“[Inhabitants of Dunstable]”

    [Massachusetts Archives, cxiv, 274, 273.]

     Province of the Massachusetts Bay

     To His Excellency The Governour The Hon’ble Council & House of
     Rep’tives in Generall Court Assembled Dec’r 1739

The Answer of y’e Subscribers agents for the Town of Groton to y’e Petition of Richard Warner & others praying that part of Said Town with part of Dunstable may be Erected into a Distinct & Seperate Township.

     May it please your Excellency & Hon’rs

The Town of Groton Duely Assembled and Taking into Consideration y’e Reasonableness of said Petition have Voted their Willingness, That the prayer of y’e Petition be Granted as per their Vote herewith humbly presented appears, with this alteration namely That they Include the River (viz’t Nashua River) over w’ch is a Bridge, built Intirely to accommodate said Petitioners heretofore, & your Respondents therefore apprehend it is but Just & Reasonable the same should for the future be by them maintain’d if they are Set of from us.

Your Respondents Pursuant to y’e Vote Aforesaid, humbly move to your Excellency & Hon’rs That no more of Dunstable be Laid to Groton Then Groton have voted of, for one Great Reason that Induced Sundry of y’e Inhabitants of Groton to come into Said Vote was This Namely They owning a very Considerable part of the Lands Voted to be set of as afores’d were willing to Condesent to y’e Desires of their Neighbours apprehending that a meeting House being Erected on or near y’e Groton Lands & a minister settled it would Raise their Lands in Vallue but should considerable part of Dunstable be set of more then of Groton it must of course draw the Meeting House farther from y’e Groton Inhabitants which would be very hurtfull both to the people petitioners & those that will be Non Resident proprietors if the Township is made.

     Wherefore they pray That Said New Township may be Incorporated
     Agreeable to Groton Vote viz’t Made Equally out of both Towns & as
     in Duty bound Shall Ever pray

    Nat’ell Sartell
    William Lawrence

    [Massachusetts Archives, cxiv, 378, 279.]

     At A Legall town Meeting of the Inhabitants & free holders of the
     town of Groton assembled December y’e 24th:  1739 Voted & Chose
     Cap’t William Lawrance Madderator for said meeting &c: 

In Answer to the Petion of Richard Warnor & others Voted that the land with the Inhabitance mentioned in said Petion Including the Riuer from Dunstable Line to o’r. ford way Called and Known by y’e.  Name of Joseph Bloods ford way:  be Set of from the town of Groton to Joyn with sum of the westerdly Part of the town of Dunstable to make a Distinct and Sepprate town Ship Prouided that their be no:  More taken from Dunstable then from Groton in making of Said new town.  Also Voted that Nathaniel