Description:

Wilson James

James Wilson, Declaration Signer Speculates in Pennsylvania Lands with Two Lexington Minute-Men

 

JAMES WILSON. Articles of Agreement with Matthias Hollenback, Samuel Bowman, and Ebenezer Bowman, Manuscript Document Signed, September 1, 1792, Pennsylvania. 4 pp., 9.5" x 14.75"  Expected folds; some tape repair to folds; small mounts on last page; text clear and dark.

 

In 1768, at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, Great Britain purchased a vast expanse of land from the Iroquois, including much of Pennsylvania from the northeast to the southwest corners of the future state. Another Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1784 between the United States and the Iroquois acquired much of northwestern Pennsylvania. After 1784, the land acquired in 1768 became the Old Purchase, and that added in 1784 was the New Purchase.

 

These acquisitions of thousands of acres of land for settlement opened a wide field for speculation. U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Wilson entered into an agreement with local Wilkes-Barre residents Matthias Hollenback, Samuel Bowman, and Ebenezer Bowman to purchase between 100,000 and 200,000 acres of land in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. This copy of the agreement includes endorsements recording payments from 1792 to 1794 by Wilson of more than $7,100 to Hollenback and the Bowmans.

 

This document was likely used in the settlement of Wilson’s estate after he died of a stroke in August 1798. The Panic of 1796-97 ruined Wilson financially, and his excessive speculation in lands from New York to Georgia twice briefly forced him into debtor’s prison, even while he served on the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

Excerpts

“Whereas the said Matthias Hollenback, Samuel Bowman and Ebenezer Bowman have lately purchased the discovery of a Large Quantity of Vacant Land of a good Quality supposed to contain between One Hundred thousand and two Hundred thousand Acres Situate between the Eastern and Western Branches of the river Susquehanna near to and adjoining Bowmans Creek and Little and big Mahoopany Creeks in the said County of Luzerne in the State of Pennsylvania...the said Matthias, Samuel and Ebenezer Do further covenant with the said James Wilson to convey to him in Fee-simple...the said Tract of Land....”

 

“And the said James Wilson doth covenant and agree to and with the said Matthias, Samuel and Ebenezer to pay them the several sums of Money that may be necessary for obtaining the warrants and Patents as aforesaid as the same may become due. And the said James Wilson doth further covenant and agree to and with the said Matthias, Samuel and Ebenezer to Pay them, Each one Third, in one year from the time they shall convey the said Land to the said James Wilson Two Shillings and six pence half Penny Pennsylvania Currency for each and every acre contained in the said Tract....”

 

“nothing contained herein shall be obligatory on the said James Wilson unless James Chapman...shall certify to the said James Wilson that the Timber, Soil and situation thereof are good and will answer his purpose.”

 

“And the said Matthias, Samuel and Ebenezer Do covenant and agree to and with the said James Wilson that in case the said James Chapman...shall not certify that the said Lands are good and will suit the Purpose of the said James Wilson...they the said Matthias, Samuel and Ebenezer will Procure other Lands within the Old Purchase from the Indians of a good Quality such as the said James Chapman...shall certify to be good and will answer the Purpose of the said James Wilson....”

 

[Endorsement:

“Before me Thomas Smith one of the Judges of the Supreme Court Personally cometh George Eddy of the County of Northampton and being duly affirmed on his solemn affirmation declareth & saith that his well acquainted with the handwriting of the late James Wilson Esquire deceased...and that the name James Wilson subscribed to the within certificate that the foregoing is a true copy of the original Instrument the affirmant verily believes is of the proper handwriting of the said James Wilson...22d June 1799.”

 

 

James Wilson (1742-1798) was born in Scotland and immigrated to America at age 23, studying law under John Dickinson. As a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress, Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he was a member of the Committee of Detail and perhaps second only to James Madison in his far-reaching influence on the Constitution. George Washington appointed him to the first U.S. Supreme Court, and he served as Associate Justice from 1789 until his death. In 1789 he also became the first law professor of the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), and was the founder of Penn’s Law School. Wilson engaged in land speculation during the Revolutionary War, and again starting in 1792. Ill-fated investments in Western New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia caused him to spend some time in debtor’s prison in New Jersey and North Carolina, while he was serving on the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

Matthias Hollenback (1752-1829) was born in Pennsylvania and settled in Wilkes-Barre in 1774, where he became a merchant and landowner. He served in the Continental Army and narrowly escaped death at the hands of British-allied Native Americans. After the war, he served as a justice of the peace and judge of common pleas and associate judge for thirty-eight years.

 

Samuel Bowman (1754-1818) was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, and was one of the minute-men on Lexington Common on April 19, 1775. He served in a regiment in the Massachusetts Line and gained promotion to first lieutenant. After the war, he returned to Lexington, then moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1786. In 1794, he commanded a company of light infantry raised to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. In 1799, he was commissioned a captain in the Provisional Army of the United States during the quasi-war with France. During the last months of his military service, Bowman served as an aide on the staff of General Alexander Hamilton.

 

Ebenezer Bowman (1758-1829) was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, the youngest brother of Samuel Bowman, and was one of the minute-men on Lexington Common on April 19, 1775. He later took part in the battle of Bunker Hill. He graduated from Harvard College in 1782, taught school in Cambridge, then studied law and gained admission to the bar. In 1785 or 1786, he moved to Philadelphia, then settled in Wilkes-Barre. He became a successful attorney and the first to be admitted to practice before the courts in the new county of Luzerne.

 

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

 

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!
Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** 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.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% 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