Description:

Ellsworth Oliver

Oliver Ellsworth Signed War Dated Pay Order to CT Commissary

 

A pay voucher signed by Connecticut politician Oliver Ellsworth (1745-1807) as "O. Ellsworth" at lower right. Signed in Hartford, Connecticut on December 8, 1777. On cream laid paper. Also signed by State Treasurer Jonathan Lawrence and voucher recipient Samuel Squier verso. Docket information confirming receipt of payment verso. Expected folds. Overall light toning and a few chipped edges, else near fine. 8.125" x 6.75".

 

Pay voucher No. 9053 instructed state officials to pay £920 to Captain Samuel Squier (1746-1819), then serving as a Commissary in Fairfield, Connecticut. (Squier's name also appears as "Squire" in other historical records.) This enormous sum of money would have probably been earmarked for the purchase of essentials like food, stores, clothing, supplies, and weapons. Squier's fellow Connecticut commissaries were considerably more famous; they included Oliver Wolcott and Joseph Trumbull, this last the Commissary General of the entire Continental Army.

 

In part, with unchanged spelling and punctuation:

 

"Pay Capt Samuel Squier, by the hand [of] Mr Isaac Peet, Nine Hundred + Twenty pounds - to improve as Comisary for this State - & Acct - And charge the State - Hartford Decr. 8th. 1777…"

 

Oliver Ellsworth is best known as a principal draftsman of the U.S. Consitution, though he notably did not sign the document. He was very involved in revolutionary politics, and served as one of Connecticut's first state senators. The Yale and Princeton graduate also trained as a lawyer and was appointed by George Washington to serve as the 3rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court between 1796-1800.

 

Jonathan Lawrence is an interesting historical figure in that he served as treasurer before, during, and after the American Revolution, when Connecticut was first a colony and then a state.

 

Financing the Revolution laid a heavy burden upon each colony, especially those that balked at levying taxes. In order to meet immediate needs such as wages, the colonies relied upon wealthy revolutionaries, foreign loans, and taxes and gifts from abroad.

 

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

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, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

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 5 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 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