Description:

Benjamin Franklin
Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 1753
Early Benjamin Franklin Deed with "Franklin" and a Few Words in His Hand JSA Cert
MDS

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Manuscript Document [Signed], Signed in Text, Deed of John and Elizabeth Petty to James West, March 21, 1753, [Philadelphia], PA. 2 pp., 26.5" x 8.625". On vellum; Franklin's signature cut away; expected folds; receipt for payment and recorder's certification with intact paper-and-wax embossed seal on verso.

As a justice of the peace for Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin signed this indenture or deed between John and Elizabeth Petty and James West, in which the Pettys sold a 2.79-acre parcel of land in the Northern Liberties (since 1854, a part of Philadelphia) to West for £170. The Pettys had purchased it from house-carpenter Thomas Green and his wife Martha Green in June 1752.

In the final block of this text, Franklin erased some mistakes and wrote "Franklin" and "be their" in his own hand before adding his signature (now missing).

Historical Background
In 1749, printer, inventor, and polymath Benjamin Franklin became a justice of the peace for Philadelphia. In 1751, he was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly. In his role as a justice of the peace, he witnessed the signatures of John Petty and Elizabeth Petty on this deed through which they sold land to James West.

Wives had limited legal rights under the English common law principle of coverture, in which the wife's legal identity was largely subsumed in that of her husband. A married woman could not buy or sell property in her own name, and any property she brought into a marriage was under her husband's control. The sole protection she had was her right to dower, a lifetime interest in one-third of the couple's real estate after her husband died. When a couple sold land, both the husband and wife had to sign the deed. In such transactions, the law required a justice to interview the wife separately from her husband to determine whether she freely agreed to the sale, thus relinquishing her right to dower in the sold property. In this case, Franklin attested by his signature on this land transfer that "the said Elizabeth thereunto Voluntarily Consenting she being of full Age secretly and apart Examined and the Contents thereof made known unto her." Pennsylvania passed married women's property acts in the mid-nineteenth century that eliminated the need for the separate interview of the wife in a land sale.

In the same year, Franklin became one of two Deputy Postmasters General for British North America, and he established the first national communications network by surveying post roads and establishing post offices throughout the colonies.

John Petty (1702-1763) was a merchant in Philadelphia. In 1732, he purchased the 292-acre Petty Island in the Delaware River, near Philadelphia, and sold off tracts on the island between 1741 and 1760. He married Elizabeth Petty. He seems to have speculated in land to a considerable extent. He also advertised in the newspaper for a runaway indentured servant in 1755.

James West (1721-1762) was a shipwright in the Northern Liberties. His grandfather James West (ca. 1658-1701) and father Charles West (1690-1761) had operated a shipyard along the Delaware River in Philadelphia from the 1670s. He married the widow Mary Cooper. He advertised in the newspaper for a runaway indentured servant in 1750.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 26.5" x 8.625"
  • Medium: MDS

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