River as aforesaid-TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said granted and Bargained Premises with all the Privileges and Appurtenances thereto belonging Or in any wise Appertaining to the said Grantees and their Respective Heirs & Assigns in the following parts and Proportions that is to Say to the said Theodore Atkinson Richard Wibird John Moffatt Jotham Odiorne Joshua Peirce Thomas Packer George Jaffrey Thomas Wallingford John Wentworth jun' Each One fifteenth Part to the Said Mark Hunking Wentworth two fifteenth parts thereof to the Said Samuel Solly Nathaniel Meserve John Thomlinson Daniel Peirce Clement March and Mary Moore each One thirtieth Part thereof To the Said Joseph Blanchard One Sixtieth part and to the Said Paul March & Joseph Green Each One hundredth & twentieth Part thereof to them and their Respective Heirs and Assigns as aforesaid-IN TESTIMONY whereof the said John Tufton Mason by us his Said Attorneys hath hereunto Set his hand and Seal And We also have hereunto Set Our hands & Seals as his Attornies the thirtieth Day of September ANNO DOMINI 1749 and in the twenty third Year of His Majesty's Reign— Ann Harvey Province of } January the 17th 1749 then the above named New Hampshire Clement Jackson Matthew Livermore & William Parker Personally appearing acknowledged this Instrument in their Said Capacity as their free Act & Deed Before me Robert Boyes Justice of the Peace KNOW ALL MEN By these Presents that I Anna Elizabeth Tufton Mason wife of the above named John Tufton Mason do hereby give Grant And & Surrender unto the above & within named Grantees all my Right of Dower & power of thirds of in & unto the Premises Granted & Conveyed in & by this Deed for & in Consideration of the Sum therein Mentioned to hold to them their Heirs & Assigns In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the first Day of May 1750 Test Ruth Gains Samuel Metlin Anna Elisabeth tofton Mason [seal] Province of Portsmouth May the first 1750 then the within New Hampsh' Named Anna Elizabeth Tufton Mason Personally appeared & being Privately examined Owned her hand and Seal to this Instrument Set And affixed that her Renouncing Granting & Surrendering her Right of Dower as therein Declared was her free Act & Deed without any Coercion Constraint or any undue Influence whatsoever Before me Thos Wibird Jusce Peace KNOW ALL MEN by these Presents That I John Tufton Mason Esq Named and mentioned in the foregoing Deed having Read & Duly Considered the Contents and Tenor thereof do hereby approve of the Same & in Consideration of five Pounds to me in hand paid by the Grantees in the said Deed Named Have given granted Sold Ratified and Confirmed & by these Presents DO give grant Bargain Sell Convey Ratify and Confirm unto the Said Grantees in the Proportion therein Declared all & Singular the Premises Contained Mentioned & Named in the Said Deed according to the true Intent & meaning thereof-IN WITNESS thereof I Do hereunto Set my hand and Seal the Eleventh Day of December 1750 and in the twenty fourth Year of His Majesty's Reign Province of Jn° Tufton Mason [seal] December y 12th 1750 then the above Named New Hampshire (John Tufton Mason Esq' Personally appearing acknowledged this Instrument to be his free Act & Deed Before me Thos Wibird Juse Peace [Endorsed] Rec'd 11th April 1753 Prove of New Hampsh Recorded Lib. 40. Fol. 365 D Peirce Recd Sr Exam'd D Peirce Reed' [Benjamin Pratt Asks for Information, Jan. 5, 1749–50.] [Masonian Papers, Vol. 1, p. 82.] Jan 5 1749 As I have now Ingaged for the Gentleman who lately Purchased Mr Masons Right One material Thing there is I want Information in & that is whether any Part of New Hampshire antiently went by the Name of Mason Hall or Mannour of Mason Hall or whether these Terms of Mason Hall & New Hampshire meant the same Information in this Point will be a Satisfaction to yrs To Mr Jeffrey Benj. Prat [Report of Committee on Importing Settlers, July 2, 1750.] [Masonian Papers, Vol. 1, p. 93.] Pursuant To a Vote of the Proprietors of the lands within the Province of New Hampshire Purchased of Captain John Tufton Mason Authorizing us to Treat with Henry Wallis Gentleman Relating to the Importing Husbandmen & Labourers from Europe to Settle & Cultivate Part of Said Lands-We have Conferred With him & also William Smith Esq' & Wm Jones Gent all Late of Great Britain Now Residing at Portsmouth in said Province & have Agreed with Them & Each of them Respectively That for every Such family or Single Free Man Which They or either of Them Shall So Import or Cause to be Imported & Transported & Landed here or Else Where Within this Province at their Joint or Several Expence or at The Expence of the Persons Respectively to be So Transported Who Will Engage to Settle on said Lands the Said Proprietors Shall Grant & Convey to the Master of Each Family & to Each Single Man as afores all the Right Title Interest & Demand of said Proprietors to one hundred acres of Land Within their Claim to be Laid out in Some Place Which may Give them Encouragement to Settle thereon And the s Wallis Smith & Jones or either of them to have a Grant & Conveyance as afores of Fifty acres of s land for every Family or Single man as afores Which they or Either of them Respectively Shall so Transport or Cause to be Transported between this &The first of June 1752-not exceeding one hundred Families or free men Portsmouth 24 July 1750 J Odiorne D Peirce Province of At a Meeting of Said Proprietors at Portsmouth New Hampsh(the ninth Day of August: 1750 by Adjournment The Report above Written was Read & Consider'd & thereupon Voted that the Same be Receivd Accepted & Confirmed and that Grants Shall be made Agreeable to the Tenor Intent and meaning thereof attest: Geo: Jaffrey Propr's Clerk [Mason's Power of Attorney to Proprietors, Dec. 12, 1750.] [Masonian Papers, Vol. 1, p. 95.] KNOW ALL MEN by these Presents That I John Tufton Mason of Portsmouth in the Province of New Hampshire in New England Esq have constituted ordain'd & made & in my stead & Place put & by these Presents do constitute ordain & make & in my Stead & Place put Theodore Atkinson Richard Wibird Samuel Solly John Moffatt Mark Hunks Wentworth Jotham Odiorne Joshua Peirce Thomas Packer Nathaniel Meserve George Jaffrey John Wentworth jun' Daniel Peirce, all of Portsmouth aforesaid Esqrs Thomas Wallingford of Somersworth in said Province Esq' Joseph Blanchard of Dunstable in Said Province Esq' & Clement March of Greenland in Said Province Esq' jointly & severally or any Number of them to be my true sufficient & lawful Attorney or Attorneys in all Causes moved or to be moved for me or against me Touching & concerning or any Ways relating to my Right Title Estate Inheritance Interest Property Possession & Demand whatsoever in & to any Lands Tenements & Hereditaments in the Province aforesaid derived to me from Cap' John Mason formerly of London Esq' Deceased in my Name to appear plead & pursue to final Judgment & Execution with full Power of Substitution as they or either of my S4 Constituents shall think proper & the same again at Pleasure to revoke And generally to say do Act transact & accomplish all matters & Things whatsoever relating to the Premises as fully amply & effectfully to all Intents & Purposes as I ought or might personally altho' the matter should require more special Authority than is herein comprised I ratifying & holding valid all & whatsoever my said Attorney or Attorneys or his or their Substitutes shall lawfully do or cause to be done in & about ye Premises by Virtue of these Presents In Witness whereof I do hereunto Set my Hand & Seal this twelfth Day of December Anno Domini 1750 Signed Sealed & Delivered in Presence of us the word Esq being interlined Thos Wibird Rob Traill Jn° Tufton Mason [seal] Province of New Hampshire | John Tufton Mason Esq' appeared Portsm° Dec ye 12th 1750-before me and acknowledged the within instrument to be his voluntary acct and deed [Endorsed] Rec'd 13th Octo" 1752 Thos Wibird Jusce Peace D Peirce Recd' [Letter to John Thomlinson, March 7, 1750-1.] [Masonian Papers, Vol. 1, p. 96.] John Thomlinson Esq Sir Portsmo March 7th 1750— This accompanies the State of ye Case & sundry Papers as P the following Mem° relating to our right in Mason's Claim, We have been constantly at the Business & have made some Considerable Progress both in granting new Lands & making agreements with those Towns that are settled & settling wch were formerly granted by the Massachusetts, & were taken in by running the Province Line, & all them Towns except one have deliverd & agreed to deliver up to us ab some Except a Town farr up called Rowley Canada who still keep of we think this is the only town or at most but one more that we have any Dispute with & as to the Wastes We have granted almost all the land within the Claim savs to the Society in some & in some & almost all the Inhabitants here are pleas'd with & Engag'd in ye thing, it has cost us much Time & considerable Money, but if that will make ye People easy & we can extend the Settlements, we shall think we have served our King & Country, & weh we trust will be lookt on in that light at home, & considering the Pains we have been at & the Progress made, wou'd it be unlikely that the Crown wou'd make (if Petitiond for) us a Grant at the head of this Claim from the West Line to ye North that is a Curve Line Parallel to our Former of Twenty miles deep or of Thirty or fourty Miles so as to meet Connecticut & so to go half Way over to our north Line as we find there is some fine Land in this last Description, of this you'll please to let us know your Judgm' as to the Title of Mason's Claim you'll be better able to Judge in London, than our selves on the Spot, the chief things in Dispute we presume are whether the Estate was entail'd or not, & if entail'd whether it cou'd be dockt in any Part of England or any where else, except in this Province where the Land lies, we have been sometimes |