Petition of Thomas Buckmore, of Concord, Armourer

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To the Honourable Council, sitting at WATERTOWN, in the State of MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1776.

The Petition of THOMAS BUCKMORE, of CONCORD, Armourer, humbly showeth:

That your petitioner has been employed in making of fire-arms for this State for upwards of eighteen months past. That your petitioner has supplied the said State with new arms, and repairing upwards of three hundred to satisfaction, of his employer, and employed workmen for the said service with great difficulty. That your petitioner has now upon hand about one hundred arms, belonging to the State, and some partly finished, and would be glad to know what to do with them. That your petitioner is drawn out, with three of his workmen, by the officer of the town, to proceed to New-York as soldiers. That your petitioner is not against proceeding, if his accounts can be made up with the Commissary, and discharge them, if your Honours think he can be spared from his business, which instance he never knew in London upon any such emergency. That if your petitioner is ordered to proceed, he prays your Honours he may go in the station of an armourer. And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

THOMAS BUCKMORE.

State of Massachusetts-Bay, Council Chamber,
September 20, 1776.

Whereas it has been represented to this Board by Thomas puckmore, of Concord, that he has been employed in making Fire-arms for this State for upwards of eighteen months past, and has now upon hand a large number of Arms belonging to the State, and some partly finished, and that he, the said Thomas Buckmore, is drawn out, with three of his workmen, by the officer of the town, to proceed to New-York as soldiers: the Board, considering how necessary it is that this State should be fully supplied with Fire-arms, and that the Armourers actually employed in making such Arms are doing more essential service to the State, while thus employed, than they could do as soldiers, are of opinion, that the said Thomas Buckmore and his workmen ought not to have been counted or drafted to serve as soldiers in the present reinforcement to be sent to the Army at New-York:

Therefore, Ordered, That Captain George Minot, of Concord, be, and he hereby is required and directed to discharge the said Thomas Buckmore and Silas Wood from the service for which they were drafted, and immediately to proceed to draft two other persons in their room, not engaged in the necessary business of this State.