the town. Poverty. Bills of credit. — Loan to Mr. Prentice. Depreciation. Representatives. Extracts from the records. The meeting house. Pews erected. First pauper. Grand jurymen. Tythingman. Billerica bridge. Vote by ballot. Customs of the time. Ferry-boat. Earthquake. Inn-keepers. Boom built. Legal proceedings. Taxes. Education. Laws relating to it. Difficulty of observing them. Town indicted. Small amount raised. Neglect. Various disputes. Settlements extended. Nottingham, (Hudson.) — Merrimac. Litchfield. Vote to build a new meeting house. Hollis. Townsend. Settlement of the State Line. Rev. Mr. Swan settled. " New Lights." New meeting house built Xli. CONTENTS.

Chapter X. History Of Dunstable

N. H., TO THE OLD FRENCH WAR. Incorporation by New Hampshire. Road to Tyngsborough. Mr. Swan dismissed. Anecdote of him. Schools. Indian hostilities. Soldiers impressed. Farwell and Taylor captured. Rev. Mr. Bird settled. Divisions in the church. Proceedings declared illegal. Mr. Bird leaves Dunstable. Bitterness of feeling. Petition of the inhabitants of Pine Hill. Schools. Bridges over the Nashua. Death and character of John Lovewell. Statistics. Rev. Mr. Adams preaches. New meeting house built. . 150

Chapter XI. History Of Dunstable From The French War To The Revolution

Patriotic spirit of the people. Expedition to Crown Point. New Hampshire Regiment. Subsequent Armaments. Rogers's Rangers. Dunstable men in the service. Col. Goffe's regiment. Singular order. Church affairs. Rev. Mr. Smith. Protest. Notice of Col. Blanchard. Rev. Josiah Cotton. — Ecclesiastical Council. Compromise. Town meeting on points of doctrine. Rev. Mr. Livermore. — Rev. Mr. Fessenden. Rev. Mr. Kidder settled. Notice of him. Rev. Mr. Sperry. Slaves owned iu town. Customs at funerals 159

Chapter XII. Revolutionary History Of Dunstable

Revolutionary feelings. Favored by the organization in townships. Right of representation granted by the General Assembly. Conventions at Exeter. Constitution for the State. Fight at Lexington. Walker's company. Statistics. Character of the N. H. troops. Battle of Bunker Hill. Declaration of Independence anticipated. Depreciation of paper money. Meeting in consequence. Three regiments raised in the Stale. Company for Canada. Similar efforts the next year. Bounty offered. — CONTENTS. XIII Surrender of Burgoyne. Committee of Safety. — Convention to regulate prices. Articles of Confed eration. State Constitution. Rejected. Volun teers. Representative. Patriotic exertions of the people 169

Chapter XIII. History To The Origin Of Nashua Village

Sacrifices made for independence. Convention for State Constitution. Representatives. Convention to adopt Constitution of U. S. Different opinions. — Vote of the town against it. Notice of Hon. Jonathan Blanchard, — of Judge Jonathan Lovewell . . 186

Chapter XIV. History Of Nashua Village

First Stage Coach. Boating on the Merrimac. Population in 1800. Canal Boat launched. Oration. Name of Nashua. Description of the Village. Post Office. Middlesex Canal. Gradual increase. Dunstable plains. Changes in Main street. New meeting house built. Rev. Mr. Sperry ordained. Dams across Nashua River. Census. Manufactures contemplated. First views. Nashua Manufacturing Company. Their works. Boating Canal. Indian Head Company. Meeting house on Olive street erected. History of the two Congregational Societies. New Bridge. Taylor's Falls Bridge. Unitarian Church. Present state of Nashua Manufacturing Company. Jackson Company. Newspapers. First Baptist Church. Methodist Churches. — Growth of the Village. Railroads. Bank. Steamboat. Universalist Church. Population. Second Baptist Church. Name of the town changed. — Free-will Baptist Church.

First Christian Society. Protestant Episcopal Church. Machine Shop. — Manufacturing and Mechanics Association. Iron Foundry. Factory at Salmon Brook. Vote to erect a Town House. Town of Nashville organized. — Contrast of the past and present CONTENTS.

Chapter XV. Notices Of Towns Included In Old Dunstable

Historical Sketch of Hudson 216 Historical Sketch of Litchfield 920 Historical Sketch of Merrimac 222 Historical Sketch of Hollis 229

Appendix

. I. Genealogy of the Early Settlers of Dunstable . 237 II. List of Soldiers in the Army, from Dunstable . 254 III. Town House and Cemetery 257 IV. Population of Nashua and' Nashville, .... 261 V. Lawyers and Physicians 263 VI. List of Representatives 265 VII. Proportion of Taxes at various periods . . . 268 VIII. Value of Silver at different periods .... 269 IX. Post Office 270 X. Inventory and Expenses of Nashua .... 272 XI. District Schools 275 III. Town House and Cemetery HISTORY OF THE ©iu immmf m mmimin.

Preface

. The following work was undertaken in consequence of a vole passed at the Annual Meeting of the New Hampshire Historical Society, June, 1840, appointing the Author Chairman of the Committee upon Histories of Towns. It was remarked that great deficiencies existed, and that materials should be speedily collected while so many of ihe immediate descendants of the first settlers were yet living. Attention was thus turned to the subject: — an examination of ancient records made and a collection of materials commenced, and the result is the compilation which is now submit ted to the public. ft would be inconvenient and burdensome to cite the authority for every statement that is made, but the reader may be assured that no fact is stated as such without what is deemed to be good authority. The value of a work like this depends in a great mea sure upon the accuracy of its details, and to this the writer confi dently lays claim.

A large portion is extracted from the Town and Proprietary Records of Dunstable, which are in a good state of pre servation, excepting a few years between 1694 and 1710. Much has been derived from the Town, Military, Ecclesiastical, Pecuni ary, and Legislative Records of the Commonwealth of Massachu setts, prior to 1741, in the office of the Secretary of State, at Bos ton. For many accommodations in examining and copying the Records I am indebted to Rev. Joseph B. Felt, who has been em ployed for many years by the State in arranging and binding them. The materials for minute and accurate history there collected and arranged by Mr. Felt, are very curious and valuable. A similar collection of papers, belonging to a period subsequent to 1741, and including the French and Revolutionary wars, is found in the office of the Secretary of this State, at Concord, to which free access has been granted. Frequent reference has also been had to the American, Massa chusetts, and New Hampshire Historical Societies; to Farmer's

PREFACE.

. and Moore's Historical Collections, Farmer's Notes to Bellcnap's New Hampshire; to the various Indian publications of Mr. Sam uel E. Drake, the N. H. Gazetteer, and to all the Town and State Histories from which any thing could be gleaned. For much in formation we are indebted to the old inhabitants of the Town, and to the descendants of the early settlers. Much time and labor have been devoted to the work. It may not be of general interest, but it is hoped that its object will be appre ciated by those for whom especially it was designed. The Histo ry of the settlement and growth of our Towns is deservedly attract ing increased attention. As our old men pass away, and records are destroyed, and traditions forgotten, these collections thus pre served from destruction, humble and useless though they may appear to some, will become more and more valuable.

Desirous of doing what he may for the home of his adoption, and fondly believ ing that the subject will be intrinsically interesting to every inhab itant of " Old Dunstable," this work has been prepared and is submitted by the Author. Since the above was written, (1841,) five years have elapsed, and the work is unpublished, partly owing to the pressure of other la bors, and partly to severe and long protracted sickness. An inter val of comparative ease and the request of friends have now induced its preparation for the press, and it is offered to the indulgence of the public. It has been revised, enlarged and brought down to the present time. An effort has been made to obtain full and accurate statistics of the condition of the Village, but under the circumstan ces, errors, omissions and imperfections must occur.

For these charity is craved. That this and some other portions of the work will not be so in teresting to the general reader as the more romantic incidents is very evident, but there are few local Histories that contain so many of the latter as the present. Besides, the former are absolutely ne cessary to the complete history of a town, especially of d manufacturing town. To the kindness of friends the Author is so greatly indebted for assistance in such various forms, that he will only say, God bless them all !

Introduction

. It was a remark of Edmund Burke, no super ficial observer, that " they who never look back to their ancestors, will never look forward to pos terity." There is great truth and beauty in the remark. Those who " build the tombs of the prophets," do not always, indeed, heed their pre cepts or follow their example, but those who care nothing for the past, its actors or its story, will care little for the welfare of the future. It is na tural and commendable to care for those who have gone before us. " They have labored, and we have entered into their labors." The men who settled this region, and " hewed the ancient woods away," were such as the world had rarely seen. They were ready to do all, and dare all, and suffer all for the sake of conscience. They "called no man master," and the germ of freedom which they planted in the wilderness, be came the noble "Liberty Tree" of the Revolution.

INTRODUCTION.

. Of such descent we may well be proud. We wish to know who they were, and when, and where, and how they lived. Their toils and pri vations and sufferings, their opinions and pecu liarities to us should be important. From them is derived all that is peculiar to the New Eng land character; its energy, its ingenuity, its per severance, and its hatred of tyranny in all its forms and manifestations. An insight into their every day life would be most valuable, but they have passed away, and the story of the first settlers of D unstable, with its startling romance and stern realities, has nearly perished with them. A fe»w materials yet exist, scattered and imperfect. in cotemporary journals and musty records, in ancient burial grounds or in uncertain traditions, only to be gathered with great labor and anti quarian zeal and patience.

These perishing me morials have been sought out and embodied with filial regard, by one who is proud of a descent from the first settlers, trusting that the simple story of Indian perils and Revolutionary patriotism, of toil and perseverance, of enterprise and success will not prove entirely destitute of inter est or of instruction.

Chapter I. The First Settlers Of Dunstable

The landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in December, 1620, is an epoch in the world's his tory. "On this bleak New England shore," in the wilderness, with the snows of winter around them and a few wretched dwellings to protect them, and wild beasts and wilder men, they es tablished a Colony which is destined to solve a problem for the human race. Its motto and its basis was "freedom to worship God." Perse cuted in the old world alike by Catholic and Epis copalian for opinion's sake, driven from their homes, they came to this " wilderness world " with gladsome hearts, " singing the songs of Zi on," even in this " strange land," for that "here they could worship God according to the dictates of their consciences in peace." The Plymouth settlers were but pioneers, and soon crowds flocked hither, ready to dare all and to endure all for the priceless boon of a free con science and free speech.

Boston, Salem, Ports mouth and Dover were settled, and every where, with each little band of brethren, the " man of God" went forth to cheer them in toil, in peril, and in death. As the fame of this new asylum for the oppressed began to spread abroad more widely, greater crowds of emigrants came, until the older settlements became too populous. Adventurous spirits went forth into the wilderness upon every side to found new plantations, and at a very early period, not long after the settlement of Boston, attention was turned towards the val leys of the Merrimac and the Nashua. In Au gust, 1652, (1) the valley of the Merrimac as far northward as the outlet of Lake Winnipisiogee, was surveyed by Capt. Simon Willard and Capt. Edward Johnson, and its rich basins and valua ble fishing stations were laid open to to the eager gaze of the adventurers.

The valleys of the Merrimac and Nashua are of alluvial formation. That they have undergone great changes is very evident. Their general ap pearance, the shape of their basins, their outlets, their different levels, and the stratified character of the soil, all show that at some remote period the greater portion of these valleys must have been covered with water in the form of Lakes or large Ponds. Geologists find the same character istics upon all our Rivers, and some even refer their origin to the Deluge. But whenever and however their origin may have been, it is evident that the valley of the Merrimac was once a succession of Lakes, one ending at Pawtucket Falls. and another at Amoskeag Falls, through whose rocky basins the waters at length burst their way, and formed their present lower channel, leaving their former beds dry.

(1 ) This survey was made by order of the Genera] Assembly of Massachusetts to determine the Northerly bound of the Colony, "and an inscription was made upon a large stone in Winnipisiogee River, at a point " three miles North of the head of Merrimac River," to designate the spot. The Colony of Massachusetts then claimed all the land lying " three miles " North and East of the Merrimac from its mouth to this point, and thence due West lo New York. This stone was discovered a few years since, and gave rise to many con jectures as to its origin. For an account of it, see 4 N. H. Histori cal Collections, 194. The same is equally true of the valley of the Nashua, one outlet being at Mine Falls, and another at the high bluff near the Nashua Cor poration, through which the river has forced a passage, and left large basins exposed for cultivation.

In corroboration of this theory we know that logs have often been found here, buried in the earth at a great depth. When the excava tion for the foundation of the Locks near the Mer rimac was being made in 1825, at a spot about one hundred feet from the River, and at a depth of many feet below the surface, the workmen found several logs, a quantity of charcoal, as if the remains of a fire, and a toad, which, on being exposed to the sun and air, revived and hopped away. Such discoveries are not of unfrequent occurrence, but as to the time and mode of their deposit we are left only to theory and conjecture. The valley of the Merrimac was not an object of desire to the English alone. From the earliest periods it seems to have been looked upon by the Indian as almost a Paradise. The Winnipisio gee, or " the very pleasant place where there is but little land," was deeply beloved.

(1.) The Merrimac with its numerous Naamkeeks, or fish ing stations, and its rich planting fields for maize, was still more dear. So far, indeed, had its fame extended, that in 1604, years before the Landing at Plymouth, a French Jesuit, writing from Can ada to France, could say : " The Indians tell us of a beautiful River lying far to the South, which they call Merrimac." (2.) (1.) The Indians are also said to have called it, " The smile of the Great Spirit." The name is Winni-peesi-okhe, and should be pronounced Win-ni-pis-saw'-key, with the accent on the last syllable nut one. (2.) Sieur De Monts. Relations of the Jesuits, 1604. Merrimac means Sturgeon. There is also a Merrimac which flows into the Missouri river. The Indians who inhabited the more southerly portions of the valley were of a mild disposition, and invited intercourse with the whites.

In 1655 the settlements had extended as far North as Chelmsford and Groton. From 1655 to 1665 was a period of unwonted activity and prosperity. There was peace with the Indians, and the tide of population rolled onwards rapidly. The Indians had planting fields all along the valleys of the Merrimac, the Souhegan, and the Nashua, and these were objects of eager desire to the settler. About 1655, grants of land in this vicinity were made to those who belonged to the exploring company of Johnson and Willard. In 1656 the lands upon both sides of the Merrimac, extending on the west side from Naticook brook (1) to a line about a mile south of Peni chuck brook, and including the greater part of Litchfield, were granted to William Brenton, and called " Brenton's Farm. "(2.) Nearly all the in terval lands about Naticook were granted not long after.

In 1659 and 1660 large tracts of land were granted upon the Souhegan river, (3.) ata place called by the Indians Quohquinna-pashessan anagnog, being the meadows in Amherst which lie at the mouth of the small brook, which, aris ing in Mont Vernon, and flowing around the plain in Amherst, runs into the Souhegan in the South part of the town. Five hundred acres were grant ed to Capt. William Davis of Boston and Capt. (I.) Naticook is the little brook just above Thornton's Ferry, in Merrimac. (2.) The Indian name of Litchfield and Merrimac was Naticook. Sometimes the land East of the river was called Nacook.— Belknap, 224. N. H. Gazetteer. Litchfield. (3.) This was anciently written Souhegenack, and means, it is said, crooked.— 5 N. H. Hist. Coll., 87. Isaac Johnson of Roxbury; (1.) 500 acres to Mrs. Anna Lane ; and 300 acres to John Wilson of Boston. 1000 acres were also granted to the town of Charlestown fora "School Farm,"' lying upon the Souhegan, in Milford, about fouror five miles westerly of the first grants, "at a great hill called Diamcap hill," and 500 acres to Mrs. Anna Cole "adjoining thereto."

(2.) About the same time a grant of 400 acres, lying at the mouth of Salmon Brook, was made to John Whiting. It was bounded on the north "by the upland," and extended up the brook about a mile and a half, embracing the southerly part of Nashua Village. Several hundred acres, also, were granted atPenichuck Pond, and so down Penichuck Brook, in Merrimac and Nashville. About 1662, 500 acres upon the easterly side of the Merrimac, in Litchfield, "atNacook," were granted to the town of Billerica for a "School Farm," and 300 acres adjoining, to "Phinehas Pratt and others for straights aud hardships en dured by them in planting at Plymouth of which he was one." (3.) Four hundred acres were granted to Gov. En dicott, "lying in the westerly part of Pelham," about six miles north of Pawtucket Falls, and one mile west of Beaver Brook, at a great hill called Masha-shalluck, (4.)

" lying belween two other great hills, and adjoining southerly on a great Pond called Piiniuo-miUi-quonnil." (I.) Cnpt. Johnson was killed at the great Narraganset Swamp Fight, Dec. 19, 1075. (2.) These grants were all made by Massachusetts'. For an ac count of them see Assembly Recnrds. 1659, 1000, in the office of iho Secretary of the Commonwealth, at Boston, pages 327, 357. 358, 359, 364,401. (3.) Drake's Book of (lie Indians, page 3.3. Maiz. Assembly Records, 1 662, 1605. (4.) Massa-artuek means Deer hill. Pimmo-milti-nucnnit sig nifies a Long Pond. About this period, but at what date is uncer tain, a grant of a large tract in Hudson and Pel ham was made to Henry Kimball, and called " Henry KimbaWs Farm." Samuel Scarlet had a farm also, on the north side of Merrimac Riv er, perhaps in Tyngsborough ; Lieut. Joseph Wheeler, and his father Capt. Thomas Wheeler, had a farm upon the Merrimac, in Nashua, a lit tle south of Salmon Brook, and several others whose names are not preserved.

In September, 1673, a grant of 1000 acres, lying in Nashville, was made to the " Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company" of Boston. It was bounded East by the Merrimac, south by the Nashua, West by Spectacle Brook, (1.) and extended about one mile northerly of Nashua River. This embraced the whole of the village. of Nashville, and was called the " Artillery Farm." From this circumstance the little Pond in the north part of the village was called " Ar tillery Pond." At this period, 14,000 acres, lying along the Merrimac, upon both sides, between Souhegan River and Chelmsford, had been granted to various individuals, but as yet few settlements had been made. It became necessary, therefore, for their mutual benefit, to consolidate all the grants into one plantation, and to secure to the inhabitants all the privileges and immunities of an incorporated Township.

Accordingly, in Sep tember, 1673, the proprietors of the farms alrea dy laid out, and others who were disposed to settle here, presented a Petition to the General As sembly, of which the following is a copy. (2.) (1.) The Hi lie brook about a mile Westerly of the village, which runs through the farm now owned by Hiram Woods. — Mass. As sembly Records, 1673 : page 729. (2.) Mass. Assembly Records, 1673. The original Petition is on file, and the ancient spelling has been preserved. iC. "To the Honored Governor, Deputy Governor, with the Magistrates and Deputies now assembled in the General Court ut Boston, Sept. 19, 1673.

" The Petition of the Proprietors of the farms that are laid out upon Merrimac River, and places adjacent, with others who desire to joyn with them in the settlement of a plantation there — " Humbly Siiewetii " That whereas there is a considerable tract of the Coun try's land that is invironed with the proprieties of particular persons and towns, viz : by the iine of the town of Chelmsford, and by Groton line, and by Mr. llrenton's farm, by Souhegan farms, and beyond Merrimac River by the outermost line of Henry Kimball's farm, and so to Chelmsford line again — All which is in little capacity of doing the country any service except the farms border ing upon it be adjoined to said land, to make a plantation there; and there being a considerable number of persons who are of a sober and orderly conversation, who do stand in great need of accommodations, who are willing and ready to make present improvement of the said vacant lands: And the Proprietors of the said farms are therefore willing to join with and give encouragement to those that shall improve the said lands: — the farms of those that are within the tract of land before described, being about 14, 000 acres at the least : "Your Petitioners therefore humbly request the favour of the Honorable Court that they will please to grant the said tract of land to your Petitioners, and to such as will join with them in the settlement of the lands before men tioned, so that those who have improved their farms there, and others who speedily intend to do the same, may be in a way for the support of the public ordinances of God, for without which the greatest part of the year they will be deprived of, the farms lying so far remote from any towns : and farther that the Honorable Court will please grant the like immunities to this plantation, as they in their favours have formerly granted to other new Plantations: — So shall your Petitioners be ever engaged to pray: "1.