From Soldiers to Settlers: The Petition That Founded Pearson and Hobbstown
In the mid-1700s, long before Maine became its own state, soldiers were sometimes rewarded for their service with land grants. One such man was Moses Pearson. In 1744, he led a company during the first siege and capture of Louisburg in what was known as the Cape Breton Expedition, part of King George’s War. Seeking recognition for his efforts, Pearson sent the following petition to the General Court of Massachusetts. "To the Honorable Spencer Philips, Esq. Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief in and over His Majesty’s Providence of Massachusetts Bay in New England, and to the Honorable, the council and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, January , A.D. 1749 : “The petition of us the subscribed humbly sheweth, that whereas we were in the expedition against Louisburg and the settlement adjacent, then under the command of the command of the French King, being in said service , not only until, but for some considerable time after...
