And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray &c October 224 1782 David Gardner Daniel Stone, Solomon Stone, Aaron Hanscom, Stephen Jones, Joel Whitney Nathan Longfellow, WTM Albee, J Noble Shannon Morris O'Brien George Stillman Amos Boynton George Luey David Longfellow, Joseph Walles, Jonas Farnsworth Stephen Smith WTM Tupper, David Gardner Jun' Peter Talbot, Benja Foster John Foster, Levi Foster, Woorden Foster, Stephen Munson Samuel Rich, Joseph Manson. Petition from Inhabitants of Machias. To the Honble the Senate, and the Honble the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts A number of the Inhabitants of Machias, and others belonging to the Eastern part of the County of Lincoln, Humbly Sheweth, That whereas we are informed, a Petition from a number of the Inhabitants of this place and the vicinity, has lately been preferred to your Honors, praying, (for reasons therein mentioned) that a Court of Probate, a Register of Deeds, a Court of Common pleas & Sessions may be established at Machias; to have Jurisdiction to the Eastward of Penobscot River. As we had not opportunity of seeing said Petition before it was sent away, and being now fully acquainted with the contents thereof, and having for a long time suffered many and great inconveniences from the want of such arrangements higher than Pownalborough; we pray your honors that the prayer of said Petition may be granted, with this addition, that appeals may be had from the Court of Common pleas, to the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston, (as was usual, from the County of Nantucket) instead of Falmouth; as we could attend at the former place with greater ease and convenience than at the latter-And as in duty bound your petitioners will Ever pray &c Machias December 18th 1782 Joseph Libbee, Eph" Chase, Mr Howe Alpheus Polley, Jonathan Pineo, John Berry, William Elwell, William Ray, Joseph Waller J', Jas Campbell, Benja Pettigrow, Edmund Stevens. In Senate June 12th 1783 Read & thereupon Order'd, that this Petition be committed to the Committee of both Houses appointed the 30th May Ult:; to take into consideration the Petition of David Gardner & others, Inhabitants of Machias, to consider and report what is proper to be done thereon Sent down for Concurrence S Adams Presid In House of Representatives June 13th 1783 Read & concurred Tristram Dalton Spk Memorial of the Machias Committee. To the Honble Senate & House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Memorial of the Committee Corrispde Inspection & Safety of Machias for & in behalf of said Plantation Humbly Sheweth That some time past a number of the Inhabitants of this District & the others adjacent, Petitioned the Honble Court Seting fourth the Distresses the Inhabitants were under by reason of the distance they were from the Shiere Town in this County and expence & dificulty attending thereon & requesting a Court of Common pleas, a Judge of Probate & Register of Deeds might be appointed to be held in this place the Honble Court at that time thought it best to refer it over to the present session, at the same time Gave incouragement that relief should be Granted, The Inhabitants. of this district had a legal & full meeting the 23d of May last at which time the matter was again taken into Consideration, when the Town Unanimously Voted To Memorialize the Honble General Court on the Subject Requesting in the most earnest manner To Grant them Relief & directed the Committee of Corrispondence Inspection & Safety to do it, Your memorialist therefore Humbly prays the Honble Court will be pleased To take the foregoing with their former petition into their wise Consideration & Grant them such Relief as they in their wisdom may think Fit. Your Memorialist for a more full State of these matters beg leave to Refer your Honors to James Avery Esq' agent for this plantation and your memorialist as in duty Bound &c Stephen Smith, Benj Foster, Machias June 2a 1783 In Senate Sept 27th 1783 Joseph Libbee Read & thereupon Order'd that Cotton Tufts Esq' with such as the Honble House shall join be a Committee to take this Memorial into consideration, together with the Petition of the Inhabitants of Machias, and others belonging to the Eastern part of the County of Lincoln-and Report what may be proper to be done thereon Sent down for Concurrence S Adams, Presid In the House of Representatives same day Read & concurred & Mr Eddy & Mr Hosmer are joined Tristram Dalton Spk To James Avery Esq Sir You being appointed by the Inhabitants of Machias to Appear at the General Court of this Commonwealth to sup port the petitions from the Inhabitants of that and other Plantations respecting the Establishing Courts of Law & a Registor of Deeds &c in this part of the County so that we may have a more easey & less expences in access to Justice, we whose names are hereunto Subscribed Inhabitants of the different Plantations Sett against our Respective Names do Request you to appear in our behalf & use your influence that the said Petitions may be granted Report of the Committee on the Petition of Inhabitants of Machias and Resolve Thereon. Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Committee of both Houses to whom was referrd the Consideration of several Petitions from the Inhabitants of Machias & others in the Eastern part of the County of Lincoln, praying that a Register of Deeds & of Probate of Wills may be Established at Machias and that a Court of Probate of Wills, a Court of General Sessions of the peace & Court of Common pleas may be held at Machias with a right of appeal from the Court of General sessions of the peace & Court of Common pleas to the Supreme Judicial Court held at Boston, beg leave to report — That in the Opinion of your Committee the peculiar difficulties under which the Petitioners labour for want of an easier and less expensive access to the Court of Law and Justice render it highly reasonable that their request be so far granted that a Register of Probate of Wills & of Deeds be Established at Machias to exercise their respective Officers in that part of the County of Lincoln which is to the Eastward of Union River, That the Judges of Probate of Wills for the County of Lincoln be directed to hold his Court twice every year at Machias and that the Court of General Sessions of the Peace and Court of Common pleas for the said County should hold one Term every Year at said Machias and that Jurors for the two last mentioned Courts be summoned from the Freeholders and other Inhabitants by Law qualified for that service wch are to the Eastward of said Union River, and that the Petitioners have leave to bring in a Bill for the purposes afore-mentiond Cotton Tufts p' Order In Senate October 17th 1783 Read and accepted And Whereas several Petitions from the Inhabitants of Machias & others have been presented to the General Court, being in substance as follows-Viz, That the Legislature of this Commonwealth would empower two or more Justices of the Peace to try Causes to the Amount of Twenty Pounds & under, and establish at Machias in the County of Lincoln, a Court of Probate of Wills, a Register of Probate, a Register of Deeds, a Court of General Sessions of the Peace, a Court of Common Pleas with a right of Appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court held at Boston, the said Officers to exercise their respective Offices and the said Courts to have jurisdiction, to the Eastward of Penobscot River, Orderd, That, the Substance of the said Petition as aforementioned be published in three of the Boston Newspapers for three Weeks successively, which shall be considered as a Notifica |