Description:

John Morton 1776 DS with John Penn, 17 Pages!

Manuscript Document Signed, "John Morton Speaker", 17pp on separate sheets of watermarked laid paper measuring 8" x 12.75", Philadelphia, April 6, 1776. Additionally signed by John Penn on the blank left margin of the first page, "John Penn", as Governor and Commander in Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania. Docketed at verso of final page. Expert repair to the signature page. Two neat slits at top left. Flattened folds; chipping and minor tears at edges; light soiling; scattered foxing and browning; else, in very good plus to near fine condition.

Less than three months before the Declaration of Independence, Morton and Penn make it easier for four imprisoned colonists to pay their debts. The document begins, "Be it carried to the Governor / An Act for the Relief of William Judd, John Onions, Michael Jordan and William Sanders, Prisoners for Debt in the Gaol of Philadelphia County, with respect to the Imprisonment of their Persons." It states that the four named men petitioned the Assembly, "that altho' they are willing to assign over all their respective effects to the use of their respective Creditors for the Payment of their respective Debts, and to discharge such as shall thereafter remain unpaid, as soon as, by their Industry, they can find Means of satisfying such Creditors, yet, by their Imprisonment, they are disabled from putting in Execution their just Intentions, and are reduced to great Distress."

The Governor orders the Justices of the County Court of Common Pleas to appoint a day at which Judd, Onions, Jordan, and Sanders and their creditors would meet, at which time the four men would present an accounting of their assets, "except the wearing Apparel and Bedding for himself and Family not exceeding Ten pounds in Value in the whole." After their assets have been assigned to the creditors, each will, "be discharged from his Imprisonment aforesaid." The discharge would not release any other creditors. The four men would still be, "liable to be sued, prosecuted or imprisoned for any Debt due to the Crown."

Documents bearing a 1776 signature of any Signer of the Declaration of Independence are exceptionally desirable; those signed by Morton in the year of independence are extremely rare. This exact document was sold at Heritage Auctions in 2008 for over $5,300. Prior to that, only one other 1776 Morton has appeared at public auction, sold at Sotheby's 43 years ago. 

John Morton (1725-1777) was an American Founding Father who was also a farmer, surveyor, and jurist. As a delegate to the Continental Congress during the American Revolution, he was a signatory to the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence. Morton provided the swing vote that allowed Pennsylvania to vote in favor of the Declaration. Morton chaired the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation, though he died before signing.

John Penn (1741-1788) was an American Founding Father who served multiple terms in the Continental Congress, and who signed both the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation as a delegate of North Carolina.

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.

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

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, 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