Halifax 6 July 1758 Sir,

Inclosd you have the Note hand of Capt. Willm. Knox payable to Mr. Thos. Paine for £25. Currency wch. I recd. of the Widow Freeman agreeable to your order and have also recd. Mr. B. Leigh's Note hand payable to you for £26. Indorsed, recd. £15 in part per Jams. Freeman100the remaining £11. Leigh promises to pay me before I go—& I believe he will—how your accot. stands with Mr. Freeman's Estate I don't know. Deacon Ferguson tells me he has wrote you & advisd your coming down to settle all your Fathers affairs as you are best Capable to do it and you may Collect up £50 or 60£ wch. will be well worth the trouble. If this is the Case I woud give the same Advice, & the sooner you do it the better, provided you have not too much Business in Boston to hinder you.

Besides, the place is in want of a good honest attorney, if you can recommend yourself for such a one and did you incline to tarry here, might have Employ Enough & profitable. I am oblig'd for your good Wishes & kind mention of Mrs. Hurd's1 welfare. My Compliments to your Sister Unice & Friends & please to accept my Best Regards. Yr. most H. Servt.

JNO. HURD

RC ; endorsed.

1.

John Hurd in 1755 had married Elizabeth Foster (1732–1779), daughter of Thomas and Ann (Bossenger) Foster of Boston (Thwing Index).

Boston July l0th. 1758 Sr.,

I recd. yr. favr. by Capt. Jenkins, & am surpriz'd that Mr. Ferguson at the difficulty you represent. As to the house being my Sisters there is Nothing in it. My Father during his Sickness at Halifax did execute something to her but it was imperfectly drafted & never acknowledged or put on record so that no handle can be made of that & as the Estate is insolvent the whole Estate must go to the Creditors. I heartily wish that the Estate was hers. As to Mr. Freemans Expences upon it that surely cant hinder my having Possession of it & the Rent, for if he be allow'd the whole he laid out it won't pay what he owes the Estate. I should be very glad to be rightly inform'd what is the value of what Freeman built on the Estate, as also what you think the Estate will rent for & what will be the best manner of managing it for Estates there are very precarious. If my business would any ways permitt I would come down but I fear it will not & therefore pray you to do yr. best. I have wrote Mrs. Freeman to deliver you the Deed. I suppose the Tenants will deliver101you possession & come in Tenants under you by paying you the Rent for the future. I should be glad to know who has recd. the Rent since May last. Pray Sr. favr. me with a line relating to these matters or soon as you can & in perticular what Repair the Estate is in & what it will probably fetch per annum. I hope this affair will give you no great trouble, but the difficulty now seems to be set out. I think of Nothing further but subscribe yr. most hble. Servt.,

RTP

LbC ; addressed: "To Mr. John Burbidge Mercht. at Halifax."