Auction Name: 2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 47332

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6328*47332

John Baker Autograph Document Signed. One page, 6 x 7 1/2 inches, Sunbury, Georgia; April 12, 1785. A post-Revolutionary War certificate of service issued by Colonel John Baker of the Georgia Militia, attesting to the patriotic conduct of James Maxwell during the war. Baker, a noted militia leader on the Georgia-Florida frontier, commanded American forces in the Battle of Thomas Creek on May 17, 1777, one of the earliest engagements of the war in Georgia. Baker County, Georgia was named in his honor. The document reads, in large part:

"These are to certify that Mr. James Maxwell was an Inhabitant of this State prior to the [red]uction thereof by the British arms and was a refugee from the same during which time he cheerfully did his duty as a good Soldier and friend to this and the United States. Given under my hand at Sunbury." Signed, "John Baker Col. / L:C: Militia."

Sunbury, now a ghost town in southeast Georgia, was a major seaport in the province during the mid-eighteenth century. Captured and burned by British forces in 1779, the town never recovered; by the mid-nineteenth century it was largely abandoned, and its remaining structures were destroyed in 1864 during Sherman's March to the Sea.

Condition: Somewhat toned with smoothed folds and rough edges. Several small areas of loss, affecting a few letters. Separations repaired with archival tissue on the verso.

Include Thumbnail(s)