To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq., Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England to His Majesty's Council and House of Representatives in General Court Assembled, May 30, 1739
The petition of Samuel Chandler, John Sherman, and Phinehas Rice, a Committee for and in the behalf of the original proprietor of Hassanamisco, humbly sheweth that said proprietors gave bonds for the performance of the order of the Great and General Court for settling said Hassanamisco and also for supporting a minister and school for the Indians and your petitioners have settled the number of families ordered by the General Court and built a meetinghouse and appropriated part thereof to the Indians and settle a minister, built a school house and fully complied with the conditions of settlement and the Great and General Court hath made it a separate town to remove the Indians out of the place that was appointed for then and say they are no ways obliged to maintain preaching nor schooling for the Indians. [1] May it please Your Excellency and Honours your petitioners stand bound and their being forever to maintain preaching and schooling for said Indians and some of said proprietor and deceased and other not their heirs and settle in their [ illegible ] and the first inhabitants called the nine families are not obliged of your petitioners are, and said inhabitants have broken down sundry pews in said meeting house that was set up by order of said proprietors.
Therefore, your petitioners humbly pray Your Excellency and Honours to take the premise into your wise consideration and free them from their bonds or otherwise relieve them as in your great wisdom you shall think meet.
And your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray,
Samuel Chandler
John Sherman
Phineas Rice
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Endorsement:
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A Petition of Samuel Chandler, John Sherman, and Phinehas Rice, June 1739
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Legislative Action:
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In the House of Representatives, June 26, 1739 Read and ordered that the petitioners' leave the Honorable Spencer Phips, Esq. and the other Trustees for the management of the Indian affairs at Hassanamisco (now Grafton) with a copy of the petition that they inquire into the [ illegible ] conduct of the English inhabitants there and report their opinion to this Court in their next sitting what may be proper to be done to prevent the same as is within suggested, and also what may be done for the petitioners' relief. Sent up for concurrence. John Quincy, Speaker. In Council. June 26, 1739. Read and concurred. J. Willard, Secretary. Consented to Jonathan Belcher
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In Council. December 21, 1739. Read and voted that the order on this petition be reviewed, and that the [ illegible ] above-mentioned make their report thereon on the first Tuesday of the next May Session. Sent down for concurrence. J. Willard, Secretary. In the House of Representatives, December 22, 1739. Read and concurred, John Quincy, Speaker. December 26, 1739. Consented to, Jonathan Belcher
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Cataloguing:
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234, 235
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