Adams Family Correspondence, volume 12
y.20d 1798
I wonder Sister Peabody Should trouble you about our Nephews concerns. the first Letter She wrote you She sent open for me to read.1 I had written her before desiring that mr Atwood would get all the Bills, his own, the Doctors & nursies with the funiral charges, & send them to mr Cranch with an account of what money Charles had by him. we Should then be able to write to his brother william about it. I do not think that any of us ought to be at this expence tis all the poor young creature can have of what our Father gave them— not a Bill has been sent nor a line from Sister about it to me. She wrote cousin Betsy the other day that mr Smith had given the nurse more than any one but mr Atwoods Sister ought to have. I know mr & mrs Smith were at Atkinson very Soon after charles’ death I hope She did not beg it of him. he is a generous man & would need but a Small hint. he has been ever ready to assist that Family & I must Say they are not half grateful enough at least some of them are not. till mr Atwood had sent his charges, we could not tell what ought to be done by a present or whether any thing. all we know we have learnt from sisters Letters to you. as to his Brothers we none of us have had a line from them Since we inform’d them of charles’ death Cousen Besty is gone to Boston & means to get a ring made for mrs Atwood but not to be paid for by you we have her mothers money which can be spair’d to purchase it, & sister will send it in her own name. there is no one else of the Family can properly give it out of her income but herself— I hope Sister will not write you again upon the Subject. She Should have written to us not to you. it has quite mortified cousen Betsy
I have givin Phebe out of the money you sent a pound of Tea 3/4 & seven pounds of Sugar. 6/. I shall get some Rye & some fresh meat for her as I see she wants it. I gave her three cheeses besides 359 pork & many other things She always keeps a house full of Blacks & low whites I fear She does not get any thing by it. when you return we must try what way may be least expensive to support her. it ought not to lay so much upon you. She seems to be much better than She was— she was worn down with her Husbands sickness
I have been Since meeting with mr ware who preach’d here to day to see mrs Baxter. I found her very low indeed Scarcly able to speak to be heard. the other child is dead. The Family sent here at eleven a clock last evening for a minister to pray with her they thought her dying. her head has been in a dreadful State they put on a large Blister between her Shoulders last eve, which has releav’d her a little for the present. She looks very Sick can take nothing but Toast & water. She can Scarcely bear a person to whisper in the house. She may live but I think her very dangerous. Some of her diffeculices are remov’d but they have reduc’d her almost to the grave her Lips are white as tho she had not a drop of blood in them—2
Nathan Hunt has been Sick above five weeks & is very low now. a Lung fever but the longest I ever head of I think it will prove a consumtion. colds & complaints of the Lungs are very common. every body almost has been & is now labouring under them. capn. Beal & mrs Beal are yet confin’d by a Severe cold. he kept his Bed Several days. mr Cranch has just caught his. I dread his having one—
I had a Letter yesterday dated the 8th of this month from wash. mrs Cranch was well. the children breeding teeth & very unwell & cross. my Son seting off for Baltimore to attend a Court She says he is in good Spirits has more business than he expected to have had in So short a time for he is but little known as a Lawyer but among his Friends I fear he does not speak enough tis that will make him known to the multitude
our other children are well. have you heard from yours lately mrs Smith how is she. I wish I could afford her any comfort. mrs Shaw does not rise in her character in Boston—
remember us affectionately to the President & Louissa / & accept the Love of your affectionate Sister
If you know any thing of mr James Greenleaf I will thank you to mention it nancy is very much destress’d about him as they have not heard any thing [for] Several weeks
RC (Adams Papers); addressed by Richard Cranch: “Mrs: Abigail Adams. / Philadelphia”; endorsed: “Jan’ry 2d / 1798.” Filmed at 2 Jan. 1798. Some loss of text where the seal was removed.
Likely Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody to AA, 6 Oct. 1797, above.
In her letter to AA of 14 Jan. 1798 (Adams Papers), Cranch reported that Polly Doble Howard Baxter had given birth to twin boys on 9 Jan., well before their expected due date in March. One died the same day; the other lived until 18 Jan. (vol. 7:92; Sprague, Braintree Families
).
r.
y.22. 1798
Yours of the 8th. I received the 17th. Inst. and broke the Affair to Mr. Cranch, who has it under Consideration and expect he will give me an Answer this Week—1
A Day or two previous to the Receipt of yours, Solomon Thayer of Braintree came to my House and offered me a piece of Pasture Land adjoyning to a detached Piece of the Farm which You bought of Elkanah Thayer, the same Piece he had offered me last Summer @ 18 Dollr. Pr. Acre, I then refus’d the offer— Dr. Fogg had now made him an offer of his Pasture (@ 30 Dollr Pr. Acre) the Money to be paid in 3 or 4 Days. this laying near Thayers House, led him to renew his offer to me— Although I felt an Aversion to engage without consulting you upon it—Yet several Considerations induced me to make him an Offer with which He finally closed, it turnd out 11 Dollrs. & 47 Cents Pr. Acrend by Admeasurement, about 13 Acres. have paid him & received a Deed— In the Piece now purchased is a living spring which Thayer assures me He never knew to be dry; in Your Land adjoyning the water fails in a Dry Season— heretofore You could not get into Your Land without passing through his— Thayer has also cleared up & cut off a greater part of the Bushes in the Fall2 past— The Purchase of half an Acre (or an Acre at most) of John Hobart, which I am told may be easily made, would bring You into all Your Lands in that Quarter, without being dependant on any Body for a Passage—3 These Considerations led me to think that the Purchase would be agreable to You, if not You must rap my Knuckles & tell me to do so no more—4
For two Months past I have been upon the Enquiry for Barley in Quincy, but without Success— I hope to collect some in Weymouth or Hull— I shall not feel easy untill it is secured, as I foresee that it will be difficult to secure it in the Spring—
Burrell is disposed to keep his Station another Year— French seems to be undetermind— I settled Accounts with him about Ten Days past He appeared very dull, He told me He had worked hard
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and should close the Year with a Loss of (at least) 50 Dollrs. His Barley had been lost his Crop of Corn greatly diminishd, on these Articles He had placed much Dependance for his Profits, He askd me whether I could make him any Allowance, I declind doing it without Advice, He wishd me to represent his Case to You, this I have now done, and shall follow Your Directions—
The Subject Matter of Your Letter I shall carefully attend to, and in my next give You information of my Proceedings—
Mine & mrs. Tufts’s best Regards to Mrs. Adams and accept of the best Wishes of / Your Friend & H Servt.
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “President of the Unitd States.” Dft (Adams Papers).
The letter has not been found but was almost certainly regarding the sale of the Cranch farm, for which see Richard Cranch to JA, 15 March 1797, and note 2, above.
In the Dft, Tufts wrote “Summer” instead of “Fall.”
JA replied to Tufts on 1 Feb. 1798 approving the purchases from Solomon Thayer and John Hobart. Thayer (1755–1835) had served in the Revolutionary War and was a farmer in Braintree; the lands JA purchased were among those he asked his brother to value in May 1803. Hobart (or Hubbard) was possibly John Hobart (1755–1834) who was the constable of Braintree in 1777 and the town’s surveyor of highways in 1783 (MHi: Anna E. Roth Coll.; Sprague, Braintree Families
; JA to Peter Boylston Adams, 5 May 1803, Adams Papers, Adams Office Manuscripts, Box 1, folder 2).
In the Dft, Tufts continued, “If Mr. Cranch should decline acceptg the offer I shall employ the Money agreably to your Instructions—”