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Browsing: Papers of John Adams, Volume 6

From Peter McIntosh -

Bordeaux 9th. Aprile 1778
You may recolect when Onboard the ...

The Commissioners to C. W. F. Dumas -

[1778-04-10]
printed: JA, Diary and ...

Household Accounts of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams at Passy

Docno: PJA06d010

Author: JA
Date: 1778-04-09 - 1778-08-24

[dateline] [ 9 April – 24 August 1778 ]

    [Debit]   [Credit] 1  
1778     Livs.   s   d   Livs.   s   d  
  Brought forward   11706.   18.     11418.   17.    
9 April   To Commissioners by an order upon Monsr. Grand         4800.2      
  a Commissioner to Paris   1.   10.          
10   Brunel Joiner for Work done at Passy   124.   5.          
  Baton for the hire of Carriage and Horses for B. F. 2 Months less one Day   660.            
  Coachman   3.            
  Bringing of Mr. Adams's Things from Paris   3.   12.          
15   Dr. Franklin's Shoemaker for Work brought home   36.            
16   Wheel-Wright for Work done for Mr. Deane   168.            
  Advanced Madame Lefark in Part of Account for Family Expences   240.            
  Pair of Shoe Buckles for Mr. John Adams. (Silver)   36.            
  Pair of Knee [buckles? ]for Do. (Stone)   18.            
22   Advanced John Adams Esqr   480.3            
23   Wood Merchant   440.            
  Benjamin F. Baches's Schooling   451.   18.          
24   Dumont, his Wages from 10th. Decr. to 10th. April. his Allowance for Wine during that time and Washing from 10. Feb. to 10. April Likewise his Account of his Dinners, when at Paris-The whole ammounting to   174.   5.          
{p. 17}
  John Chandler by order of the Commissioners, to bear his Expenses to Bourdeaux   180.            
25   Made. Lefark for Washing for B. F. and Grandson from 14. Novr. to 14. March   57.   4.          
  Nine hundred Glass Bottles for the Burgundy Wine   243.            
1 May   Advanced Made. Lefark in part of Account of Family Expences   360.            
  Hire of Horses for Mr. Silas Deane (by Account)   120.            
  Hill, Taylor, the Remainder of Mr. Silas Deanes Account   278.            
4   St. Louis, his Wages &ca. from 21 March to this Day   34.   12.          
  St. Louis Account of his Dinners when obliged to dine from home   41.   18.          
  Advanced B. Franklin   72.            
6   To Commissioners by an Order upon Mr. Grand         4800.      
  Advanced Mr. John Adams   480.            
7   Paid Blondin the remainder of his Account when in the Service of Silas Deane Esqr.   414.   1.          
  Blondin´s Brother, Servant likewise of Mr. Silas Deane his Account   244.   16.          
  Mr. Silas Deanes Account with the Sadler for Work done   6.            
  B. Franklin's Account with Sadler   11.   10.          
8   Dinner for some Americans at Versailles when Mr. Adams was presented to the King   24.            
11   Mr. Holker's Account of Expences for conveying the Mocurr" rend="CSS(vertical-align: bottom)ent of General Montgomery from Paris to Rouen   184.   11.          
{p. 18}
12   Washerwoman   18.            
13   Advanced Me. Lefark in part of Account of Family Expences   480.            
14   Half a Pound of Sealing Wax and other Stationers Ware   6.            
15   Mr. Chaumont for I. Months hire of Carriage and Horses   336.            
18   Washing   24.            
  Passing the Ferry in going to Sourenne   16.            
19   Advanced Bn. Franklin   288.            
  Three Hatts for B. Franklins Coachman and Servants   33.            
  Stationers Ware   13.            
  Advanced Me. Lefark in part of Account of Family Expences   1200.            
21   Blank Book   4.   0.   0        
22   Maps of Europe and others   12.   10.          
30   For the keeping of the Bay Horse from 1st. March to 10th. May at 30 Sols pr. Day.   105.            
  Postage of Letters that come under Cover to Mr.Chaumont   32.            
4 June   Dennis. (the Froteur,) his Wages from 26 Novr. 77. to 26 May 78 including Wine. Washing &ca   159.   6.          
5   Advanced Me. Lefark in part of account of Family Expences   360.            
  Blondin. for I. Month in B. Franklin's Service. including Wine Washing &ca   61.   17.          
6   Dumont. his Account of Dinners. when from home. Postage of Letters. & other small Expences   44.   13.          
9   Mr. Whithall, for Books for B. Franklin   75.            
{p. 19}
15   To Commissioners by an Order upon M. Grand         4800.      
  Gave a poor Sailor from Dunkirk, by order of B. Franklin   6.            
  B. Franklins Shoemaker   18.            
  Advanced B. Franklin   1800.            
  Subscription for the Courier de 1'Europe   48.            
19   Paid Made. Lafark the Remainder of her Account for Family Expences from 8. of March to 8th. of this Month   2246.   15.          
  (N.B. Her providing the Family ceased the 8. Day of this Month.)              
22   Pd. Calais his Dinners when from Home, and Money he had advanced in paying Expresses to Versailles and Paris   32.   6.          
4 July   Pd. Monsr. Brillon for 5 Vol. of Atlas Maritime   120.            
5   Pd. B. Fs. Washing from 18 May to this Day   60.   7.          
9   Stationers Ware as by Account   57.   16.          
10   Pd. the Tapissier for 6 Months hire of 2 Beds and other Charges   78.            
13   La Veuve Soubrilland, Traiteur, on Account of Silas Deane   12.   11.          
  Silas Deanes Account with Blacksmith, at Passy   80.   10.          
  B. Franklins Account with Do   37.            
20   Advanced Monsr. Montaigne (Maitre D'Hotel) in Part of Account of Family Expences   288.            
22   Pd. Calais, Dinners when from home and other small Charges   48.            
{p. 20}
8 August   To Commissioners by an Order <from> upon M. Grand         4800.      
  Pd. M. Montaigne (Maitre d'hotel) the Family Expences from 8. June to I. July, having deducted the 288. Livs. Advanced him the 20. of June   737.   8.          
  To Do. for Postage of Letters and Expresses to Versailles and Paris from 8th. of June to 1st. July   283.   11.          
  To Do. for Family Expences from 1st. July to 1st. August   2346.   5.          
  N.B. The Dinner of the 4. July, to Celebrate American Independency, amounts to 600 Livs. 7. Sols and is included in the Above Sum.              
  M. Montaigne for Postage and Expresses from 1st. July to 1st. Agust   127.   14.          
  Pd. Dumont (on his Departure) his Wages from 10 April to 10 August. Likewise his Account of Dinners when from home and other small Expences. the whole amounting to   154.   19.          
12   Pd. Bowin, for 29 Cord of Wood, bought last June at Boulogne, at the Rate of 40 Livs. pr. Cord   1160.            
  Gave the Commis. to drink   1.   4.          
24   Pd. B. Franklin's Washer woman in part of Account   39.   15.        
    Livs. 30332.   13.     Livs. 30618.   17.    
               
  Ballance due to Commissioners   L[ivre]s 286.   4.          
Error in the Article of the 6 Feb. 78. in putting the 88 Louis in livres—having put 30 Less—Deduct 30. Errors excepted

[dateline] Passy Septr. 14th. 1778

[signed] W. T. Franklin
{p. 21}
MS PPAmP: Franklin Papers; LbC Adams Papers . The accounts printed here cover the first four and one-half months of JA's residence at Passy and are taken from the account book kept by William Temple Franklin from 16 Jan. 1777 to 24 Aug. 1778. Because of JA's concern about the Commissioners' expenses at Passy, which was first expressed in a letter to Benjamin Franklin of [6] Sept. (LbC, Adams Papers, not sent) and probably then taken up in private conversations, Temple Franklin delivered the account book to JA on the morning of 13 Sept. with the understanding that JA would keep the accounts in the future. JA copied Temple Franklin's figures into a Letterbook and then, with an entry for 1 Oct., began keeping the household accounts. No entries for the period from 24 Aug. to 1 Oct. have been found, apparently because during that period JA and Franklin were discussing the future form and content of the accounts (JA to Franklin, 22 Sept., LbC; Franklin to JA, 26 Sept., Adams Papers). For a complete picture of JA's and the Commissioners' expenses, the household accounts should be compared with the Commissioners' public accounts printed elsewhere in this volume under the dates of 30 March, 30 June, and 9 Aug., as well as with JA's personal accounts in Diary and Autobiography , 2:325–342.
 
1. In Temple Franklin's account book the debits were entered on the pages intended for credits and vice versa.
 
2. In the middle of the Letterbook page on which JA copied this entry, he wrote:
“Passi September 27 1778 The above order of April 9th for 4800 Livres was signed by Dr. Franklin and me, it was the first that I signed. I arrived at Paris on the Evening of the 8th of April, and the next Morning, waited on Dr. Franklin at Passi, where I have resided from that Time. The order was presented to me for signature, by the Dr., on the day of my Arrival at Passi, the following sheets contain Mr. W. T. Franklins account of the Expenditure of it, as well as of the other orders drawn Since. Copied by. John Adams.”
 
3. Immediately below this entry in the Temple Franklin account book JA wrote “Error 10 sous.” That is, Temple Franklin had erred in adding the sums given on that page to the amount carried over from the previous page with the result that the balance given at the bottom of the page should have been 13,477.5 livres rather than 13,477.15.
Cite web page as: Founding Families: Digital Editions of the Papers of the Winthrops and the Adamses, ed.C. James Taylor. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 2007.
http://www.masshist.org/ff/