John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

27. IV:15. Monday.

We had a deeply disturbed night with John’s eldest child Louisa; whose cries from the pain she suffers are almost incessant, and heart rending— Dr Holbrook was here this morning, and thought her illness not dangerous— She was quiet nearly the whole day, but as Evening came on was again in severe and unintermitting pain— Mr Humphreys the Surveyor from Weymouth came at 8 this morning, and we resurveyed the Penn’s Valley Farm; the survey of the last year having fallen several Acres short of what purported to be contained in my father’s deed to me of August 1803. and of the previous conveyances to him— We now undertook to mark separately 1. The lot of 9 1/2 or 10 Acres, conveyed to my Grandfather by Billings in 1744. and given in my Grandfather’s will to my father. 2. The Homestead of 35 Acres, given by my Grandfather’s Will to my Uncle Peter B. Adams, and by him conveyed to my father in 1774. 3. The lot of 46. Acres, conveyed by W and S. Vesey to my father in February 1788. And 4. The lot of 7. Acres conveyed by Moses and Huldah Babcock to my father 2. May 1783. These four parcels constitute the Estate, included in one survey last year.— I supposed until this day that there was included in it also 16 1/2 Acres. conveyed in April 1762 by Nathaniel Belcher to my father, my uncle Peter and Joseph Field; but I now found that this was part of another Survey; and that the Land is South of Joseph Field’s land adjoining mine— Joseph Field, now 81 years of age, and son of the man to whom the joint conveyance was made, now shewed me other papers, connected with this transaction; among which a Quit-claim deed, dated 11. April 1764—from my father, and my uncle Peter, of 5 1/2 Acres of the 16 1/2 to Joseph Field his father— This explanation reduces the possible error of Mr Humphreys’s last year’s survey to about 7. Acres; precisely the quantity of the grant from the Babcock’s— In this day’s Survey, William Spear and Salmon Farrar were with us—carrying the chain and sticks— Deacon Daniel Spear joined us twice for half an hour each time— We did not measure round on the swampy fresh meadows adjoining upon Ebenezer and Josiah Adams: the water being so high after the heavy rain of yesterday that the passages were nearly impracticable— I gathered about a pint of Acorns of Black, White, and Chesnut Oaks, in what I call the Druid Plains behind the Old Brook— The White Oak Acorns are ripe—many fallen, and some sprouting on the Tree— The Chesnut Oak Acorns are ripening and the black still unripe— The finest white are from an old tree which was already a large one when I was a boy, and which is one of the first objects of my remembrance. I shall call them therefore Druid, and mark the Acorns which I shall plant from them, for experiment. There are upon the Babcock lot many scrub grown Oaks, kept down by the cropping of the cattle. And there are some dying and dead Oaks which it will be proper for me to have cut down, and brought home for fuel— We dined, sitting down upon Stones in a Corner of Harvey Field’s yard, and finished about five in the afternoon— I agreed with Mr Humphreys to commence the Survey of Mount Wollaston this day fortnight, if the weather should be fair— I picked up also four or five wild pears for seed on the Druid plain, and Farrar gathered me some fox grapes. I walked home over the Stony-field Hill— Found the Shellbark Walnuts near the Old Trask house, already mostly 553carried off— I gathered some ashpods from the tree. I have taken them at different periods of the Season to multiply the chances of their germinating as seed— On returning home I found the child yet very ill. Mr Marston’s daughter Emily died last night of a Consumption— John Kirke went to Boston this Morning, and brought out the Horse Charles has kept this Summer. He took to Mr Newman’s at Roxbury one of the Coach-horses which is lame— I attempted reading in the Evening some Sections de Officiis, but was too weary and drowsy—