This is an original document dated 1743, where Samuel Johnson of Lunenberg, Massachusetts has sold to Samuel Farnsworth,one of the original founders of Fort 4, a plot of land in township number four, on the Connecticut River, above the Great Falls in the Province of New Hampshire...signed at bottom by Samuel Johnson, John Hastings and Silvanus Hastings. Document id 8x12, folds, minor pinholes at fold intersections, in overall good condition.

Major John Hastings was an early proprietor, town leader, and militia officer associated with Township No. 4, which is famously known today as Charlestown, New Hampshire. 

Historically, John Hastings of Hatfield, Massachusetts, was one of the early grantees and proprietors of the township. In the 1740s, when the threat of attacks from French and Native American forces increased, he was elected to the proprietors' committee to oversee the construction of a protective fort (often referred to as the Fort at No. 4). He was granted the rank of Captain/Major and served a vital role in the initial settlement, land division, and defense of the frontier. 

Silvanus Hastings (1720–1808) was a prominent early settler, property owner, and Revolutionary War soldier. His legacy is tied to Township Number 4, an early frontier settlement in the Connecticut River Valley that was officially incorporated as Charlestown, New Hampshire.

He was an original proprietor and grantee of the land. He served as a selectman for the town in 1767 and fought in the Revolutionary War, including enlisting under Lt. Col. Joseph Hammond in 1777.

The "No. 4" settlement established in 1749 on the east side of the Connecticut River is Charlestown, New Hampshire. Originally laid out as part of a four-town defensive line by the Massachusetts General Court, this historically strategic frontier outpost is now known as the Fort at No. 4.

The original proprietors of the township were primarily granted the land by Massachusetts in 1735, and the earliest permanent families arrived around 1740. Stephen Farnsworth and his family, along with his brothers, Samuel, and David Farnsworth, were the first settlers of No. 4. They were joined by others, including the Stevens, Hastings, Willard, Parker, and Johnson families who would all play a role in the settlement’s history and development. 

 The settlement is historically significant for acting as the northernmost frontier defense against French and Native raids during the colonial wars.The land later became part of New Hampshire following the boundary settlement in 1741, and an updated charter was granted in 1749. Today, the site operates as a living history museum known as The Fort at No. 4.

Located in present-day Sullivan County, NH, it was famously the northernmost British settlement along the Connecticut River. During the 1740s and 1750s, the fort provided crucial protection against French and Native American attacks, with settlers formally occupying the surrounding wilderness in increasing numbers by June 1749.