Timeline Description: The New Hampshire Colony was a small community that was once called the Province of New Hampshire. It was governed as one with the Massachusetts Bay Colony for a time, but it eventually became its own Colony. Today it is the state of New Hampshire.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1600 | Before Colonization (Early 1600's) When explorers first began arriving in the New England area, they explored much of the area now known as New Hampshire. Much of the land was inhabited by Native Americans. |
| 1622 | The first land grants Land grants were given to several Englishmen, granting them permission to begin settlements in the areas surrounding the Merrimack River. |
| 1623 | Fishing settlements emerge After a few months of settling the land, colonists moved into the area to work at fisheries. |
| 1629 | The Province of New Hampshire New Hampshire was first established as an official English colony between the Merrimack and Piscataquis rivers. |
| 1631 | Conflicts emerge Leaders of the different colonies began fighting over which territory belonged to whom. Captain Thomas Wiggin was sent to govern the colony. |
| 1638 | Other settlers arrive Over time, settlers who were cast out of the Massachusetts colony for radical beliefs began settling in the New Hampshire area. |
| 1641 | The fighting grows With the increase in new settlers, the fighting between colonists grew. New Hampshire's governing was taken over by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. |
| 1679 | New Hampshire gets its own government Some of the area's leaders did not wish to be under Massachusetts's rule, and after several years of trying they were able to get a charter from King Charles II. The charter came with permission to elect their own ruler. |
| 1685 | Two governors gone The first leader brought in was John Cutt, but he was at odds with the other local leaders, so he was replaced by Richard Waldron. Governor Waldron made many enemies, and by 1685 he was replaced as well. |
| 1686 | The Dominion of New England The Dominion of New England was an experiment that went wrong. It was an attempt to bring all of the colonies under a single government. |
| 1689 | No rule for New Hampshire When the Dominion of New England failed, it left New Hampshire without any government once again. New Hampshire asked to be placed under the government of Massachusetts again. |
| 1691 | A government of their own William and Mary, the King and Queen of England, finally granted New Hampshire a new charter. This allowed them to seek out their own governor again, but the new governor didn't work out. New Hampshire stayed under Massachusetts's governor until 1741. |
| 1720 | More land disputes (1720's) The colonies in New Hampshire were also in a battle with the New York Colony over land in their territory. King George III ruled the land belonged to the New York Colony. |
| 1741 | An official territory line is drawn King George II finally declared an official boundary between New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and made Benning Wentworth New Hampshire's governor. |
| 1776 | Independence! New Hampshire joined the other colonies during the Revolutionary War. They became the independent state of New Hampshire. |