Miscellaneous Documents
(Colonial America) Autograph manuscript (unsigned), 7"X2", regarding the laws
against the use of tobacco. Although an early manuscript, we are not certain if it was
actually written in the 17th, 18th, or 19th Century. Reads in part, "1639. Tobacco. -
It is ordered by this Court that no man take Tobacco in any Inne or common Veitual House,
except in a private Room...such person shall forthwith forbear upon pain of two shillings
six pence for every such offense." Mounted to another sheet.
1698 Colonial American Document. Benjamin Mason gets charged with Fornication with Ruth
Round.
1707 Queen Ann Period Colonial American Document. Warrant for 3 Negros for assault and
Battery by John Wodges. "They rolled him out of his bed and threw him down and tore
off his "Breeches" and "beat him with Rods and Sticks"
This item is a 7X7,manuscript document on rag paper,being a will of Timothy Sweet
"who departed life April 1777",leaving estate to his two sons Nathan and
Jeremiah. Signed by R.Steere .
Revolutionary War soldier's letter home to his brother . Dated Brunswick June
30th 1775 (New Jersey)Discusses family affairs and General Washington passing thru town on
his way to take command at Cambridge." .. When the general camethrough; we revieved
him as well as we could here but it was not extraordinary , for all." Decides do join
a company but can't decide which one, " I had rather join the light infantry, but it
is very expensive, so that will not do very well; the Battalion consists chiefly of old
men& they will not all uniform, so that will not do very well." Letter written by
(or to) Erkinus Beatty. Letter measures 71/2" by 12" high. Mentions Cousin
Hacket
Early Letter Regarding Debt,
dated Dec. 19, 1766. It was written in London, and addressed to one Mr.
Hugh Tarbett in America (probably Boston or Portland). The body of the document reads as
follows:
London 19 Dec. 1766
Mr. Hugh Tarbett
Sir, We wrote you of 16 Aug. with copy of your Account Curt. L1500.6.2 Sterling
& we are not a little surprised that altho 4 Months have passed we have not received a
Scrape of a Pen from you, & altho we are so largely in advance for you 16 months have
elapsed without one Shilling of Remittance from you- At sametime we have received in your
former letters (Sp.??) from you for not complying with Orders you sent us - We have
letters from Liverpool (Sp.??) advising that we need not expect any Remittances on your
accont from them as all the Effects they have of yours in their hands will not be equal to
their advances, Geo. Brown of Glascow writes us to the same Purpose, & the Remittance
made by Mr. Fuller was in some Canada Paper Money to his Correspondent here from whom we
cannot receive a Shilling & we cannot call them to any account~~ Thus Sir we have the
Notification to see ourselves duped by you at all Hands~~ We see Remittances that ought to
have been applied to cancell your Debts to us, put into other People's Hands & by them
appropriated to their own use~~ We see these Folks to whom you are indebted getting out of
the Lurch while we do not receive even a Promise of Payment & to crown all we see you
tho thus much indebted to us launching out into (Sp.??) Schemes of taking up Lands of
establishing Fisheries, which must be attended with a Considerable Advance & our
Remittances are thereby withheld from us - Is it possible that any Person can submit to
such Treatment as you bestow on us tamely & with Patience? or don't you think that we
have the greatest reason immediately to prove your account & send out Powers of
attorney to have our Debt recovered from you with the utmost Rigour? & we do hereby
assure you that we are absolutely determined to delay taking this necessary Step for our
Security no longer than till we have Time to receive you answer to this Letter, which we
shall know for certain as we have wrote many Letters by this (Sp.??) some of which will be
answered regularly And then Sir you must not expect that we are any longer to be bubbled
by Promises, for if you have no Effects that you can remit us tho you are sending them
home to others, it is surely full Time that we should endevour to put a stop to this
unaccountable Conduct of yours, which in whatever Light you may consider it, we think is
far from being honorable, just or even Honest - When we are gone thus far in telling you
our Sentiments on this Subject, and that we will not advance one shilling more for you -
In your Letters to Mr. Brown you say that in order to give us a Commission of Insurance,
1/2 percent, you gave us the orders, we now acquaint you that that Commission, nor any
other you can ever give us unless on Goods consigned to ourselves to cancell our Debt will
be any Inducement for us to go in Advance, where we think that our Money is in Danger,
& we tell you plainly that in the Present Case we do not think it is placed out on the
most Secure Foundation - As for Remittances in any kind of Goods we do not ask them;
People in your part of the World (America) generally set a much higher Value on their
Produce than it is worth here, which is attended with a great loss to them as well as a
Disappointment to the Correspondents; We therefore only ask for our Principal with the
Interest thereon & if we are so fortunate as to receive that in a short Space of Time,
we shall have nobody but ourselves to blame if we allow it to go abroad on Terms that are
so very disadvantagious & so very distressing as these, upon which you have had &
still retain the Command of it
We are Sir
Your most obedt. Servts.
Robt. & Robt. Bogles Scott
