To John Adams from Cotton Tufts, 18 September 1790
From Cotton Tufts
Weymouth Septembr. 18. 1790
Dear Sr.
Accounts have been exhibited to me by several Depy. Sheriffs for Service of Writs committed to them by You while in the Practice of Law. I have found myself embarrassed with Respect to the Payment of them not being fully acquainted with your Mode of transacting Business with them. I have found it necessary to examine Your Writ Execution & Account Books; in some Cases where the Minutes in them rendered it probable that You charged & recd. the Service and that neither You nor the Plaintiff had accounted for the Service I have paid it—but least I should make Blunders I wish You to give me some Directions relative to the Payment of such Accounts
I find in Your Acctt. Book a Ballance of £20. or more standing against Thos. Boylstone Esq. If it is due, Would it not be best to render in the Acctt. to Mr. Gill— There is also a Ballance of £15.5.2 against Simon Joy of this Town (lately decd) I have presented the Acctt. to his Admrs. who informd me that he has a Receipt of £12 or 14£ but could not then ascertain the Sum being from Home. I have examind the Writ Book and find the following Entries
Viz. “Jany. Ct. 1771. John Adams Vs. Simon Nehemiah, David & William Joy. Writ & Servd. 8/6 recd. 8/6 Agrd.”1
“Jany Ct. 1774. John Adams Vs. Simon Joy & Ats. Bond. 9/4 servd. recd. 16/ Cost and £12.10.1 in Part of the Bond for which I gave a loose Recipt. Jany 4. 1774”— The abovementd. is formed from An Account begun in 1770 & continued to 1773— no Credit is given therein And as an Action was brought against Simon Joy & Sons on Bond in 1771 Jany Ct. and the Account was then open I suppose the Receipt mentioned by the Admrs. must undoubtedly be the Receipt You gave Jany 4. 1774 on Acctt. of the Bond and that the Account is still due— whether I am right in my Idea of the Business You can best determine— But as the Sum in Question is worth attending to Youll be pleased to give me such Information as You may think necessary for the proper Settlement of the Acct.
I enclosed in my last Letter to Mrs. Adams a List of Your public Seccurities—2
Be so good as to write to me upon the Matters abovementioned by the first Oppy. I wish You an agreable Scituation at Philadelphia, but at the same Time cannot but sympathise with You in the misfortune of removing from so delightful a Spot as that You have lately occupied. I sometimes think that had You been less conversant with Removes, You would enjoyed a less Share of Health, However those which You have undergone, must have been attended with great Fatigue Trouble & Expence— Be pleased to present my affectionate Regards to Mrs. Adams & Family
I am with sincere Respect / Yours
Cotton Tufts
Octob. 21.
This day recd Yrs. of the 10t Inst. & shall comply with Your Request—
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Hon John Adams Esq.”
1. Tufts was resolving several outstanding debts with regard to JA’s law practice, including money owed to JA by Boston merchant Thomas Boylston, whose brother-in-law was Moses Gill, and by Weymouth farmer Simon Joy (1697–1789) and his sons William (1721–1811), Nehemiah (1726–1802), and David (1738–1820) (, 1:213; James Richard Joy, Thomas Joy and his Descendants, N.Y., 1900, p. 71).
2. Not found. For JA’s related instructions, see his 10 Oct. reply to Tufts, below.