(AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1779) Group of receipts issued to Foun

Sale 2546 - Lot 30

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Estimate: $ 300 - $ 400

(AMERICAN REVOLUTION--1779.) Group of receipts issued to Founding Father Gouverneur Morris. 3 manuscript documents, each roughly 5 x 7 inches; moderate wear, each spot-mounted to a later piece of paper with a presentation note by Morris' son. Philadelphia and np, 1779-80

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Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816) came to prominence as a New York politician during the Revolutionary era, serving a term in the Continental Congress in 1778. During the period of these documents, he was a lawyer in private practice in Philadelphia; he later went on to serve as Minister to France, Senator, and author of the Preamble to the Constitution.
Offered here are 3 receipted bills paid by Morris during the Revolution. First is a bill for horse tack purchased on 25 August 1779: a saddle, post bags, bit, bridle, and surcingle, signed by Schoop & Polk. Next is a bill issued 19 June 1780 for "the use of rooms 4 weeks . . . sundry articles of china . . . cash expended for Mr. Morris," signed by his Philadelphia landlady Mary Mackenzie. Last is a longer paid bill from 1780, including rum, vinegar, molasses, raisins, textiles for a bed case, candles, soap, and a week's boarding for a nurse--likely after Morris lost his leg in a carriage accident. It is signed by shopkeeper Mary Jones. Provenance: donated by Morris' son Gouverneur Morris Jr. (1813-1888) to an unidentified Sanitary Fair, presumably for use in a benefit auction to support the troops during the Civil War.