Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 3
With a heart full of gratitude for your tender care of me and mine I take this first oppertunity to acquaint you that I and mine have once more obtaind. our liberty and are injoying the delights you left with a serenity of mind that was not to be injoyed in the scitutation I’ve liv’d in for some months past. We sent our three eldest children to Braintrey the day after the battle at Concord we found ourselves shut in and waited patiently hoping for a release but no one can imagine how great the universal distress. In many joy rose in propotion when as we vainly thought we had leave to retire to the country with our effects this pleasing prospect soon vanish’d and the inhabitants were nesesetated to leave their all excepting a few cloaths and wander without any prospects but the charity of our country brethren without the coveynience of a cariage for none cou’d be hir’d as none cou’d return. Under these opessive Curcumstances Mr. Greenleaf myself and Eunice with our two printers Cros’d the ferry with a trunk and some bundles change of raiment and account books only Charlstown was a sad spectacle the houses all left desolate no carriage to be had so we trudg’d on towards Cambridge but was so lucky as to meet a horse cart who took our load myself and daughter and set us down at College where we were receiv’d by our army and a Gentelman resident there in a very friendly manner there hir’d a chaise and went to Major Fullers1 who receiv’d us gladly and administer’d every cordial in their power. From thence we sent our boy to their parents and Jo White sent Tommy to us from braintry and last saterday we came here. We cherrish some hopes that Coll. Leverett2 has sent some of our goods out but 50fear t’was not in his power. Here is many refugees in town some poorer some have sav’d more than we. I had sent a bed and other valuable cloathing and a little pewter and plate out before. We are trying to scheme some business for tommy in the printing way as many printers are in the country, but at present all is gloomy. Mrs. Paine has wrote so omit your dear family. Sister Eunice is unwell to day. My children send their duty we all remember your importance and shan’t omit petitioning for your safty and the guidance of infinite wisdom in your arduous task. I am your afflicted affectionate Sister,
Nathan Fuller (1741–1822) and his wife, Beulah Craft (c.1745–1818), kept a tavern in Newton. He had been major in an expedition to Canada and by 1777 was a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army (Ritter and Fleishman, Newton, Massachusetts, 1679–1779: A Biographical Directory, 38–39).
John Leverett (1726/7–1777), a Boston merchant, was married to Joseph Greenleaf ’s sister Mary.
Mr. Greenleaf this moment has call’d upon me, as he is going to Roxbury, to write to you, & as my hour is but short shall give you only a few crude Lines. Your letter dated at Hartford I receiv’d last Sunday,1 & am happy in finding such Instances of Unenimity at the Southward, & that your health is in any measure restor’d to you, little as it is, may God long preserve it. Doctr. Baylies return’d last Week from Congress, by whom I am inform’d that they are now digesting a plan of Government & mean to put it into exicution immediately without consent of the Congress at Philadelphia, which has given some little uneasiness to the moderate Wiggs of the Provence; as they suppose the Provence Congress will be sufficient for all the purposes of Government untill the Continental Congress had given their sanction to a Form of Government for us. The uneasiness just mentioned is not known out of doors. Our Regiments are filling fast in every part of the Provence, the most of the men from this 51part of the Country are already march’d to their Camp at Roxbury. Genll. Gage still acts the villainous part with the Inhabitants of Boston, few of which git out now & then but in general are oblig’d to leave every thing behind them, as is the case with Mr. Greenleaf & Family who are now at your house. Doctr. McKinstry has mov’d to Boston with all his Family, in consequence of which the Committee of this Town shut up his Shop, but suppose it will soon be open again; the Doctr. has a quantity of Pork, Grain &c. in his shop, which I believe the Town will take & give him security, & as some of the Committee knew that he was indebted to you they desir’d me to write, whether you’d exchange the Doctr security for the Towns.2 You’ll inform me by your next. For the news of the Day you must at present depend upon some better hands, our distance from Head Quarters being such, ’thô we have a plenty of News, that it is impossible to seperate truth from falshood. I’ll write you a few days hence when I am more at leasure. Mr. Greenleaf is now in waiting, must therefore conclude. Your Family are in good health & spirits, but abundantly encreas’d since your absence. Mr. Adams’ Family of Braintree, as I heard last evening are well likewise. Write by the first oppertunity & by every one; excuse bad pen, bad writing, bad spelling, bad every thing I am yours affectionately
Not located.
The Taunton Committee of Inspection and Correspondence, which was appointed on July 3 and which included Dr. Cobb, on July 10 voted: “That Geo. Godfrey, esq., Capt. Simeon Williams and Col. Geo. Williams be a committee to take into their custody the Pork and Grain now in the store of Doc. McKinstry and send the same to the army as soon as may be, and take an account of the same and keep an account of the cost of transportation” (Emery, History of Taunton, 474). On Aug. 29, 1777, RTP, as principal creditor, was appointed administrator and agent of Dr. William McKinstry’s estate following the latter’s death in 1776. The inventory of assets included a listing of books and hollowware; “One Negro Woman (Billy by name) about 45 years of age & infirm,” £3; seven acres of land in Taunton near the bridge, £430; a shop on the south side of Taunton Green, £100; and a small fish house near Ware Bridge, £9, for a total of £646.19.6. An account that RTP filed on Mar. 18, 1782, removed the “Negro Woman” from the inventory as “not being legal Merchandize.” He also noted that a committee of the General Court sold the seven acres of land and paid the proceeds into the treasury of the Commonwealth. RTP charged £15 “For the Agents Trouble, Time & care in settling the Estate consisting of a great number & very perplexed accounts Notes &c.” In the end, debts exceeded assets, the estate was declared insolvent, and creditors received 2s.8d. on the pound (Bristol Co. Probate, 27:71, 73, 28:410, 147:160)
A number of routine letters about the settlement of the McKinstry estate between RTP and Moses Brown 52of Providence (1738–1836), the second largest creditor, are among the Moses Brown Papers, Rhode Island Historical Society, viz., RTP to Brown: Apr. 30, 1777; July 17, 1777; Aug. 7, 1785; Feb. 13, 1786 [a draft of this letter is in the RTP Papers, MHS]; Mar. 31, 1786; and Brown to RTP: July 30, 1777; Jan. 26, 1778 (2); July 31, 1782; Mar. 7, 1786.