Description:

Thomas Jefferson
[Washington, D.C.], May 11, 1803
Thomas Jefferson & James Madison Signed Ship's Passport for China-Bound Brig Commanded by Ezekiel Hubbell, 1st To Circumnavigate Globe From Port of New York!
PPDS
A scalloped ship's passport boldly signed by 3rd U.S. President Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), as "Th: Jefferson" near lower right, and countersigned by James Madison (1751-1836), then U.S. Secretary of State and future 4th U.S. President, as "James Madison" below Jefferson's signature. May 11, 1803. [Washington, D.C.] The 1p partly printed and partly manuscript document on vellum, No. 77, is cosigned by David Gelston (1744-1828), Collector of the Port of New York, as "David Gelston Collector" at lower right; and by an unidentified official testifying to a crew change on June 5, 1804, found verso. The ship's passport features the rarer, earlier single maritime engraving of an American ship and lighthouse at top. An embossed paper seal with sawtooth edges is found at lower left. Docketed verso. Expected wear including light toning, isolated stains, and flattened folds/wrinkles. Some fading of the handwritten text apart from the bold and crisp presidential signatures. Lightly encapsulated. The actual size of the document is 11.75" x 18.125" while the encapsulation measures 12.625" x 18.75."

Also included is documentation showing that this Jefferson signed document was sold for a bargain-basement price of $50 in 1954! The photocopy of a typed letter signed by Benjamin B. DuBose, Rare Coins and Stamps dealer from Atlanta, Georgia, is dated June 26, 1954, and is addressed to a prospective buyer in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

These ship's papers have interesting associations with the American China Trade; the first circumnavigation of the globe from the port of New York; the Greene Family of Rhode Island (of whom one of the most famous members was Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene); the Ray Family of Block Island; and Benjamin Franklin.

The document reads in part:

"By the President of the United States of America.

Suffer the Brig Catharine Ray of New York Ezekiel Hubbell master or commander, of the burthen of One Hundred fifty Six & 51/95 tons or thereabouts, mounted with four guns, navigated with Ten men, To Pass with her Company, Passengers, Goods and Merchandize, without any hindrance, seizure or molestation: the said Brig appearing, by good testimony, to belong to one or more of the Citizens of the United States, and to him or them only…"

We know from other sources that the "Brig Catharine Ray" was bound for Canton, China for an approximately year-long voyage, seeking out treasured China Trade commodities like silk, nankeen (cotton), porcelain, tea, and other luxuries. The New York "Evening Post" reported the day following Jefferson's authorization of the ship's passport, on May 12, 1803: "Cleared, Brig Catharine Ray, Hubbel [sic], Canton, by Hoyt & Tom." Hoyt & Tom were a prominent New York-based East India firm. [See newspaper clipping included for reference.]

At the helm of "Catharine Ray" was Ezekiel Hubbell (1768-1834), a Bridgeport (Newfield), Connecticut native who had begun his extraordinary naval career as a teenaged shipboard clerk. Hubbell served as the Captain and Supercargo (Merchant Navigator) of "Catharine Ray," and he was also part owner. Hubbell returned from China aboard the "Catharine Ray" in the Spring of 1804. During his 50-odd years at sea, Hubbell traveled extensively around the world, sailing to the West Indies, Canada, Holland, France, England, Mexico, Honduras, Chile, Peru, Patagonia, Ecuador, the Pacific Northwest, the Russian Far East, Hawaii, Philippines, China, and other ports. Hubbell became the first person to circumnavigate the world from the port of New York aboard the ship "Enterprise" after completing a voyage to China in 1799-1802. [For more information about Ezekiel Hubbell, consult Walter Hubbell, 2nd Ed., "History of the Hubbell family: containing genealogical records of the ancestors and descendants of Richard Hubbell from A.D. 1086 to A.D. 1915" (New York: Published for subscribers, 1915).]

The brig "Catharine Ray" was almost certainly named after Catharine "Kitty" Ray Greene (1731-1794), the wife of Revolutionary War-era Governor of Rhode Island William Greene, Jr. (1731-1809). Kitty came from the Ray Family of Block Island, settled there since the 1660s. Celebrated for her great beauty, charm, and wit, Kitty met Benjamin Franklin in Boston in 1754, and the two became fast friends (with some suspecting Franklin harbored romantic designs for her.) Kitty and Franklin corresponded for the next four decades - even after Kitty's marriage - until Franklin's death in 1790.

The "Catharine Ray" person to ship connection is as follows: Colonel William Greene (1764-1829), the East Greenwich, Rhode Island merchant and shipowner, married Kitty's and the Governor's daughter, Celia Ray Greene (1763-1796), in 1786. The younger William Greene engaged in a commercial partnership with William Sarle between 1798-1804, and contracted Eben Marvin and Daniel Pearce to build "Catharine Ray" during that period. Thus it seems that Colonel William Greene decided to name the ship after his mother-in-law, Kitty. It is likely that Greene sold his interests in the brig shortly thereafter as the ship's passport lists it as coming from New York.

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: encapsulated: 12.625" x 18.75"
  • Medium: PPDS

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