- Spear William
- Adams Charles F.
- Adams Thomas B
Rain, much in the Night, and change of weather to cold Northwester. Walk
before Sunrise omitted— William
Spear came, and I rode with him to a woodlot in the six
hundred Acres, belonging to the heirs of my
mother as one of the devisees of Norton Quincy— It was originally a lot
of 83 Acres 3 Quarters 28 Rods—and was bequeathed by him to the heirs of
his three Sisters Joanna Thaxter,
Elizabeth Smith and
Lucy Tufts— Cotton Tufts Executor of Norton
Quincy’s Will sold off the wood, and then the Lot was set off in three
parcels, one to Cotton Tufts junr. only son and heir of Lucy
Tufts of 27 Acres 3 Quarters and 28 Rods, one to the heirs of Joanna
Thaxter of 20. Acres and 2 Quarters, and one to the heirs of Elizabeth
Smith 34 Acres— The heirs of Cotton Tufts junr still own his portion— The Thaxter portion has been sold,
purchased by George W Beale— The
portion of Elizabeth Smith, descended to her three daughters, Mary Cranch, Abigail Adams my mother,
and Elizabeth Peabody—
Asa French of Braintree
purchased two or three years since the rights of the Cranch family, and
by Petition to the Court of Common Pleas of Norfolk County had them set
off to him in severalty about two years since, and last winter sold the
wood upon it standing, and it has been cut off— W. Spear who is
thoroughly acquainted with the lot went with me, and shewed me the
bounds round the lot— I shall think next Summer, if life and health are
spared me of having my portion set off to me in severalty— For which
purpose I must ascertain from Asa French, or from the Registry of Deeds
or Records of the Court of Common Pleas at Dedham, what portion has been
set off to French—and then notify William Smith
John Smith, John P. De Wint and his wife— Mr
and Mrs Treadway, Alexander B. Johnson and his wife, and my brother Thomas’s
widow and six children all of whom have an interest as heirs of my
mother— There is no difficulty, though much complication in the process,
now that I know where the land lies, which I never did before, and the
condition of the title which had never been explained to me— The width
of the lot remaining at the narrowest end as paced by me was 65 paces or
20 Rods— It was near two O’Clock when I got home— The distance from
Harmon’s house to mine is
about four miles; and from Harmon’s to the woodlot about half a mile—
There were many Oak trees on the way, but I gathered a very few Acorns;
chiefly of Pin Oak— Charles came
out to dinner— In the afternoon I transplanted 7. dwarf Apple-seedlings
from Pott. Germain Patch in the garden— Emptied the
five Pots and filled them with fresh Earth— Lieutt. T. B. Adams was here, and I spoke to him of this woodlot
falling into dereliction, by the heirs of Norton Quincy— He promised to
look into his fathers papers for further Evidence concerning it— I
received this Evening from Mr Sparks a large box
containing books and papers relating to La
Fayette— Evening cold spent in conversation with Charles
and Lieutt. T. B. Adams.