Description:

Treasury Dept. Archive Of 13, Each 2x Signed, 1829-44

This archive consists of thirteen letters and circular letters sent by Register Thomas L. Smith of the U.S. Treasury Department or his assistants. Most of the letters are signed by Smith; the remainder are signed by a clerk. All are folded with an external address and include Smith's free franking signature and a Washington, D.C. postmark. They are addressed to a variety of collectors in Penobscot, Machias, and Bath, Maine, and Gloucester, Massachusetts.

[TREASURY DEPARTMENT.] Archive of 13 documents, each free-franked by U.S. Register Thomas L. Smith. 1829-1844. 15 pp. Some tears on folds or from broken seals; wax remaining for several seals; good.

Individual documents include:
' Letter transmitting statement regarding sums paid to inspectors and boatmen for previous year, December 16, 1829, 1 p.;
' Letter regarding resolutions passed by Congress for changes to reports submitted by collectors, July 1, 1830, 3 pp.;
' Letter acknowledging receipt of returns and reporting balances, September 8, 1830, 1 p.;
' Printed letter acknowledging receipt of documents, July 16, 1831, 1 p.;
' Printed letter requesting return of all persons employed on September 30, August 8, 1831, 1 p.;
' Outer wrapper for missing letter, January 19, 1834;
' Printed letter including report of Margins of Marine Papers issued at collector's office, signed by clerk, November 1, 1836, 1 p.;
' Printed letter including report of Margins of Marine Papers issued at collector's office, signed by clerk, November 18, 1836, 1 p.;
' Printed letter including report of Margins of Marine Papers issued at collector's office, signed by clerk Robert Lawrence, September 7, 1839, 1 p.;
' Letter acknowledging receipt of documents, October 9, 1843, 1 p.;
' Letter acknowledging receipt of documents, January 16, 1844, 1 p.;
' Letter acknowledging receipt of documents, July 22, 1844, 1 p.;
' Printed letter including report of Margins of Marine Papers issued at collector's office, signed by clerk Robert Lawrence, December 24, 1844, 1 p.

Historical Background:
According to the 1789 Act of Congress creating the Department of the Treasury, the duties of the Register included "to keep all accounts of the receipts and expenditures of the public money, and of all debts due to or from the United States; to receive from the Comptroller the accounts which shall have been finally adjusted, and to preserve such accounts with their vouchers and certificates; to record all warrants for the receipt or payment of monies at the Treasury, certify the same thereon, and to transmit to the Secretary of the Treasury, copies of the certificates of balances of accounts adjusted." Because much of the revenue of the United States came from import taxes, the Register had considerable correspondence with the collectors at the various ports of the United States.

By the mid-1840s, Register Thomas L. Smith supervised an office with a chief clerk, twenty-two additional clerks, and two messengers.

Thomas L. Smith (1787-1871) was born in Virginia and, after the death of his father, was raised by his uncle Granville B. Smith, the president of William and Mary College. In 1812, the younger Smith received a commission as a major in the U.S. Army. He later resigned and moved to New York, where he was President of the City Bank and served in the state legislature. In 1829, President Andrew Jackson appointed him as Register of the United States Treasury. In 1849, Smith became the First Auditor of the Treasury, a position he retained until his death.

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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University Archives

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