History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

292 HISTORY OK AMESBURY.
town as petitioned for are of opinion that the prayer of said
petition should be granted and doubt not but that a consider-
able will be done by way of subscription to make the way pass-
able. Ens Simeon Bartlett,
Maj Barnard Hoyt,
Capt John Sawyer,
Capt Christopher Sargent,
Lieut Ezra Worthen."
The report was accepted.
The above road commenced at Elijah Flanders' house, which
adjoined Eliphalet Martin's at the Ferry, and was to be laid
out through Pleasant valley to South Amesbury.
April 5th. A meeting was held and the petition of Joseph
Wingate and others for a highway from Moses Sargent's to
Thomas Rowell's, Esq., without any cost to the town, was
accepted ; but the petitioners were required to lay it out two
rods wide. It was found that the land would not be given for
the River road, as was expected by the committee, and an arti-
cle was inserted in the warrant of September 16th to see if
the town would buy the land ; but no vote appears to have
been taken, and the petition was presented to the court of ses-
sions for a committee to view and lay out the way.
Nov. 12th. A meeting was held and a committee chosen
"to attend on" the court committee at Stephen Patten's on
the 30th inst., but no instructions were given and it does not
appear whether this committee were to oppose or approve the
plan.
There was some difficulty between the town and Rev. Thomas
Hibbert about his taxes, which he was compelled to pay, he
being, as he saith, a Presbyterian minister. He commenced a
suit against the selectmen for the recovery of the tax, and the
town chose a committee to defend the same. Mr. Hibbert
addressed a letter to the selectmen, to be communicated to the
meeting, of which the following is an extract :
" And on the other 'hand, That the town discharges me from
all obligation to pay any Town Rate or Rates after that to
which The Lawsuit refers during The Time I shall be Minister
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