HISTORY OF SHARON, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- Information located at http://www.nh.searchroots.com On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE and its counties TRANSCRIBED BY JANICE BROWN Please see the web site for my email contact. ---------------------------------- The original source of this information is in the public domain, however use of this text file, other than for personal use, is restricted without written permission from the transcriber (who has edited, compiled and added new copyrighted text to same). ======================================================== SOURCE: History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885, 878 pgs. SHARON, NH CHAPTER I p. 670 Origin--Incorporation--Petitions--First Settlers--Town Clerks-- Representatives--Military Records--Population The territory in this town was formerly the westerly portion of Peteborough Slip, and retained the name after the east part was separated and incorporated into the town of Temple. By an act passed February 6, 1789, the inhabitants were invested with the privilege of levying and collecting taxes for the repair of highways, and the laying out and building of the same; and by an act passed June 19, 1789, they were authorized to levy and collect a tax of one penny per acre annually, for the term of three years, for the purpose of repairing roads and bridges. January 25, 1791, the town was incorporated under its present name. PETITION FOR ANNEXATION TO PETERBOROUGH; addressed to the General Court, 1777.--"We the Inhabitance of Peterborough Slip as your Humble Petitioners do Beg Leave to Aquant Your honors that we have Voted to be Anexed to Peterborough and Are Verry Desirous for the Same for our Numbers Being So Small that we Cannot be a town of our Selves Nor have Any towne Privilidges while we Are in this Siuation and we humbly Pray that Your honors would take it into consideration and if it be Your Minds to Grant Us our Petition Which we Now Request of Your honours let it be Don Soon as may be-- "And we Shall Ever pay &C "Peterborough Slip May 27th 1777 "John Taggart, Jnr Swan, Jona Taggart Jr., John Swan, Junr, Saml Milliken, John Whitemore, Gilbert Mccay, William Milliken, John Mcallaster, James McNee, Benj: Nutting, Josiah Crosby, Saml Gragg, Jno Eliot, Andrew Conn." PETITION FOR AN ACT OF INCORPORATION: Addressed to the General Court, 1786--"The petition of the subscribers in behalf of the Inhabitants of a place called Peterborough-Slip in the County of Hillsborough in said State humbly sheweth, "That the said Inhabitants have for many years labaoured under great inconveniences & difficulties in not being vested with corporate powers-- "That the said place called Peterborough Slip is surrounded by incorporated places--Peterborough on the north, Jaffrey on the west, Rindge & New Ipswich on the South & Temple on the east--& that it cannot with convenience be annexed to eithe of those Towns-- "That the number of Inhabitants in said place now Amounts to one hundred and eighty, And that the number of Families to forty: That the said Place contains about seventy lots containing upon an average One hundred acres, & is capable of making fifty good Farms or settlements--That your Petitioners are very desirous of enjoying, in common with their fellow Citizens, the Blessings resulting from a Gospel ministry--publick Schools--good roads & all the other Benefits that flow from an organized & well regulated Society--And your petitioners beg leave to observe that should your Honours be plesaed to encorporate them, in their present situation, that most of the difficulties & embarrassments which they now feel, would still remain; & that the only expedient whereby your Petitioners may be relieved, is, as they humbly conceive, that a small Piece be taken from each of the Towns that join upon said Peterborough-Slip on the north and west and be added thereto--Your Petitioners humbly conceive that if One mile be taken off the east end of Jaffrey & one mile from the south end of Peterborough, as far as they adjoin upon said Peterborough Slip, that such an accession would make them competent for all the purposes of corporate Society, and in no degree injure the said Towns of Jaffrey and Peterborough--Your petitioners are led to conceive thus of the matter from these considerations; That the said Town of Jaffrey is now seven miles from west to east, & only five from North to South; So that, when that part of said Jaffrey, which it is the wish of your petitioners may be annexed to them, shall be taken off, the remaining part will be large enough for a Township & will better accomodate the Inhabitants than now. "That as to the said Town of Peterborough your petitioners beg leave to observe, that a tract of land unincorporated, called Society, lies adjoining to Said Peterborough on the North--that this Tract is also surrounded by incorporated places And may very conveniently, At least a part of it, be annexed to said Peterborough, And will more than compensate for that part of Peterborough which may be Annexed to said Peterborough Slip-- "Your petitioners Therefore pray that your Honours would be pleased to annex, One mile taken off the east end of said Jaffrey, & One mile taken off the South end of said Peterborough, to the Tract of Land now called Peterborough-Slip, and incorporate the whole into a Township vested with all the privileges of corporate Societies in this State and as in Duty bound your Petitioners shall ever pray-- "John McAllaster, Saml Gragg, Saml Milliken, Committee of Peterborough Slip" This petition was heard and dismissed. PETITION FOR AUTHORITY TO LEVY AND COLLECT TAXES FOR THE REPAIR OF HIGHWAYS, 1787. "The petition of the Inhabitants of a place called Peterborough-Slip, in said State, "Humbly sheweth, "That your petitioners, by reason of their being unincorporated, are subject to many inconveniences, among which are, first, That they cannot lay out new high-ways--Second, That they cannot tax Non-resident lands, nor lands unimproved, to help make and repair highways--And, Third, That they cannot compell persons who are unwilling to labour on highways to work on them at all: Wherefore, your petitioners pray that your Honors would enable, empower and fully authorize them to lay out high-ways in said Place, where necessary--to tax the Non-residents lands and land unimproved, in said place, for the making and repairing highways in said place--And to compell the Inhabitants of said Place to make, mend & repair said high-ways--in as full and ample a manner as the inhabitants of incorporated towns and places in this State are by law authorized to act and do in such matters-- "And your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. "June 25th 1787. "John Prentice for the Petitioners." The foregoing petition was granted by an act passed February 6, 1789. "Relative to Peterborough Slip, 1787 "Jaffrey, June th 2 1787 "This may certify that at a Legal meeting of the Freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of Jaffrey (qualified by Law to vote in town meetings) meet on may the 10--1787 for the Porpose of Seeing what the town would do in regard of Peterborough Slip haveing a mile off the east Part of Jaffrey.-- "Voted unanimous not to let Peterborough Slip have any part off the east part of Sd town. Voted to Chuse a committee of five men to Petision and Remonstrate the General Court of this State that the Prayr of the Petision of Peterborough Slip be not Granted. Chose Mr. Laban Ainsworth, Esqr., Roger Gilmore, Lieut Joseph Bates, Adonijah Howe, Coln Jedh Sanger-- "Voted that the Committee make a Draught and Lay the Same before the town as an adjournemtn of this meeing. Voted to adjourn this meeting to Thursday th 24 of May instant at three O Clock afternoon May th 24 1787 the inhabitants of Sd Jaffrey being meet acording to adjournment the Remonstrance Draughted by the affore Said Commitee being read. Voted to except the same. Voted that the remonstrance be Presented to the General Court of this State. "A true Coppy Attest "Adonijah Howe, Town Clark of Jaffrey." **** FIRST SETTLERS **** Among the first settlers were Captain William Taggart, Lieutenant McAlester, Samuel Millican, Josiah Crosby, Thomas McNee, Gilbert McCoy, Samuel Gragg, John Marshall, John Swan, Abjar Spofford, David Moor, Adam Conn, John Whitman, Reuben Law, John Taggart, Joseph Barnes, Joseph Miller, John Duncan and James McNee. TOWN CLERKS 1791-96, Samuel Millican; 1797, William Taggart; 1798-1803, Samuel Millican; 1804-7 William Taggart; 1808, Samuel Millican; 1809-14, Benjamin Russell; 1812, Asa Barnes; 1813-14, Samuel Ryan; 1815-19, Albert Millican; 1820, Asa Barnes; 1821, Abial Sawyer; 1822-24 James Law; 1825-28 James Farnsworth; 1829 James Law; 1830-36 Abial Sawyer; 1837-39 Samuel Ryan; 1840 William Livingston; 1841 Benjamin Russell; 1842-48 Nathan Moore; 1849, Thomas McCoy; 1850-51 Henry McCoy; 1852 Samuel Nay; 1853-54 Nathan Moore; 1855-58 James Taggart; 1859-61 Stephen Bacon Jr.; 1862-63 Fred A. Taggart; 1864-68 Stephen H. Bacon; 1869-70 Nathan Moore; 1871-72, H.D. Evans; 1873-84 Benjamin H. Sanders. REPRESENTATIVES 1822 Samuel Ryan; 1823-24 Jonathan Farnsworth; 1825-26 James Law; 1827-28 Jonathan Farnsworth; 1829-30 James Law; 1831 Samuel Clark; 1832-33 James Law; 1834-36 Abial Sawyer; 1837 Asa Barnes; 1838-39 Silas Sawyer; 1840 John McCoy; 1841 Asa Barnes; 1842-47 Samuel Nay; 1848-49 James Tagart; 1850-52 Silas Sawyer; 1853-54 William Livingston; 1855-57 Phineas B. Taggart; 1858-59 none sent; 1860 Wirling Gragg; 1861 none sent; 1862-63 Stephen A. Sawyer; 1864-65 Fred A. Taggart; 1866-67 John B. Shedd; 1868, John A. Hadley; 1874-75 Benjamin H. Sanders; 1876 Derostos P. Emory; 1877 Henry E. Bond; 1878, John A. Hadley; 1880, P.B. Taggart. MILITARY RECORD--The following enlisted from Sharon during the late Rebellion [Civil War]: Daniel Davis, Oliver O. Davis, Randall A. Davis, Luther Davis, Alfred H. Nichols, Wilder Reed, William H. Hanley, Alfred C. Taggart, Jackson Brackett, Andrew J. Hadley, Emory O. Hadley, William Millican, Daniel P. Wilson, Henry Heard, John Donovan, Jackson Taggart, Warren Nicholas, Henry Nicholas, Elisher H. Fredericks. POPULATION--The present population of the town is two hundred and three. For imformation concerning this town were are indebted to Mr. J.A. Hadley. (end)