Description:

Morris Robert 1734 - 1806
Robert Morris signs North American Land Company shareholder's certificate three years before debtor's prison

1pp partly printed and partly handwritten North American Land Company stock certificate no. 1541 granting four shares to Dr. Enoch Edwards. Signed in Philadelphia on April 18, 1795 by company president Robert Morris as "Robt Morris" and secretary James Marshall as "James Marshall" along bottom edge. Shaped left edge affecting elaborate script along left edge. In very good to near fine condition, with overall and even browning. Small v-shaped notch in upper right corner. Minor paper loss to Morris's signature has been professionally repaired verso. Document measures 13" x 9.5".

Founded on February 20, 1795 by Robert Morris (1734-1806), John Nicholson (1757-1800), and James Greenleaf (1765-1843), the North American Land Company sold real estate stock shares corresponding to six million acres in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. Initially, shares cost $100 and represented 200 acres each, which meant that our shareholder Dr. Enoch Edwards had invested about $400 in 800 acres the first day shares became available -- February 20, 1795. The investment seemed sound, as the company promised a dividend of $6 or more annually. It is unknown if Dr. Enoch Edwards ever recouped his investment when the company collapsed and all three business founders were imprisoned.

Robert Morris was born in Liverpool, England but emigrated to the colonies as a teenager. Morris showed considerable business acumen at a young age, becoming a full business partner at a mercantile firm at age 24. Morris made an early fortune in the thriving import and export trade from and to the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and India. Morris served as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress in 1775, and he was one of nine Pennsylvania delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Morris was a significant financier of the Revolutionary war effort, donating incredible sums of money to pay Washington's troops during a time when American currency still had no value. In later life, Morris's war overspending, as well as several dubious real estate schemes like the North American Land Company, eventually led to his bankruptcy and imprisonment for debt. The Bankruptcy Act of 1800 paved the way for Morris's release.

North American Land Company secretary James Marshall (1764-1848) was Morris's business associate and son-in-law; he was also the younger brother of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835).

Our shareholder Dr. Enoch Edwards (1751-1802) was a Philadelphia Patriot and surgeon with personal and business ties to prominent Revolutionary War era figures such as George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1843-1826), and James Monroe (1758-1831).

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