Town records 1801

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AT A TOWN MEETING [held April 6, 1801 to elect state officers] Caleb Strong had 91 votes and Elbridge Gerry had 10 votes, for Governor; Samuel Philips had 91 votes, and Edward Robbins had 10 votes, for Lt. Governor; Elisha May had 46 votes, Alden Spooner had 40 votes, for Counsellors & Senators.

AT A TOWN MEETING legally warned and held at the town house in this town Monday the 6th day of April A.D. 1801 at nine of the clock in the forenoon

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William Almy chosen town moderator, town clerk and town treasurer, having 1 1/4%;

Abner Brownell, Silvester Brownell & Roger White chosen select men;

Silvester Brownell, Gideon Tallman & Wesson Tripp chosen assessors of rates;

Nathaniel Kirby chosen pound keeper;

Thomas Cornell, Thomas Tripp, Benjamin Brownell, Silvester Brownell & Jonathan Tripp, Robert Barker, Christopher Cornell, Benjan-dn Brownell 2, Peris Richmond chosen fence viewers;

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Henry Tibbits, Jeren-dah Willcox, Capt Job Almy, Eseck Taber, Wesson Sowle, Abraham Cornell & Joseph Gifford chosen field drivers;

George Lawton, Lemuel Milk & John Mosher chosen a committee on accounts and to settle with the treasurer;

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Benjamin Devol, Wesson Sowle, Benjamin Cory, Benjamin Brownell, Stephen Cornell, Job Lawton, Josiah Brownell, Thomas Tripp, Williams Allen, John Crowell, George Lawton, Lemuel Milk, Barjonal Devol, Wesson Macomber, Henry Tibbits, Abial Davis Jr Warren Gifford, Mathew Russell & Daniel Tripp chosen surveyors of highways;

James William Esq had 67 votes for county register

Samuel Crocker had 58 votes for county treasurer

On the 13th article, voted that the town would not direct the select Men to lay out the drift way from the Head to the Point as an open highway.

Voted to discontinue the open highway eighty two rods by the sea shore, south of Capt Almy’s. Lay the same into a drift way and the return made thereof for that purpose by the selectmen was accepted & voted to be recorded.

Voted to accept of the return of a drift way laid out by the select men and presented to this meeting, from Little Compton line east to the river, to the canoe rock in Silvester Brownell’s land and that the same be recorded.

Voted to accept of the return of an open highway laid out by the select men and presented to this meeting from the south west comer of Zacheus Dyers meadow northerly to Little Compton line and that the same be recorded.

Voted not to accept of the return of an open highway laid out by the select men from the highway leading from the point beginning at the school house and leading to Taber’s Mills and that the same shall not be recorded.

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Voted to accept of the return of a Drift way laid out by the select men and presented to this meeting from the open highway that leads by Zacheus Dyers down to the sea shore by Peris Richmonds, and that the same be recorded.

Voted to adjourn this meeting to Monday, the I 1th day of May next…

AT A MEETING [held April 6, 1801 to drawn a Grand juror and two petit jurors] John Mosher was drawn to serve as a Grand juror; John Tripp & Humphry Howland was drawn petit jurors.

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AT A TOWN MEETING [continuance on May 11, 1801 of April 6,1801 meeting]

Voted that Warren Gifford be excused from being surveyor of highways for the year ensuing and that Peleg Cornell be chosen in his stead.

Barjona. Devol & Thomas Davis chosen surveyors of lumber, shingles & clapboards.

Elijah Potter, Daniel Tripp, Peleg Potter & Barjona Devol chosen corders & measurers of wood

Jethro Howland & Barjona Devol chosen cullers of hoops & staves

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Thomas Briggs & Preserved Sherman chosen sealers of leather

Christopher Gifford, Daniel Tripp, Christopher Cornell & John Gifford chosen cullers of dry fish

David Sanford & Wanton Macomber chosen tythingmen

Robert Barker, William Macomber, E. Taber & Job Milk chosen hog reeves

Silvester Brownell, George Brownell, cooper, Joseph Gifford, Lemuel Sowle, Job Almy, Samuel Willcox & John Kirby chosen overseers of the fishery

Voted that the sum of one hundred and twenty dollars, of the sum voted for town expenses, be appropriated to the support of schools in the way and manner the select men shall direct, agreeable to law.

Voted the school districts where they are found to be not convenient, as they now are fixed, may be altered by the select men. They to make report of their doings to the next meeting.

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Voted that those school districts that do not make return to the select men of the schooling within their district by the first day of April annually shall be excluded from having any part of the sum voted to be appropriated for schooling.

Voted that that part of the Vote of the town passed at their meeting, held on Monday the 12th day of May, A.D. 1801, for defining the limits of the school districts, which provides that if either of the districts as they are therein described conceive that the district is too large to be convenient for one district, that they shall have a right to divide, and have two schools, or if either of the districts shall conceive that they are divided too small, they shall have the priviledge of joining with any other district, or if any individual in either district, as is therein described, finds it more convenient to join any other district, he shall have the priviledge, be and the same is hereby repealed, and rendered null & void.

Voted that for the amending and repairing of highways & town ways within the town of Westport, for the year ensuing, the sum of eight hundred dollars be assessed on the polls & rateable estates, real and personal, of the residents and non-residents of the town….

Voted that seventy five cents be allowed for a day’s work of a man or a pair of oxen, and that twenty five cents be allowed for a plow or a cart one day [on highways].

Benjamin Brownell, Jr., chosen constable and collector of rates for the town of Westport for the year ensuing, and to have two per cent on the money he shall collect and pay into the several treasuries as directed by his warrants, and to procure bondsmen for the faithfull performance….

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The Committee appointed to examine and allow accoaunts and to settle with the treasurer …. allowed…. the sum of $865.30 for accounts payable. Since last year the Treasurer had received $1192.10, and paid out $1170.40, leaving ballance of $21.70, and made a settlement with him accordingly. They further report there was a balance at end of last year of $36.70; that the town was assessed $934.44, making the sum of $971.14; that the accounts allowed was $865.30, leaving balance in favour of the town of $105.84; further, the treasurer has received of Roger White that was the property of Ehhu Allen the sum of $53.50; also of Roger White on Account of Dinah Whites house $4.60, making the whole a ballance in favour of the town of $163.94. The Committee further reported that at the time of settlement with

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the treasurer, it appeared by the treasurer’s books that there was in the hands of John Gifford, constable, the sum of $740.63, and in the hands of Thomas Woodle, $16.20.

Voted to accept the report of the committee, and that the treasurer be directed to pay the accounts allowed….

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Voted that there be raised by way of tax on the polls and estates of the inhabitants … for the support of the poor & other necessary expenses of the town for the year ensuing the sum of eight hundred dollars, to be collected and paid into the treasury within six months from the time the collector shall receive the tax bills from the assessors, otherwise the treasurer is hereby directed to issue his execution for the ballance in the hands of the collector at the end of said six months. And the assessors are hereby directed to assess the same in the same way and manner that other taxes are by law assessed and deliver lists thereof to the collector as soon as may be….

Voted that John Gifford take all the poor of the town of Westport for one year to support them comfortably in sickness and in health and to pay all necessary doctor’s bills, and all extra expenses and to find beding, cloathing & in addition to what they now have, and to return beding, cloathing &- at the end of the year as good as he receives with them, and to receive therefor twenty five dollars less than they cost the town the last year, that [sum] will appear by the report of the committee on accounts, after deducting therefrom the sum allowe for the expenses of Job Potter who is deceased, and also said Gifford to allow any person that chuses to take Constant Tripp & his wife, at the same sum they cost the town the last year, which sum is to be deducted from the sum he would otherways receive, and toa be paid by the town to the person who shall keep them, and if any of the poor shall die before the twentieth day of May next, then said Gifford is only to receive a sum for their expense in proportion [to] the time they shall live after the 20th of May instant bears to one year, the sum he shall receive shall bear the same proportion to the whole sum of that person’s expense the last year, and the said poor persons to be under the care and inspection of the select men, to see that they are comfortably provided for-And the said John Gifford who is present agrees to said terms.

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Voted that any inhabitant in this town shall have the priviledge to set out in the highway, against his own land, so as not to discommode any of the paths in the highway, any trees that shall be beneficial for shade, and that all persons who shall set out trees in the highways as afforesaid shall be entitled to them as his or their private property, to make use of whenever they please, after they have returned a certificate to the town clerk, of the number and kind of trees, and the time when and where they set them, which said clerk is hereby directed & ordered to record the same.

Voted to adjourn this meeting to Saturday the 25th day of July next … W. Almy, Town Clerk.

AT A MEETING [held May 11, 1801 to choose a representative to represent Westport in the General Court] Abner Brownell had forty four votes and was chosen….