Search Results: AUTOGRAPH from David M. Lesser, Fine Antiquarian Books LLC

Boston, 1871. Single leaf, folded to [4]pp, bifolium. Each page 5" x 8-1/8." The two leaves separating along the spine. Sumner's signature at the end has an ink smudge partially affecting the "C" in his first name. Because Sumner's handwriting was terrible, we have made a couple of leaps of faith in our translation. Very Good. Sumner [1811-1874] would die in office as a leading Republican Senator devoted to equal rights for Blacks, and to preventing the former Rebels from reversing the results of the War. Thus Sumner sought to diminish their political influence by delaying the return of the Rebel States to full participation in the polity. Writing from his Boston home, he seeks information related to his Reconstruction policies. His note reads, in full: "Please send me " [1] Mr. Harlan's Bill of Dec. '61 on Provg civil Govts for the rebel States. "[2] Mr. Sumner's bill or substitute for Confiscation Bill. April or May '62. "[3] Mr. S___s bill for arming negroes. "Much oblige | Yours truly, |… Read More

5.5" x 7.5", in ink manuscript. Age toned, light dampstaining. Old folds, wax seal remnants on verso, small tears at top and bottom edges where seal was broken [no text loss]. A few short closed tears at edges [repaired with archival tape on verso]. Good. Benjamin Rittenhouse (1740-1825), a Pennsylvania native, was a master clock and compass craftsman. According to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, he became "the most prolific compass maker working in America in the late 18th century." He was the younger brother of David Rittenhouse, a renowned astronomer, inventor and maker of scientific instruments, and most likely learned his craft from him. A Captain in the American Revolution, he was chosen to establish a gun lock factory to supply the American forces in that War. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Assembly, and Associate Judge of Montgomery County. [Bud Uzes, Francois D., "The Brothers Rittenhouse." GIS Literature Database, University of Maine.] James Trimble… Read More

London, 1811. One page, 7" x 9," written on recto in neat ink manuscript. With a four-line ink manuscript note on verso, signed by the activist Sophia Elizabeth De Morgan: "This letter was addressed to my father William Frend who had worked with Thomas Clarkson some years before for the Abolition of Negro Slavery." Chained paper with watermark "PP." Minor toning and edgewear. Very Good plus. [offered with] Stipple engraving, portrait of Thomas Clarkson. [Fisher, Son & Co., London & Paris, 1836. Painted by S. Lane. Engraved by J. Cochran.] 5-1/4" x 7-3/4". Clarkson is seated in a chair, body angled to the left, facing forward. Wears formal attire with ruffled cravat, holding a feather pen in one hand. Printed on heavy stock with facsimile signature below portrait. Light toning and foxing. Very Good. National Portrait Gallery, NPG D2085. Thomas Clarkson [1760-1846] was the tireless Englishman who campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery. He was vice-president of the Anti-Slavery… Read More

[4]pp bifolium, text written on recto of first leaf, folded for mailing and addressed [with red seal] to Colonel Webb at "Head Quarters Morristown." Small tear to left margin from seal [text unaffected]. Very Good. The Massachusetts Federalist Otis [1740-1814], the first Secretary of the U.S. Senate, served as such until his death. He was an ally of John Adams, the father of Harrison Gray Otis, collector of clothing for the Continental Army, and a member of the Continental Congress. Here he writes in familiar and colloquial fashion to his friend Webb, who had been captured by the British in December 1777: "So you are going for the Camp - I am determined to make an excursion upon Henleys return who is the bearer of this, help him to wipe off some impressions that hurt him, every hope is vain from that quarter. You talk of being here in April. I lay you 2 to one I see you unless blind with both Eyes. I think you will have a curious Journey Colo. W, W E, & G L. In short, I am distressed 3 young Men… Read More

Salem, MA, 1824. Bifolium, folded to [4] pp. Letter on first page, interior pages blank, addressed, with Salem postal cancel, to "James H. Causten Esqr. | Baltimore." Old folds, tear without text loss from removing the red seal [a remnant of which remains]. Expert reinforcement on blank verso of portion of top edge. Very Good. Historians have not treated the Federalist Pickering well. He "proved to be malign" in the Administrations of Washington and John Adams [Flexner, 'Washington The Indispensable Man' 325]. "A stony-faced Puritan with hawk eyes" [id.], he was responsible for the removal of Washington's old friend Edmund Randolph as Secretary of State. He succeeded Randolph in that office as "a bitter and uncompromising Federalist. The French Revolution filled him with dread and loathing" [DAB]. Thanks to Garry Wills, however, Pickering's reputation has begun an uptick, particularly for his opposition to Thomas Jefferson's efforts to expand the power of the South and Slavery. See, Wills: "Negro… Read More

New York, 1817. Folio leaf folded to 7 1/4" x 9". [2], [1 blank], [1-address] pp. Light tanning, old folds, small tear at main fold from opening wax seal [most letters of the word 'Baltimore' are lost], small 2" x 3" rectangle cut from blank leaf [no text loss]. Addressed on final page with red date stamp "NEW YORK DEC 19." Paper watermarked "1812." Signed in ink by Martin Hoffman, Philip Hone and David Dunham. Good+ to Very Good. Three men representing four New York City auction houses write to Boston auctioneer T.K. Jones & Co., seeking its aid in avoiding duties on auction sales. The signers-- Martin Hoffman, Philip Hone, and David Dunham-- are a "Committee of Correspondence" in contact with "our Brethren" in Providence, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Auction houses and established retail merchants were, in many respects, competitors. Merchants resented auctioneers' disruption of their retail markets; auctioneers, on the other hand, argued that they contributed to market efficiency and hence the… Read More

Folio sheet, folded to [4]pp, all in manuscript. Docketed on page [4]: "Petition of Lawson Clark of Montgomery County. Presented by Archibald Van Horn. Recorded 5 June 1815." The first two pages, plus two lines on the third page, consist of Clark's Petition. Page [3] is Judge Chase's Opinion, signed and written in his hand May 7, 1815. Very Good. Jeremiah Chase was a prominent Maryland jurist, though not as famous [or notorious] as his Federalist cousin, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. Jeremiah was one of the authors of Maryland's 1776 Constitution, a delegate to the Continental Congress, Mayor of Annapolis, and a Federalist. Here he responds to the petition of Lawson Clark, the surety on William Ward's bond. "A presentment was found against William Ward for setting up & playing at a table called a Faro Table... Process was issued and continued against said Ward until March Term of said court in the year 1814 when the said William Ward was arrested." After he was arrested, Ward was… Read More

np, nd. Card stock, oblong 5-1/4" x 2-7/8." Fine. "During the American Civil War he upheld the cause of the North and opposed slavery, and his sermon on the death of Abraham Lincoln was an eloquent expression of the character of both men. His sermon at Harvard's commemoration of the Civil War dead in 1865 likewise attracted attention nationwide.[3] In 1869 he became rector of Trinity Church, Boston" [Wikipedia].

[1] page, twenty lines of manuscript. Reinforced and spotted at inner edge, else Very Good. Born in New Haven, Ingersoll attended Yale and practiced law in New Haven. He became Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives and then was elected to Congress in 1824 as a Democrat. He served thus until 1833, generally supporting Jacksonian measures. Here he exonerates himself from blame for the overdraft, and explains the bank's error. President Polk appointed Ingersoll Minister to Russia in 1846. In the final act of his political career he became Mayor of New Haven in 1851, and then returned to private practice.

Urbana [Ohio], 1838. Large folio leaf, folded to 8" x 12-1/2". [4] pp. Manuscript letter on first page, two center blanks, addressed on final page with postal stamp "Urbana O. Jun. 14" and wax seal remnant. Very Good. Ohio Whigs gathered at a major convention on July 4, 1838, in Massillon. Mid-term elections were approaching during Democratic President Martin Van Buren's presidency. "The Whigs had a splendid celebration at Massillon on the 4th inst. They were honored with the presence of Gen. Harrison and the Hon. Thomas Ewing, both of whom addressed the citizens that day. The Vanites also, had a celebration at that place on the same day... The Massillon Gazette states that the Whigs outnumbered the Locos about two to one. It is said that there were from 8000 to 10,000 persons present at the celebrations." [Huron Reflector, Norwalk, Ohio, July 24, 1838, page 2.] Joseph Vance [1786-1852], an Ohio Whig, was its 13th Governor [1836-1838] and the first Whig to hold that position. His service during… Read More

Single lined leaf, 8" x 12." Written in ink manuscript on recto; docketed on verso, adding names and addresses of Captain White and Lieutenant Jay. Signed in ink, "J.L. White Capt. Co. H 19th SC Regt."; and "Wm Jay Lieut Co H 19th SC Regt." Browned, Very Good. The Letter reflects Pillow's demotion to recruiting assignments after his dismal performance in battle in 1862 and early 1863. "According to Who Was Who in the Civil War, Gideon Johnson Pillow was one of the most reprehensible men ever to wear the three stars and wreath of a Confederate general. It was reported that during the January 2, 1863 Battle of Stones River, Pillow hid behind a tree instead of leading his men into the fray" [American Battlefield Trust online article on Pillow]. Pillow's military career never recovered. "Removed from combat duty, he worked mainly in recruiting assignments through the remainder of the war" [Wikipedia article on Pillow]. This Letter reads: "General, "I and Lieut Jay being from the same state and each of… Read More

Barbados, 1788. Folio sheet, folded to [4] pp, each page 7-1/2" x 9-3/8." Entirely in ink manuscript and signed "D. Parry" at the bottom of page [3]. Docketed on page [4]. Split along spine; several fold splits with archival repairs. All text preserved nicely. Good+. Governor Parry, differing with Barbados's powerful planter class, writes regretfully that the religious instruction of the slaves "is indeed shamefully neglected in the British West India Islands; the advantages that would result from it to the slaves and to their owners must be obvious to the meanest capacity, for without religion and the moral ties of Christianity little honesty can be expected from the one, or Humanity from the other. We may accumulate Laws without end, but if the manners of the People are Vicious, and Corrupt, not all the Penal Laws the most Bigotted, Cruel Inquisitor can invent will bind them." Porteus, Parry's correspondent, believed that "the Anglican church had a particular duty to convert the slaves on its own… Read More

Amesbury MA, 1890. Card stock, oblong 5-3/8" x 2-7/8." "I am truly thy friend, John G. Whittier, Amesbury, 2nd Mo m15, 1890". Very Good.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1836. Folio sheet, folded to 7-3/4" x 10". Written in ink manuscript on first page, two inner pages blank, addressed and docketed on page [4]. Postal rubberstamp [Harrisburg] with "PAID" free frank of Porter as State Senator. Old folds, wax seal remnant and small tear of blank margin from mailing. Stationer's blindstamp at top corner. Very Good David Rittenhouse Porter [1788-1867], a Jacksonian and elected Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor in 1838, was a State Senator [1835-1837]. His son, Lt. Col. Horace Porter, aide-de-camp to General Grant, was present at the surrender of General Lee. Rhea [Rhey] Frazer [1804-1856] was a well known attorney and prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His father, William C. Frazer [1776-1838], was a Lancaster attorney and served as a Supreme Court Judge in Wisconsin territory for a time; his grandfather William Frazer [1753-1817] was a Revolutionary War veteran and served as a justice of the peace in… Read More

Taunton, 1790. Entirely in ink manuscript, 7-5/8" x 9-3/4." Tear from opening at seal in blank left margin. Chip at lower left corner, just touching the "B" in Goodwin's title. Very Good. David L. Barnes [1760-1812], a lawyer in Taunton when he wrote this letter, moved to Providence in 1793, became United States Attorney for Rhode Island, and then a United States District Court Judge for Rhode Island in 1802.

5" x 8". Laid into a crude mat. Recto is glued to the mat, which is cut to expose the areas of text and to cover the blank areas. Some light glue stains [not affecting legibility]. Except for the choice of matting, Very Good. Vice President Hamlin's Letter suggests the impotence of his office. Writing from his home or law office in Hampden, he appeals for help from his fellow Maine politician E.B. French. French had just completed his term in Congress; President Lincoln appointed him Second Auditor of the Treasury on August 3, 1861. Hamlin is anxious to correct the bureaucratic snafu for which, at least in part, he seems to blame himself. These efforts would prove successful: Executive Proceedings of the Senate show J.C. Peterson's name on a list, proposed by the Secretary of War, for appointment as Captain of the Fifteenth Regiment of infantry as of August 5, 1861; Lincoln officially nominated all those on the list on December 6, 1861; and Peterson was among the appointees receiving the Senate's… Read More

[Middletown, PA?], 1852. Folio sheet, folded to 7-1/2" x 9-3/4". Written on the first page in ink manuscript. Docketed on final blank, "Gen. S. Cameron Jany. 6/9 1852, Ansd. Jany 9th"; addressed to "Col. R. Frazer, Lancaster, Pa." Folded for mailing, stamped "PAID 3" with faint circular postal cancel of Middletown and free frank "paid." Old wax seal and folds for mailing. Near Fine. Gen. Simon Cameron [1799-1889] of Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was a Democrat and Know-Nothing before becoming a Republican in 1856. Noted for his corrupt dealings and as a political chameleon, he was a U.S. Senator from 1845-1849, 1857-1861, and 1867-1877; and Secretary of War from 1861-1862, when Lincoln exiled him to Moscow as Minister to Russia. Reah Frazer [1804-1856] was a well known attorney and prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His father, William C. Frazer [1776-1838], was a Lancaster attorney and served as a Supreme Court Judge in Wisconsin territory for a… Read More

Charleston, S.C., 1841. [2] pp, entirely in ink manuscript. Boldly signed, "H.S. Legare, on the sixth line of page [2]. Early tape at the blank left edge. Very Good. Legare was a great South Carolina lawyer, State Attorney General, and legislator. Though a State Rights man, he opposed Calhoun-style Nullification. His correspondent, John Bell, was President Harrison's Secretary of War, and thus responsible for military appointments. Like Harrison, Bell was a Whig-- but formerly a Democrat-- who was rewarded with the Cabinet appointment for his support of the Harrison-Tyler ticket in 1840. Harrison died on April 4, 1841; Bell remained as President Tyler's Secretary of War, but would resign in September after Tyler broke with the Whigs on the crucial issues of tariffs and the National Bank. Legare's Letter is as follows: "The object of these lines is to present to you & to recommend to your kindest consideration Dr. Wilkinson of this city, who wishes to obtain for a son a place at West Point, or a… Read More

Boston, 1742. Single leaf, entirely in neat, legible ink manuscript. Signed at the end, "Your obliged & affectionate Bro. Thomas Foxcroft." Some early archival repairs, expertly repaired closed tear, none affecting the text. Light dusting and soil. Good+. Foxcroft, Pastor of the Old Church in Boston, "was learned, devout, and a good logician, and was admired both for his talents and for the elegance of his manners" [Appleton's]. He was also a fan of the Great Awakening, a friend of Jonathan Edwards, and an opponent of the cold rationalism of much of New England theology. Lord had asked Foxcroft to review a Sermon which Lord had delivered and wished to publish. It would be printed later in 1742 under the title, "Believers in Christ, only, the true children of God, and born of Him alone. A discourse delivered at the Old Church in Boston, Lord's-Day, June 27. 1742. And publish'd at the desire of some of the hearers, with enlargements. By Benjamin Lord, A.M. Pastor of a church in Norwich. With a preface… Read More

Middle Tennessee, 1862. Single sheet, written on recto in ink and signed "John A. Buckner, AAG." Docketed on verso, "Refers to Couriers & Blank Paroles." Very Good. Buckner sweetens his criticism of Wheeler by thanking him "for your kindness in sending late papers. We have quite a feast when they arrive." Buckner also requests Wheeler to send him some "blank Paroles today if any can be obtained from the Commandant of the Post." John Alexander Buckner [1832-1903], born in Kentucky, graduated from Centre College in 1852, studied theology at Princeton and later at Union Theological Seminary, was a missionary in Brazil until 1856, and settled in Carroll Parish, Louisiana, where he became a successful plantation owner. Buckner enlisted in September, 1861, as Captain, Company A, 8th Kentucky Confederate Regiment. In July 1862 he was appointed Assistant Adjutant General under General John Breckinridge. He also fought under his relative and future Governor of Kentucky Col. Simon Bolivar Buckner.… Read More