1659-1916
Guide to the Microfilm Edition
Restrictions on Access
Use of this collection is restricted. Select items are available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library, P-392.
Abstract
This collection consists of the papers of Robert Treat Paine, Massachusetts lawyer, politician, member of the First Continental Congress (1774), signer of the Declaration of Independence, and justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The collection also contains the papers of other family members, including Thomas Paine.
Biographical Sketches
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (1694-1757), a native of Barnstable, Mass., graduated from Harvard College in 1717. He worked as an itinerant preacher until, in 1719, he was ordained as the minister of Weymouth. In 1721, he married Eunice Treat of Boston, daughter of Rev. Samuel Treat of Eastham and granddaughter of Rev. Samuel Willard of the Old South Church, Boston. Paine left the ministry in 1734 and embarked on a career as a merchant in Boston, often suffering from the vagaries of trade in the 1740s. In 1754, he moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but became ill and returned to Boston in 1756. He died the following year in Germantown at the home of his daughter Abigail Greenleaf.
Paine's surviving children were: Abigail (1725-1809), who married Joseph Greenleaf; Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814); and Eunice Paine (1733-1803), unmarried sister and frequent correspondent of Robert Treat Paine.
Robert Treat Paine
Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814), son of Thomas Paine (1694-1757), was born in Boston, attended the Boston Latin School, and graduated from Harvard College in 1749. For one year, he taught school in Lunenburg, Mass., then worked as a merchant in the southern trade, traveling to the Azores and Spain and on a whaling voyage to Greenland. In 1755, he served as chaplain for the Crown Point campaign. Paine returned to Boston in 1756 to continue his law studies, which he had begun informally two years earlier in Lancaster, Mass. He studied under Benjamin Prat and was admitted to the bar in 1757. Initially burdened with the settlement of his father's insolvent estate, Paine moved to Taunton in 1761, where he developed his legal practice, following the circuit of courts through Massachusetts and the province of Maine. He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1763, served in various local capacities, and was eventually elected to represent Taunton in the state legislature beginning in 1773.
Paine's involvement in provincial politics began in 1770, when the town of Boston asked him to assist in the prosecution of the Boston Massacre trials. A member of the Massachusetts delegation to the First Continental Congress in 1774, he served in Philadelphia as chairman of the ordnance committee and was among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He represented Taunton in the three Provincial Congresses and returned to the state legislature in 1777, when he was chosen Speaker pro tempore. Elected attorney general that same year, Paine supervised the condemnation of Tory estates, prosecuted the insurgents of Shays' Rebellion, participated in the Commonwealth's Constitutional Convention, and served on the committee to revise the laws. In 1790, he was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and served on the bench until his retirement in 1804. He died in Boston in 1814, aged 80.
Paine was married to Sally Cobb of Taunton (1744-1816), sister of Gen. David Cobb. Their eight children were: Robert (1770-1798), Sally (1772-1823), Thomas (who, in 1801, changed his name to Robert Treat Paine, Jr.) (1773-1811), Charles (1775-1810), Henry (1777-1814), Mary (1780-1842), Maria Antoinette (1782-1842), and Lucretia (1785-1823).
Sources
For further information on Thomas Paine (1694-1757), see Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 6: 201-207.
For further information on Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814), see Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 12: 462-482.
Collection Description
This collection consists of the papers of Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814), Massachusetts lawyer, politician, member of the First Continental Congress (1774), signer of the Declaration of Independence, and justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Included are correspondence; account books (1751-1814); business and legal papers kept by Paine as a lawyer, attorney general, and judge; minutes of trials, including the Boston Massacre and Shays' Rebellion trials; and documents related to his work as a local and state politician. Earlier papers include his sea journals/logbooks (1750-1754) kept on trading voyages to Cape Hatteras and North Carolina, the Azores, and Cadiz, Spain, and on a whaling voyage off Greenland; diaries (1745-1814); and sermons given in Massachusetts and as chaplain on the Crown Point Expedition during the French and Indian War (1755).
The collection also contains the papers of other family members, a significant amount of Paine family correspondence, and legal and financial papers (including the estates of Robert Treat Paine and his father Thomas). Papers of family members include the annotated almanacs (1716-1750) and sermons (1724-1733) of Paine's father Thomas Paine (1694-1757); the diary (1785-1791) of Paine's son Robert Paine (1770-1798); and the astronomical observations (1833-1837) of Paine's grandson Robert Treat Paine (1803-1885). Other family members represented in the collection include Paine's sons Robert Treat Paine, Jr. (1773-1811) (originally Thomas Paine) and Charles Paine (1775-1810); grandson Charles Cushing Paine (1808-1874); and great-grandson Charles Jackson Paine (1833-1916). The collection also contains catalogs of private libraries and genealogical information. Among the many correspondents are Richard Cranch, Joseph Greenleaf, John Hancock, David Cobb, Shearjashub Bourne, and Elbridge Gerry.
Arrangement
A one-volume index to the Paine papers was prepared by Charles Cushing Paine, and many of the items in this collection were numbered in the upper right-hand corner. This index, located at the end of Reel 8 (Series I.N.), reflects an earlier arrangement of the collection and is now obsolete.
This revised microfilm edition supersedes all previous guides to the Robert Treat Paine papers, including the 1991 Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Robert Treat Paine Papers, microfilmed on Reel 1.
Acquisition Information
The first items in this collection, two manuscript sermons by Thomas Paine, were donated to the MHS on 12 April 1888 by Robert Treat Paine (1861-1943) from the estate of his late cousin Robert Treat Paine (1803-1885). The first major group of papers came from John B. Paine, Helen P. Kimball, Georgina P. Fisher, Mary A. Winsor, and Frank C. Paine in 1940. An addition containing printed material and more manuscripts was added in 1954. In 1972, an allegorical letter from Robert Treat Paine to Mr. and Mrs. George Leonard, Jr., dated 1 January 1760, was purchased by the MHS.
Restrictions on Access
Use of this collection is restricted. Select items are available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library, P-392.
Other Formats
Black and white digital images of this collection--produced from the microfilm edition--are available as part of History Vault: Revolutionary War and Early America, a digital resource from ProQuest. This resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS also provides access onsite to the Society's contributions to this resource; see a reference librarian for more information.
Portions of Paine's legal notes are available as color digital facsimiles.
Digital facsimiles of the Robert Treat Paine logbooks are available on Life at Sea, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Family papers, 1659-1916
A. Family correspondence, 1713-1854
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries consists of the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Paine family members, including Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814). For a chronological list of the items in this subseries, see the List of Family Correspondence or click on the links below.
B. Legal and financial papers, 1659-1867
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries consists of the legal and financial papers of all Paine family members except Thomas Paine (1694-1757) and Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814). Among the papers in this subseries are copies of family wills and deeds, including those of the Treat and Estabrook families (Rev. Benjamin Estabrook was the first husband of Robert Treat Paine's maternal grandmother), as well as receipts, powers of attorney, promissory notes, accounts, memoranda, bills, inventories, agreements, correspondence, and other papers. The subseries also contains Land Bank papers, 1739-1749, which consist of broadsides and supplements to the Boston Evening-Post.
Land Bank papers, 1739-1749
C. Miscellaneous family papers, 1721-1861
This subseries consists of miscellaneous papers of the Paine family, including items related to Harvard College and Boston Latin School, certificates, notices, clippings, and some legal documents.
D. Charles Paine papers, 1789-1806
This subseries contains the papers of Charles Paine (1775-1810), son of Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814).
E. Charles Cushing Paine papers, 1716-1900
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains the papers of Charles Cushing Paine (1808-1874), son of Charles Paine (1775-1810). Among the papers in this subseries are Boston Latin School records; diplomas, certificates, and other papers from Harvard College; records of social engagements; legal notes; notes on family papers; correspondence; and a genealogy of the Paine family, including a transcription of the diary of Thomas Paine, 1 Jan. 1716-4 Feb. 1749.
F. Charles Jackson Paine papers, 1849-1916
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains the papers of Charles Jackson Paine (1833-1916), son of Charles Cushing Paine (1808-1874). Included are school papers from Boston Latin School and Harvard College, military commissions signed by Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, and other papers.
G. Calling cards and silhouettes, undated
This subseries consists of two silhouettes of unidentified men and calling cards from Lady Temple, Mrs. King, Mrs. Deblois, Mrs. T. B. Adams, Miss Nicholson, Mrs. Robertson, Miss Thompson, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Gerry, Mrs. Few, Bartlett Paine, Mrs. Cole, Mrs. H. Hubbard, Mrs. Washington, and Mrs. Greene.
H. Copies of wills, 1707-1855
This subseries contains inventories, accounts, and copies of family wills in the handwriting of Charles Cushing Paine (1808-1874).
I. Catalogs of books, 1752-1850
Arranged chronologically.
J. Richard Cranch manuscript, undated
This subseries consists of a manuscript translation by Richard Cranch of "A Sermon on the Passions; by Monsr. James Saurin, Minister of the French Church at the Hague. Translated from the French."
K. Robert Paine diary, 1785-1791
This subseries consists of the diary of Robert Paine (1770-1798), son of Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814), kept from 1 July 1785-30 Nov. 1791 in Cambridge and Boston, Mass. Diary entries describe Paine's activities as a student at Harvard in the class of 1789, his apprenticeship in a Boston law office, social engagements, local and family news, and the weather.
L. Robert Treat Paine, Jr. writings, 1790-1811
This subseries consists of the poetry and other works of Robert Treat Paine, Jr. (1773-1811) (originally Thomas Paine), son of Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814). Included are both a manuscript draft and printed copy of Robert Treat Paine, Jr.'s poem "The Ruling Passion," 1797 (first printed at Manning and Loring), and a eulogy on the life of George Washington, 2 Jan. 1800.
Inscribed to Charles Paine from the author.
Inscribed to Robert Treat Paine by the author of the sketch.
Inscribed to Robert Treat Paine by the author.
M. Robert Treat Paine (1803-1885) astronomical observations, 1833-1837
This subseries consists of the astronomical observations of Robert Treat Paine (1803-1885), son of Robert Treat Paine, Jr. (1773-1811). The 5 notebooks in this subseries are entitled: "Astronomical Observations for the determination of the Latitude and Longitude of places in Massachusetts," from the Boston State House and other public buildings throughout New England, 16 Mar. 1833-28 Dec. 1837.
N. Index to the Paine papers, undated
This subseries consists of an index to the Paine papers compiled by Charles Cushing Paine.
O. Thomas Paine papers, 1664-1761
This subseries consists of the diaries, almanacs, sermons, legal and financial records, and other papers of Thomas Paine (1694-1757), father of Robert Treat Paine (1731-1814).
Diaries and annotated almanacs, 1716-1750
1 volume containing 10 bookletsArranged chronologically.
Diary entries describe wind, weather, and other meteorological events; Paine's studies at Harvard College, 1716-1717; his career as an itinerant minister and eventual ordination as minister of the First (Congregational) Church in Weymouth, Mass.; and his career as merchant in Boston after leaving Weymouth in 1734.
Almanacs, 1664-1728
1 volume containing 9 bookletsIncluded are European almanacs collected by Thomas Paine and copies of almanacs published by him.
Sermons, 1724-1733
1 volume containing 2 bookletsIncluded are attached pages of a later date with genealogical notes and a donation letter (Boston, 6 Apr. 1888) from Robert Treat Paine (1861-1943) giving these sermons to the Massachusetts Historical Society from the estate of his cousin Robert Treat Paine (1803-1885).
Legal and financial papers, 1715-1761
Arranged chronologically.
Included are papers from Thomas Paine's mercantile business and personal estate. Paine's deeds to family members, 1749, include his bequests of "all my Books," "my Negro Cato and all my household stuff..."
On verso: voyage in sloop Hannah "to sundry Expences."
Miscellaneous, 1715
II. Robert Treat Paine diaries and journals, 1745-1814
This series consists of the diaries and sea journals of Robert Treat Paine, kept from 25 Mar. 1745 to 8 May 1814. Diary entries describe Paine's daily activities, including his education at Harvard; his theological and legal studies; his career as a lawyer in Taunton, Mass.; his role as prosecuting attorney in the Boston Massacre trial; his participation in the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1776; his career as attorney general of Massachusetts, 1777-1796; and his role as judge on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1796-1804. Also included are Paine's sea journals/logbooks describing his travels between 1750 and 1754, including trading missions from Boston to North Carolina; Fayal, Azores; Cadiz, Spain; and a whaling voyage to Greenland. Entries note weather and general sailing conditions.
A. Diaries, 1745-1814
Diaries, 1746-1756
1 volume containing 9 notebooksNote: The upper left corner of this notebook has been damaged and is largely missing.
B. Sea journals, 1751-1754
Digital facsimiles of the Robert Treat Paine logbooks are available on Life at Sea, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.
Included in this journal are trips from Boston to North Carolina, 6-14 Feb. 1751; North Carolina to Boston, 26 June-3 July 1751; Boston to Philadelphia in the brigantine Charming Polly, 7-15 Sep. 1751; Boston to North Carolina in the sloop Hannah, 17-27 May 1753; Ocacoe Inlet, N.C., to Fayal in the Hannah, 10 Aug.-14 Sep. 1753; Fayal to Cadiz in the Hannah, 25 Sep.-11 Oct. 1753; and Cadiz to Boston in the Hannah, 5 Dec. 1753-30 Jan. 1754.
III. Robert Treat Paine sermons, 1749-1755
1 volumeThis bulk of this series consists of sermons delivered by Robert Treat Paine in 1755 in Massachusetts and as chaplain on the Crown Point Expedition during the French and Indian War.
IV. Robert Treat Paine business, legal, and financial papers, 1677-1814digital content
This series consists of papers created and acquired by Robert Treat Paine in his merchant business, legal practice, and personal transactions. Included are account books, cash books, writs, powers of attorney, records of court sessions, rulings, deeds, and mortgages. This series also contains papers related to the Boston Massacre trial, Tyng vs. Gardiner (Kennebeck Purchase), Banister vs. Copley, and the settlement of the estates of Thomas Paine and Robert Treat Paine.
A. Volumes, 1677-1814digital content
Financial volumes, 1751-1814
Notes, loans, etc., 1759-1805
1 volume containing 2 notebooksNotes, accounts, and bank books, 1762-1814
1 volume containing 7 notebooksIncludes letter from Pres. John Adams accepting an invitation from Robert Treat Paine and his wife to visit their son's chamber at Harvard commencement, used by Robert Treat Paine for calculations.
Legal volumes, 1677-1789digital content
Minutes of law cases, Superior Court, Court of General Sessions, and Court of Common Pleas, 1760-1774digital content
Page 80 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Page 638 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Page 680 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Page 765 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Pages 860 and 862 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Page 884 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Minutes of trials and law cases, Superior Court, Court of General Sessions, and Court of Common Pleas, 1777-1782digital content
Image 22 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Images 6, 73, and 74 appear upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Image 32 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Minutes of trials and law cases, Superior Court, Court of General Sessions, and Court of Common Pleas, 1783-1788digital content
There is no enclosure 1 in this case.
Image 4 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Notes and letters on Boston Massacre trial, 1770-1771
"Law notes & other papers of R.T.P. at the trial of the Soldiers & of Capt. Preston, for the affair of March 5, 1770."
Tyng vs. Gardiner papers (Kennebeck Purchase), 1677-1786
B. Loose papers, 1750-1814
Items removed from volumes, 1751-1814
Arranged chronologically.
Other financial and legal papers, 1750-1814
Arranged chronologically.
Includes draft of House of Representatives address to governor respecting impeachment of Peter Oliver.
On verso of address sheet to Henry Snoad.
On verso: payment order, Robert Treat Paine to Edward Salter, 2 Nov. 1752.
Includes portledge bill for sloop Hannah.
With two tally sheets for same.
Includes list of creditors of the estate of Thomas Paine, 18 Jan. 1760, and list of creditors' receipts.
Account begins July 1766.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
On verso: power of attorney: Zachariah Gurney appoints Robert Treat Paine, 13 Apr. 1769.
With attached account of Robert Gould with the estate of James Griffin, deceased.
With attached account of Robert Gould with the estate of James Griffin, deceased.
With attached account.
On verso: unidentified deed fragment.
With attached account.
Declaration of case on verso.
Banister vs. Copley papers, 1709-1770
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With receipts by Foster on verso.
Attached: memorandum of a judgment obtained by Robert Treat Paine against Noah Hall, 25 Aug. 1788.
V. Robert Treat Paine political and judicial papers, 1758-1807digital content
This series consists of documents created and acquired by Robert Treat Paine during his public service at the town, county, state, and national levels, including his years as justice of the peace, attorney general, justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and delegate to the Continental Congress. This series also contains Paine's political writings, local and county committee reports, papers related to Shays' Rebellion and absentees, minutes of trials and law cases, and petitions to the legislature for compensation as attorney general.
A. U.S. Congress circular on muskets, 6 Dec. 1775
Written in Robert Treat Paine's hand, annotated.
B. Rhode Island Expedition papers, 1777-1778
C. Minutes of criminal trials, attorney general, Supreme Judicial Court, 1780-1789digital content
Images 28-38 and 39-42 appear upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
Image 14 appears upside down because the original sequence of manuscript pages and their orientations have been preserved in this digital presentation. Use the rotation tool in the viewer to adjust the images.
D. Shays' Rebellion papers, 1786-1788
Copy by John Avery, with added note by James Bowdoin.
Copy by John Avery, including James Bowdoin to Levi Lincoln, Boston, 2 Mar. 1787, and Levi Lincoln to [Robert Treat Paine?], Worcester, 9 Mar. 1787
E. Charges to grand juries, 1790-1803
F. Other political and judicial papers, 1758-1807
Arranged chronologically.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
With attached account.
Papers related to absentees, 1777-1790
Pieced together by Charles C. Paine from scraps of paper in the handwriting of Robert Treat Paine.
Includes lists of absentee estates in Hampshire, Lincoln, Cumberland, Essex, Berkshire, Plymouth, and York counties.
With attached account.
Judgment by Robert Treat Paine on verso.
With attached account.
On verso: case list for May court.
On verso: case list for Taunton court, Sep. 1770.
On verso: epitaph for Mrs. Elizabeth Pool.
Committee: Robert Treat Paine, George Godfrey, and Daniel Leonard.
With enclosed promissory note to pay Josiah Richmond, 10 Sep. 1770.
In Henry Knox's handwriting.
Extracts in Robert Treat Paine's handwriting of material by John Muller, 21 Jan. 1767.
Committee: Robert R. Livingston, Robert Treat Paine, and John Langdon.
Committee: Robert Treat Paine, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Lyman Hall, William Ellery, and Francis Lewis.
On verso: extract of resolve impounding British or Irish manufactures, 6 Apr. 1776.
Appended: list of "Remonstrances from these towns dwell on the vile oppression & avarice of monopolists &c."
Delegates: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Francis Dana, and James Lovell.
Commissioners: Gen. William Whipple, Robert Treat Paine, Egbert Benson, Oliver Ellsworth, and Henry Marchant.
Robert Treat Paine on committee.
Robert Treat Paine on committee.
Robert Treat Paine on committee.
With accompanying file on Temple.
Signed by Perez Morton, Theophilus Parsons, Benjamin Lincoln, James Hughes, Jonathan Mason, Jr., Rufus G. Amory, Ebenezer Bradish, Jr., William Hunt, Royall Tyler, Fisher Ames, Edward H. Robbins, Israel Keith, Rufus King, William Fisk, John Lowell, B. G. Amory, J. Gardiner, B. Hichbourne, William Tudor, Thomas Dawes, Jr., James Sullivan, Nathaniel Paine, Christopher Gore, John Sprague, Levi Lincoln, and Jonathan Fay.
Committee: Robert Treat Paine, John Lowell, James Sullivan, Benjamin Hitchburne, and Ezekiel Price.
On verso of dinner invitation from governor to Robert Treat Paine, undated.
With attached note from "Orina" to Daniel Shays, Luke Day, Adam Wheeler, and Ely Persons: "I approve, and greatfully accept the Service you have done to your country..."
With draft of same.
Second draft including totals of libels issued by county.
VI. Newspapers, 1726-1808
Arranged chronologically.
This series consists of annotated newspaper clippings mounted in a scrapbook.
VII. Maps, 1755-1805
This series contains manuscript maps by Robert Treat Paine of the expedition to Lake George in 1755, as well as lot plans of later pieces of Paine property.
VIII. Miscellaneous Robert Treat Paine papers, 1728-1811
This series contains school writings and other miscellaneous papers of Robert Treat Paine. Among the school papers are essays, compositions, translations, drawings, manuscript copies of books and poetry, and notes. The series also contains doodles dating from Paine's service as an usher at the Boston Latin School, 1750, including the earliest known signature of John Hancock.
Included are drawings and calculations mostly on the verso of Latin exercises and notes from the period when Robert Treat Paine served as usher at the Boston Latin School. Among the items are: John Hancock, Latin exercise (Hancock's earliest known signature); William Browne, Latin translation; Abia Holbrook, note to excuse lateness of bearers, 22 May 1750; Cord Cordis, note to excuse lateness of son, 26 Apr. 1750; John Gardiner, Latin exercise; George Erving, Latin exercise; and Calculatio Machinae pedibus Motae.
List of Family Correspondence
This list contains all of the letters in Series I.A. (Family correspondence). Items are arranged chronologically.
Correspondence, 1713-1756
Answers to legal questions by Robert Treat Paine on verso.
Correspondence, 1757-1765
Mock letter to a lady; letter from one sister to another; attached letter in code on reverse of note from Abia Holbrook, 1 May 1750.
Postscript by Akerman Petingell.
Response in code by Robert Treat Paine, Apr. 1758.
Enclosure: affidavit: Robert Shilston and Elijah Hayden "acnoledg to have Inlisted as Batoe men under Captn. Geo. Willmot in his Majsteys Service," 15 Apr. 1758.
On verso: Robert Treat Paine to Lavinia, in code.
Postscript: Joseph Greenleaf to Robert Treat Paine.
With postscript by Henry Laughton.
Correspondence, 1766-1775
Postscript: Benjamin Akin to Robert Treat Paine, Taunton, 10 Feb. 1769.
Encloses part of will of Francis Borland.