Somehow or other, Dahling, I have received parts 2 and 3 but no # 1, unless you gave it a different title. I have been saving them to my Charlestown file Thanks, Barbie ----- Original Message ----- From: <Farns10th@aol.com> To: <NHSULLIV-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, June 06, 1999 1:56 PM Subject: [NHSULLIV-L] RANGERS PART 3 > The Rangers Part 3 > Source: History of Charlestown, NH - Fort No. 4 by Rev. > Henry H. Saunderson 1876 > Chapter 5 > p.93 > > During the continuance of the wars no permanent settle- > ment had been made north and west of Charlestown beyond > the Connecticut River. On the 3d of January 1749, Gov. > Wentworth had chartered the township of Bennington, now > in the State of Vermont, but which was then supposed to > be included in the territory of New Hampshire; and be- > tween that time and the 6th of April 1754, had made grants > of fourteen other townships, west of the Connecticut > River. But hostilities being resumed, no further grants > were asked for nor made. A few settlements had been > made west of the river and immediately bordering upon it, > which had been only temporary, as they had been broken > up during the war. > > Among these were Rockingham and Westminster. The settle- > ment which had been first made in 1744 in the present > town of Putney, and which had been renewed after the > peace of Aix la Chapelle, was also nearly if not quite > abandoned. A small settlement moreover opposite Charles- > town on unchartered lands in the present township of > Springfield, made in 1753, was given up.* > > The author footnotes here: > > * I find the following in Hall's History of Eastern Vermont, p. 116. > > "In the year 1753 before the commencement of the French > war and eight years previous to the date of the Charter > of the town of Springfield, Daniel Sawtell, Jacob Sawtell > Oliver Sawtell, Combs House, Samuel Douglas, Oliver > Farnsworth, Joseph Douglas, Noah Potter, Nathaniel Powers, > Simeon Powers, and Simeon Powers, Jr. being unable to > purchase lands in any of the inhabited towns of his > Majesty's provinces, while the lands in said Springfield > lay in the open wilderness, waste and untilled, without > yielding any revenue to his Majesty, or profits to his > subjects for the support of themselves, their wives and > their children, enter upon, till and improve part of the > lands in said Springfield. During the war they defended > their possessions at the peril of their lives and by the > loss of the lives some of their friends and neighbors > and were as a guard to those places located further down > the river which were exposed to the rage of an heathen > and savage foe. After the reduction of Canada and the > defeat of their enemies they renewed their labors > with greater energy, and succeeded in establishing a > prosperous and attractive settlement. The first charter > of the town was issued under the seal of New Hampshire, > on the 20th of August 1761." > > "At the conclusion of the war, Daniel Sawtell and his > associates petitioned Gov. Wentworth for a patent of the > lands which they had improved, or for such part thereof > as he should think fit." From some unaccountable reason > the Governor refused to assent to their request and on > the 20th of August 1761 gave a Charter of the whole town- > ship to Gideon Lyman and sixty one associates. Not one > of the original settlers was named in the instrument, and > thus they were placed entirely at the mercy of men who > were at liberty to dictate whatever terms they might > deem most subservient to their own interests." > > "Without any regard to the great dangers, and hard labor > which the early settlers had undergone in maintaining > possession of, and preparing for cultivation, the lands > which they had so long considered their own, the New > Hampshire grantees sued out writs of ejectment and ob- > tained judgements against them." Executions were then > issued, their possessions taken, they themselves were > threatened with imprisonment, in default of payment of > the costs and charges of the suits which had been de- > cided against them, and their families were thereby > brought to distress and want. Subsequently Nathaniel > Powers and twenty nine others, of whom a portion were the > original settlers, applied to Lieutenant Governor > Cadwallader Colden of New York, asking a recognition of > their right; but like the former, it met with a similar > reception and New York also finally gave a Charter to > Gideon Lyman and his associates." B. H. Hall. > > On the conquest of Canada, Walpole on the east side of > the river had only two families resident in it; those > of John Kilburn and Colonel Benjamin Bellows; and during > the war the township of Westmoreland had been entirely > deserted. But as soon as, by the reduction of Canada, it > was conceived that actual hostilities were over, most > of the original settlers immediately returned bringing > with them large accessions to their numbers; and the > forests, amid which the sounds of war only, had so long > been heard, began once more to resound with the echoes > of civilized life. > > While the wars continued with the French and Indians > numerous bodies of troops passed and repassed through > the country now known as the State of Vermont. The > soldiers perceived the fertility of the soil and immedi- > ately upon the cessation of hostilities a great crowd > of adventurers and speculators became eager for the > possession of those lands, and numerous applications > for charters of them were made to Governor Wentworth. > The applications were so numerous and the surveys were > extended so rapidly that, during the year 1761, not less > than sixty townships were granted on the west, and eight- > een on the east side of the Connecticut River. As the > Governor reserved five hundred acres in every township > for his own especial use, and often in addition, received > no inconsiderable gratuities from the grantees, he was > not less eager, on account of his personal profits in the > matter, to bestow grants than the people were to obtain > them. Therefore, scarcely two years more had elapsed, > before the number of townships on the west side of the > river amounted in all to one hundred and thirty-eight; > when it having been decided by the King, "That the > western bank of the Connecticut River from where it > enters the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, as far > north as the forty-fifth degree of latitude to be the > boundary line between the two provinces of New Hampshire > and New York." No more charters were given of townships > in that region. > ____________________________________________________ > Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth > >