LOT #47072 |
Current Bid: $2,200
Declaration Signer William Floyd Autograph Letter Signed....
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Description
Scarce and desirable 1776 ALS by Declaration Signer William Floyd
Declaration Signer William Floyd Autograph Letter Signed.
Three pages of a bifolium, 7 1/4 x 9 inches, Philadelphia; June 15,
1776. Writing just over two weeks before he signed the Declaration
of Independence, Floyd addresses Thomas Hazzard in New Haven,
discussing the recovery of debts owed to himself and his aunt,
"Mrs. Brewster." A Major General in the Continental Army,
Floyd had been appointed a delegate to the Continental Congress in
1774 and spent the next two years in Philadelphia in the midst of
the Revolutionary War. The letter reads, in part:"I have Recd a Letter from Virginia from one of the persons who was impowered to to [sic] collect my money and Aunt Brewsters it is (Mr Peter Lyons) he says he cannot collect the money untill there is a fair account rendered of the northward Estate...you will carefully observe in his letter to Mr Douglas what he desires should be done; and get it settled as soon as possible...
A part of his letter to me runs thus: I am sorry to acquaint you, that I had the misfortune to loose my study by Fire last year, and to have all my books and most all my papers consumed in it, and among them Mr Smiths Bond to you, it will therefore be necessary for you to send me an affidavit of the Ballance due on the Bond...Mr Dandridge tells me the money is still due from Mr Wm Holt for the purchase of Mr Smiths estate in this colony, and that he shall not draw it out, untill your claim and Mrs Brewsters is settled; and the Reason of my being obliged to go into a Court of Chancery was; that the Estate in this Colony consisted of Lands and therefore not legal assets or recoverable by suit of law; besides it was devised to Mr Dandridge and Mr Burbridge, in trust for Charitable uses-so for his letter-He has not mentioned anything of Aunt Brewsters Papers being burnt, but they may have shared the same fate with mine...she gave me a power of attorney to act for her in the recovery of that money when I was at home last and if you will send me the necessary papers I will endeavor to get it...if the papers be properly authenticated there is no doubt it will be recovered as soon as their courts open to do business."
Signed, "Wm Floyd." With integral address panel and remnants of red sealing wax on the verso.
When this letter was written, Congress was in the final stages of debating independence, and within weeks Floyd would commit himself fully to the Revolutionary cause by signing the Declaration. Only two months later, British forces defeated American troops at the Battle of Long Island, seized Floyd's home and estate in New York, and forced his family to flee. The British used his property as a base for their cavalry units over the next seven years, while Floyd remained active in both the army and politics.
Condition: Lightly toned with smoothed folds. A few small separations at the fold lines not affecting text, with longer separations at the integral fold. Remnants of red sealing wax at the right edge of page three, just touching a few letters. Archival tape affixed to the bottom left edge of page four.
Auction Info
2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction #6328 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
February
26th
Thursday
10:50 am CT
Auction Dates
February
26th
Thursday
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