Peirce Papers, 1668-1840 – MS009
Provenance: The collection was given to the Portsmouth Athenaeum in 1957 by Alice Larkin Toulmin, granddaughter of Thomas Oliver Larkin, descendent of Samuel Larkin and Ann Wentworth Larkin (daughter of Joshua Wentworth). A letter (January 4, 1962) was found in the Athenaeum collection thanking Garland Patch for donating the 1785 letter from Michael Wentworth to John Peirce.
Citation: Peirce Papers, MS009, Portsmouth Athenaeum
Size: 1/2 linear foot (225 items)
Access: No restrictions
Processed by: Carolyn Eastman in March 1990
Scope and Content
The Peirce Papers is a collection of correspondence, financial papers, deeds, wills, estates, property records, legal papers, and genealogy notes of Daniel and John Peirce, Elizabeth Wentworth and other members of the Wentworth family, the proprietors of the Masonian patent and others.
The Peirce Papers is rather more a collection of individual papers, belonging to several members of an extended family, than a coherent group of papers. The papers have been grouped into four small subgroups (Daniel Peirce papers, John Peirce papers, Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth, and the Masonian Proprietors) and one large subgroup (Other Peirce Family papers), divided into four series: Correspondence, Legal, Financial and Miscellaneous.
The papers span the period from 1665 until 1840, though most lie between 1750 and 1813. The primary correspondent to Daniel Peirce is John Wentworth, whose letters include discussion of his business in England in the 1760s, his attempts to have the Stamp Act repealed, his appointment to be Governor of New Hampshire, and his family and personal life. After the Revolution, Wentworth wrote to John Peirce from England and Nova Scotia; one letter in the 1790s describes a regiment of 600 men he had raised. Another, in 1795, discusses his mother’s death and his inheritance.
Politics is a central issue in many of these letters. In his letter to Joshua Wentworth, Eleazer Russell explains his reasons for not signing the Portsmouth Association Test of 1776; a 1773 letter to John Peirce from John Langdon discusses the unfriendly conduct of Great Britain. Another common topic is business and property: Gov. Benning Wentoworth’s son Benning writes to John Peirce from London asking that certificates of ownership of his land be sent to him in order to claim losses. The papers of the Masonian Proprietors, who were represented by Daniel and John Peirce, include a draft of the division of the islands on Lake Winnepesaukee.
The Peirce Papers also include many business and property papers: deeds, estates, wills, transfers of ownership, and town tax papers. Legal papers include sheriff’s summons, memorials and depositions, border dispute papers between Greenland and Bloody Point ( Newington), and permission for Ann Fisher to travel to New London, Connecticut during the Revolution.
Biographical Notes
Daniel Peirce (1709-1773) was the son of Joshua Peirce, the parish and town clerk, member of the Provincial Council, and Recorder of Deeds. His mother was Elizabeth Hall Peirce. Daniel studied law and graduated from Harvard College in 1728. He rarely practiced law, believing “the practice of law was inconsistent with the character of an honest man.” He married Ann Rindge, daughter of John and Elizabeth Rindge. Through his sister Mary, the wife of Col. Samuel Moore (one of the twelve original associates in the Masonian Patent), Daniel became a Masonian proprietor, frequently acted as moderator at the meetings, and was occasionally their business representative. As a proprietor in 62 towns, Daniel had great interest in land titles. In about 1754, Daniel was appointed justice of the peace, and in 1766 was sworn into the Provincial Council. His brother, Joshua Peirce died unmarried and left most of his possessions to Daniel. Ann Rindge Peirce died in 1748.
John Peirce (1746-1814), son of Daniel Peirce, began his career in the counting room of Daniel Rindge. He took over the business of Mark Hunking Wentworth and served as a cashier at the New Hampshire Bank. John’s sister Ann married Thomas Martin of Portsmouth; John married Mary Pearse (daughter of Peter Pearse) and had six children: Mark W. Peirce, Samuel F. Peirce, Joshua W. Peirce, Ann Rindge Peirce, Mary Odiorne Peirce, and Daniel Hall Peirce. John acted as a personal agent for his cousin, Gov. John Wentworth, and as an executor of the wills of Mark Hunking Wentworth and Elizabeth Rindge Wentworth.
Elizabeth Rindge Wentworth was the wife of Mark Hunking Wentworth (1709-1785). Mark refused to sign the Association Test in 1776, and thus the family was kept under parole, unable to leave the city of Portsmouth without permission, until released in 1778 by the Committee of Safety. Their son John became governor of New Hampshire; their daughter Ann married John Fisher, who acted as collector for the port of Salem in 1765.
Gov. John Wentworth married his cousin Frances Wentworth Atkinson, recent widow of her cousin Theodore Atkinson. After the Revolution, they fled to England and then to Nova Scotia. Their son, Charles Mary Wentworth (1775-1844) never married. John began his term as governor of New Hampshire in 1766.
Peter Livius, a councilor to New Hampshire government, traveled to England in the early 1770s with a list of complaints about favoritism, nepotism, and misuse of public funds in the government of John Wentworth. He presented it to the Board of Trade, which recommended the dismissal of Wentworth, though the Privy Council did not agree. Livius then replaced Theodore Atkinson as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Eleazer Russell, postmaster of Portsmouth, refused to sign the Association Test in 1776; his letter in the collection is his explanation as to why he did not sign. By 1779 however he worked as a naval officer, inspecting vessels for cargo which might aid the British.
Benning Wentworth (1696-1770), son of Lt. Gov. John Wentworth and Sarah Hunking Wentworth, was one of the signers of the treaty with the Indians at Portsmouth in 1714. He graduated from Harvard College in 1715 and married Abigail Ruck. Much of his business was in the mast and lumber trade, dealing in Cadiz, Spain. He served as Royal Governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. His wife died in 1755, and in 1760 he married his housekeeper, Martha Hilton, who received his estate when he died in 1770. She then married Michael Wentworth the same year.
Related Materials
MS010 – Larkin Papers, given by the same donor
S0138 – Inventory of the estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Series List
I. Daniel Peirce Papers, 1754-1773
II. John Peirce Papers, 1784-1795
III. The Masonian Proprietor Papers, 1750-1808
IV. Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth, 1793-1813
V. Other Peirce Family Papers, 1665-1840
A. Correspondence, 1730-1816
B. Legal, 1665-1839
1. Property, 1668-1839
2. Legal Documents, 1665-1825
C. Financial, 1759-1840
D. Miscellaneous, 1734-1829
I. Daniel Peirce Papers, 1754-1773
Correspondence with Governor John Wentworth, Joshua Loring and Joshua Loring Jr., and Hugh Hall Wentworth; bills and receipts, including town tax bills.
Folder 1 Letters from John Wentworth to Daniel Peirce, 1764-1766
Item 1.1 1764 July 5 Letter from John Wentworth at Portsmouth. Mentions the “misfortune of our mutual friend Mr. Temple” and “Mr. Fisher and Mr. Livius—a good young man and well accomplished—they give you every information of the political world.”
Item 1.2 1764 August 14 Letter from John Wentworth at Scarborough, England
Item 1.3 1765 April 8 Letter from John Wentworth at London. Sends bill for clothing he sent to Peirce.
Item 1.4 1765 August Letter from John Wentworth at London. Wonders if New England is talking about taxation and the Stamp Act.
Item 1.5 1766 February 15 Letter from John Wentworth at Westminster, England. 16 pages.
Item 1.6 1766 March 1 Letter from John Wentworth at Westminster. Discusses the repeal of the Stamp Act. “It is hardly possible to describe the opposition they have met with; every surmise has been brought as argument against us, and all our resentments and remonstrances have been branded with spithets of utiny, independence, and rebellion.”
Item 1.7 1766 March 24 Letter from John Wentworth at Westminster. Discusses grants of land for Joshua Loring and Joshua Loring Jr., and Masonian land grants.
Item 1.8 undated Letter from John Wentworth at Portsmouth. Request to meet Mr. Gridley.
Folder 2 Letters to Daniel Peirce, 1766-1772
Item 2.1 1766 March 24 Letter from Joshua Loring and Joshua Loring Jr. at London. Request for grant of land.
Item 2.2 1769 February 15 Letter from Hugh Hall Wentworth at Grenada. Discusses the Stamp Act.
Item 2.3 1769 September 11 Letter from Hugh Hall Wentworth at Grenada.
Item 2.4 1769 December 24 Invitation from the Governor of New Hampshire (John Wentworth) to dine.
Item 2.5 1772 January 20 Invitation from the Governor of New Hampshire and his lady (John and Frances Wentworth) to a ball on Queen’s Birth Night.
Item 2.6 1772 November 10 Invitation from the Field Officers in Dover to dine.
Folder 3 Daniel Peirce Bills and Receipts, 1754-1773
Item 3.1 1754 November 30 Receipt from William Symes for money “to be laid our in lands in the new towns between the Connecticutt River and Mason’s Patent Line.”
Item 3.2 1758 Portsmouth tax bill from Samuel Cate, Collector
Item 3.3 1758 Portsmouth parish tax bill from Thomas Seavey, Collector
Item 3.4 1759 Portsmouth tax bill from George Huntress, Collector
Item 3.5 1761 July 20 Bill from Miles Randel, Durham
Item 3.6 1762 November 27 Bill from Clement March, Greenland
Item 3.7 1763 May 10 Receipt from Mark Hunking Wentworth, Portsmouth
Item 3.8 1763 December 20 Bill from John Wentworth, London for clothes and saddle
Item 3.9 1764 January 4 Bill from Nathaniel Barrell, Portsmouth
Item 3.10 1766 June 18 Receipt from Benning Wentworth, Portsmouth, for appointment to the council of New Hampshire
Item 3.11 1770 January 30 Shilburne town tax receipt from John Peirce, Collector
Item 3.12 1770 Portsmouth tax bill from George Dame, Collector
Item 3.13 1773 Portsmouth tax bill from Joseph Ackerman, Collector
Item 3.14 undated Receipt from Joseph Peirce for rent to Thomas Bell
Item 3.15 undated Bill from John Atkinson, Liverpool, for lodgings
Item 3.16 undated Receipt from Clement March for the proprietors of Bow, NH
II. John Peirce Papers, 1784-1795
Correspondence with Governor John Wentworth, John Wentworth Jr., Benning Wentworth, Michael Wentworth, James Sheafe, and John Langdon; a release from John Wentworth to act as executor of the estate of Elizabeth Wentworth; and bills and receipts, including town tax bills, a subscription to the New Hampshire Gazette, and a pew tax bill from St. John’s Church.
Folder 4 Letters from Governor John Wentworth to John Peirce, 1792-1795
Item 4.1 1792 August 20 Letter from John Wentworth at Halifax
Item 4.2 1793 May 29 Letter from John Wentworth at Halifax, Writes that he has raised a regiment of 600 men and, after forcing St. Pierre’s and Miquelon [?] to surrender, expects 500 prisoners.
Item 4.3 1793 October 17 Letter from John Wentworth at Halifax
Item 4.4 1795 February 7 Letter from John Wentworth at Halifax. Mentions the death of his mother and complains about the size of his and his son’s inheritances. (16 pages)
Item 4.5 1795 April 28 Letter from John Wentworth at Halifax
Folder 5 Letters from John Wentworth Jr. to John Peirce, 1786-1788
Item 5.1 1786 April 2 at London about his sick mother
Item 5.2 1786 May 24 at London
Item 5.3 1786 September 21 at Paris
Item 5.4 1786 October 6 at Paris
Item 5.5 1787 January 2 at London
Item 5.6 1787 March at London
Item 5.7 1787 April 23 at London
Item 5.8 1788 January 1 at Halifax, Nova Scotia
Folder 6 Letters to John Peirce, 1784-1793
Item 6.1 1784 Letter from Benning Wentworth at London
Item 6.2 1784 Copy of previous letter from Benning Wentworth at London
Item 6.3 1785 December 21 Letter from Michael Wentworth at Little Harbor, Portsmouth
Item 6.4 1793 June 9 Letter from James Sheafe at Portsmouth. Mentions Mr. Warner, Seavey’s affair with Jenness, and discusses Judge Pickering’s sickness and “indulgence.”
Item 6.5 1793 December 17 Letter from John Langdon at Philadelphia. Mentions the unfriendly conduct of the British.
Folder 7 Release from John Wentworth to John Peirce, 1803
Item 7.1 1803 April 6 Release from John Wentworth
Folder 8 John Peirce Bills and Receipts, 1789-1808
Item 8.1 1789 August Portsmouth tax bill from Tobias Walker, Collector
Item 8.2 1790 May Portsmouth tax bill from Joseph Ackerman, Collector
Item 8.3 1796 August 17 Note on interest from Johsua Foss
Item 8.4 1800 March 7 Promissory note from James Ayers
Item 8.5 1800 August 15 Bill from George Frost, Portsmouth, for a mast
Item 8.6 1803 March 21 Bill from Stacy Hall, Portsmouth
Item 8.7 1803-1804 Bill from N. S. & W. Peirce, Portsmouth, for a subscription to the New Hampshire Gazette
Item 8.8 1804 November 24 Bill from Daniel Austin, Portsmouth, for an assessment on the building of a bathing house
Item 8.9 1808 February 22 Promissory note from the subscribers (David Copps and William Palmer) at Wakefield, for the payment of interest on a judgment against them at the court of common pleas
Item 8.10 1808-1809 Tax bill from St. John’s Church (William Gardner and James Sheafe, wardens)
III. The Masonian Proprietors Paperas, 1750-1808
Division of land on Lake Winnepesaukee, deeds of the Rindge, Rogers, Wentworth and Peirce families, and a receipt.
Folder 9 Land on Winnepesaukee Pond, 1781
Item 9.1 1781 December 24 The division of lots on the islands on Lake Winnepesaukee
Folder 10 Deeds, 1750-1808
Item 10.1 1750 June 2 Deed from Mark Hunking Wentworth to John Rindge
Item 10.2 1767 April 27 Deed from Jotham Rindge to Daniel Rogers
Item 10.3 1787 November 9 Deed from Daniel Rindge to Thomas Rindge Rogers
Item 10.4 1787 November 10 Deed from Thomas Rindge Rogers to Daniel Rindge
Item 10.5 1788 October 14 Deed from Ebenezer Tasher to Daniel Rogers, John Penhallow, and John Peirce
Item 10.6 1788 June 7 Deed from Isaac Rindge to Daniel Rindge
Item 10.7 1788 September 11 Deed from Daniel Rogers to Daniel Rindge
Item 10.8 1789 November 19 Deed from Daniel Rogers, John Penhallow, and John Peirce to Joseph White
Item 10.9 1797 August 7 Deed from Mehitabel Rogers to Daniel Rindge
Item 10.10 1797 August 7 Deed from Isaac Rindge to Daniel Rindge
Item 10.11 1808 March 18 Deed from Joseph Peirce and Ann Martin to John Peirce
Folder 11 Receipt, 1781
Item 11.1 1781 October Receipt from Woodbury Langdon to the Masonian Proprietors
IV. Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth, 1793-1813
Will, estate inventory, accounts, bills, and receipts. John Peirce and John Fisher are the executors of the Estate.
Folder 12 Will of Elizabeth Wentworth, 1794
Item 12.1 1794 Copy of the will of Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 12.2 1794 Copy of the will of Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 12.3 1797 Copy of the will of Elizabeth Wentworth
Folder 13 Estate Appraisal and Inventory, 1793
Item 13.1 1795 October 13 Additional inventory of the Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Folder 14 Accounts, 1802-1811
Item 14.1 1802 December Account of the Administration of the Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 14.2 1803 March 14 Account of the Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth to John Peirce; Account of John Fisher to the Estate
Item 14.3 1803 March 26 Copy of the statement of distribution of the Estate
Item 14.4 1803 March 26 Copy of the statement of distribution of the Estate
Item 14.5 1811 August Proportions of the Estate to be received by the legatees
Item 14.6 1811 August Account of the personal estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Folder 15 Bills and Receipts, 1788-1813
Item 15.1 1788 May 30 Promissory note from Benjamin Bigelow to Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 15.2 1790 September 13 Receipt from Samuel Winkley Jr. to Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 15.3 1790 November 15 Interest on Capt. R. Parker’s note to Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 15.4 1795 July Receipt from Peter Pearse to the Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 15.5 1796 August 25 Receipt from John Peirce, executor of the Estate, to George Frost
Item 15.6 1797 December 10 Promissory note from Samuel Winkley to John Peirce and John Fisher, executors
Item 15.7 1798 November 27 Receipt from John Peirce to George Frost
Item 15.8 1800 September 5 Promissory note from George Frost to John Peirce
Item 15.9 1801 June 3 Receipt from John Peirce to Asa Parker
Item 15.10 1802 December 9 Interest on Thomas Davis’ note to the Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 15.11 1802 December 9 Promissory note from Thomas Davis to John Fisher and John Peirce
Item 15.12 1803 March Settlement of Capt. R. Parker’s account with the Estate
Item 15.13 1803 May 19 Receipt from Francis Gore and Annabella Gore to John Peirce
Item 15.14 1803 April 27 Promissory note from Reuben Weeks and Solomon David to John Peirce and John Fisher
Item 15.15 1803 June 28 Receipt from Silas Drew to John Peirce and John Fisher
Item 15.16 1803 December 22 Promissory note from Charles Barrett to John Peirce and John Fisher
Item 15.17 1806 July 8 Promissory note from John Dearborn to John Peirce
Item 15.18 1810 June 14 Receipt from John Fisher to John Peirce
Item 15.19 1803-1811 Bill from John Peirce to the Estate of Elizabeth Wentworth
Item 15.20 1811 September 2 Receipt from Edward Minchin to John Peirce
Item 15.21 1811 September 2 Account from Edward Minchin to John Peirce
Item 15.22 1811 September 2 Account from William Sheafe to John Peirce
Item 15.23 1811 September 2 Receipt from William Sheafe to John Peirce
Item 15.24 1813 April 25 Receipt from John Fisher to John Peirce
V. Other Peirce Family Papers, 1665-1840
Correspondence of Benning Wentworth, Joshua Peirce, John Rindge, Eleazer Russell, John Wentworth, and John Campbell. Wills, estates, an act of empowerment for Charles Mary Wentworth to hold real estate, deeds, John Rindge’s sale of a meeting house pew, and John Pickering’s share in the New Hampshire Bank. Verification of ownership of the barque Sarah and Louisa; appointment of government officials to be agents; John Campbell’s memorial to John Wentworth to be granted lands; Peter Livius’ memorial to the Board of Trade; sheriff’s summons; petition by Ann Fisher to travel to New London, Connecticutt; deposition of John Cate; John and Ann Fisher’s power of attorney to Mark Hunking Wentworth and Joseph Peirce; the border dispute between Greenland and Bloody Point (Newington); indentures; copy of the charter of Colerain (Cold Rain), New Hampshire; John Wendell’s papers with the town of Ellsworth (Trecothick), NH. Tax lists for Thornton, New Hampshire; bills and receipts including a bill to Daniel H. Peirce for Harvard College fees; and a bill of lading. Sheafe and Wentworth genealogies; provincial and colonial paper money; and a printed broadside calling the citizens of Portsmouth to assemble and protest the Jay Treaty in 1795.
Folder 16 Letters from Benning Wentworth to John Rindge, 1730-1735
Item 16.1 1730 March 22 Letter from Benning Wentworth at London to John Rindge, thanks Rindge for news of Wentworth’s father’s last hours
Item 16.2 1735 March 18 Letter from Benning Wentworth at Cadiz, Spain to John Rindge
Item 16.3 1735 March 29 Letter from Benning Wentworth at Cadiz to John Rindge
Folder 17 Correspondence, 1766-1816
Item 17.1 1766? Letter from John Wentworth in England to ?, tells of the repeal of the Stamp Act
Item 17.2 1766 September 10 Letter from John Wentworth at Broton Hall, Yorkshire, England to ?, mentions his appointment to be Governor of New Hampshire and the repeal of the Stamp Act
Item 17.3 1776 May Letter from Eleazer Russell, Portsmouth, to Joshua Wentworth, states his reasons for not signing the Admission Test
Item 17.4 1783 July 28 Letter from John Wentworth at Chudhigh[?], Devon, England to ?
Item 17.5 1784 August 3 Letter from Benning Wentworth, London, to ?, asks that his land in New Hampshire is checked to see if anyone has taken it
Item 17.6 1784 August 3 Enclosure in previous letter: list of lands belonging to Benning Wentworth in New Hampshire
Item 17.7 1784 August 3 Enclosure in previous letter: list “Benning Wentworth is an original grantee in the following towns”
Item 17.8 1786 July 7 Letter from Joseph Pearson, Exeter to John Pickering, announcement that Pickering has been appointed an agent to collect delinquent monies for the state
Item 17.9 1793 November 26 Letter from Joseph Peirce, Durham, to Thomas Martin?
Item 17.10 1794 March 11 Letter from John Wentworth, Halifax, to ?
Item 17.11 1816 June 10 Copy of a letter from John Wentworth, Little Harbor, to Francis Maude
Folder 18 Wills, 1756-1785
Item 18.1 1756 Will of William Rindge, Portsmouth
Item 18.2 1780 Will of Mark Hunking Wentworth, Portsmouth
Item 18.3 1785 Addendum to the will of Mark Hunking Wentworth
Item 18.4 1785 Copy of the Will of Mark Hunking Wentworth
Folder 19 Estates, 1824-1839
Item 19.1 1824 October 12 Copy of a statement that Edward Cutts died intestate, and distribution of the administration of the estate to Mary Cutts, Hampden Cutts, and James Shapley
Item 19.2 Power of attorney from Mary Cutts, Hampden Cutts, and James Shapley to Mark W. Sheafe
Item 19.3 1839 April 26 Estate of William Sheafe: Jacob Pickering, Joshua W. Peirce, and Mark W. Sheafe, executors
Folder 20 Charles Mary Wentworth Papers, 1800-1801
Item 20.1 1800 December 10 Act of empowerment to Charles Mary Wentworth to hold real estate
Item 20.2 1801 April 11 Deed from Charles Mary Wentworth, Mehitabel Rogers, Isaac Rindge, James Sheafe, Sarah Sheafe, John Rindge, and Thomas Wentworth Rindge to Ann Martin, John Peirce and Joseph Peirce.
Item 20.3 undated Charles Mary Wentworth’s title to land in Ossipee
Folder 21-22 Deeds, 1668-1739
Item 21.1 1668 July 15 Copy (1738) of deed from Anthony Ellins to Nehemiah Partridge
Item 21.2 1705 May 14 Deed from John Light to Joshua Peirce
Item 21.3 1714 April 20 Deed from John Pickering to Ebenezer Wentworth
Item 21.4 1721/2 February 1 Deed from Sampson Sheafe to Sampson Sheafe Jr.
Item 21.5 1724 May 8 Deed from Samuel and Benjamin Austin to William Brackston
Item 21.6 1730/1 January 28 Deed from Joshua Peirce to Daniel Peirce
Item 21.7 1739 July 16 Deed from Thomas Pickering to Nathaniel Furbur
Folder 22 Deeds, 1750-1839
Item 22.1 1750 June 2 Deed from Mark Hunking Wentworth to John Rindge
Item 22.2 1750 June 4 Deed from John Rindge to Mehitabel Rogers
Item 22.3 1769 August 22 Deed from Sampson Stoddard to Mark Hunking Wentworth
Item 22.4 1772 July 24 Agreement about land between Mark Hunking Wentworth, John Rindge, Daniel Rindge, Isaac Rindge, Daniel Rogers, Mehitabel Rogers, and Jotham Rindge.
Item 22.5 1786 September 8 Deed from Elizabeth Wentworth to Israel Morey
Item 22.6 1835 August 27 Deed from John Bradley to Reuben Demmon
Folder 23 Sale of Meeting House Pew
Item 23.1 1783 October 30 Sale of North Meeting House ( North Church) Pew by John Rindge to Olive Rindge
Folder 24 New Hampshire Bank Shares, 1792
Item 24.1 1792 August 8 John Pickering’s shares (3) in the New Hampshire Bank, J. T. Gilman, President. On the back, Pickering signs the shares over to James Sheafe, November 13, 1799
Folder 25 Ownership of Barque Sarah & Louisa, 1825
Item 25.1 1825 November 25 Verification of ownership by the Portsmouth Customs House of the Barque Sarah & Louisa by Edward Cutts and Edmund Q. Sheafe
Folder 26 Appointment of Agents
Item 26.1 1791 February 7 Copy of a statement by the New Hampshire House of Representatives of the appointment of government officials to be agents. The New Hampshire Senate concurred. Moses Dow, Speaker and J. Pearson, Secretary
Folder 27 Memorials
Item 27.1 1774 June 29 Memorial for John Campbell to John Wentworth to be granted land. Campbell explains that he was captain during the war [French and Indian War] and served on the Ship Assistance, a statement that was certified by John Montagu. Wentworth grants him 3000 acres.
Folder 28 Memorials
Item 28.1 undated Copy of the memorial of Peter Livius to the Board of Trade
Item 28.2 undated Copy of the memorial of Peter Livius to the Board of Trade
Folder 29 Sheriff’s Summons, 1732-1797
Item 29.1 1732/3 January 3 Sheriff’s summons to Daniel Keef and William Drake, Portsmouth, for striking Benjamin Pitman. Joshua Peirce, Justice of the Peace
Item 29.2 1754 July 6 Sheriff’s summons to Benjamin Bennick, for taking by force the house of John Langly, Durham. Sand. Smith and Daniel Peirce, Justices
Item 29.3 1758 August 19 Sheriff’s summons to Matthias Towle and Coffin Thing, Exeter, for failing to pay Sampson Sheafe and Thomas Bell, New Castle. H. Wentworth, Justice
Item 29.4 1766 February 22 Sheriff’s summons and victims testimony of attempted rape of Sarah Sutton by William Smith. Daniel Peirce, Justice
Item 29.5 1770 July 3 Sheriff’s summons to Samuel Clark, Epping for failing to pay Samuel Chapman, Greenland. Samuel Penhallow, Justice
Item 29.6 1797 March 14 Copy of Sheriff’s summons to Esex Young, Wendell, for taking the land of Micah Morse, Goshen. Thomas Sparhawk, Clerk
Folder 30 Judgement of Peirce against Gove, 1801
Item 30.1 1801 January 14 Statement that John Peirce has won an argument against Edward Gove, Portsmouth
Folder 31 Petition of Ann Fisher to travel, 1778
Item 31.1 1778 Petition by Ann Fisher to the Committee of Safety to travel to New London, Connecticutt, to meet her husband
Item 31.2 1778 October 24 Permission by the Committee of Safety for Ann Fisher to go to New London
Folder 32 Deposition of John Cate, 1730-1731
Item 32.1 1730-1731 March 12 Deposition by John Cate, Schooner King Fisher, about William Turnoe, Boston apprentice. Turnoe stowed aboard Cate’s ship to Nova Scotia, where the French and Indians took him by force
Folder 33 Authorization to take Estate, 1765
Item 33.1 1765 February 27 Authorization for Hunking Wentworth and Daniel Peirce to take an inventory of the estate of Jothan Odiorne
Folder 34 Power of Attorney, 1768
Item 34.1 1768 November 16 Power of attorney from John Fisher to Mark Hunking Wentworth
Item 34.2 1776 May 23 Statement by Ann Fisher that John Fisher gave power of attorney to Mark Hunking Wentworth and Joseph Peirce
Folder 35 Greenland Bloody Point ( Newington) Border Dispute, 1714
Item 35.1 1714 May 12 Copy of decisions made in the House of Representatives about the border dispute between Greenland and Bloody Point ( Newington)
Folder 36 Indentures, 1665-1767
Item 36.1 1665 September 27 Indenture of William Horn, Dover, to Nathaniel Starbuck, Dover
Item 36.2 1767 July 7 Indenture of John Foster, London, to James Stilson, Portsmouth
Folder 37 Charter for Colerain (Coldrain), 1726
Item 37.1 1726 December 1 Copy of the charter for the town of Colerain (Coldrain)
Folder 38 Town of Trecothick (Ellsworth) Papers, 1771-1805
Item 38.1 1773 January 20 Account of the Proprietors of Trecothick (Ellsworth) with John Wendell
Item 38.2 1800? Agreement for the payment of taxes in the town of Trecothick (Ellsworth) with John Wendell
Item 38.3 1801 December 7 Receipt for the payment of taxes from David Webster, Sheriff of Trecothick, to John Wendell
Item 38.4 1805 February 7 Request for the title of land in Ellsworth by John Webber
Folder 39 Thornton Town Tax, 1779
Item 39.1 1779 March 30 Thornton town tax
Folder 40 Bills and Receipts, 1759-1840
Item 40.1 1759 October 25 Bill of exchange for Daniel Rindge, Portsmouth
Item 40.2 1766 June 2 Bill from John Tufton Mason to John Penhallow
Item 40.3 1774 February 3 Interest on Mr. Bigelow’s account with ?
Item 40.4 1781 October 29 Receipt of Ossipee Gore and New Bradford town taxes, paid by Woodbury Langdon in rum. Received by Joshua Wentworth
Item 40.5 1782 January Receipt of New Durham Gore town taxes, paid by Woodbury Langdon in rum. Received by Joshua Wentworth
Item 40.6 1789 October 24 Interest on Thomas Davis’ account with ?
Item 40.7 1790 September 13 Bill from Thomas Gray, Picadilly, England, with Mr. Wentworth
Item 40.8 1794 October 28 Account of provisions from William Walker
Item 40.9 1794 December 7 Interest on James Ayer’s account with ?
Oversize Box 2
Folder 9 Contract between George Jaffrey and Sampson Sheafe both of Boston for land on Great Island [New Castle] of Piscataqua, 1677