Early America
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1.  Pennsylvania Gazette – October 17, 1754. 10” x 15” front and back, number 1347, “Containing the Freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic.” The Gazette was printed by Benjamin Franklin. The reverse side is devoted to advertisements which includes some with slavery content: “To be SOLD, A Negroe man and woman, with a male child…” and “To be SOLD, A likely Barbadian fellow, about 25 years of age; he has had the small-pox, and is fit for any business; likewise 3 Negroe girls….” Uniformly age browned.

 $250 to $500

 
2.  Francis Bernard
(1712-1779) Colonial governor of Massachusetts. Bernard was responsible for enforcing unpopular laws and taxes. His difficulties started when he issued Writs of Assistance in 1760 to custom’s tax collectors. They continued through other tax measures, including the Stamp Act. By November of 1768 he was burned in effigy by a mob in New York City. Finally, the turbulence increased to the point where the colonial assembly petitioned the crown that “he might be forever removed from the Government of the Province.” 16” x 13” partially printed document signed, “Fra. Bernard,” July 2, 1762. The document is an appointment of Aaron Warren as “…Ensign of a military Company of Foot in ye Town of Upton….” The seal is intact. Breaks in the folds, some paper loss affecting several words of text, fair condition but a clear dark signature. 

$500 to $900

3.  Benjamin Jacobs Patriot. Jacobs was a Revolutionary era patriot and merchant in Philadelphia. 3 ¾” x 3” four dollar Continental Currency note, signed “Ben Jacobs,” printed in Philadelphia, May 9, 1776. “…This Bill entitles the Bearer to receive Four Spanish milled Dollars, or the Value thereof in Gold or Silver….”  This note is also signed by Israel Whelan whose signature is faded. The serial number is also faded.

$300 to $500

4.  Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804) Statesman. Hamilton served as an aide to Washington during the Revolution. He was later a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and co-wrote the Federalist papers. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he stabilized the nation’s finances. He died in a duel with political foe Aaron Burr. 7” x 8” autograph letter signed in the third person, no place, September 9, 1794, to Commissary-General, Samuel Hodgson. In full: “Mr. Hamilton requests Mr. Hodgson to furnish him immediately with a return of whatever accoutrements & arms for Cavalry may be in the public store. Specify also such as have been lately sent forward”. Includes the 5” x 3”, address panel in Hamilton’s hand “Samuel Hodgson, Esq, / To be carried immediately to Mr. Hodgson”. Also included is a 3” x 3” hand colored engraving. Toned from a previous framing.  In late summer of 1794 farmers in western Pennsylvania rebelled against paying a tax on their locally distilled whiskey and attacked federal revenue collectors. After 500 armed men burned the home of the regional tax inspector, President George Washington ordered 13,000 Federal troops to the area. The rebellion quickly dissolved without further violence. The event established the authority of Federal law within the states and strengthened support for the Federalists’ advocacy of a strong central government. This letter is requesting information on available arms in preparation of the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion.  

$6,000 to $10,000

5.  Aaron Burr (1756-1836) Burr served as the third Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson. He is remembered more for his duel with Alexander Hamilton, which resulted in the latter's death, and for his schemes of empire, which resulted in his trial and acquittal on charges of treason. 8” x 10 ¼” letter signed, New York, February 24, 1828, to Mrs. Broadstreet. “…the finale of the Farce of T & C which really appeared to me so trifling and so unimportant to yourself and to Wm. T. that I did not perceive how I could answer your letter with sufficient gravity & expressions of sympathy – Now that the excitement is past, I may hope to be pardoned for this levity….” Double matted with a printed image and a descriptive plaque to 16 ¼” x 13 ½”

$500 to $900


6.  Patrick Henry
(1736-1799) Statesman, orator. A remarkable orator, Henry entered the House of Burgesses, where he spoke against the Stamp Act. His famous quote “Give me liberty or give me death” represented American resistance. He was later elected Governor of Virginia, where he opposed the Constitution because it lacked a Bill of Rights. 15” x 18 ¾” partially printed document signed, “P. Henry”, as Governor, June 1, 1785, Virginia. The document is a land grant for eight hundred acres in the County of Fayette to Richard Spur in what is now in the State of Kentucky. The parcel of land granted to Spur is defined as “…lying and being in the County of Fayette on the waters of Howards upper Creek….” Partial separations with loss at folds have been expertly repaired on verso, and do not affect legibility or Patrick Henry’s large signature.  

$1,800 to $3,000

7.  William Williams (1731-1811) Connecticut merchant, patriot. Williams was elected to the Continental Congress to replace Oliver Wolcott. Though he arrived at Congress too late to vote for the Declaration of Independence, he did sign the formal copy as a representative of Connecticut. 6 ½” x 3 ½” autograph financial document signed, Lebanon, April 30, 1782. “…To pay James Thomas…& charge to acct. on your Rate Bill…Wm. Williams….” There is a small “X” through the signature and a water stain in the center of the document. 

$200 to $400

8.  William Ellery (1727-1820) Rhode Island political leader. Ellery replaced Samuel Ward, who had died, in the Continental Congress in 1776. He was the first customs collector of the port of Newport. Ellery was among the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence. 7” x 4 ½” autograph document signed, Port of Newport, August 19, 1797. “…I certify that One brass field piece marked U S. Five boxes of shot, and Ten barrels of powder have been landed in this Port from on board the Brig Little Sally James Taylor master from Philadelphia. Wm Ellery Collector.”  

$500 to $900

9.  (John Hancock) (1737-1793) Patriot. Hancock was Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Massachusetts. 17 ½” x 25 ¼” printed broadside, July 16, 1783, in Latin  with “Johnni Hancock, Armigero, Gubernatori” at the top, printed in Boston by Thomas Fleet for Harvard University. The broadside details the curriculum offered at the University. Artemas Ward and Tobias Lear are among the graduates of Harvard listed. Some paper loss in the folds, archivally silked on the reverse side. 

$2,000 to $4,000


10.  Robert Morris
(1734-1806) Patriot. Morris was a Philadelphia merchant and entrepreneur who procured significant amounts of money and supplies for Washington and his troops. He was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolution he speculated wildly in land; ultimately he was imprisoned for debt. He died in Philadelphia in poverty and obscurity. 9 ½” x 3 ¾” partially printed document signed, Philadelphia, April 20, 1785. The document is a Bill of Exchange for the sum of six hundred and three Dutch guilders payable unto “Messrs Van Rykevorsel & Ellenckhuysen”, directed to Messrs. “Wilhelm & Jan Willink” at Amsterdam. Wilhelm and Jan Willink were Dutch merchants who were among several mercantile houses that agreed to loan funds the United States in 1784 at the behest of John Adams amounting to two million guilders. The pair would also form two of the primary investors in the Holland Land Company. Following the end of the Revolutionary War, into which Robert Morris had invested and lost much of his personal fortune.  

$1,000 to $2,000

11.  John Nicholson (1757-1800) Land owner, politician. Nicholson together with Robert Morris formed numerous land speculation companies. Nicholson claimed ownership to more than 3.7 million acres covering parts of 39 counties. Due to “unsettled accounts,” Nicholson's land reverted to the state. In 1800, Nicholson died in prison. 8” x 6” partially printed document signed, Philadelpha, May 22, 1784. David Rittenhouse is directed to pay “…James Campbell…of the Pernnsylvania Line…three hundred twelve Shillings & Seven pence….” Approved by James Ewing (1736-1806), Ewing served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and also as Vice-President of Pennsylvania. These certificates were issued to pay the interest on depreciation certificates that had been previously issued to compensate soldiers on unpaid back pay and make up losses suffered by the troops from having been paid in depreciated currency. Boldly signed by Nicholson in the upper left. Age toned in the margins.  

$300 to $500

12.  Daniel Carroll (1730-1795) Statesman. Carroll was elected to the Continental Congress from Maryland and signed the Articles of Confederation. He attended the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution. His farm land is the present site of the city of Washington. His cousin, Charles was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  7 12” x 12” partially printed document signed “Dan. Carroll,” Montgomery County, Maryland, July 2, 1787. The document is a loan agreement. “... I, Daniel Carroll of Montgomery County in the state of Maryland, am held firmly bound unto Thomas Barnwell Hollingsworth of Baltimore Town ... in the full and just sum of two hundred & ninety six pounds sixteen shillings Spence, Maryland currency....

$1,500 to $2,500

13.  Robert Yates (1738-1801) Politician and jurist. Yates was well known for his Anti-Federalist stances. Most scholars believe that he was the author of a series of sixteen articles written against the ratification of the United States Constitution under the pseudonym “Brutus”. 7 ¼” x 4” document signed, Rensslaerwyck Manor, February 2, 1776. “…you are hereby commanded to summon John Smith to appear before me…at my dwelling house in the city of Albany to answer Henry Chambers in an action of trespass….” Age toned with three vertical folds.  

$250 to $400

14.  Edward Shippen (1728-1806) Jurist. Shippen was a Tory during the Revolution but later rose to the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He was also the father-in-law of Benedict Arnold. 12 ¼” x 4” partially printed legal document signed, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, September 14, 1799. The document is a writ to charge Allen Gillespie. A steel engraving is included. 

$150 to $300

15.  Moses Cleaveland  (1754-1806) Pioneer. When the Connecticut Land Company purchased land in the Western Reserve region of Ohio, Cleaveland was chosen as one of the directors and surveyors of the company. In 1796 he led a party of men to the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, where he determined to develop the main settlement. The surveyors named the site Cleaveland, which name it bore until 1830, when it became Cleveland. 8” x 12 ½” partially printed financial document signed, October 17, 1779. The document is a receipt for interest paid on Continental Certificates by the State of Connecticut. There are two other receipts on this page, each of the three being 8” x 4 ½”.

$600 to $1,000

 

16.  James Otis (1725-1782) Patriot, orator. Otis’s reputation as a defender of colonial rights in the quarrel with Great Britain was unmatched during the decade 1760-1770. While Samuel Adams wrote inflammatory articles at the popular level, Otis appealed to the law and to the logic of English. 12 ½” x 7 ¼” financial document signed. The document is an invoice to from Otis upon which he has written: “December 1759 Paid in full for the above James Otis.” Irregularly torn on the right margin with a ½” uneven toning to that margin. 

$850 to $1,500

17.  Nathaniel Macon (1758-1837) Politician. Macon served in the American Revolution and later became a political figure in North Carolina and an ardent champion of states’rights. He opposed the U.S. Constitution because he thought it gave too much power to the federal government. In the early years of the republic he was a national figure, serving as United States Representative and speaker of the House, United States Senator and President pro tempore of the Senate. 10” x 8” envelope (folds to 6” x 3 ½”) addressed to “Mr. Roderick Bigelow…” and free franked. Age spotting, breaks in the folds.  

$200 to $500

18.  Robert Treat Paine (1731–1841) Jurist. Paine gained recognition as a prosecuting attorney in the murder trial of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. He was a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. 3 ¾” x 6 ½” receipt for legal expenses, August 1869, signed “Paine.” Double matted and framed with a brass identifying plaque to 8” x 13”.

$250 to $500

 

19.  Oliver Ellsworth (1745-1807) Jurist. Ellsworth was the second Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served as a senator in the newly formed Congress. Ellsworth is primarily remembered for his contribution to the formation of the Constitution and for drafting the Judiciary Act of 1789, which provided for a strong federal judiciary system and created the United States Supreme Court. 7 ½” x 4” document signed, Hartford, Connecticut, January 15, 1777. The document directs payment to “Dudley Humphrey. Thirty Shillings for 3 days…in the Service of the United States….” Humphrey’s endorsement appears on the reverse.  

$300 to $500

20.  Henry Knox (1750-1806) Knox took part in most of the major battles of the Revolutionary War, and became a close friend and advisor to George Washington. After the war, the Congress made Knox Secretary of War. President George Washington asked his friend Knox to remain in this position throughout his presidency. 6” x 2 ¾” check written and signed, “Philadelphia, 18 Nov 1791…Pay to J. Pinkerton….”  The cancellation cuts touch the “K,” double matted with a steel engraving to 14” x 11”.  

$250 to $500

 

21.  Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (1760-1833) Politician. Wolcott served as Secretary of the Treasury from 1795 to 1800 and Governor of Connecticut from 1817 to 1827. 7 ¾” x 4” document signed, Hartford, October 8, 1788, to John Lawrence. The pay order directs payment be made to Andrew Kingsbury and has been signed twice by Wolcott. 

$100 to $200

22.  Bond for Raising a Connecticut Company. To protect the monies given to officers during the process of funding the formation of regiments in the Continental Army, bonds were required which obligated the officers for the funding that was provided. This is a bond that was issued one week before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 8 ½” x 14” partially printed document, County of Hartford, Colony Connecticut, June 27, 1776, signed by Hezekiah Parsons and Hezekiah Spencer. “…whereas the above bounded Hezekiah Parsons is appointed Pay-Master to his own Company, now to be raised, to join the Continental Army in New York… Hezekiah Parsons shall faithfully and justly dispose of all the Monies he shall receive out of the public Treasury for the purpose of inlisting the Soldiers in, and Paying said Company….” The document is in excellent condition with some toning in the folds and two small pinholes at the corner of the folds. Hezekiah Parson served in the 4th CT line and had been at the Siege of Boston. 

 $600 to $1,000

23.  Noah Webster (1758-1843) Lexicographer. Webster began writing dictionaries after being a teacher, journalist and political writer. In 1828 he published “An American Dictionary of the English Language, which immediately became a standard work. 7 ½” x 10” autograph letter signed, New York, August 16, 1797, to William Young. “…I can spare you one thousand spelling books this season, if engaged now….” Double matted with a printed photograph and plaque to 15 ½” x 21”. 

$1,700 to $3,500

24.  Hardenbergh Archive - Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1736-1790) Clergyman. Hardenberg was a Dutch Reformed minister and the first President of Queen’s College (now Rutgers University) from 1785 to his death in 1790. Hardenbergh was a member of a prominent Dutch-speaking family who had settled in “New Amsterdam” in the middle of the seventeenth century. This is a collection of twelve documents relating to Jacob Hardenberg and members of his family. The documents are mostly legal and cover a period from 1747 through 1808. Some noteworthy examples are: 7 ½” x 12 ¾” legal agreement dated June 8, 1747, 9 ¼” x 14 ½” promissory note, August 16, 1772 signed by John Hardenbergh, 8” x 12 ½” “Account of articles left the widow Jane Hardenbergh,” 14 ½” x 12” military document signed by Abraham Hardenbergh detailing the “…names Grades and Rank of the officers in the 92nd Regiment….” Condition varies, but on balance very good. 

$1,200 to $2,000

25.  Daniel Tompkins (1774-1825) Politician. Tompkins was Governor of New York from 1807 to 1817. Slavery was abolished in the state during his administration. He was elected Vice President in 1816 and held office through both Monroe administrations. 16” x 10” partially printed document signed, Albany, New York, May 21, 1811. The document is the appointment of Richard W. Stockton as a surgeon in the Delaware County Militia. The appointment is also signed by Elisha Jenkins (1769-1848) as Secretary of State.  Irregularly toned from a previous framing with several small breaks in the folds. 

 $200 to $300

26.  Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) Painter. Peale was one of the most prolific political painters of his era, having completed over 600 paintings. He received critical acclaim for his portraits of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. 7 ½” x 9 ½” autograph letter signed, Baltimore, April 6, 1831, “Dear Sir.” “…I return you, with many thanks your Portrait of Rosalba which the copy of which my daughter has finished without any retouching of mine…I find that my note to you will be due the 10th of this month…if the Yellow Fever in Philadelphia has not rendered my exhibition there unproductive…I am desirous of making up in Boston by delaying the exhibition until the spring…in order to insure the most favorable reception of my pictures…It is very unpleasant to me to be obliged to make this apology, but I trust you will consider the difficulties…and confide in my disposition not to suffer the least unnecessary delay in refunding the money for which I am indebted to your kindness….” Double matted with his printed self-portrait and a descriptive plaque to 15” x 18 ¼”.    

$2,500 to $4,000 

27.  Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844) Financier. Biddle was the president of the Second Bank of the United States. He developed the bank into the first effective central bank, sponsoring policies that curbed credit, regulated the money supply, and safeguarded government deposits. The bank came under attack from President Andrew Jackson, who managed to terminate its national charter in 1836. 5” x 2 ¾” autograph note signed, “N. Biddle,” September 1, 1837. “…Do not fail to come to dinner today at 3 o’clock….” Mounted with considerable spotting.  

 $150 to $300

28.  Whaling. After the end of the War of 1812, American shipping was free to carry on and the whaling ports began to grow. New Bedford, Massachusetts, in particular built its whaling fleet from 10 vessels in 1815 to 36 vessels five years later. In 1841 alone, 75 whalers sailed out of New Bedford and the city was fast becoming one of the wealthiest in the nation. The Civil War, like the wars before, was very bad for the whaling fleet. New Bedford contributed 37 old whaling vessels to the war effort in the form of the “Stone Fleet”. These vessels were filled with rocks and sunk at the mouths of Southern harbors in an attempt to block shipping in and out. After the war, two Arctic disasters, one in 1871 and another in 1876, claimed 30 New Bedford vessels and 15 from other ports. Whaling ports lost millions of dollars in these disasters and as vessels were lost owners could seldom afford to replace them as the markets for whale products continued to decline. Archive of twelve documents mid-19th century whaling ship documents headed from New Bedford, Massachusetts, for the Atlantic and Pacific. Each document is folded for filing to 3 1/3” x 9”. Insurance Policies for ship owners Gibbs & Jenney on sperm oil, at $1.80 per gallon, on their vessels from Talcahuano (Chile) to New Bedford:

A.  Mutual Marine Insurance Company of New Bedford, one page, 9” x10 ¾”. New Bedford, June 13, 1855, $6000 insurance for the sperm oil aboard their ship Zephyr.

B.  Mutual Marine Insurance Company of New Bedford, one page, 9” x10 ¾”. New Bedford, June 13, 1855, $5000 insurance, ship Barnstable.

C.  The Alliance Insurance Company, one page, 9” x 11 “. Boston, June 20, 1855, $5000 insurance, Barnstable.

D.   The Commercial Mutual Marine Insurance Company, one page, 9” x 11 “. Boston, June 23, 1855, $5000 insurance, Zephyr.

E.   Two partial 1853 balance sheets relating to whaling voyages, partially separated at folds, one for the ship Montreal, with debits including “Labor Weighing Bone,” Labor on Oil & Bone,” “Whale foots in Sperm Oil,” “Polar Whale Bone.”

Master’s Outward Foreign Manifests from New Bedford, each 14” x 17”:

A.  Brig Tekon, January 21, 1864. “Articles & Utensils for a Whaling Voyage,” valued at $4000, to be used on a voyage to the Atlantic Ocean.

B.  Ship Herald, April 18, 1864. “Slats and Utensils for a whaling voyage,” valued at $10,000, to be used on a voyage to the Atlantic Ocean. Three Internal Revenue George Washington dollar stamps affixed.

C.   Ship Young Phenix, May 14, 1864. “Articles & Appurtenances for a whaling voyage Stores” valued at $34,000 and “13 Cases Manufactured Tobacco 2,110 pounds” valued at $1,266 to be used on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean. One Internal Revenue George Washington three dollar stamp affixed.

D.  Ship Congress, May 30, 1864. Provisions, Casks, Stores & Appurtances for a whaling voyage” to the Pacific Ocean. One Internal Revenue George Washington three dollar stamp affixed. Partially separated at folds.

E.  Barque Stephanus, June 21, 1864. “Outfits for a Whaling Voyage” to the Pacific Ocean valued at $30,000 and Fifteen Boxes Tobacco Twenty four hundred thirty pounds” valued at $1,458. One Internal Revenue George Washington three dollar stamp affixed. Partially separated at folds, slight tear.

F. Ship Wm & Henry, November 21, 1864. “Provisions, Stores and Utensils for a Whaling Voyage” to the Pacific Ocean valued at $20,000. One Internal Revenue George Washington one dollar stamp affixed.

The American sperm whaling industry had its greatest prosperity from 1820-1850. The decline of American sperm whaling began with the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the invention of the electric lamp in 1879. Many crew members of whaling ships bound for the Pacific Ocean deserted to seek their fortunes prospecting for gold. The most severe blow to the whaling industry was dealt during the Civil War, when Confederate ships sank many United States whaling vessels. The six manifests in this lot were for vessels that sailed during the Civil War

 $1,600 to $3,000

 

The Written Word Autographs
PO Box 490  Tamworth, NH 03886
Phone/Fax (603) 323-7563
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