| Title: | McGregor, Rev. James to Governor Samuel Shute, 1720 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6659 |
| Collection | Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan. Letters and memoirs from colonial and revolutionary America (1675-1815) [K.A. Miller et al.] |
| File | caanan/71 |
| Year | 1720 |
| Sender | McGregor, Rev. James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | reverend |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Nutfield, New Hampshire, USA |
| Destination | Boston, Mass, USA |
| Recipient | Governor Samuel Shute |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | not acquainted |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 769 |
| Genre | petition |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Rev. James McGregor, Nutfield, New Hampshire, to Governor Samuel Shute, Boston, Massachusetts, 27 February 1720 The Humble Apolegy of the People of Nutfeild to His Exelency Sam Shute Generall Governr . and Commander in Cheife of his Majesties Provinces of the Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshr in New England-- May it Please Yr Exelency The Subscribers having Seen a copy of Yr Exelencys Lettr . To Capt : White & Capt : Kembell, find themselves undr. a Nessessity of Vindicating themselves from the Charges given in against them; it being alowable by the Law of Nature & of Nations, to ye greatest Criminalls to Defend them selves when they Justly plead in their Own Vindication. We were Surprised to hear our Selves termed Irish People when we So frequently ventured our all for the Brittish Crown and Liberties against the Irish papists & gave all tests of our Loyalty wch the Government of Ireland Required and are always ready to do the Same here wn demanded. Tho we Settled att Nutfeild yett we Used no Violence in the manr. of our Settlement, Seing no body in. the Least offered to hinder us to Sett down in a desolate Wilderness; and we were So fare from hindering the English that Really had a mind to Plant wth. us, that, many of them are now incorporated wth. us. after our Settlement we found that two or three Different parties Claimed Nutfield, by virtue of Indian deeds, and we were Given to understand, that it was Nessesary for us to hold the Soil by Some Right purchased from the Natives accordingly we made applycation to the Honble . Coll Wheelwright of Wells, and Obtained his Indian right; wch we have to Shew, his Deed being of Ninety Years Standing, and Conveyed from the Cheife Sagamores between the Rivers of Merimack and Piscattaqua, wth the Consent of the whole Tribe of the Indian Nation, and well Executed, is the most authentic we have Seen; and the Subscribers Could not in reason think that a deed wch is not twenty years Old, of Land wch is not Sufficiently butted and bounded, from an Obscure Indian, Could Give any Right to Land wch had been Sold So many years before, by the Right owners. And the Subscribers hope they will be Excused, from Giving away So Good a Title, for Others that cannot pretend Rationally to be So well Supported; and wch they always refused to Warrantee and make Good, agst other Claimes. The Dutifull Applications wch we have made to both Courts, If we be inCorporated, in whatSoEver Province we fall to be, will Witness for our respect to his Majesty’s govrmt . If Affidavits have been Given agst one of our Number as useing Some threttning Expressions, we hope it will not be Imputed to the Community. If our accusers be permitted to Come up in troops, as they have done, and violently demolish’d one of our houses, and destroyed part of our hay, and threttned and Insulted us wth impunity, to the Great terror of our wives and Children, when we Suffered patiently, and then accuse us to our Rulers of violence, Injustice, fraud, force, insolence, Cruelty, dishonour of his Majesties Govern t , & disturbance of his Majesties Subjects, injuries, and Offences to the English, and the like, when we know our Selves to be Innocent, we think it hard measure; and must have Recourse to God, who forbideth to take up a bad report agst our Neighbour, and will, we hope, bring forth our Righteousness as the Light, and our Judgment as the Noon day. If we be Guilty of these disorders, we know we are Liable to a Legall Tryall and are not So weak as to Suppose our Selves to be out of the reach of Your Exelencys Government. The Subsscribers hope that If any other accusations come in agst them they will be allowed an Equall hearing before they be condemned; and as we Enjoy the liberty of the Gospell here, w ch is So Great a mercy Shall Improve it, for Gods Glory; and as he has taught us be Dutifull to his Majesties Govern <we> t , Sett over us, and If possible live peaceably wth all men, Shall be Desierous of Peaceable Neighbours, that want to Settle w us, and to help us to Subdue a part of this vast and uncultivated Wilderness; and we Shall not Cease to pray for the Divine blessing on Yr Exelency’s person and Govt . Done at Nutfield Feb: 27: 1717/20 & Subscribed by— James McGregore &c |
