- Veazie George
- Spear Daniel
- Jones John
- Humphrey Lemuel
- M
rsEdward Miller - Abigail S. Adams
- Caroline Harrod
Saw Arcturus rise about half past four in the same Quarter with The Stars
of the Bull— George Veasey the
Carpenter was here this morning, and has made an estimate of the cost of
repairing my house which he says will amount to 340 dollars exclusive of
the painting— I desired him to commence upon the work immediately and he
said he would come on Thursday. Deacon
Spear followed— I had drawn up a notice for the Auction on
Wednesday, for the leasing of my Penn’s Valley houses and farm—which
upon Conversation with him I varied 18so much that I
was obliged to write it over again. This mode of leasing that farm was
attempted more than twenty years ago and failed— I expect it will fail
again; but I must try all lawful expedients to dispose of it— The
Executors Sale of the Woodlots is to be in the afternoon— Deacon Spear
took with him the two plans of them, to be shewn at the Sale. A man
named John Jones went by with the
remnant of a Waggon load of Chesnuts from New-Hampshire, which I took;
chiefly to plant— He sent for me into the Nursery for curiosity of
seeing me—which he repeated he valued much more than the selling of his
Chesnuts— He said he had lived with my
father and worked upon this farm more than twenty years
ago. He told me too that notwithstanding his plain dress he was not a
poor man—he was worth five thousand dollars, and had influence; and had
used it, in favour of me— Mr Humphrey the Surveyor
brought me the plan of the Mount Wollaston farm; but I found he had not
laid down the Mount upon it— He took it back for that purpose— I went
with him to the Mount— On the road the lengths of rail fence from the
first fence West of the House to the second, are 15 lengths to the gate
and 35 including the gate to the Westernmost fence.— Northward 85
lengths to the Angle then 60 to opposite the cedar tree on the
North-eastern declivity—18 paces or 6 rods from the fence to the
Cedar—and 86 lengths from the cedar to the Creek. I desired Mr Humphrey to lay down the ridge of the
Mount—the fence across from the Creek to the road, and the solitary
Cedar tree, which he promised— Mrs Miller, Abigail
S. Adams, and Caroline
Harrod visited our Ladies. After
dinner I went to Braintree in search of Acorns and Wild Pears, and found
none—but brought home some Atherton Crab Apples for seed. They are sour
almost as lemon juice but the seed are sound— In my theory seed from a
rugged Stock, or from hard soil, or a bleak aspect removed to kinder
soil and nurture will improve— I called at Mr Capen’s to enquire for
young Apple-trees, but he was gone to Brighton— Then at Deacon Adams’s; he was gone to Boston.
I read this morning part of Ernesti’s Dedication of his Edition of Cicero to Stiglitz— An admirable defence
of classical Literature, and of the Study of the Greek and Latin
writers, and especially of Cicero— I was but a short time in the
Nursery— Opened in part only two or three short furrows West of the
Alley.