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��THE GRANITE MONTHLY.
��ments in Ireland, before their arrival here.
They were stern, uncompromising Presbyterians, and held to their form of worship with great tenacity. They loved intelligence, liberty and their re- ligion. No sacrifices were too great for liberty, no sufferings too severe for religion, no hardships too extreme to win a home for themselves and their posterity, where liberty and true relig- ion, twin sisters, might dwell together, and where the domestic virtues might, undisturbed, shine forth with peculiar brightness.
INCORPORATION.
Up to 1742 the residents of the ter- ritory now known as Windham, and nearly one third of Salem, had been included in the town of Londonderry. They were placed at a great disadvan- tage. They were seven miles from either of the Londonderry churches. In order to remedy these difficulties, and to secure a more perfect union among themselves, forty-seven free- holders petitioned to Gov. Benning Wentworth and the (reneral Court for the erection of a new parish. The act of incorporation was assented to by the governor, Feb. 12, 1742.
By the provisions of the charter Robert Dinsmoor, Joseph Waugh and Robert Thompson, were authorized to call a meeting of the inhabitants, March 8, 1742.
The sun which rose on the morning of February 12, 1742, ushered in a new and brighter day to the people. That day Windham became a town with a legal name, clothed with individ- uality, possessing the same rights, en- joying the same privileges, and subject to the same burdens and responsibili- ties of other towns in the province. Henceforth the people of this little re- public, in their Congress (town-meet- ing), where every man was a member, and could be heard, were to manage their domestic affairs in their own time, in their own way, and for their own good.
��yiRST TOWN-MEETING.
The first town -meeting was held at 10 o'clock, March 8, 1742. Robert Dinsmoor's name stands first on the list of committee. He probably called the meeting to order, and presided until the election of Lieut. Samuel Morrison as moderator. The latter presided in the meeting, and in twenty-nine subse- quent gatherings of the freeholders. The first officers chosen were Robert Dinsmoor, Joseph Waugh, Robert Thompson, Samuel Morrison, William Gregg, selectmen ; William Thorn, clerk ; Thomas Morrison (ancestor of the Morrisons of Peterborough) and [ohn Dinsmoor were chosen inspectors "of " dears."
It was " voted that the selectmen is to provide two staves, one for the con- stable, and one for the tything-man, and a town book."
In this simple, plain, direct way, Windham commenced lier career as a municipality. Her officers worked without pay.
In March, 1744, the French and Indian War commenced, which lasted till October, 1 748. This town escaped the ravages of the merciless foe, but she shared in the general alarm, and her sons aided in defending other towns in the state from the enemy, and William Smiley, William Gregg, Jr., and William Campbell, were scouting as soldiers in the Merrimack valley, in July, 1745, and other of our soldiers did good service in the war.
The year 1 75 2 was one of tro'ible. There was contention in their annual meeting, — one portion seceded and held another meeting, and two boards of officers were elected. The pro- ceedings of each meeting were de- clared illegal by the legislature. A new meeting was ordered, the van- quished became the victors, and so ended the dual government of the town. This year is noted as the one in which occurred the dismemberment of the town, whereby one third of its territory was annexed to Salem.
Windham was so much weakened by this dismemberment that it could
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