Description:

Madison James 1751 - 1836 James Madison boldly signed document, "Great Miami river and the Virginia reservation" land deed



Cream document signed by 4th U.S. President James Madison lower right and by Commissioner of the General Land Office Edward Tiffin lower left. "James Madison" appears clear and bold; Tiffin's underlined signature is affected by discolored paper abrasion. Document affixed with embossed paper United States General Land Office seal at lower left. Docket information appears verso. In fine to very fine condition with expected wear including folds. Isolated archival tape at top center of document verso, and remnants of tape located at top corners verso suggest document was once mounted on another support. Document measures 14.75" x 8.25".

This document dated July 20, 1812 grants John M. Dye, an assignee of William Knight, "the northeast quarter of section Thirty four of township two in range ten of the Land lying between the Great Miami river and the Virginia reservation, sold under the direction of the Register of the Land office at Cincinnati, by virtue of the right of pre-emption granted by law to certain persons who have contracted with John Cleves Symmes or his associates ... "

When President James Madison authorized this land deed in 1812, the United States was rapidly expanding west of the Appalachians thanks to East Coast pioneers like John Cleves Symmes (1742-1814). Symmes is mentioned as the original owner of the land tract found in southwestern modern day Ohio. In 1794, Symmes purchased several hundred thousand acres of land hugging the Great Miami River, an area that later became known as Symmes Purchase. Symmes's property was in turn regularly purchased by enterprising settlers like John M. Dye. The land in question was in the process of being charted, named, and domesticated; in our document, the land is only identified by numbers corresponding to sections, townships, and ranges. Symmes died only two years after our document mentions him, spending much of his later life in territorial related litigation.

Competition over the Northwestern Territory served as one of the many contributing factors of the War of 1812, which broke out about a month before our document was signed. Americans wanted to obey the command of manifest destiny in pushing further west, while the British wanted to curtail U.S. expansion to protect their Canadian trading interests.

A remarkable document related to westward expansion!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 14, 2017 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000