Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 2
I have recd. your two letters & with pleasure take Notice of the care you therein manifest both of my Concern in the house of Mr. Freeman decd. & more perticularly yr. attention to the Widows & sons Unhappy Circumstances. I hope the knowledge you have of this affair & yr. ability to assist will be the means of its being settled in A Manner agreable to all Parties. With regard to the house 'tis requisite it should be sold, with regard to the Widow & Infant 'tis as necessary that they be taken some care of. These two Articles are the subject of present Consultation. with regard As to the first I recd. some time ago a letter from Mr. Monk in wch. after telling observing that I had told him I wanted nothing but the money due to the Estate of my Father he offers to give me 50£ for the house, never considering that I made this offer purely to oblidge the Widow for If I sell it to
any body else I should get as much as I could to serve her. but as I Mr. Wenman you say offers 60£, & in yr. first Letter you judge it will fetch half as much more than Mr. Monk offers which will be 75£ if a Fleet & troops should come in the fall. But should any body offer this price would 20£ the odds between 55£ (which sum the house Stands on in) & 75£ be sufficient for the Widow if she must go out this winter. I'm content if the house sells for any sum whatever
that she & Freeman's Son have all above 55£ if the debt due on acct. be paid, but as the house is certainly worth much more than 55£ if she or her freinds could purchase it at that price I had much rather she had it. Were the house my own private Interest I should know better what to do. Upon the whole Sr. you see my perplexed Scituation. A Number of Creditors demanding Justice on one side, on the other a Widow, the Widow of a beloved Kinsman incumberd with the care of His Infant Son & one rendered more helpless by some inadvertences, craving Compassion & demanding expecting assistance, all which obligation I am willing to comply with if any body will shew me how. But to sell the house for 55£ without its including some provision for the widow and Son I think will not do. I did not answer Mr. Monks letter. He proposed to take possession by the 10th of Oar. at farthest di his letter came so late to hand twas not possible to do any thing if I had been disposed I should be glad to know what Sum in gross would be sufficient provision for her, & what you think is upon the whole best to be done. I'm loath153to trouble you but you are sensible this is not a matter of mere Interest for if I persued that only I should not be at a loss. I hope the helpless Scituation of the Other party will attone for the freedom I take. I congratulate you on the Success of our public affairs & presenting my respects to yr. family & all freinds I subscribe, Yrs.
I have never had the pleasure of hearing directly from you since you left Boston, but hope these will find you well. I am sadly at a loss what will be done relating to Mr. Freemans Widow & Son, it seems she is now forc'd to call her self Pool. I hope Sr. you have met tolerable success in the affairs left in yr. hands & should be heartily obliged to you if you would write me on the Subject as also what If you have thought of any thing to be done for little Jemmy. I condole with you in the Death of Mr. Stephen Minot1 who died at Falmouth not long since. I must renew my request to you to settle wt. affairs you have in yr. hands relating to Mr. Freemans Estate as soon as you can & let me hear for I am tired of the affair. Yrs.,
Stephen Minot (1732–1759), a 1751 graduate of Harvard and a Hopkins Fellow there, died while on a preaching trip in Maine on Sept. 3, 1759 (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 13:113–116).
After congratulating you on I recd. yrs. & am sorry to find you so disturbed in yr. situation. I wish it was more in my power to help you than it is, however you'll not find me backward in what I am able to do if you treat me generously I don't think you'll be able to lay any wilful oppression to my charge. I am extreemly sorry to hear that yr. difficulty 154are like to be encreased by the addition of another Infant. All these things I have considered in yr. favour & if I know what Compassion is, I feell it work in my bosom & have wrote Mr. Salter lately on the Subject & therefore as I take him to be yr. good freind as he is of every body that needs his assistance so you'll excuse my enlarging on this Subject with you. In genral take this for yr. Comfort I don't purpose to Sell the house over yr. head with