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 POLITICS IN HOPKINTON.

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��still the same. Her true friend always, she realized at that moment what she had thrown away — the pure gold for the glistening tinsel. Afterward she learned how his disappointed hopes had caused him to sell the farm he had bought thinking she would share his home with him, and go away; and how his mother came to live with the lonely parents she had deserted, during his absence from his native place. Two years before Jose- phine's return ne had addressed the peo-

��ple of Glenville from the little pulpit in the little old church.

One year after her return the wedding bells rang out a joyful peal as arm in arm Frank Clyde and Josephine Gran- ger walked into that same little church to be made one for the remainder of'their lives ; and when later on that same day she entered her own home, there stole into her heart once more perfect rest and peace.

��POLITICS IN HOPKINTON.

��BY C. C. LORD.

��Internal politics have but a little chance for agitation when a new country is harassed by external foes. The first inhabitants of this town, besides being loyal subjects to the colonial authority of the Crown of England, were too actively engaged in the pursuit of a material ex- istence to indulge to any great extent in local political discussion.

The Bow controversy, as it is some- times called, was early a cause of litiga- tion to the inhabitants of this town. In 1727, Jonathan Wiggin and others obtain- ed a grant of the township of Bow from the authorities of New Hampshire. This act ultimately led to contention with other parties holding grants of town- ships from the authorities of Massachu- setts. Concord, Pembroke and Hopkin- ton were all involved in this controversy. Bow was at length obliged to yield over two-thirds of its territory * to these three towns, the final boundary lines being set- tled at different times from 1759 to 1765. In this controversy the town of Hopkin- ton was represented by Dea. Henry Mel- len, Adj. Thomas Mellen, and Timothy Clement.

During the pending of the Bow claim, the town of Hopkinton became involved in the Mason controversy. John Tufton

��*Bow claimed a notch of a few square miles in the south-east corner of Hopkinton.

��Mason, presumed heir of John Mason, in consequence of an alleged defect in the sale of lands to Samuel Allen, in 1691, conveyed his interests in New Hamp- shire to twelve leading men of Ports- mouth, for fifteen hundred pounds. This was in 1746. The new proprietors, how- ever, were liberal, granting new town- ships for the simple conditions of a guar- anty for improvements by the occupants and the reservation of fifteen rights for themselves. Under the date of Novem- ber 30, 1750, we find a record of condi- tions obtaining in the case of the grant of this town. Henry Mellen, yeoman; Thomas Walker, cooper; Thomas Mel- len, cordwainer, and their associates, were grantees. One-fifth of the land was to be set apart on the west, to be exempt from all taxes till improved. One share was to be set apart for a minister, one share for a school, and a reservation for a mill privilege. There were to be thirty families in three years and sixty in seven years. There was to be a meeting-house in three years, and a minister in seven years. The suitable white pine was to be reserved for His Majesty. In case of an Indian war the times expressed in this agreement were to be extended. In case Bow took any territory the equivalent was to be made up from ungranted lands. The absence of local records during nu-

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