Papers of John Adams, volume 19
The attachment of Mr. Boid to the American Cause has, as you are Sensible, occasioned the forfeiture to the British Government of all his Lands upon the Schoodac: to which river they have extended their Province of New Brunswick.— The Papers that relate to his Case, as well as to that encroachment, were by order of Congress, as
485
I have understood, transmitted to you, during your residence in England: and Mr. Boid purposes to send you a copy of the former, with a request, that you would be so good as to support his intended Petition to Congress, so far as it shall appear to you just and reasonable.
The General Court, by their letter of Instructions to their Delegates in Novr. 1786, esteemed him a good friend to this Country; and having been deprived of a large interest in consequence of his attachment to it, instructed their Delegates to recommend him to the attention & favour of Congress; and to move them to afford him Such relief as they might think proper.1
As Mr. Boid has become a citizen of the United States, has greatly Suffered for his attachment to them, and is a worthy man; and as he can probably give information of evidence, that may be useful in determining the true divisional line between those States and the British Province of New Brunswick, I beg leave to recommend him to your favourable notice: and am very respectfully, sir / Yr Excy’s most obt. hble servt.
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excy. John Adams esqr. / Vice Presidt. &c”; endorsed: “Govr. Bowdoin May 30th / Answd June 11th 1789—”
American sympathizer James Boyd (ca. 1736–1798) emigrated from Scotland and settled at Passamaquoddy, Mass. (now Maine). In 1767 he acquired land near Passamaquoddy Bay and brought in “a large number of families” and was “at great expence for Cattle and farming Utensils of all sorts, as well as in the erecting of necessary Mills and Water Works.” At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Boyd relocated to Boston, where he petitioned the Mass. General Court “to afford him such relief as they may think proper.” On 10 Nov. 1786 the General Court sent a letter of instruction to its congressional delegates asking for aid on Boyd’s behalf, with no success (Mass., Acts and Laws
, 1786–1787, p. 385–386). On 30 June 1789, Boyd wrote to JA to request congressional intervention and noted his “present Indigent situation” (Adams Papers). Boyd also wrote to George Washington on 27 Nov., and Washington forwarded that letter to the Senate on 9 Feb. 1790, but no action was taken (Washington, Papers, Presidential Series
, 4:328–329, 5:119–120).