(Largely taken (and edited) from: History of Plymouth County, MA with Biographical Sketches Compiled by Simeon D. Hamilton Hurd, 1884. Retyped for the web by David Kew.)
Billingsgate was an early name given to the present territory of Wellfleet. At Billingsgate point, where the first lighthouse was subsequently erected, Captain Standish and the men from the Mayflower landed on their way to the main land, and in many ways this territory has been made historic in the annals of the county. The rapid settlement of this part of the ancient town induced its inhabitants to apply to the court in 1722 to be erected into a separate church parish, which was granted the following year. John Rich (brother of Samuel Rich) was active in town affairs. He was voted town moderator 1726, 1728, 1729, 1730, and 1734, assessor 1728, 1729, 1730, 1731, and 1734 and selectman 1728, 1729, 1730, 1731, and 1734. The import¬ance of this parish, and the distance from the center where the town meetings were held, induced the inhabitants of the new parish to at¬tempt the formation of a separate town.
At the first meeting held for this purpose, March 9, 1761, they appointed Captain Elisha Doane agent "to get this precinct set off as a district." He, with Daniel Cole, Richard Atwood, Joseph Atkins, James Atwood, Jonathan Hiller, Eleazer Atwood, Zoeth Smith, Jeremiah Mayo and Samuel Smith, sent a petition to the proper officers of Eastham, who, after properly determining the wishes of the people, consented that "the precinct be set off as a district as far as Blackfish creek." This condition was not satisfactory to the petitioners.
On November, 1, 1762, another meeting was held in this precinct, at which another commit¬tee of seven men-in part the same as at first-was appointed to assist Captain Doane, the agent, in petitioning the general court for an act of incorporation. Order of notice was served on the town of Eastham, and the matter was brought before the May session of the court, which resulted in an act, passed May 25, 1763, which formed the north precinct of Eastham, according to its known bounds, into a district, with all the privileges, powers and immunities of a town, ex¬cept that its people must join for a time with Eastham in the election of a representative.
The same act of incorporation designated August 4, 1763, for the election of its first officers. The warrant for the call¬ing of this meeting was issued by John Freeman, of the old town, to Elisha Doane, of the new. Among other transactions of the meeting, Major Doane, Ephriam Covel and Samuel Smith, jr., were appointed a committee to settle all affairs between the two towns. Wellfleet was joined with Eastham in the election of a representative the few years that elapsed before the legal removal of this restriction.
Comments