A website from the Massachusetts Historical Society; founded 1791.

Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 2

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From Edmund Hawes, Junior
Hawes, Edmund Jr. RTP
Barnstable Septr. the 17th 1759 Sir,

Father and Mother1 Recd. your Letter Dated June the 20th2 and Return you Thanks for it as also for the News Conserning Sister Freeman.3

I4 Hope these Lines will find you in Good Health. I Desire to be thankfull I Enjoy a Good Measure of Health as also the Most of my Friends do. Father & Mother Send their Love to you. Aunt Russell5 is Something Poorly Just Recovering from Sickness. She Sends Her Love to you Brother Hinckley & Sister6 are Well Send Love also.

You Wrote Nothing Conserning your Marriage and so I Conclude you to be an Honest old Bachelder.

I Recommend you to Read a Sermon Entitled a Wedding Ring7 if you Can find it. However we must wait with Patience till Providence & Time Brings about our Marriage.

The Reverend Mr. Jonathan Russell8 of the West end of This town Died Last Week & Doctr. John Russel is Dead.9

I Should be Exceeding Glad to See you here Should Providence order your Business this Way or Should you Count it Worth While to Come & See us. Pray forgive the Irregularity of this Letter.

I Desire a Line from you & haveing No more to add but my Love & Service I Remain Yours to Sereve

EDMUND HAWES JUR.

RC ; addressed: "For Mr. Robert Treat Paine In Boston"; endorsed.

1.

Edmund and Mary (Paine) Hawes.

2.

Not located.

3.

Elizabeth, widow of James Freeman.

4.

Edmund Hawes, Jr., son of Edmund and Mary (Paine) Hawes, half-brother of James Freeman, and first cousin of RTP.

5.

Bethiah (Paine) Russell (1698–1763), younger sister of Thomas Paine, wife of Dr. Samuel Russell (Paine, Paine Ancestry, 13).

6.

John and Bethiah (Freeman) Hinckley.

7.

William Secker, A Wedding ring, fit for the finger; or, the salve of divinity on the sore of humanity.150 With directions to those men that want wives how to choose the; and to those women that have husbands, how to use them (Boston, 1750).

8.

Rev. Jonathan Russell (1689/90–1759), a 1708 Yale graduate, succeeded his father as minister at Barnstable in 1712 and continued in office until his death. Married Mercy, daughter of Col. John Otis of Barnstable (Dexter, Yale Biographical Sketches, 1:77–78).

9.

Dr. John Russell (1685–1759), brother of Rev. Jonathan Russell who died shortly afterwards. He graduated from Harvard in 1704 and was the physician at Barnstable (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 5:256–259).

From William Cushing
Cushing, William RTP
Scituate Sepr. 21. 1759 Dr. Sir,

I had a few Words with your Land Bank Antagonist Mr. Jacob1 who says he shall be up at Boston soon & will wait upon you & do the thing that's Right. If you have any thing new or entertaining to communicate which may promote Risibility or have a beneficial Influence upon the Animal Spirits, pray let's have it. Yr. Friend till Death.

WM. CUSHING

RC ; addressed: "To Mr. Robert Treat Paine in Boston pr. Mr. Cs. Stockbridge"; endorsed.

1.

Benjamin Jacob of Scituate, sued by RTP to compel him to redeem Land Bank bills (Suffolk Files, no. 80038; Davis, Currency and Banking, 2:221).

From Elizabeth Poole
Poole, Elizabeth RTP
Halifax September:24: 1759 Sir,

Having this oppertunity by captain Jones to Write to you I Have wated with A Great deel of pasience to hear from you. Sir if I Mistake not you promis'd me when you left Halifax that you wood write to captain Solter & Then you would Let me hear from you. The many Troubls and Deficultis that I have and Do Daley met with has Deprived me of the Good state of helth that I enjoy'd Before you came to Halifax. Winter is it hasting on and I Live at A great unsertainty For I dont know where I am to Live this Winter tho you told me when you Left Halifax that you wood do nothing but what was Just by me. Therefore I hope that your being at so great A distance will make no ods. Mr. Monk has Been to me and told me that you offer'd him the House Before you whent Away Which is very Contrayry to what you promis'd me. Sir I Dont ask any151 favour for my self I only ask it from Mr. Freemans poor Child for if I am turn'd out of the House this Winter I am sure we must all suffer to gather. I have not heard any thing from Mr. Poole sence I see you. It tis exspected some part of the fleet will stay There and Captain Rouse1 it thought to Be one. I was In hopes that Mr. Poole wood have come home and have paid the mony. But I hope right will take Place and you will do me Justies. Sir I Beg that you Would Let me hear from you by the first Oppertunity For I am very uneasesy in my mind wasent it for the sake of my poor Children I wood not care wather I Liev'd A Day Longer for I must plainly till tell you that I find it harder to Levid than ever I did in my Life Before. I Conclude yours to searve.

E. POOLE

RC ; addressed: "To Mr. Robart Treet Pain in Boston By the Favour of Captain Jones"; endorsed.

1.

John Rous (ca. 1700–10–1760), privateer, naval officer, and member of the Nova Scotian Council, was at this time a captain in Adm. Charles Saunders's naval expedition against Quebec (DCB).