1561To George Washington from Robert Hunter Morris, 2 February 1756 (Washington Papers)
I am favoured with yours of the 1st Instant, which I did not receive till my return on Wednesday last from the Frontier, where I have been employed for a month past in forming a line of Forts and Block Houses from Delaware along the Kitectiny Hills as far as the new road that leads to the Aleghany Hills, and which I am in hopes ten days will complete; on the West of Sasquehanna I have placed...
15623 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
Breakfasted at Gardiners. This morn the Weather clear’d away. As warm and brilliant as May. Kept School all Day.
1563From George Washington to John Kirkpatrick, 3 February 1756 (Washington Papers)
You are to remain at this place until my return; unless you receive orders to the contrary from me. The Pay-Master and Commissary will apply to you for some money; and you are according to their demands on you, to pay them out of the money in your hands; reserving about eight hundred pounds—You are also to pay off the Officers and men now in town, before they march. Given at Alexandria, this...
1564To George Washington from Peter Hog, 3 February 1756 (Washington Papers)
Incolsed are the pay Rolls for the Months of Decr & January you will See I have abt £4 in my hand over the pay Bill But Advanced Serjt McCully a dbloon when he went after the Deserters, the Men grumble to have half their pay Stopt for his Charges, and he thinks hard that he has not his Charges[,] horse hire & the pistole Reward which Last the Men think can only be Stopt In Justice from their...
15654 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A charming warm Day. Dined at Coll. Chandler’s with Mr. Pain, Abel Willard and Ebenr. Thayer. Drank Tea at Mr. Timothy Paines and supp’d and spent the Eve at Major Chandlers with the same Company, very gaily.
1566To Benjamin Franklin from William Shirley, 4 February 1756 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; printed in Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives , 1755–1756 (Philadelphia, 1756), p. 66. On Sept. 29, 1755, the Assembly had authorized a committee to receive up to £10,000 by voluntary subscription “toward Furnishing of Provisions, and Blankets, or other warm Cloathing, to the Troops now at or near Crown Point.” The subscribers, the Assembly added, “ought to be...
15675 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
A fair morning but some symptoms of a Change of Weather. Kept School. Spent the evening with Messrs. Paine, Putnam, Willard, Thayer, partly at home and partly at Mr. Putnams. James Putnam (1726–1789) , who was to teach JA law.
15686 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
A cloudy morning. About 10 the sun brake out. A warm Day. Dined at Mr. Paines. Kept school. Spent the Evening at home. A windy Evening. Here and occasionally elsewhere in his early Diary JA used a symbolic sketch of the sun.
15697 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
A Fair warm, day. Dined at the Judges. Drank Tea at Major Gardiners.
15708 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Maccarty. Fine Weather.
1571Provincial Commissioners: Orders for Payment, [9 February 1756–18 March 1756] (Franklin Papers)
DS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania Charles Norris, brother of the speaker, was a trustee of the General Loan Office and the officer responsible for making payments from the funds raised by the various acts for issuing paper currency. Among his papers are nine volumes containing over 2000 receipted orders for payment signed by commissioners in charge of war-time expenditures, 1755–65....
15729 Monday. (Adams Papers)
Fine Weather. Settled roads. Drank Tea and spent the Evening at Coll. Chandlers, very gaily, with much Company.
157310 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
Fair Weather. Spent the Evening at Major Chandlers, with Major Greene and Mr. Maccarty. Charming Weather. Roads Setled.
157411 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
Serene Weather, but somewhat cool. I am constantly forming, but never executing good resolutions. I take great Pleasure, in viewing and examining the magnificent Prospects of Nature, that lie before us in this Town. If I cast my Eyes one Way, I am entertained with the Savage and unsightly appearance of naked woods and leafless Forests. In another place a chain of broken and irregular...
1575Pennsylvania Assembly: Address to the Governor, 11 February 1756 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives , 1755–1756 (Philadelphia, 1756), pp. 59–60. On Sept. 19, 1755, Gen. William Shirley had ordered his officers in Pennsylvania “in the Strongest Manner to avoid” enlisting indentured servants: protests against the practice were mounting, and in any case the approach of winter lessened the need to fill the regular regiments. By...
157612 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
A cool, but pleasant morning. Heard Mr. Welman Wellman preach the Lecture, and drank Tea, with him, at home where he made this observation, (viz.) That Dr. Mayhew was a smart man, but he embraced some doctrines, not generally approved. Jonathan Mayhew (1720–1766), Harvard 1744 ; D.D., Aberdeen 1749; minister of the West Church, Boston; early famous for his radical theological and political...
1577From Benjamin Franklin to Jane Mecom, 12 February 1756 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., A Collection of the Familiar Letters and Miscellaneous Papers of Benjamin Franklin (Boston, 1833), p. 38. I condole with you on the loss of our dear brother. As our number grows less, let us love one another proportionably more. I am just returned from my military expedition, and now my time is taken up in the Assembly. Providence seems to...
1578Enclosure: William Hughes to Robert Stewart, 12 February 1756 (Washington Papers)
I wrote to you on Sunday Concerning the Imbaselment of the Stores which I have Recoverd and am going to Serch and to have men upon tryal this day Concerning the Loss with Lieut. Lomax which I have great Reason to think will be found out, Mr Rollins as one of the Soldiers was standing Centurie at the Barn Came & leand over him & Looked at the flower and said it was almost gone & that if Lomaxs...
157913 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
A pleasant morning. Saw my classmates Gardner, and Wheeler. Wheeler dined, spent the afternoon, and drank Tea with me. Supped at Major Gardiners, and ingag’d to keep School at Bristol, provided Worcester People, at their insuing March meeting, should change this into a moving School, not otherwise. Major Greene this Evening fell into some conversation with me about the Divinity and...
158014 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
Good Weather. This afternoon took a Vomit of Tartar Emet. and Turbith mineral, that worked 7 Times, and wrecked me much. Turpeth, turbith: “A cathartic drug prepared from the root of East Indian jalap, Ipomoea Turpethum ”( OED The Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford, 1933; 12 vols. and supplement. ).
158115 Sunday. (Adams Papers)
Charming Weather. A.M. staid at home reading the Independent Whig. Very often Shepherds that are hired, to take care of their Masters sheep, go about their own Concern’s and leave the flock to the Care of their Dog. So Byshops, who are appointed to oversee the flock of Christ, take the Fees themslves, but leave the Drudgery to their Dogs, alias i.e. curates and understrappers. [Thomas Gordon...
158216 Monday. (Adams Papers)
A most beautiful morning. We have the most moderate Winter that ever was known in this country. For a long time together we have had serene and temperate Weather and all the Roads perfectly settled and smooth like Summer.—The Church of Rome has made it an Article of Faith that no man can be saved out of their Church, and all other religious Sects approach to this dreadfull opinion in...
1583Robert Charles to Pennsylvania Assembly Committee of Correspondence, 16 February 1756 (Franklin Papers)
Extract printed in Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives , 1755–1756 (Philadelphia, 1756), p. 172. Each October from 1751 through 1756 Franklin was appointed to the committee to correspond with the Assembly agents in England. In addition to representing the Assembly in the continuing dispute with the Proprietors, the agents often responded to inquiries from British officials...
1584To Benjamin Franklin from Elizabeth Hubbart, 16 February 1756 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I enclose you a Catalouge of all the large and part of the small Books in my dear Papa’s Library, there are many other small but valueable Books, that I had not Time to take an Account of. They are to be sold. My Mamah desiers I would let you know, they will not be offered to Sale, till we here wheather you incline to have any, or the whole of them. You...
158517 Tuesday. (Adams Papers)
A clowdy Day. Dined at Mr. Greenes.
158618 Wednesday. (Adams Papers)
A charming morning. My Classmate Gardner drank Tea with me. Spent an Hour in the beginning of the evening at Major Gardiners, where it was thought that the design of Christianity was not to make men good Riddle Solvers or good mystery mongers, but good men, good majestrates and good Subjects, good Husbands and good Wives, good Parents and good Children, good masters and good servants. The...
158719 Thurdsday. (Adams Papers)
No man is intirely free from weakness and imperfection in this life. Men of the most exalted Genius and active minds, are generally perfect slaves to the Love of Fame. They sometimes descend to as mean tricks and artifices, in pursuit of Honour or Reputation, as the Miser descends to, in pursuit of Gold. The greatest men have been the most envious, malicious, and revengeful. The miser toils by...
158820 Fryday. (Adams Papers)
A dull Day. Symptoms of Snow. Writing Tillotson. That is, copying out extracts from the published sermons of John Tillotson (1630–1694) , sometime Archbishop of Canterbury and a celebrated preacher ( DNB Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee, eds., The Dictionary of National Biography, New York and London, 1885–1900; 63 vols. plus supplements. ). There survives among JA ’s papers a literary...
1589Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, 20 February 1756 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives , 1755–1756 (Philadelphia, 1756), p. 68. Through the winter of 1755–56, Indian attacks along the frontier and negotiations to regain their allegiance took place simultaneously. The Indians were dependent on the white man, and had to choose between the French and English; hence in the face of growing French power, their...
159021 Saturday. (Adams Papers)
A Snowy day. Snow about ancle deep. I find by repeated experiment and observation, in my School, that human nature is more easily wrought upon and governed, by promises and incouragement and praise than by punishment, and threatning and Blame. But we must be cautious and sparing of our praise, lest it become too familiar, and cheap and so contemptible. Corporal as well as disgraceful...