Benjamin Franklin Papers

Provincial Commissioners: Orders for Payment, [4 October 1756–5 November 1756]

Provincial Commissioners:1 Orders for Payment

DS: Historical Society of Pennsylvania

The last orders for payments under the £60,000 act of Nov. 27, 1755, were signed by the provincial commissioners July 22, before Franklin’s return from New York.2 They were unable to issue any more orders until early October, when funds provided by the £30,000 act of September 21 became available. The thirty-eight orders signed between October 4 and November 5, when a majority of the commissioners prepared to accompany Governor Denny to the Easton conference with the Indians, are listed below in the same form as those signed earlier (see above, VI, 392–5). The first order, dated at Lancaster, in Franklin’s hand and signed also by Governor Denny, and the second order, were both drawn during Franklin’s western journey with the governor (see below, p. 9 n). The orders which Franklin did not sign are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Date Payee Purpose Amount
October £ s. d.
4  Capt. Hugh Mercer Pay for himself, July 1 to Oct. 1 46 0 0
12  James Young To pay troops; delivered to Thomas Apty 5000 0 0
16* Benjamin Franklin Advances; expenses in Cumberland Co. 801 3 5
16* Conrad Weiser Victualling Capt. Busse’s co., June 17 to Oct. 6 233 4 0
16* Conrad Weiser Indian expenses 36 8 3
22  Thomas Apty Riding expresses for the government 26 1 5
22  James Ennis Riding several expresses 60 9 0
22  Joseph Fox To discharge sundry accounts 100 0 0
22  John Hughes Rum and paper sent to frontiers; advances to Edw. Croston3 114 15 6
 
22  Capt. Samuel Mifflin Bounties for 31 seamen sent to join Commodore Spry, and their maintenance and passage to Halifax 242 15 6
22  Capt. John Welsh Pay drawn by James Young, Oct. 17 60 0 0
23  Barnabas Hughes Accounts settled by Commrs. of Provisions 259 8 2
25  William Buchanan Furnishing garrisons west of Susquehanna, incl. £156 for Wm. West and £200 for John Smith 428 6
25  Dr. Thomas Graeme Medicines for Indians, Mar. 3 to July 15 37 13 6
25  William Griffitts Duffels, shoes and stockings for troops 411 4 3
25  Adam Hoops Provisions, and payment to Saml. Neave 1152 0
25  Andrew Meacomson Maintenance of French Neutrals on Province Island 14 7 0
25  Wharton & Story Sundries 53 8 5
26  Joseph Fox To be paid for public service 100 0 0
27  Lt. Col. John Armstrong Pay 40 0 0
27  Capt. Joseph Inslee Account settled as of Sept. 11 189 6 2
27  Samuel Neave Goods furnished for July treaty at Easton 63 7 0
27  Conrad Weiser Maintaining his co. at Reading; expresses 153 1 6
29  Lt. Col. John Armstrong Horse-hire and loss, pilots in Kittanning expedition4 349 13 0
29  Peter Bard or his wife Salary as commissary general of stores and provisions 46 10 0
29  Adam Deshler Provisions furnished forces in Northampton Co. 259 18 7
29  James Young To pay provincial forces [only received £1900] 6000 0 0
30  Lt. Col. John Armstrong Scalps and prisoners from Kittanning 271 17 6
30  Allen & Turner 408 muskets, etc. and 15 months’ interest 1074 12 0
 
November
1  Richard Peters Expresses and Indian expense 238 9 7
1  Jonas Seely Victualling Capt. Morgan’s co., paid to Daniel Harvey 378 19 0
4  Sebastian Levan Per Jacob Levan’s provisioning Capt. Andrew Engel’s co. 227 14 0
4  John Moore’s widow Service of husband as wagoner 19 0 0
4  Isaac Norris Expenses of gov.’s trip to Easton; presents to Indians; signed over to Joseph Fox 500 0 0
4  Capt. John Van Etten Account, Sept. 16, for service of his co. 477 4 0
4  Capt. John Van Etten Balance for co. to Nov. 1 83 9 2
5  Capt. Edward Croston Provisions for provincial forces 1500 0 0
5  David Edwards Attendance on commissioners 10 0 0

1The £30,000 supply act passed Sept. 21, 1756 (above, VI, 515 n), provided for expenditure of the money by commissioners named in the act, as had the £60,000 act of Nov. 27, 1755. Those appointed were: from the Assembly, Speaker Isaac Norris, BF, Joseph Fox, John Hughes, and William Masters; from the Council, Lynford Lardner and John Mifflin. Masters and Lardner replaced Evan Morgan and James Hamilton, respectively, who had been commissioners under the previous measure. When BF went to England in 1757, his place as commissioner was taken by Joseph Galloway.

2See above, VI, 470 n, 472, on BF’s trip to New York from about June 20 to July 28, 1756.

3See above, VI, facing p. 392, for a facsimile of an earlier order to pay Edward Croston.

4Armstrong scored a limited victory by an attack on the Indian settlements at Kittanning on the Allegheny River, Aug. 30–Sept. 14, 1756. William A Hunter, “Victory at Kittanning,” Pa. Hist., XXIII (1956), 376–407; Hunter, Forts, pp. 405–10.

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