Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-07-28

hO hOnh WAC x VII btC otH udl
of April, 1854, to Jonathan Whitney,
William Holt, Nathan Harris, Philip
Goodridge and sixty associates by the
name of Thomlinson, and was the last
town chartered by New Hampshire pre-
vious to the breaking out of the French
war. There was probably failure to
comply with the conditions of this char
ter, for a new charter was granted Sept.
1, 1853, to the same persons who had
held the former one, by authority of
George Sd, in the third year of his reign,
by Benning Wentworth the governor of
the province of New Hampshire. The
old name Thomlinson was retained and
spelled T-h-o-m-l-i-n. SON until 1888,
when for some cause the h was omitted
and ever after spelled Tomlinson. 1t
was granted in GA shares to be 6 miles
square and no more.
The following are some of the condi-
tions and reservations contained in the
charter: Every grantee was required
to plant and cultivate five acres of land
within the term Of five years for every
fifty acres contained in his or their grant
and continue to improve and settle the
same by additional cultivation, on pen
atty of the forfeiture of his grant. All
pine trees fit for masting the Royal
Navy, were to be preserved for that use,
and none cut without license from the
king upon the penalty of the forfeiture,
of the right of such grantee as we'll as
being subject to the penalty of any act
of parliament that should be enacted.
A tract of land as near the center of the
town as the land would admit, was re-
served for town lots, one of which was
to be allotted to each grantee of the con-
tents of one acre, for which they were to
pay one ear of Indian corn annually for
five years, on the twenty-fifth day of
December, if demanded. And each
holder of one hundred acres of land was
to pay one shilling as proclamation mon
ey annually forever, and SO in proper
tion for greater or lesser tract of land
and this was to be in lieu of all other
rents and services.
The first town meeting was to be held
on the first Tuesday of December, 1863.
Oliver Corey was authorized to notify
the meeting and appointed moderator.
There was no settlement of the town
commenced until several years after the
date of the charter. In the year 1868
man by the name of Slack removed
to town and built log house on the farm
now owned by Seth Wright This is
said to be the first house built in town.
About the same time three families
named Hinkley, Hill and Walton re-
moved into town and began settlement
on what is now and since then has been
called Hinkley Brook, near the present
residence of R. NJ. Cook. Hinkley
built near the brook, Walton some rods
north on higher land, on land now own
ed by Dea. Allen Fay, and Hill on land
now owned by Martin Daggett. Neither
of these families remained in town but a
few years, but all left and the first per-
manent settlement was made about the
year 1880. In the year 1879 Asa Fish
er of Hopkinton, Mass, Aaron Putnam.
james Guild, William Parkhurst of
Winchendon, Con-, and Thomas Kinney
of Marrowfeld, Con-, purchased land in
this town of Thomas and John Chandler
of Chester. Their deeds were all record
ed in the town of Rockingham.
The first deed recorded in the land
records of Thomlinson, where either
grantor or grantee were residents of the
town, is deed from Thomas Kinney of
Thomlinson, to Esek Sanders of Ash
ford, Con-, dated Dec. 27, 1871 and re-
corded June II, 1882. Aaron Putnam
was then town clerk. The first town
records commenced in 1882. Several
deeds were executed and recorded at
that date. The value of the ratable
in town in 1871, was 200 pounds |
The first birth in town was child to Mr. |
and Mrs. Hill during their stay on
brook. This child was also the
first to die in town. The first record of
a death in town is that of Asa Fisher,
Jr., son of Asa and Esther Fisher, who
lied June 10Th, 1880, in the 18th year
'f his age. His body was buried in the
ourying ground at the centre of the
own.
Josiah Baird was one of the first set.
lers in town he settled on the farm
low owned by S. S. Davis, known as the
,abin Gowing farm he enlisted in the
indian war, was captured by the Indians
md remained a prisoner several years,
,ut escaped and returned in 1888. He
vas father of George w. Baird, who
vas married in 1920 to Mary Cutter and {
esided until his death, in 1856, on the
J, IN, xvbara bar father Notbar;oI o.. 4