The Inhabitants’ Petition

The Inhabitants’ Petition

The Freeholders Inhabitants of the Town of Middleton in this Petition Humbly Shew,
That they have been Informed that John Peters of Mid has Petitiond your Excellency & Honours to have the Decree of the Hon. Benjamin Greenleaf Judge of Probate for this County appointing Benjamin Wilkins Jr. Administrator with the will annex’d of the Estate of John Wilkins Late of Middleton Deceasd as we apprehend and that he may be appointed in his place to administer, their prayer is that the aforesaid Peters may not have his Prayer Granted as we have good reason to think that if it is although there is in our Judgment a Competency to pay the Debts and maintain with decency the Surviving Widow, he will So Embezzle & destroy the same as that there will not be a Sufficiency for either & that she must become a Town Charge or Suffer for want. – And as in duty bound will ever pray.
Middleton Nov. 22, 1780.
[right-most column; these appear to have signed first]
Elias Smith
John Estey
John Upton
Enos Wilkins
John Berry
Ephraim Fuller
Nehemiah Fuller
Daniel Stiles
Daniel Stiles Sr[?]
Timothy Perkins Sr
Timothy Perk[incomplete?, or line is cut off]
Ebenezer Stiles
Ezekiel Stiles
Jonathan Bixby
Samuel Lacy
Isaac Berry
Benjamin Gardner
Joseph Fuller
Uriah Wilkins
Silas Meriam
Jeremiah Flint
Joseph Hutchinson

[middle column]
Andrew Eliot
Aaron Smith
Joseph Nickols
Benjamin Nickols
Zorobabel Peabody
Andrew Peabody
Thomas Peabody
Joseph Peabody
Samuel Symonds
Robert Bradford
Abraham Gage
Joseph Peabody
Francis Peabody
Joseph Hobbs
Benjamin Peabody
Francis Peabody Jr

[left-most column]
Isaac Kenney
Asa Kenney
Israel Kenney
Simon Kenney
Samuel Wilkins
Andrew Perkins
Stephen Eliot
Andrew Fuller
John Flint
Stephen Richardson
John Richardson
William Thomas
Bartholmew Berry
Jonathan Kieth [Keith]
William Wright
Thomas Caul
Isaac Giddings
Elezer Brown

[on the Verso]
Nehemiah Wilkins
Jonathan Wilkins
Eli Curtis
Jonathan Lamon
Nathaniel Berry

[vetted by CHD 9/8]
{CommonWealth Massachusetts} To His Excellency John Hancock Esq. and the Honorable Council of said CommonWealth, the Supreme Court of Probate within the same.