Description:

Revolutionary War
Pennsylvania, 1785-1797
Post-Revolutionary War Distribution of Land to Veterans in Pennsylvania
Archive
This archive of receipts for land warrants, receipts for payments for land, and related documents from Pennsylvania represent the state's efforts to compensate soldiers and officers who served during the Revolutionary War with lands obtained from Native American nations in the central and western portions of the state.

[REVOLUTIONARY WAR.] Archive of bounty land claims and receipts, 1785-1797, Pennsylvania. 26 documents, 28 pp. total. General toning; some edge tears; one signature removed.

Contents and Excerpts
- Samuel Alexander for Surveyor William Alexander, Receipt for Land Warrant to William Heath, September 3, 1789, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 1 p., 7.75" x 3.5". "Recd Carlisle 3d September 1789 of William Heath Esquire Major General a Military land Warrant in his Name for Eleven Hundred Acres of land and Entered the Same for Survey, Numbered in Said Entrys 243 ? the hand of Captain Robert Walker. For William Alexander Surveyr / Saml Alexander"

William Heath (1737-1814) of Massachusetts participated in the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Siege of Boston. The Continental Congress commissioned him as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. He participated in the defense of New York City and was promoted to major general in August 1776. After failing to attack Fort Independence in New York properly, General George Washington censured him, and Heath never commanded troops in battle again. He was placed in charge of the Convention Army of British and German prisoners of war after they surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga. After the war, he served in the Massachusetts Senate (1791-1792) and as a probate judge.

- Receipts for 37 land warrants for other Revolutionary War veterans, 1789-1797, most signed by Deputy Surveyor General William Alexander. 11 documents, 12 pp. These land warrants ranged from 100 to 500 acres of land each.

- Notes related to the awarding or transfer of land warrants, 1793-1797. 3 documents, 4 pp.

- Receipts for payment for land, most signed by or on behalf of Receiver General Francis Johnston, 1785-1793. 11 documents, 11 pp. The receipts involve payments in Continental Certificates, Pennsylvania Certificates, and specie, and the receipt amounts ranged from £2 to £43 for from 50 to 400 acres of land.

Historical Background
In 1784, the state of Pennsylvania signed the Treaty of Fort Stanwix with the Native Americans of the Six Nations. In the treaty, the Native Americans agreed to withdraw from Pennsylvania, giving the state access to the northwestern quarter of the modern state for settlement. The state set aside some of the land as Depreciation Land to compensate veterans who had received pay in depreciated currency and as Donation Land for officers and soldiers who had served for the duration of the war.

In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, the Pennsylvania Land Office consisted of four officers: the surveyor general, the receiver general, the secretary, and the master of rolls. In 1776, the Pennsylvania General Assembly elected the surveyor general for a term of five years. The Constitution of 1790 permitted the governor to appoint the surveyor general for a three-year term. In 1809, the Pennsylvania General Assembly abolished the positions of Receiver General and Master of Rolls.

William Alexander (ca. 1747-1813) served as an officer in the 3rd, 6th, and 7th Pennsylvania Regiments during the Revolutionary War. He commanded the Carlisle militia as a lieutenant colonel during the Whiskey Rebellion. In 1785, Pennsylvania Surveyor General John Lukens (1720-1789) appointed Alexander as a deputy surveyor for the donation lands west of the Allegheny River promised to Pennsylvania troops.

Francis Johnston (1748-1815) was born in Pennsylvania and became a lawyer. He served as colonel of the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment from 1777 to 1781. After retiring from the army, Johnston was appointed Pennsylvania Receiver General, a position he held from 1780 to 1799. He later served as High Sheriff of Philadelphia County (1810-1815).

We are proud to include items consigned by the Manuscript Society in this auction. These items come from the estate of well-known manuscript dealers Forest G. & Forest H. Sweet and Julia Sweet Newman. Forest G. Sweet was an early leader of the Manuscript Society as well as a rare book scholar. The proceeds from your purchase of these items will benefit the work of the Manuscript Society. You can learn more about them, and become a member of the Manuscript Society, at www.manuscript.org.

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: 7.75" x 3.5"
  • Medium: Archive

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