MINOR TOPICS
Reading edition
A WARD ELECTION IN NEW YORK IN 1739
[Contributed by Mr. William Nelson, Paterson, N. J.]
[In view of the recent election in New York city, this record of the simple methods of the forefathers will possess an obvious interest for the modern Knickerbocker. The license fee would interest the modern saloonkeeper—but he does not read the Magazine.—Ed.]
NORTH WARD
City of New York. } ss.:
I Christopher Bancker Esqʳ Alderman of the North Ward of the City of New York Do hereby Certifie (Pursuant to a Warrant unto me Directed by the Mayor of the said City) that this Day between the Hours of Nine and Twelve in the fforenoon the ffreemen of the said Ward being Inhabitants and the ffreeholders of the said Ward Did assemble and meet together within the said Ward at the time & place by me appointed, and then and there by the plurality of Voices or Votes Did Elect and Choose the persons hereafter mentioned (being ffreemen or ffreeholders Inhabiting within the said Ward) to serve in the Respective Offices hereafter mentioned for the said Ward for the Year Ensuing or untill other fit persons are Elected and Sworn in their Rooms or places, as by his Majesty’s Royall Charter Granted to the Mayor Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York is appointed Directed & Required (vizt)
Christopher Bancker Alderman
Wᵐ Vreedenburgh Assistant
Isaac Stoutenburgh Assessors
Jan Van Arenham
Stephen Bourdet Collector
Peter HendrickseConstables
Arent Van Hoek
Witness my hand in New York the twenty ninth day of September in the thirteenth year of his Majestys Reign Anno Dom 1739
Chris: Bancker.
A N. Y. LIQUOR LICENSE IN 1739
[Printed form; the names and words in italics are inserted with pen and ink.]
City of New York. } ss.:West Ward NᵒMurry Street
I Certify that Mary Clarck hath agreed for the Excise as a Tavern-Keeper; and hath paid for Excise,£. 2. 6ˢ.0And for License,
0 16 0
[Given under my Hand, the 1ᵗʰ Day of March—1785.]
Abᵐ. P. Lotts
[Endorsed:] Mary Clark £3. 2.. 4/..
NEW JERSEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The annual meeting of The New Jersey Historical Society was held in the beautiful and spacious building of the Society on West Park Street, Newark, on October 25, 1905. A business meeting was held at noon, at which the annual reports of officers were read, showing the very prosperous condition of the Society. The Corresponding Secretary, William Nelson, in his report alluded to the fact that the present completed his twenty-fifth year of continuous service as an officer of the Society, and so was a sort of silver jubilee of his. He was elected Recording Secretary in 1880, holding that office for ten years, when he was elected Corresponding Secretary, which office he has held for fifteen years. The correspondence during the year had embraced between 400 and 500 letters of all sorts and covering a great variety of topics.
Francis M. Tichenor, Librarian, reported that during the year there had been 2400 visitors at the Library.
Ernest E. Coe, for the Committee on Membership, reported that the Society now had 784 members.
A very important adjunct of the Society for several years past has been the Woman’s Branch, presided over by Miss M. Antoinette Quinby, who read the report of the work of that body. The women have been devoting themselves specially during the past year to the compilation of tombstone inscriptions throughout the State, and Miss Quinby presented to the Society two large, handsome volumes of such inscriptions.
Dr. J. Ackerman Coles, Judge Amzi Dodd, Robert F. Ballantine, Wallace M. Scudder and George R. Howe were elected Trustees for the term of three years, and Jonathan W. Roberts for the term of one year to fill a vacancy.
The address of the day was delivered by the Rev. William Y. Chapman, pastor of the Roseville (Newark) Presbyterian Church, his subject being “Acadia.” He was himself a native of Nova Scotia, and from his earliest boyhood had been familiar with the scenes so beautifully and pathetically described by Longfellow in his exquisite poem “Evangeline.” In the interest of truth, however, he was constrained to say that the cold facts of history differed very widely from the narrative of the romantic poem, and he described clearly and graphically the events which constrained the English commander to deport the recalcitrant French settlers.
At a subsequent meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Society, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year:
President, Jonathan W. Roberts; Vice-Presidents, Wallace M. Scudder, Francis M. Tichenor and George R. Howe; Corresponding Secretary, William Nelson; Recording Secretary, Joseph F. Folsom; Treasurer, William C. Morton; Librarian, Francis M. Tichenor; Trustees to fill vacancies, Dr. W. S. Disbrow, of Newark, and W. Elwood Speakman, of Woodbury.
BOOK NOTICES
The Records of the Town of Hanover, New Hampshire, 1761-1818. The records of the town meetings, and of the selectmen, comprising all of the first volume of records and being Volume I of the printed records of the town. Printed by vote of the town under the direction of Herbert Darling Foster, George Mendal Bridgman, Sidney Bradshaw Fay. Hanover, New Hampshire, 1905. Octavo, pp. VI+336.
The committee of learned men appointed by the selectmen of Hanover to print the early records of that town apparently have endeavored to reproduce faithfully the original spelling, capitalization and punctuation. Both copy and proofs have been compared with the records word for word, and when necessary letter by letter. The moderate sum of money used in preserving and making easily accessible to students these early annals has been well spent. The committee having this volume in charge suggests that the proprietors’ records (covering the years 1761 to 1807 inclusive) and the first volume of vital statistics (covering the years 1762 to 1846) ought also to be printed. All persons interested in the history of Hanover ought to use their influence towards carrying out this wise suggestion at once and having it done under the direction of the same committee.
The contents of the book and the space of time covered are accurately indicated by the title, but one very important feature of the work, not there mentioned, is the town clerk’s affidavit that the printed book is a true and correct copy of the original. The original paging is marked in brackets. The book is well indexed and substantially bound.