Town records 1803
Posted on July 23, 2003 by Greg Stone
AT A TOWN MEETING [held April 4 AD 1803 to elect state officers]
Caleb Strong had 98 votes for governor & Edward H. Robbins had 98 votes for Lt. Governor; Alden Spooner Esq had 90 votes, Stephen Bullock Esq had 90 votes, Josiah Dean Esq had 12 votes & David Perry Esq had 12 votes for counsellors & Senator.
1802 69
AT A TOWN MEETING [held April 4,1803 to select jurors]
Humphry Macomber was drawn to serve on the grand jury at the Court General Session of the peace and Russell Gifford was drawn to serve on the petty jury at the Court of Common Pleas.
Page 156
AT A TOWN MEETING legally warned and held at the town house in Westport on Monday the rth day of April AD 1803 for the purpose of acting on articles …. [there follows a list of articles, most of which are conventional; the following are unusual: #7 to know the town’s mind in regard to selling a piece of a highway through a lot of wood land at the northward of Abiel Macombers; #8 to determine how best to proportion school money among different districts; #9 to learn the town’s mind about remonstrating against a highway laid out by Court of General Sessions; #10 to think about petitioning the General Court to repeal laws prohibiting seining of fish and catching of oysters in the rivers …. I
Page 157
1,2,&4.William Almy chosen moderator, town clerk and treasurer to have 1 1/4%
2. Silvester Brownell, Abner Brownell & John Mosher chosen select men
5. Silvester Brownell, Gideon Tallman & Wesson Tripp chosen assessors of rates
6. George Lawton, John Mosher & Lemuel Milk chosen a committee on accts, etc.
7. Samuel Crocker Esq had 42 votes for county treasurer
8. Nathaniel Kirby chosen pound keeper
9. Benjamin Devol, Christopher Cornell, Benjamin Cory, Benjamin Brownell, Wesson Kirby,
Philip Potter,
Barjona Devol, David Sanford, Abner Devol, Isaiah Burden, William White,
hatter, Prince Howland, William Kirby, Silvanus White, Samuel Devol, Prince Wing, Elijah
Gifford, Jr., Job Baker, John Gifford, black, & George Lawton were chosen surveyors of
highways.
Page 158
Bradford Richmond, Silvester Brownell, Benjamin Brownell, Jonathan Tripp, Christopher Cornell, Benjan-dn Brownell 2, Thomas Cornell, Robert Barker chosen fence viewers.
Jeremiah Willcox, Wanton Macomber, Thomas Briggs, Edward Wing, Joseph Gifford & George Brownell chosen field drivers.
Barjona Devol, Humphry Howland, George Brownell 2 chosen surveyors of lumber, shingles & clapboards
Elijah Potter, Peleg Potter & Barjona Devol chosen corders & measurers of wood
Barjona Devol & George Brownell 2 chosen cullers of hoops & staves
Thomas Briggs & Preserved Sherman chosen sealers of leather
Christopher Cornell & Wanton Macomber chosen cullers of dry fish
John Tibbitts, & Wanton Macomber chosen tythingmen
Page 159
Wanton Macomber, Nathan Lyon & George Brownell chosen hog reeves
1802 70
Silvester Brownell, George Brownell, cooper, Joseph Gifford, Job Almy, Samuel Willcox & John Kirby chosen overseers of fishery
Voted that the sum of twelve hundred dollars be assessed … for highways…
Voted that seventy five cents be allowed for one day’s work of a man or a pair of oxen and that twenty five cents be allowed for the use of a cart or plow on the highways …. and thirty three cents per day’s work if done after October first
Voted not to sell the highway mentioned in the 7th article in the warrant and that the select men be requested to make inquiry respecting any trespass that may have been committed thereon and take such measures as they shall judge will be for the interes of the town.
Voted not to remonstrate against the report of the Committee appointed for laying out the highway as mentioned in the 9th article…
Page 160
On the tenth article in the warrant, Voted not [to) petition the General Court for a repeal of the Oyster and Fish Act.
Voted to adjourn to May I 1th next AT A MEETING [held May 11 th, 1803]
Wesson Sowle, Paul Kirby, Ichabod Potter 2 chosen field drivers
Voted that one hundred and twenty dollars be appropriated for the support of school, to be distributed at the discretion of the select men…
Ebenezer Baker chosen surveyor of highways…
Committee chosen to examine accounts & to settle with the treasurer reported … they carefully examined the accounts laid before them and allowed …on the whole to the sum of $631.45.8 Voted to accept the report and treasurer to pay the several accounts….
Page 161
Also the Committee reported that they had examined the treasurer’s accounts of the year past: he received $729.65 and paid out $714.59.6, leaving balance of $15.5-4.
Voted to raise by way of tax on the polls and estates …. for support of the poor and other expenses of said town for the year ensuing the sum of seven hundred dollars….
Benjamin Brownell, Jr. was chosen constable & collector of taxes and to have 3% on the money he shall collect and pay into the several treasuries….
Voted to adjourn to last monday in July. W. Almy, T. Clerk
Page 162
AT A TOWN MEETING [held May 11, 1803 to select town’s representative to General Court] Abner Brownell, Esq had 49 Votes and was chosen.