John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

279

5. IV:30. Saturday

Thomas John Allen Niles Mrs Lunt Adams John Q. 2d Elizabeth C. Adams Hannah Miller Fanny Foster

Cleared from weeds a Seminary plat. West of the two old Plum trees, and enlarged its border There are on it 5 Apple and 2 Pear seedlings of 1835. looking very puny. In the centre of the Plat cleared yesterday, is a Philadelphia Maple 16 inches high. Mr John Thomas of Kingston called this morning and made enquiries concerning his right to bounty Lands as a son of General Thomas of the Revolutionary army, upon whom the command devolved, at the death of Montgomery before Quebec, and who died himself in 1776. upon examination of the Act of Congress of 4. July 1836. he was satisfied that he could have no claim under that: but he supposed he might obtain something by petition. He said his mother was dead, and that he, and one brother named Nathaniel, were joint heirs to his fathers estate— I advised him to make in writing a statement of the facts of his father’s service in the revolutionary war and of his decease; and with proper authenticating documents to transmit them to me; and I promised to ascertain at the general Land-Office whether a Land warrant could issue upon them; and if not I would inform him; so that he and his brother might if the saw fit petition Congress— As the day was cool and the weather fine I walked to Mr Harvey Field’s; and settled the account with him for the wood which he agreed to purchase standing on the Atherton, and Verchild pastures last year. I went with him and viewed the five Acres which he had agreed to clear out, and remove the stones, to the amount of 100 dollars; but as he found more stones than he had expected, instead of carting away the Stones, he has built a strong stone wall across the lot, and divided off the five acres from the rest; and he has not taken up one fourth part of the large stones— He said he had expended much more than the hundred dollars, and hoped I would make some allowance for the stone wall— This I declined, the wall having been made without authority or agreement; and being to me an incumbrance instead of a benefit— He has also left several of the split rocks on the ground, thinking they would be good for cellar stone— He paid me the balance due upon the agreement to clear off the wood 195:39— He having taken upon the 1st. of June my note to Samuel Copeland for woodland—164:55. 280I deposited his check at the Quincy Stone Bank, and its amount was credited on my bank account book— A man calling himself Niles Allen, came this afternoon, and said he was one of the passengers in the Steam-boat Ben Sherrod, which some weeks since perished by taking fire on the Mississippi— Many of her passengers lost their lives in that calamity, and Mr Allen said he had very narrowly escaped; and had lost all the property that he had on board— He had agents at New-Orleans who instead of remitting money to him had advised him to draw upon them—and shewed me two Letters to him signed Burke and Watt, shewing sums of several kinds of property in their hands and they advise him in case of wanting money to apply to me—informing him where I reside— He said he had come on here in pursuit of heath, and had fallen short of money—he wished to borrow but I had no money to lend, and was obliged to decline— He finally said he would make out to get along on his journey, with no more than fifty dollars but I could not accommodate him even with so much. I had strong suspicions that he was an imposter— Mrs Lunt was here to visit the Ladies this afternoon; and Midshipman John Q. Adams, his Sister Elizabeth, Hannah Miller and Fanny Foster in the Evening.