To George Washington from Meshech Weare, 31 January 1781
From Meshech Weare
Exeter [N.H.] Jany 31st 1781
Sir,
In my Letter to your Excellency of the 20th Inst., I informed you, that the General Assembly of this State, had come to a Resolution immediately to collect a Sum of money, to be exchanged for hard money, to send forward twenty four Dollars for each non-commissioned Officer & Private in our Line, as a Gratuity for their good Services.1 The money was not collected quite so soon as I then expected, but is now sent forward by the bearer Mr Jedidiah Jewett, who waits on your Excellency for you[r] Direction about paying the same, he is directed to come as near as he can, to what is done by the other New England States. I am not able to say what proportion of hard money he will be able to get, there will be but little to be procured here; but he is ordered to get as much exchanged as he can, and will be able to inform your Excellency respecting the matter, and take your Directions respecting the manner of Distributing of it.2 I have the Honor to be, with every Sentiment of Esteem & Respect Your Obt & Humbe Servt
Meshech Weare
LS, DLC:GW; ADf, MHi: Weare Papers.
1. See Weare to GW, 20 January.
2. According to the records of the New Hampshire Committee of Safety, on 1 Feb., Weare wrote “to the Pay Master Genl & to the pay Masters of the New Hampr Line, inclosing Copies of a Vote ‘requesting that any Sum or Sums of money due to those men who engaged in Continental Service from this State the year past, for the term of six months, may be paid into the hands of Mr Jedediah Jewett,’ &c., &c.” The committee ordered “Mr Jewett to take out the 27,000 Dollars for which he had an Order on the Treasurer, Such sum as may be necessary to defray his Expences to the Army; and to make return of his doings as soon as may be after his arrival at Camp.” On 6 Feb., the committee ordered that Jewett be paid $33 “of the new Emission” for settling the soldiers’ depreciation pay (, 7:243–44).
Jedidiah Jewett (1749–1823) was state clothier and commissary for New Hampshire. In September 1777, the committee had employed him to deliver stores to the state’s Continental troops stationed near the Hudson River and in December 1782 to deliver cattle to the army (see , 7:118, 254, 261, 306).