Description:

Revolutionary War - Signed by General Edward Hand, Constitution Signer John Dickinson, and David Rittenhouse
Single page signed note, on laid paper, scripted recto and verso, 7.75" x 3". Boldly signed by Edward Hand as "Edw Hand" with a large flourish. Includes the signatures of "David Rittenhouse Esq / Treasurer" and "John Dickinson" verso.Archival paper repair to separation at folds. Toned with faded handling marks. Accompanied by documented provenance as noted below.

A fantastic note signed by three important leaders and Founding fathers from the period of the American Revolution and the birth of our nation.

The note on the reverse is a receipt of payment by David Rittenhouse, shown in full below:

"Rec'd Sept 8 th 1784 of David Rittenhouse Esq one Hundred & Sixty Eight Pounds fourteen shills. In full for the within order.

£ 168.14.0 Ed Hand"

John Dickinson, a politician from Philadelphia and Delaware, is known as the "Penman of the Revolution" for his twelve letters from a farmer In Pennsylvania published individually between 1767 and 1768. He was a member of the First Continental Congress where he was a signee to the Continental Association. Dickinson drafted most of the 1774 Petition to the King, and then as a member of the Second Continental Congress wrote the 1775 Olive Branch Petition, two attempts to negotiate with King George III. When these failed, he reworked Thomas Jefferson's language and wrote the final draft of the 1775 Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms. When Congress then decided to seek independence, Dickinson served on the committee that wrote the Model Treaty, and then wrote the first draft of the 1776-1777 Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.

David Rittenhouse, renowned inventor, mathematician was also the first director of the United States Mint, and as such signed this note as "Treasurer".

Patriot Edward Hand served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, crossing the Delaware River with George Washington. He was promoted to Colonel in 1776 and later to Brigadier General in 1777 and served as the commander of Fort Pitt. fighting British loyalist and their Indian allies. He was recalled, after over two years at Fort Pitt, to serve as a brigade commander in Major General La Fayette's division.

An important piece signed by three important revolutionaries!

Provenance: This item was recently discovered in an extra illustrated volume of "History of the City of New York" by Mary L. Booth, New York W. R. C. Clark, 1867. Originally two volumes, the monumental task of expanding the work to 21 volumes by none other than Emery E. Childs esquire of New York City. In volume 1 of this work exists a lovely india ink drawing of Mary L. Booth along with a notation "presented by her to E E C" in pencil. Next to the title page we find an original letter of Booth to Childs dated April 4, 1872: "I am in receipt of your favor of the 4th inst., and am grateful to hear that you are taking the trouble to illustrate my History of the City of New York in the manner you describe. I shall be happy to see you, should you favor me with a call as I am usually in my office during business hours and should be pleased to facilitate your Enterprise by any means in my power"

It is assumed that the book took several years to assemble at which point, assumedly through Childs, it made its way to Senator Charles B. Farwell of Chicago who took the seat of John A. Logan in 1887. Farwell had an extensive library that fortunately survived the great Chicago fire in 1871 having been housed in his Lakeside home. In the American Bibliopolist of November 1871 there is an article about the devastation to libraries caused by the tragedy. "Mr C. B. Farwell's library is also fortunately far out from the city, at his country house, and is safe. The same remark will also apply to the extensive collection of books and curiosities belonging to Mr. E. E. Childs." This establishes the Chicago connection between Childs and Farwell.

That these letters were preserved for over 140 years and have never been on the market for that period is remarkable on many levels. It is the state of being wedged in these volumes that also account for what is mostly the pristine state of preservation.

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June 14, 2017 10:30 AM EDT
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