Description:

Benjamin Franklin Boldly Signed Document, Superb Display

An extremely attractive Pennsylvania land grant signed by Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) as "B. Franklin" at the center of the left margin, just eight months into his first term as President of the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The bold and elegant signature measures 2.5" x 1.25" alone and is one of the best signatures we have ever seen. Recorded probably in Philadelphia on June 22, 1786. Countersigned by Council Secretary John Armstrong, Jr. (1758-1843) as "John Armstrong jr Sy" at lower left. Partly handwritten and partly printed on vellum. An embossed star-shaped paper seal is found in the upper left corner. Usual folds, paper flaws, and wrinkles, along which are found a few minor holes, and an irregularly cut left corner. The paper seal is intact but has several folded points. Scattered stains, else near fine. Displayed in a floating mount which reveals a wonderful scallop at lower right, to the right of an engraved portrait of Franklin with corresponding name plate. Matted and framed behind glass. Not examined out of the frame. The actual size of the document is 15.5" x 13.125" while the overall framed size is 30.5" x 21.5" x .875." Provenance information is included and further discussed below.

President Benjamin Franklin authorized the transfer of "Two hundred and twenty one Acres and Seventeen perches" of land from Edward Burd (1750-1833) to younger brother James Burd, Jr. (1765-1826) for the sum of £38:13:11. (A perch is a unit of measurement used by early American surveyors to measure the distances between corners; one perch is 16.5 feet.)

In part:

"The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,

To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting. Know Ye, That in consideration of the Sum of Thirtyeight Pounds thirteen Shillings and eleven pence lawful Money, paid by James Burd Junr into the Receiver-General's Office of this Commonwealth, there is granted, by the said Commonwealth, unto said James Burd Junr A Certain Tract of Land, Called 'Fertility' situate on the North West Side of the Allegany [sic] River in the County of Westmoreland…"

The exact location of "Fertility" can be seen in the attached map retrieved from the online records of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Collection. One can see a rectangular portion of land abutting the upper bank of the Allegheny River called "Fertility" exchanged between the brothers on June 22, 1786: the very transaction discussed in our document! Modern day Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania is located along the northwest side of the Allegheny River, early on its history sometimes also called the Upper Ohio River. Westmoreland County is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

The Burd brothers were the offspring of Colonel James Burd, Sr. (1725-1793), a well-known French & Indian War veteran and early patriot. Both Edward and James Jr.--as well as the land surveyor mentioned within our document, James Cunningham--are mentioned in Lily Lee Nixon's "James Burd: Frontier Defender, 1725-1793" (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press: 1941.)

The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the state's executive body, convened between 1777-1790. Founding Father and aging statesman Benjamin Franklin served as its 6th President (essentially state governor) between mid-October 1785 and early November 1788. This land deed was signed eight months into Franklin's 3-year-long term, the longest held term of any such President. "President Franklin" later hosted the 1787 Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia.

An outstanding document featuring the large and clear signature of Philadelphia's adopted son Ben Franklin. Franklin signatures are infrequently found at auction. This particularly fine example of a signed Franklin document, combined with its stately presentation and important historical associations, makes this a must-have!

Provenance

The lot comes with supporting documentation including:

1. Email correspondence between the buyer and seller, Blithedale Rare Books & Manuscripts (Newton, Massachusetts), dated November 14, 2002. Please note that the copy of "James Burd: Frontier Defender, 1726-1793" mentioned in this correspondence no longer accompanies this lot.

2. A catalog description of the above piece from Blithedale Rare Books & Manuscripts.

3. An invoice dated November 19, 2002 on "Blithedale Rare Books & Manuscripts" letterhead showing that this piece was originally purchased for $7,500.

4. Email correspondence between Victor Gulotta of Blithedale Rare Books & Manuscripts and Susan Raab of the Raab Collection (Ardmore, Pennsylvania.)

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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