[Sons Of Liberty] Founding Father, MA Secretary Of State Sign Appointment

Description: Offering a 9 ¾ x 15 document, May 25th, 1801, signed by Massachusetts Governor and Founding Father CALEB STRONG and the first Massachusetts Secretary of State JOHN AVERY appointing HENRY VAN SCHAACK as Justice of the Peace in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, MA. Strong, Avery and Van Schaack all made extraordinary contributions to the formation of the United States. CALEB STRONG (1745-1819) was a Founding Father who served as the sixth and tenth governor of Massachusetts and assisted in drafting the Massachusetts State Constitution in 1799. He was also a leading member of the Federalists in Massachusetts. Strong also played an influential role in developing the United States Constitution at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and the passage of the 11the Amendment. JOHN AVERY was a member of the Sons of Liberty who defeated Samuel Adams at the polls to become the first Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. HENRY VAN SCHAACK was born in Kinderhook, NY, in 173 and died in 1823. As a youth, he was fur trader who forged business relationships with British officials. He and his wife Jane Holland had only one child. During the Seven Years War, he was an officer in a New York Regiment. Van Schaack accompanied Gen. John Bradstreet on his expedition against the Indians in 1764. In 1765, he was suspected of applying for the position of Stamp Tax collector. In 1766, that possibility occasioned a reaction from his Albany neighbors who came together as the Sons of Liberty to denounce the Stamp Act and anyone who would seek to enforce it. The Stamp Act imposed taxes on the colonies to benefit the British Army. In 1775, he was elected to the Albany County Committee of Correspondence. Before long, however, he was under suspicion for anti-Revolutionary sentiments. He was examined, arrested confined to the Tory jail and ordered banished to Connecticut. Van Schaack made his was to Great Barrington, MA and by the end of the war to Pittsfield. He lived there for two more decades as a gentleman farmer and magistrate. Overall in very good condition. Some chipping at the very top margin, not affecting the text. Slightly trimmed at the bottom margin, not affecting text. The Strong and Avery signatures are bold. The wafer seal is intact. Some ghosting at the very bottom from the seal. Archival tape reinforcement on verso fold. Everything we sell is guaranteed authentic forever to the original buyer. We also offer a 30-day return policy. If you discover a problem or are dissatisfied with an item, please contact us immediately. Our goal is to please every customer. We are pleased to be members of The Manuscript Society, Universal Autograph Collectors Club, The Ephemera Society, the Southern New England Antiquarian Booksellers and the Preferred Autograph Dealers and Auction Houses. [AM 362]

Price: 395 USD

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-09-13T19:57:10.000Z

Shipping Cost: 13 USD