Papers of John Adams, volume 7

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89 image Household Accounts of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams at Passy, 1 October 1778 – 23 February 1779 Franklin, Benjamin JA Household Accounts of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams at Passy, 1 October 1778 – 23 February 1779 Franklin, Benjamin Adams, John

Household Accounts of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams at Passy

1 October 1778 – 23 February 1779

1778						1778
Octr.	1	Passy Octr. 1. 1778
		Sir1 Pay to the honble. John Adams Esqr., or order the Sum of Six thousand Livres, and Charge the Same to Account of the Commissioners	6000.
		B. Franklin2 John Adams
						Oct.	2	Cabaret for Stationary, per Receipt	84.	10.
							6	Washerwomans Account for D. Franklin	78.
							12	Dennis Account	42.	6.
							14	Monsieur Le Cours Memoire, for the Schooling of M. John Quincy Adams, for one Quarter ending the 13th	477.	16.
								Monsieur Montagne his Account of Family for the Month of August	1391.	9.	6.
								for the Month of September ...	1397.	19.	3.
								Postage of Letters in the Month of August	117.	1.
								Ditto in the Month of September	228.	2.
								The Receipt for the four forgoing sums amounting in all to 3134: 11s: 9d is dated the 1st of October.
90
								Memoire of M. De Chaumont, for five Months Use of the Voiture Horses &c. and Postage of Letters ending 10 Octr	1732.
								Memoire of M. De Chaumont for the Chival De Cabriolet ending 10 October	248.	2.	6.
								Memoire de Peruquier, for dressing Mr. Adams's Wig, for Six Months ending 9 Octr	48.
							15	Mr. Adams's shoemakers Account	49.
								Ballance remaining in hand	105.	13.	9.
									6000.3
Oct.	31	Ballance remaining on the other side	105.	13.	9.			Oct. 31. The above Account was examined, and compared with the Receipts and found right by us,
		Received of Mr. Grand the Sum of Four Thousand Eight hundred Livres, tournois, on Account by Us.	4800.					B Franklin4 John Adams.
		B Franklin John Adams	4905.	13.	9.
						Novr.	3	Paid for the Roulage of Wine from Bordeaux	170.	8.	4.
91
								addition paid	11.	8. 5
							4	Paid Mr Montagne for Family Expences, Post of Letters, his Wages, and other Articles up to the last of October according to his Books of Account in which he has given another Receipt ...	1963.	11.	2.
							20	Paid for Duties &c. for 50 Bottles of Rum	75.
							21	Paid Mr. W. T. Franklin for his Expences to Dieppe 16 Louis	384.
								Paid Stevens Account	493.	16.
							30	Paid Le Roy the Tailer his Bill	257.	15.
						Decr.	1	Paid Dennis Account for Wages from the 20 May to 20 Novr. and Allowance for Wine &c.	153.
								Paid Dennis Account for Dinners, at Paris &c.	28.	18.
							4	Paid Mr. Fremont, for his Account of Family Expences for the Month of November	1165.	8.	6.
92
								Paid Mr Fremont for his Account of Postage of Letters	78.	17.
							6	Paid the Glazier for his Memoire	153.
								Another Small Memoire	6.
									4930.	5.	8.
									4905.	13.	9.
								Ballance in favour of Mr. Adams	24.	11.	11.
								Passy, Dec. 11. 1778. The above Account was examined, compar'd with the Receipts, and found right, by us,
								B Franklin John Adams
Decr.	16	Received Decr. 16 1778 of Mr. Grand Five Thousand Livres Tournois on Account by Us	5000.
		B. Franklin John Adams
			4899.	2.	11.
		Ballance Spent by Mr. Adams for which he is accountable.	100.	17.	1.
								Ballance brought forward	24.	11.	11.6
							20	Washerwomans Account	45.	4.
							22	Monsieur Pichinis Memoire	310.	15.
								Arbelots Memoire	34.
								Calais Memoire	178.	16.
								Coimets Memoire	204.
								Paid for Washerwoman for Dr. F.	86.
								Mr. Le Cour Memoire for B. F.	781.	10.
93
								For Mr. F's. Italian Master	30.
								Fencing Master ...	84.
							30	Delivered Mr. W. T. F. for Dr. Franklin, 4 Louis	96.
								Paid for mathematical Instruments for Mr. Ad.	36.
								Paid for a Pair of little Gloves for Mr. Adams	11.
						1779
						Jany.	4	Paid Mr. Fremont for Family Expences	1841.	2.
								for Postage of Letters	244.	4.
							8	Paid Louis Tardy for Worsted stockings for Mr. Adams	44.
		Jan. 13. 1779. The opposite Account was examin'd, compar'd with the Accounts and found right agreable to the Receipts,					13	Paid the Maistre D'Hotel of M. Chaumont in Part for the Voiture Horses &c. from Oct 10 to Jany. 10	780
		B. Franklin John Adams						Taken by Mr. Adams to pay for Some school Books for his son John Quincy Adams	33.
94
								Paid the Surgeons Bill for attending Stephens, after his Fall from the Carriage	12.
									4876.	2.	11.
								Paid for Razors for Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams	23.
									4899.	2.	11.
Jany.		By Ballance	100.	17.	1.
		An order on Mr. Grand for	4800.
			4900.	17.	1.
		Sum total on the other side	4734.	3.	7.
		Ballance in Mr. Adams's Hands for which he is accountable for this and the last Months. But the Money is all gone.7	166.	13.	5.8
							25	Paid the Remainder of M. Chaumonts Account	600.	8.
							28	Duties on D'Andaye	37.	2.	1.
								Tapissions Memoire	70.
							29	Paid Hill the Taylors Account	344.	1.
							31	Paid Mr. Whithall for the Remembrancers	53.
						Feb.	1	Paid for L'Histoire philosophique et politique des Etablissimens des Europeans dans les deux Indes,9 for Mr. Adams 48 Livres, for 3 ounces of lenitive Electuary10 2 L, for a Writing Book 3 Liv. for a Nick. Buckle 5 Livres—for Ditto in all for which no Receipt 95 image was taken	58.
								Paid the Washerwoman for Mr. Adams	14.
							3	Paid the Wood Merchant for Wood	470.	10.
								Paid M. Fremont Maitre D'hotel for Family Expences to the 1 Feby	1421.	5.	6.
								Paid Ditto for Postage of Letters	335.	17.
								Paid Francois Memoire	12.
							7	Paid Taylors Bill Dieu donnés Memoire for Dr. F.	322.
								Paid Ditto for Dr. F.	500.	9.
							9	Paid Chaberts Bill for shoes for M. Adams	10.
							10	Paid the Glazier	12.	18.
							12	Paid Stevens his Memoire for Wages and Wine	252.
							23	Paid De Bause his Memoire	107.	15.
								Paid Dennis Memoire for Wages &c.	89.	10.
								Paid Dennis other Memoire	23.	8.
									4734.	3.	7.

LbC (Adams Papers); FC in William Temple Franklin's hand (PPAmP: Franklin Papers). For JA's assumption of the responsibility for keeping the household accounts, see his letter to Franklin of 6 Sept., and note 3 (above); and the descriptive note to the household accounts for 9 April – 24 Aug. (vol. 6:21). The household accounts printed here should be compared with the earlier set (vol. 6:16–20), as well as with JA's personal accounts in JA, Diary and Autobiography , 2:325–342.

Ferdinand Grand.

JA copied Benjamin Franklin's signature here and in the entries in this column for 31 Oct. and 16 Dec.

The total expenditure for this period was 5,894. 6. 3 livres.

Franklin's signature on this certification, as well as on those dated 11 Dec. and 13 Jan., was in his own hand. Only JA signed the corresponding certifications on Temple Franklin's copy.

In the Letterbook an ink blot makes it difficult to determine whether JA wrote an “8” or a “o.” Temple Franklin construed it as a “o” and entered it as such on his copy, but the sum given by JA for the total expenditures for the period, 4,930. 5. 8 livres, indicates that he meant it to be an “8.”

That is, the balance owed JA and thus an expenditure.

JA did sign the corresponding certification for the period from 25 Jan. to 23 Feb. on William Temple Franklin's copy of the accounts. The absence of Benjamin Franklin's signature from the certification was probably owing to the fact that he was too ill with the gout to conduct business (JA to the Board of Treasury, 19 Sept. 1779, below).

This should be 166.13. 6 livres.

By Guillaume Thomas Francois, Abbé Raynal. Two sets of this work remain in JA's library: a Geneva, 1780, edition and an English translation, London, 1777 ( Catalogue of JA's Library ).

10.

A gentle laxative ( OED ).