Below are examples of exceptional results for Documents, Books, and Maps auctioned by Case Antiques, Inc. The sold price includes the Buyer’s Premium. If you have items like these in an estate, a private collection, or a museum, and would like to sell them, visit our selling page to learn more about consigning. We appreciate your interest!
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(Note: Prices realized include a buyer's premium.)
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George Washington Signed Book w/ Bookplate | GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799). Washington was Founding Father, Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War and the first President of the United States of America. A volume signed by George Washington on the top of the title page. The book a bound copy of the first five issues of Volume One of “The Massachusetts Magazine: or Monthly Museum of Knowledge and Rational Entertainment”, published by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews of Boston in 1789. The inside front cover has his armorial bookplate and this book was once in his Mount Vernon library. The front endpaper has an inscription reading “Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr./1911/ Presented by his grandmother M.A.MC. from the library of his great-great-grandfather Chief Justice John Marshall”. The Massachusetts Magazine, founded in 1789 and published until 1796 by the famous printer Isaiah Thomas, advertised on its title page that it contains “poetry, music, biography, history, physics, geography, morality, criticism, philosophy, mathematics, agriculture, architecture, chemistry, novels, tales, romances, translations, news, marriages, deaths, eteorological observations, etc. etc.”. It was founded at the same time as the nation to act as “a kind of thermometer, by which the genius, taste, literature, history, politics, arts, manners, amusements and improvements of the age and nation, may be ascertained”. This particular book is important for Washington since it covers the events of 1789 that included his inauguration as the country’s first President. For example, page 314 is entitled “Papers relative to the President of the United States” and includes a printing of his Inaugural Address that starts with “Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order…”. It is then followed by “The Address of the Senate to the President of the United States In Answer to his Speech to Both Houses of Congress”. On page 286 is a passage entitled “Memoirs of General Washington”. In other words, Washington kept this book since it was a “clippings file” of his first year as President. An outstanding Washington signed book with a great association year and terrific content. Front endpaper with inscription reading: Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr./1911/ Presented by his grandmother M.A.M.C. (Mary Ambler Marshall Coleman) from the library of his great-great-grandfather Chief Justice John Marshall. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, by descent from Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was also related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. Note: John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, serving for thirty-five years. He oversaw landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and the Dartmouth College case. His lifelong friendship with George Washington developed during their Revolutionary War service including the winter at Valley Forge and the battles at Brandywine and Monmouth; he went on to write one of the early biographies of America’s first president (see related lots, #263, 264). Description courtesy of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. CONDITION: This volume has been rebacked and rebound in leather with new endpapers before 1911 and is in good condition. It appears that the original front cover has been incorporated into the binding and shows some wear. The bookplate has been preserved and is in good condition. The front cover is scuffed. There is a slight tear to the title page nowhere near the dark Washington autograph, and there is toning and spotting to the interior pages. [See more photos →] |
$138,000.00 | |
10 vol. Audubon Octavo Birds of America, Quadruped | Exceptional complete set of Audubon Octavo Birds and Quadrupeds (total 10 volumes). Includes the 7 volume – The Birds of America, from Drawings made in the United States and their Territories. New York: V. G. Audubon, Roe Lockwood & Son, 1860. The set also includes the 3 volume – The Quadrupeds of North America. New York: V. G. Audubon, 1856. This complete 10 volume set contains a total of 655 hand colored lithographed plates – 500 plates for the Birds of America volumes, 155 plates for the Quadrupeds of North America. Bird plate size 10 3/8″ x 6 5/8″. Quadruped plate size 10 1/2″ x 6 5/8″. Each volume with the inscription, “From Library of Hardy Bryan Aug 1860” and the later inscription, “To Hardy Bryan Branner from His Mother Magnolia Bryan Branner May 2nd 1897 with love”. Hardy Bryan Branner was mayor of Knoxville in 1880, a graduate under Robert E. Lee at Washington College, and co-founder of Standard Knitting Mills. He is buried in Old Gray Cemetery, Knoxville. Magnolia Avenue in Knoxville was named after his mother. Condition – plates with vibrant colors and generally clean with no creases or tears. All 655 plates present. Very occasional minor foxing or spotting, a few plates just slightly discolored at margins, a few plates with slight toning. Some tissue guards with foxing/browning and less than four tissue guards missing on the entire set. Foxing to text pages of Bird volumes, less so with the Quadrupeds text. Brown embossed morocco covers, marbled endpapers, spines with gilt lettering, scuffs to edges.
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$38,400.00 | |
Rare flag & archive from ship "Red White and Blue" | Flag and historical archive relating to the 1866 voyage of the miniature ship The Red White and Blue, which in 1866 became the smallest ship ever to cross the Atlantic. Note: A detailed history of this important nautical cache and the ship’s voyage, which captured attention and created controversy on both sides of the Atlantic, is available to interested parties, and includes flag history and description by Greg Biggs. ITEM 1: 13 star Flag, single ply wool bunting with hand appliqued stars. Front hoist inscription “Ship ‘Red White and Blue’-1866 of NY 2 tons 38/100 registered. To London and Paris Exposition = 1867 Capt. John M Hudson and F. E. Fitch.” Reverse hoist inscription reveals flag’s original use as a Civil War boat flag: “USSS Flambeau’s Picket boat 2nd cutter 1864, Acting ensign J.M. Hudson.” Exhibited Cheekwood Museum of Art, “Nashville Collects”, circa 1990. 31-1/4″ H x 45″ W. ITEM 2: The ship’s log, penned by Captain Hudson, including description of boat, newspaper clipping describing the voyage prior to departure, daily entries describing the trip and location, and details of the events at the Crystal Palace, Paris Exhibition and across Europe. Earliest entry date May 9th 1866, through December 27,1867. Log bears label for William H. Ritch, Commission Merchant, Ships Chandler & Grocer, 39 South Street, Corner Old Slip, New York. ITEM 3: Oval silver plated plaque, engraved, “Ingersoll Metallic Life Boat Red White and Blue. Ship rigged Sailed from New York, United States, July 9th 1866. Arrived off Hastings, England August 16th 1886. Navigators, Capt. John M. Hudson, and Mate Frank E. Fitch. Inventor and Builder Oliver Roland Ingersoll. Property of the American Boat & Oar Bazaar. 243 & 245 South and 475 & 447 Water Street New York.” Framed in later gilt frame, not examined out of frame. Exhibited Cheekwood Museum of Art, “Nashville Collects”, circa 1990. Sight: 8 1/4″ H x 10″ W Framed: 12″ H x 14″ W ITEM 4: Two framed prints including Currier and Ives lithograph “The Miniature Ship, Red, White, and Blue.” Print lists information on the size of the boat and a brief description of voyage. In later gilt frame. Sight: 9 3/4″ H x 14 1/4″ W. Framed: 19″ H x 23″ W. Also a print from an unknown publication: “Red, White, and Blue” on display at the Crystal Palace, Paris Exhibition of 1867. In later gilt frame. Sight: 8 7/8″ H x 9″ W. Framed: 14 1/4″ H x 15″ W. ITEM 5: a large collection of letters, photocopies, and publications pertaining to the ship’s crossing and career of Captain John Hudson, including the shoulder straps and gold braid from his Navy uniform. Provenance: Estate of A. Welling LaGrone, Jr., Nashville, Tenn. ABOUT THE FLAG: United States Navy vessels of the 19th Century, and even now, carried several flags based on the Stars and Stripes of the nation. The largest was the ensign, flown from the stern of the warship. The jack was flown from the bow flag staff only while the ship was in port, while the commission pennant was flown from the main mast in the era of sails or a high point in the age of steam. The flags varied in size based on the rating of the warship. These vessels also carried small boats called gigs, and these boats also were equipped with flags. Boat flags came into existence in the early 1850s and carried, at least based on that used by Commodore Matthew Perry on his voyage to Japan, 31 stars. In 1857, the number of stars was reduced to sixteen. Being smaller flags, the lower number of stars made them more visible at a distance. In 1862, the Navy Department further reduced the star count to thirteen. This may have been in homage to the flags of the Continental Navy of the Revolutionary War. From 1862 to 1865, the stars were arranged typically in three rows with four, five and four stars in each from top to bottom of the canton. The boat flag of the U.S.S. Flambeau/Red White & Blue is this star pattern. A boat flag with the same star pattern exists in the Zaricor Collection in California. After the Civil War, boat flags were changed to a three, two, three, two, three arrangement, again from top to bottom. According to noted flag historians Howard Madaus and David Martucci, these boat flags varied from five through ten feet on the fly with the hoist measuring about half of the length. The 1864 U.S. Navy flag regulations (basically revised from the 1854 regulations) listed ship ratings ten through fourteen as boat flags. Flags for the tenth rating measured 5.28 feet on the hoist by 10 feet on the fly. Eleventh rated ships carried boat flags of 4.20 feet on the hoist by 8 feet on the fly while twelfth rated ships carried boat flags of 3.70 by 7 feet. The thirteenth rated boat flags measured 3.20 feet by 6 feet and the fourteenth rates carried flags of 2.50 feet by 5 feet. The U.S.S. Flambeau boat flag measures 31 inches by 42 inches which corresponds to a fourteenth rated boat flag. The flag has been cut down in its fly length by at least 18 inches at some point after the Civil War when it became the flag of the S.S. Red White and Blue. This was probably due to the size of that boat being much smaller (only 2 tons) than the U.S.S. Flambeau. The flag is made from single ply wool bunting with the stripes and appliquéd stars being hand stitched. The cotton canvas hoist edge is marked on the reverse side, U.S.S. Flambeau Picketboat, 2nd Cutter 1864. Acting Ensign J. M. Hudson. The second cutter marking probably indicates that the warship carried two gigs on board. The U.S.S. Flambeau was built in 1861 as a brigantine initially for the trade routes of China. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy in November of that year to augment their blockading fleet. Weighing 791 tons, she was 185 feet long by 30 feet wide. With her crew of 92 men, she carried between two and five guns during the war. Her career as a blockader was successful with four ships captured as prizes. The U.S.S. Flambeau was sold by the Navy in July 1865 after being decommissioned. As a merchant vessel, she was lost off North Carolina in March 1867. Acting Ensign J. M. Hudson left the Navy after the Civil War. He became the skipper of the S.S. Red White and Blue which became famous in nautical circles for the transiting of the Atlantic Ocean by such a small vessel. His old boat flag from the war was altered for the Red White and Blue, being marked on the obverse hoist edge, Ship Red White and Blue of New York 1866/2 tons 35/100 Register/ to London and Paris Exposition 1867/ Captain J.M. Hudson. – Flag catalog entry by Greg Biggs. Condition: ITEM 1: Flag survives in good condition with minor staining, some patches and fraying where flag attaches to hoist. The flag has been professionally conserved with a fine colored mesh attached for stabilization. Also, there are [See more photos →] |
$35,960.00 | |
Writings of Thoreau, Manuscript Edition, 20 vols. | Publisher Signed, THE WRITINGS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU, Manuscript Edition, Vol. I-XX, No. 133/600, published by Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, Boston and New York, 1906. Hardcover octavos, top edge gilt pages, each volume with handwritten number, frontispieces and additional illustration plates with tissue paper guards, hardbound in three-quarter green Moroccan leather with tan marbled paper sides, gilt floral blind stamping and lettering to spines, five raised hubs, tan marbled end papers, each volume with a green grosgrain ribbon bookmark. Volume I includes a tipped in, double-sided handwritten page in ink from a letter by Thoreau discussing literature. All volumes approximately 9″ H x 6 1/2″ W x 1 1/2″ D. Provenance: the estate of Edith (Edie) M. Bass, Nashville, Tennessee, by descent from her parents, Walter Paul McBride and Claire Childs of Lake Forest, Illinois. The books likely originally belonged to Mrs. Bass’s grandfather, C. Frederick Childs (1875-1955), founder of the C.F. Childs & Co. Securities Co. Mr. Childs was the first dealer of U.S. Government Securities. His offices in Chicago and New York were across the street from the Federal Reserve in each city and his trading office was located at One Wall Street. Edie McBride Bass attended Miss PorterÕs School and graduated from Vassar. She married Jack Maddin Bass of Nashville, Tennessee, whose father owned J.M. Bass and Co., one Nashville’s first securities firms. Edie served numerous charitable institutions in Nashville. She was a Lifetime Trustee of Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and the Ensworth School, and served on the Board of Miss Porter’s School. She was a driving force in establishing fund raising for the Swan Ball, The Land Trust of Tennessee, and the M.S. Society. Additional items from her estate will be offered in our January auction. Condition: Covers in overall very good condition with light shelf wear, corners slightly bumped. Pages in overall very good condition with toning, few minute, scattered foxing spots to some title pages. Toning impressions to bookmarks to some pages. Illustrations are collated. Journal IV with dog-eared end papers. [See more photos →] |
$26,400.00 | |
Ayn Rand Signed First Edition THE FOUNTAINHEAD, 1943 | Author signed and inscribed THE FOUNTAINHEAD, stated First Edition, by Ayn Rand, published by The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, New York, 1943. Octavo, 754 red top edged, side deckle edged pages, hardbound in red cloth with gilt lettering to front cover and spine, includes original pictorial dust jacket. Signed and inscribed “To Gertrude Lynneberg–with my best wishes for long years of happiness–Ayn Rand November 16, 1943″ to front end paper. 8 3/4″ H x 6 1/4″ W x 1 7/8″ D. Note: The recipient of the book was Gertrude Lynneberg, sister in law to Linda Lynneberg, also known as Aslaug Lynneberg, a Danish-American lifelong friend to Rand. CONDITION: Dust jacket with toning, creases, areas of loss, largest 3/4″ x 2″, foxing spots and several areas of scotch tape repair, largest 4″ x 1/2”, visible to interior. Covers with scuffs, few areas of staining, largest 1/2, normal shelf wear, corners slightly bumped. Pages with toning, handling marks, few foxing spots, to edges. Inscription and signature in overall good, clear condition slightly affected by toning. [See more photos →] |
$23,040.00 | |
1807 Byron book, Cosway binding, Sangorski & Sutcliffe | “Hours of Idleness” by Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron), 1807, first edition second issue, with early 20th century jewelled Cosway-style binding by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, the interior containing miniature portraits of Lord Byron and his ancestral home, Newstead Abbey. Original silk and velvet lined leather bound case. Hours of Idleness was the first volume of poetry published by Byron at the age of 19, which launched his literary career. This book contains properties associated with the second issue (Page 114 line 4 “thunder”; Page 22, line 2 “those tissues of falsehood..”). 8vo., 187 pp., printed by S. & J. Ridge, Newark, England. The binding, likely made not long after the foundation of the famed Sangorski (Sangorsky) and Sutcliffe bookbinding business in 1901, is of full dark blue French Levant morocco, with fly leaves of brown watered silk and gilt edges. The front cover features applied jewels including 1 central marquis garnet, 8 green chalcedonies, 14 turquoises, and 16 round garnets. The design on both front and back features interlaced strapwork, dividing the cover into Gothic style panels filled with red, green and gilt floral decorations. The front doublure is inlaid with a hand painted miniature watercolor on ivory portrait of Byron, surrounded by a laurel wreath inset with 4 green chalcedonies and 4 topazes. The back doublure is inlaid with a miniature watercolor on ivory painting of Newstead Abbey. Book: 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″. Provenance: Estate of Robert Keith, Brentwood, TN, listed Dawson’s Book Shop catalog in 1944, full provenance details available on request. Condition: Binding excellent. Book pages show light toning and minor foxing, overall very good condition. Case in fair condition with exterior wear and some small tears to silk. [See more photos →] |
$22,230.00 | |
Confederate Naval CDV Album Archive – CSS Shenandoah, Florida, Alabama | Important Naval Photographic Archive CDV Album of Lieutenant Dabney Scales of the CSS Shenandoah including images of uniformed and non-uniformed Confederate Naval officers from the CSS Shenandoah, CSS Florida, and the CSS Alabama, a 1/4 plate ambrotype of Dabney Scales in uniform, and extracts from the log of the CSS Shenandoah from August 2-5, 1865 detailing the encounter with the British ship, Barracouta, and learning of the overthrow of the Confederate government. Note – the Confederate ship, CSS Shenandoah, fired the last shot of the Civil War and marked the final surrender of Confederate forces on November 6, 1865. Given the orders to destroy the New England whaling fleet, the partially crewed Confederate ship circumnavigated the earth, capturing 38 vessels and taking over 1000 prisoners between 1864-65. Twenty-five ships were captured after the Confederacy had collapsed. 1st grouping – CDV album of Dabney Scales dated July 15, 1863 Paris, France on inside cover and a second, smaller CDV album marked Havana June 1, 1863. Interior contains several CDVs of fellow Confederate Naval officers, women acquaintances, and European subject matter including works of art and famous Europeans. A couple of notable women with signed CDVs to Scales include Rosa Bonheur (realist painter, sculptor) and Lillie W. Hitchcock (Coit). Of the approximately 25 identified Confederate naval Officers, 15 are in uniform. An additional eight CDVs of males in formal attire are likely Confederate Naval officers but have yet to be identified. Identified Naval officers of the CSS Shenandoah include Lieutenant Dabney Scales (signed), William Breedlove Smith, Paymaster (signed), Dr. Fred McNulty, ship assistant surgeon (signed), Lt. John Grimball, Lt. William C. Whittle (signed Jack), William Breedlove Smith (w/out uniform), Edwin G. Booth (assistant surgeon?), Midshipman John T. Mason, and Chief Engineer Matthew O’Brien. Joe Scales (Confederate Army), Dabney”s brother, is also pictured and signed en verso. Three formally attired gentleman with Liverpool marked CDVs are likely Shenandoah crew members. Uniformed Confederate Naval officers of the CSS Florida include Lt. Sardine G. Stone (signed), a CDV of the CSS Florida with small images of each crew member surrounding the Florida ship image (each officer identified), Lt. Midshipman R.S. Floyd, Lt. George Dwight Bryan (became mayor of Charleston after war), Lt. Sardine G. Stone pictured with another male, and Lt. James Lingard Hoole pictured with another male, CDV of non-uniformed male (possibly T.T. Hunter). Uniformed Confederate Naval officers of the CSS Alabama include Lt. Joseph D. “Fighting Joe” Wilson, Midshipman E. R. Anderson, Lt. Richard F. Armstrong, and Midshipman Eugene Anderson Maffit, and possibly Surgeon Galt. Other CDV s Confederate officers in the smaller album lot include P. T. Beauregard with an Augusta, GA label, an unidentified officer with a Louisville, KY label, and a CDV of Confederate General Joe Johnson. 2nd grouping – Extracts from the “Log of the C.S.S. Shenandoah on a cruise Aug 2-3-4 1865 with course headings, latitude and longitude for each day. August 2, 1865 reads, “Got Steam and stood in chase. Took in all sail except the head sails. At 4:15 came up with chase stopped the engine & sent a boat along side the English barque “Baracuta from San Francisco bound to Liverpool. 13 days out ——– Having received by the barque Barracouta the sad intelligence of the overthrow of the Confederate Government. All attempts to destroy the shipping on property of the Northern States will cease from this date. In accordance with which the First Lieutentant W. C. Whittle Jr. received the order from the Commander to strike below the battery and disarm the ship & crew.” 3rd item – 1/4 plate size ambrotype of Confederate Dabney Scales in an early Naval uniform. Hand tinted buttons and lapel highlighted in gold. Littlefield, Parsons & Co. case patented 1856 & 1857 with a beehive and farm implements pattern on front and back. Provenance: Direct descendant of Lt. Dabney Scales. CONDITION: 1st grouping – larger album with spine and covers loose with losses. CDVs overall very good condition with a couple showing more foxing near the back of the larger album, some CDVs with edges trimmed. 2nd item – extract pages in overall very good condition with pages very legible. 3rd item – ambrotype image with scattered losses to the face area. [See more photos →] |
$20,460.00 | |
Confederate CSS Shenandoah Diary and Archive | Important 1865 Confederate CSS Shenandoah ship diary archive of Lieutenant Dabney Scales including 1865 diary journal (85 pages, 104 pages total), an ambrotype and CDV of Lt. Dabney Scales in uniform, a CDV of the Shenandoah, and an author signed book/pamplet titled, “Cruises of the Confederate States Steamers “Shenandoah and “Nashville by Captain William C. Whittle, 1910. Note – the Confederate ship, CSS Shenandoah, fired the last shot of the Civil War and marked the final surrender of Confederate forces on November 6, 1865. Given the orders to destroy the New England whaling fleet, the partially crewed Confederate ship circumnavigated the earth, capturing 38 vessels and taking over 1000 prisoners between 1864-65. Twenty five ships were captured after the Confederacy had collapsed. Biography of Dabney Scales – Dabney Minor Scales (1841-1920) of Memphis, TN was the son of Peter Scales, a planter originally from Virginia. Dabney was born and raised in Holly Springs, Mississippi, attended the US Naval Academy and joined the Confederate Navy at the outbreak of the Civil War. He served on the CSS Savannah, CSS Capital, CSS Arkansas, CSS Atlanta, and the CSS Shenandoah. In 1863-4, Scales was assigned to Europe and spent time in London and Paris regarding the outfitting and manning of Confederate ships constructed in England. Fearing he would be prosecuted as a pirate after the Civil War, Dabney Scales lived in Mexico for a short time, but was back in the States practicing law in Memphis by about 1869. He married Susan Winchester Powell (granddaughter of Gen. James Winchester) in Nashville circa 1885 and was elected to the Tennessee legislature and served in the Tennessee State Senate 1895-1896. He returned to active Naval duty in the Spanish American War, serving as a lieutenant despite his age. 1st item – CSS Shenandoah ship diary of Lieutenant Dabney Scales, 85 pages with some hand drawn illustrations. Complete diary has a total number of 104 pages and includes a partial journal by a different hand from May 1864 – December 1864 relating to the ship Edward of New Bedford – the first whaling vessel captured by the Shenandoah, and two pages of an 1870 entry by Dabney Scales. The log of the Shenandoah is titled “Confederate States Shenandoah cruising for Yankees. Scales retroactively records events back to February 13th, 1865 in Melbourne, Australia where the Shenandoah was dry docked for repairs. The diary goes into extensive detail on major events including the encounter with authorities in Melbourne and Liverpool, the capturing of vessels and crews for the year 1865, encounters with the natives, and interactions among Shenandoah officers. A June 22nd entry refers to the “Sophia Thorton” ship Lt. Scales boarded. The ship “made some show of escape by standing on through the ice, but a shot from one of the rifle guns brought her to.” He continues, “out of these vessels we have heard the most disheartening news I have ever heard from our poor suffering country. The captures of Savannah, Charleston, ..Richmond together with the surrender of Lee, with an army of 22,000 men – with this also comes the tradgical death of the “Rail Splitter” by the hand of an assasin. This will, of course, make a hero of him –. His last entry on this day, “To the part of this news relating to the surrender of Lee”s army + the disbanding of those not surrendered, I give no credence at all……I think however we should struggle on to the last, and if as the yankee papers say —Davis crosses the Mississippi to establish a Confederacy there. I for one shall follow and join him rather than subject to Yankee rule. On August 3rd, Lt. Scales writes, “How shall I attempt to describe the change that has come over the officers and crew of this ship within the last twenty four hours. I can only write a few unintelligible words that may serve to recall to my mind what my own feelings were yesterday afternoon…we came in sight of a sail – the first seen since we left the Arctic… Barracouta (ship) – boarded her and brought off the news – My G.! What news it was for us…. I was therefore in a measure prepared for either good or bad news but not for such as was in store for me….The only words I caught were – “All over – President Davis and cabinet prisoners in New York – All organized armies surrendered…” Upon arriving at Liverpool in November 1865, Dabney Scales writes on November 6th – “The (British) pilot boarded us in the mid watch this morning. His news confirms that given us by the “Barracouta – the downfall of the Southern Confederacy. The war, he said had been over so long that people had forgotten all about it. While many of these events have been published in previous books on the Shenandoah, this diary represents new primary source material previously unavailable. Regarding the partial journal of the whaling ship “Edward starting May 5th 1864 and ending December 1st 1864 (17 pages), the author writes of Right whales sightings and discusses and event Nov. 29th where a whale was struck and capsized the boat. 2nd grouping – 1/4 plate ambrotype of Confederate Dabney Scales in uniform with hand tinted gold highlights, CDV of Lt. Dabney Scales taken in Melbourne, Austrailia. Marked verso “Johnstone & Co. Melbourne, 3 7/8″ x 2 1/2″, and a CDV of the ship, CSS Shenandoah, 3 3/4″ x 2 3/8”. Last item – Author signed book/pamplet titled, “Cruises of the Confederate States Steamers “Shenandoah and “Nashville by Captain William C. Whittle, 1910. Page 32 signed, “For D. M. Scales from Yours Sincerely Wm C Whittle March 31st 1910”. Cover is marked in black pen, “Dabney M. Scales compliments of the Author. Provenance – Direct descendant of Lt. Dabney Scales. CONDITION: 1st item – Journal missing cover, binding loose and frayed, several pages separated, edges of several pages charred and worn. All pages appear to be legible. Diary page size 8 1/2″ x 13 3/8”. 2nd item – Ambrotype with cover unattached, Dabney Scales CDV with tape verso, Shenandoah CDV trimmed. and CDVs in verso. 3rd item – pamplet/book in overall very good condition with some browning to covers. [See more photos →] |
$19,470.00 | |
George Washington Signed Letter to John Marshall | George Washington handwritten letter to John Marshall (ALS), congratulating him on his first election to a Federal Office: “With Infinite Pleasure I Received The News Of Your Election…a Few Days Now, Will Give Us The Result Of All The Elections To Congress & The Legislature Of The State”. GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799). Washington was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, President of the Constitutional Convention, signer of the Constitution and First President of the United States. JOHN MARSHALL (1755-1835). Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice, serving for thirty-five years. He oversaw landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and the Dartmouth College case. ALS. 1pg. May 5th, 1799. Mount Vernon. An autograph letter signed “Go:Washington” and accompanied by a free franked address panel also signed “Go:Washington”. The former President wrote to John Marshall, congratulating Marshall on his election to the United States House of Representatives from the Richmond area. Washington hand wrote to the future Chief Justice (missing words are put in brackets): “With infinite pleasure I received the news of your Election. For the Honor of the District, I wish the Majority had been greater, but let us be content, and hope, as the tide is [turning, the current] will soon run strong on our favor. [I am] sorry to find that the publication [you allude to] should have given you a moments [disquiet] I can assure you, it made no im[pression on my] mind, of the tendency apprehend[ed by you]. [The] doubt you have expressed of Mr. [Hancock’s ele]ction, is unexpected as it is pain[ful in these] parts, we had set it down as cer[tain, and our] calculations went to eleven instead of nine. A few days now, will give us the result of all the Elections to Congress & the Legislature of the State; and as you are at the fountain of information respecting the politics of the members, give me, I pray you, the amount of the parties on each side, if you have the leisure & can ascertain them. With very sincere esteem & regards I am–Dear Sir–Yr Obedt & Affect Servt Go:Washington”. The address panel is in WashingtonÂ’s handwriting, and he sent it to “General Marshall in Richmond Go:Washington”; there is additional writing probably by a local postmaster. Includes dedication card reading “Presented to Louis Minor Coleman by his Aunt- Alice Marshall Coleman”, affixed to lower right corner of letter. Letter is mounted to grey card stock board. Letter – 9 3/4″ H x 16 1/4″ W. Board – 10″ H x 16 1/4″ W. Typed letter from Herbert A. Johnson, Associate Editor of “The Papers of John Marshall”, to Charles B. Coleman, Esq., dated February 26, 1968, included in lot. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, by descent from Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis M. Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. Note: This was not Marshall’s first political victory. In 1782, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, and remained there for seven years; he was again elected to the Virginia House from 1795 to 1796. In 1788, Marshall served as a delegate to the Virginia convention that ratified the new Federal constitution; Marshall was a staunch supporter of the new government. He declined Washington’s offer of Attorney General. During the Adams administration, he declined an appointment to the Supreme Court, but he represented the United States during the infamous XYZ Affair. His 1799 election to the House of Representatives was his first Federal victory; Marshall was helped because of his support from Patrick Henry. In 1800, President Adams named Marshall Secretary of State and the next year, Adams nominated him to become the fourth Chief Justice. The “Mr. Hancock” mentioned is most likely the Virginia Congressman George Hancock, who served in the House of Representatives from 1793 to 1797. The letter and attached address leaf are glued to a larger board and framed; paper loss affects about twenty words. The Library of Congress owns a letterbook copy of this letter and the missing words can be ascertained. According to The American Book Prices Current (a compendium of auction results), only three Washington to Marshall letters have sold in the past quarter century. A 1968 letter from Herbert Johnson, the Associate Editor of the Papers Of John Marshall, states “This is such an important letter that I know you value it highly. As you may know Washington was the most important influence that impelled Marshall to stand for election in the House of Representatives. This was his first domestic office with the national government and from it he moved to the State Department and then the Chief Justiceship…Washington’s request that Marshall provide him with the Virginia election returns–another indication of Marshall’s position in the Federalist party in Virginia…”. An additional letter included in this lot is dated June 1913 from United States senator/historian Albert J. Beveridge and reads, “Dear Mr. Coleman: Miss Lizzie Marshall of Leeds, VA informed me that you have some letters of Chief Justice Marshall – one of them from George Washington.” (Beveridge states he is gathering material to write the The Life of John Marshall and would like copies of the letters.). A great association between the first President and the great Chief Justice. Description courtesy of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. CONDITION: Overall good condition. Washington signature and writing in strong, clear condition. Areas of dampstaining, including faint 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ dampstaining over signature (does not affect overall quality). 3 3/8″ x 2 1/4″ area of text missing from left margin of letter (3 3/8″ x 6 1/2″ area missing in total extending from below address to left horizontal fold line). 1/2″ x 3/8″ area of lower right corner repaired (does not affect signature). [See more photos →] |
$19,200.00 | |
Cormac McCarthy, Signed 1st Editions, The Passenger & Stella Maris Box Set | 1st Item: THE PASSENGER, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2022, 8 vo., First Edition stated with no additional printings. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed on the ffep (front free end paper) “For Brantley / & Janay / Love / Cormac.” F/F, Fine book in unread condition, in blue cloth boards with gilt stamping to spine, in Fine unclipped jacket. 2nd Item: STELLA MARIS, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2022, 8 vo. First Edition stated with no additional printings. Presentation copy, inscribed on the ffep “For Brantley & Janay / Cormac McCarthy.” F/F, Fine book in unread condition, in maroon boards with gilt stamping, in Fine unclipped jacket. Both books were published simultaneously (but STELLA MARIS being released a month after THE PASSENGER), both being offered together in this box set soon after. Note: Knopf also released a number of sets with McCarthy”s signature on a tipped-in sheet; these are not that set, but a personalized pair. CONDITION: Slipcase with 3/4″ separation to paper on top of spine. 1st item (The Passenger): Dust jacket has white accretion speck to front, above “McCarthy,” plus 1/4″ wrinkle to upper right of front cover, above speck, and negligible roughing to spine edges. 2nd item (Stella Maris): Jacket with negligible roughing to spine edges. [See more photos →] |
$17,080.00 | |
Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, 1st Edition, Signed | BLOOD MERIDIAN or THE EVENING REDNESS IN THE WEST, by Cormac McCarthy, Random House, New York, 1985. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed on the ffep (front free end paper) to McCarthy’s long-time friends, “For John & Lanelle / With much love / Cormac”. 1st/1st, Stated First Edition on copyright page with correct Random House number line “24689753” indicating First Printing. Octavo, G/G, publisher’s red boards with red cloth spine, slightly off-white, original unclipped price of $17.95. Jacket housed in archival protector. 8 1/2″ H x 6″ W x 1 1/4″ D. PROVENANCE: Collection of the original giftee, East Tennessee. CONDITION: Book is Good with slight looseness, toning and foxing to top edge, slight foxing to fore and bottom. DJ (dust jacket) is Good with some 1/8″ chipping along top of front, spine and rear. [See more photos →] |
$15,600.00 | |
Morden 1673 Virginia Map of English Plantations | Robert Morden (d. 1703) and William Berry (fl. 1669-1708) : A NEW MAP OF THE ENGLISH PLANTATIONS IN AMERICA BOTH CONTINENTS AND ISLANDS, “Shewing their true Situation and distance from England or one with another. By Robert Morden, at the Atlas, in Cornhill nere the Royal Exchange, and William Berry at the Globe between York House and the New Exchange in the Strand, London.” 1673, black and white line engraving with hand coloring on laid paper. Cartouche depicting Native American figures upper left; inset map upper right showing the true situation of the colonies in relation to Britain. 17″ x 20 3/4″ image; 17 1/2″ x 21 1/2″ sight, 28″ x 32″ frame. Ref. William C. Wooldridge, “Mapping Virginia,” fig. 74 p. 82-83; Wooldridge states that this rare map is “the first general map of the American colonies.” Private Middle Tennessee collection. CONDITION: 1″ x 1/4″ loss to upper right corner. Two 1/2″ x 1/4″ losses at center edge and upper left edge (filled in on backing paper). 1″ tear upper right edge. Dark staining to entire upper edge, extending along entire right edge of map, other scattered lighter stains and pale discolorations. Taped down along top. [See more photos →] |
$13,200.00 | |
Civil War Jefferson Davis Signed Letter to Robert E. Lee, May 1864 | Civil War era ALS. One-page bifolium handwritten autographed letter signed by Jefferson Finis Davis (1808-1889) as president of the Confederate States of America (CSA) from 1861 to 1865, Richmond, Virginia, writing to General Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870), Headquarters of the Army of Virginia, dated May 12, 1864. Composed shortly after the events of the Battle of the Wilderness (fought on May 5-7, 1864), Davis writes "Your conduct of the Wilderness fight has won you much praise in the City [of Richmond] and the Sec[retary] of War [James Seddon] is justly proud of your achievement and I am greatly pleased and extend the congratulations not only of myself but the members of the Cabinet. I am much disappointed to learn of [Lieutenant General James] Longstreet's tardiness. Will you try to arrange matters so that I might see you in person within the next ten days. Respectfully yours, Jefferson Davis." Does not include envelope, typed transcription is included. Letter: 8 1/8" H x 10" W. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Writing and signature are in overall good, legible condition with fading, particularly toward the end of the letter. Fold lines with very minute tears towards the edges. General handling wear, areas of dampstaining, largest 5 3/4" x 6" (partially affects signature). Minute area of stick residue to lower left and right, interior of bifolium. [See more photos →] |
$11,250.00 | |
Capt. Oliver Pinkney McCammon Civil War Archive | A freshly discovered and extensive Civil War archive relating to Captain Oliver Pinkney McCammon (O.P.M.) of the 3rd East Tennessee Cavalry, Company L, also relating to the explosion of The Sultana and campaigns in Tennessee. Over 120 items, mostly letters of correspondence between Captain Pinkney (1840-1897, Blount Co.,TN) and his future wife, A. E. McCall of Blount Co., during the war years of 1861-1865. Archive also contains additional letters of correspondence between Captain Pinkney and his father, the men in his regiment, and others. This lot also contains a small circular tintype of McCammon in uniform and an amber “Union” bottle from the war period. An overview of content includes McCammon’s discussion of military campaigns in Middle Tennessee including engagements with General Wheeler and Hood, capture of his regiment by General Forest in September of 1864 and his subsequent escape, correspondence relating to the loss of several of his men on the ill-fated Sultana steamboat, discussion of guerilla attacks by Rebels in East Tennessee by A. E. McCall and his father, discussion of local and national political matters, smallpox breakouts in the camps, and an ongoing written courtship between McCammon and his future wife, Ann E. McCall. The archive contains letters such as the poignant correspondence written Nov. 20, 1864 from Susan Fowler to Captain McCammon on the report her son, Andrew Fowler, who was taken prisoner by the Confederates. She writes, ìit is a consolation to know that he (Andrew) is not numbered with the dead. I hope the time will soon come for him to return under your command as Andrew is all the support I have his father having died since he went away and left me with four children to take of. I hope God will spare him to be an honor to his country & a blessing to meÖî (note ñ an A. Fowler from the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry is listed as killed on the Sultana in April 1865). An earlier January 1863 letter from Captain McCammon reviews the remaining carnage of the Shiloh battlefield over 7 months later, ìwe stopped at Cornith overnight. Near the long to be remembered Battle Ground of Shiloh, which place still bears witness of the vanity of life. Fragments of garments and the skeletons of the dashing cavalry horses are not all the marks yet remaining of warís wild rage, for human skulls are by no means scarce, upon the surface…î An excerpt from a Nov. 1864 written by Capt. McCammon discusses the capture of men in his regiment, ìIt turns out that Joshua Hines is not dead but is a prisoner in the Rebelís hands, so says a Report brought through by the Sutler of our RegtÖ Our Boys are at Cahaba, Ala & were in tolerably good health. When he left though living upon very scanty rations. Well, we have about one hundred and twenty five men here as the representatives of eleven companies & I believe my own Company came though best of any, having thirty five me including a few that were not captured, & those who were and have since made their escape. (Note ñ A. J. Hines from the regiment is later listed as killed on the Sultana). A later letter May 1865 McCammon writes, ìThe last few days have been truly days of anxiety with us–in relation to the boys of our Regiment who had been in Rebel Prison, — whom it seems were aboard–(The Steamer Sultana) –at the time of the explosion the number of our boys rescued from the sad condition into which they were thrown by the occurrence of the disaster, amounts to about one hundred and forty among which I noticed the names of Bart McMurray, Sam Pickens, Van Headrick, Pat Ray, Wm Hill, James Baker and two of the Pryor Boys.—I believe this includes the Majority of those saved that you would likely know.— Alexander McCammon died on a boat near St. Louis, Mo. Sometime previous to the above mentioned accident…î McCammons future wife, Ann McCall writes him from East Tennessee in November of 1864, ìì…things appear somewhat in a bad fix tho I hope it will not be in as bad a fix as some think it is, it is true that some of them is in bad fix they have had to leave home to go into the Southern Army their was only fifteen passed here to day in some company some from Jeferson and some from Blount and how many more is runing I canít tell. General Gillam had a fight at the Gap and got his forse scattered and they are runing everwhere their was three of them here this evening hunting their way to Knoxville. It is reported that they have been fighting at Strawberry Plains yesterday. I canít tell how true it is I recon Naughn A Brachinridge is up their some plase from the account that some of them gives that has run from up their some of them say that they havenít slept in their oun house for four months. What this country is going to turn to I canít tell they get worse ever day their is a farsed? that bellong to no army they just go about and ___ peopleís houses and steal anything they want…î Correspondence from a cousin of Ann McCall in February of 1864, ìit looks like the rebs and negros will take this plase after while the rebs is coming in daly and joining our regiment som of them think will do while others wont. Blont (Blount) Co. is very well represented(sp?)Öwe hear now our forces hav fel back to Noxville and Marville . I donít like that if we can hold thare a monthÖî Captain McCammon writes in September 1863, ìI should have been much pleased to enter my own County seat (Blount Co., TN) with the first Blue Coats, but as we are under the command of Rosecrans & it fell to the Col. of Burnsides to possess that country with federal forces, we have been deprived of that pleasure. To get revenge the boys went guerrilla hunting the other data & brought in twelve of the thieving scoundrels who were prowling about recruiting some thirty miles from here. ì A January 1865 letter from Captain McCammon near Nashville discusses the state of the Confederate cause – ìThe Rebel Army, of the West, utterly demoralized, disorganized, & almost Panic Stricken. General Sherman has Marched Victoriously through Georgia & Captured enough of Rebel property in Savannah to pay the entire expense of the campaign, – Whilst the Army of the East holds Lee at the gates of Richmond as a Sentinel giving but little time to contemplate any aggressive act whatever.î In addition to the letters, the majority retain the original envelopes and postmarks, a handful of other letters from friends and family members are post 1865. Provenance: Consignor is a direct descendant of McCammon; descended in his family. Condition: Expected toning and discoloration, few with minor edge losses, but all letters readable and in generally good condition. [See more photos →] |
$10,440.00 | |
Lewis M. Coleman Photographic & Memorial Archive | Lewis Minor Coleman (Virginia, 1827-1863) photographic and memorial archive. 1st item: Sixth-plate tintype of Lewis Minor Coleman attired in his CSA uniform. Housed in a tooled leather case, 1/2″ x 3 3/4″ x 3 1/4″. 2nd item: Cabinet card photo by A.W. Judd (1846-1929), Chattanooga, Tennessee depicting Lewis Minor Coleman accompanied by two aunts and another female family member. 5 1/2″ H x 6 3/4″ W. 3rd item: W. A. Pratt, Richmond, VA quarter-plate daguerreotype of Lewis Minor Coleman housed in a tooled leather case, 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ x 3 3/4″. 4th item: G. W. Minnis, Richmond, VA cabinet card of Lewis Minor Coleman attired in his CSA uniform, inscribed en verso, Lewis Minor Coleman I, Lt. Col. 1st Va. Artillery, C. S. A., 3 1/4″ x 2 1/4″. 5th item: Victorian oval gold plated mourning/memorial brooch, laurel and oak leaf detail, with inscription en verso reading “LMC died March 21st, 1863″, 1 1/4″ x 1 3/8″. 6th item: Victorian oval gold plated swivel double sided mourning/memorial brooch with swirl rope frame, not engraved but belonging to Lewis Minor Coleman, 1 1/2″ x 1 1/4”. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN. Descended in the family of Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman (1827-1863) and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. Biography: “Coleman, Lewis Minor, born in Hanover county, Virginia, February 3, 1827; graduated with high honors at the University of Virginia in 1846, and became principal of the Hanover Academy; in 1859, upon the resignation of Dr. Harrison from the chair of ancient languages in the University of Virginia, Mr. Coleman, who had been a pupil of Dr. Harrison, was elected professor of Latin, and relinquished his position in the Hanover Academy to accept the same; he served in that capacity but for two years, for in 1861, at the outbreak of the civil war, he joined the ranks of the Confederate army, in which he enlisted as captain of an artillery company which he recruited; he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel of artillery in 1862; at the battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, he was severely wounded, and after three months died from his injury, March 21, 1863”. (Information according to Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Volume III, By: Lyon Gardiner Tyler, LL. D., Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York 1915). See other lots related to this family in this auction. CONDITION: 1st item: Tintype not mounted into case, case split in half, general wear. 2nd item: Overall toning. 3rd item: Wear to case, image very good condition. 4th item: Fading, toning and wear to image. 5th & 6th items: Overall very good condition with minor wear. [See more photos →] |
$10,240.00 | |
Abraham Lincoln signed 1861 Appointment, Green Clay of KY | Signed Abraham Lincoln Civil War era document appointing Green Clay of Kentucky (1839-1912) as Secretary of the Legation of the United States at St. Petersburg, Russia, July 15, 1861. Signed by President Abraham Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of State William Seward. Embossed presidential seal lower left. 12" x 18" sight, framed under glass in later narrow black metal frame, 12 1/4" x 18 1/4". Col. Green Clay was a member of Bourbon, County Kentucky's prominent Clay family. He was the son of Brutus Junius Clay and grandson of General Green Clay. He attended Transylvania University in Lexington, KY, and Yale University. He was a recent graduate of Harvard Law School in 1861, when his fellow Kentucky native, President Abraham Lincoln, appointed him Secretary to the United States Minister to Russia. That post was held by Clay's uncle, the Honorable Cassius Marcellus Clay, a noted abolitionist. Green Clay worked only one year in Russia, helping his uncle secure Russian support for the Union cause before returning to the US to fight in the Civil War. He served as a Colonel in the Union Army, 3rd Kentucky Cavalry from 1862 to 1865. CONDITION: Lincoln autograph clear and bold, crossed by two fold lines. Some separations along fold lines, overall toning, scattered creasing. 1 3/4" tear lower left edge. [See more photos →] |
$9,600.00 | |
Andrew Jackson ALS, 1830 | Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) autograph letter, signed, as President (1829-1837), to Major Nathan Reid of New London, Virginia, detailing Jacksonâs intervention with Lt. Col. (Sylvanus) Thayer of West Point on behalf of Reid's grandson, William Steptoe Reid (roommate of future author Edgar Allan Poe), and encouraging the younger Reid to embrace and continue his education there. One page folio letter on vellum, Washington, November 16, 1830. 10" H x 16" W. Note: Major Nathan Reid's son (and William Steptoe Reid's father), Major John Reid, was Jackson's aide de camp during the War of 1812 and did not survive the conflict. Nathan Reid helped raise his grandson, while his friend Jackson, who lost his own father at a young age, became an uncle-like figure to young William. According to a privately published family history, it was Jackson who persuaded William to enter West Point although William wanted to be a doctor. While at West Point, William Steptoe Reid roomed with Edgar Allan Poe (who soon grew disillusioned with military school himself, and whose exploits ultimately resulted in explusion). Although Andrew Jackson himself rose to become one of the most prominent generals in American history, he lacked a formal military education, making his efforts to ensure a successful career at West Point for young William all the more meaningful. Ultimately, even presidential pressure was not enough to keep Steptoe in military school. He left West Point in March of 1831, the same year as Poe. William entered the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania, and became a prominent doctor in Holly Springs, MS and later Middle Tennessee, where he married Sarah Claiborne Maury. Dr. William Steptoe Reid's medical bag and a photographic portrait, which, like this letter, have descended in his family to the current consignor, are also being offered in this auction. Transcription of letter: "My Dr Sir, On the receipt of your letter of the 14th. of October last, on the subject of your Grandson Wm. J. Reid, I lost no time in laying before the proper department, your letter that it might be forwarded to the superintendent of the military academy, that the situation of your grandson might be fully known, and such preparatory steps taken as would prevent mortification to the youth, or unpleasant feelings to you. I have now the pleasure to inclose for your satisfaction, the reply of Lt Col. S. Thayer on this subject, which I trust will be fully satisfactory to you. Permit me to recommend it to you, to write your grandson to lay out of view every idea of leaving the institution until he graduates. This will stimulate him to diligence and put out of his view all idea of leaving the institution, & when this is the case, he has genius, that will surmount all difficulty, & place him in a respectable standing in his class. Tell him that his future prospects in life mainly depend upon his continuing there & procuring when it is within his grasp, a thorough education. I assure you my affection for the father has descended to the son, and as far as I can with propriety, he will be protected in all his rights, and encouraged to do right. Accept I pray you my best wishes & believe me your friend, Andrew Jackson." CONDITION: Letter was professionally conserved by Christine Young and enclosed in japon paper to address some separations and small losses at fold lines and scattered foxing. Small stain still evident on page 2 between "Nathan" and "Reid." Signature bold and clear, untouched by fold lines. [See more photos →] |
$9,000.00 | |
Kentucky Confederate Call to Arms Broadside, 1862 | KENTUCKIANS TO ARMS! broadside, issued by Captain W. W. Cleaver, 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry, Company F, from the headquarters for the Confederate Army in Lebanon, KY, dated September 12, 1862, reading "I am authorized by the Confederate Government to raise a Company of Cavalry for the Southern Army, to serve three years or during the war, and I call upon Kentuckians to…drive out Lincoln's abolition minions of the North…and to-day the Abolition Army is skulking behind the walls of Washington, in full view of the victorious Southern Army. Horse, arms and full equipments furnished to all who chose to volunteer. W. W. Cleaver." Housed under glass in a wooden frame. Broadside: 11" H x 11 1/8" W. Framed: 16 1/2" H x 18 1/2" W. CONDITION: Overall good, legible condition with some fading to lettering, foxing spots, areas of damp staining, largest 1 1/2" x 5 1/4", tears, largest 3/4" and areas of loss, largest 1/4", to center fold line. Broadside is loose, not adhered to board. [See more photos →] |
$8,960.00 | |
Confederate Navy Archive of Lt. Dabney Scales in Europe & Other | Civil War archive of Confederate Navy Lieutenant Dabney Scales including an 1863 journal detailing Dabney Scales assignment in Europe (approx. 250 pages), Scale’s 1860 U.S. Practice Ship “Plymouth” log journal (188 pages), and a Scales family post-War accounting journal spanning from 1871-1882 in Memphis, TN. Biography of Dabney Scales – Dabney Minor Scales (1841-1920) of Memphis, TN was the son of Peter Scales, a planter from Virginia. Dabney attended the US Naval Academy and joined the Confederate Navy at the outbreak of the Civil War. He served on the CSS Savannah, CSS Capital, CSS Arkansas, CSS Atlanta, and the CSS Shenandoah. In 1863-4, Scales was assigned to Europe and spent time in London and Paris regarding the outfitting and manning of Confederate ships constructed in England. After the Civil War, Dabney Scales lived in Mexico a short period before returning to Memphis to practice law. Dabney was elected to the Tennessee legislature and served in the Tennessee State Senate. In the Spanish-American War, he served as a lieutenant during the conflict. 1st item – 1863 journal detailing Dabney Scales’s assignment in Europe (approx. 250 pages) beginning April 24th, 1863 on Iron Clad “Atlanta off Fort Jackson near Savannah, GA and concludes on March 26, 1864 in Paris, France. Highlights from this extensive diary include running the blockade of Charleston on the steamer, “Ella and Anna”. Scales writes of their voyage to Nassau, Havana, St. Thomas, and finally to Southhampton, England. Upon arriving in Paris with fellow officers of the Confederate Navy, he reviews his days “sight seeing” in the Paris environs while also commenting on the war news from home. There is considerable discussion about the CSS Florida at Brest and Scales has communications with some of the Florida officers by person or written correspondence through other shipmates. 2nd item – Dabney Scale’s 1860 U.S. Practice Ship “Plymouth” log journal (188 pages) from his period at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, June 25, 1860 to Setember 26, 1860. CONDITION: 1st item – covers lost, most of binding lost with several of the first 30 pages separated from binding. All very legible. 2nd item – Spine with losses, minor wear commensurate with age. 3rd item – post war accounting journal with losses to spine. [See more photos →] |
$8,496.00 | |
Presidential/Civil War Autograph Albums plus Henry Longfellow Letter | Two (2) autograph albums from the early Nineteenth Century to the Civil War, containing the signatures of Presidents and First Ladies, prominent Civil War figures, notable authors, and other important Americans. Approximately fifty-six (56) autographs are inscribed directly onto the pages, pasted to paper, or on loose paper, with a few images, drawn onto the paper and loose. Presidents and First Ladies: Two (2) JOHN ADAMS (1735-1826) clipped signatures pasted to page with Abigail Adams and Charles Francis Adams Sr. signatures (see below). Includes one (1) end of life signature with additional piece of paper with location and date reading “Quincy April 28th 1823” pasted below signature, located in blue album. One (1) ABIGAIL ADAMS (1744-1818), wife of John Adams, clipped signature pasted to page with John Adams and Charles Francis Adams Sr. signatures (see above), with additional piece of paper dated “1813” pasted below signature, located in blue album. Two (2) JOHN QUINCY ADAMS (1767-1848) clipped signatures. One (1) pasted to lower right corner of page with Louisa Catherine Adams autographed poem (see below), located in blue album. One (1) pasted to page with Samuel Adams and Charles Francis Adams Sr. signatures (see above), located in brown album. One (1) LOUISA CATHERINE ADAMS (1775-1852), wife of John Quincy Adams, one-page autographed poem written on the page, dated August 11, 1848 from Quincy, MA, reading “Yet let not hence, presumption dare to scan The scope and purposes of Almighty mind Or scrutinize with impious doubt the plan Of wisdom and of goodness still combinedÖ”. Includes a small engraved portrait of John Quincy Adams with his clipped signature pasted to the page (see above) with a notation in Louisaís hand indicating that the poem was written by John Quincy Adams, located in blue album. One (1) JAMES BUCHANAN (1791-1868) clipped signature pasted to page, dated April 25, 1845, located in blue album. One (1) JAMES MADISON (1751-1836) free franked panel pasted to page, dated February 19 [year unspecified], from Washington, D.C., addressed to Richard Cutts, his brother-in-law, located in blue album. One (1) DOROTHEA DANDRIDGE PAYNE TODD MADISON (1768-1849), also known as DOLLEY MADISON, wife of James Madison, one-page autographed quotation written on page, dated June 1, 1848 from Washington, D.C., reading “Temper, thy power more magical Than that which graced of old Amphion’s lyre, Can savage hearts with wondrous spell the mind enthrall Can clean suspicion’s mist with gladdening fire…”, located in blue album. One (1) JAMES K. POLK (1795-1849) clipped signature pasted to page, undated, located in blue album. Authors: One (1) WASHINGTON IRVING (1783-1859) signature written on page, dated May 19, 1852 with notation indicating that it was “written at Rockwood”, above clipping engraving of Rockwood pasted to page below, located in blue album. One (1) HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW (1807-1882) one-page autographed quotation written on separate paper, the top margin pasted to page, dated January 1856, containing the concluding stanza of his poem “The Day Is Done”, located in blue album. One (1) JOHN HOWARD PAYNE (1791-1852), author of “Home, Sweet Home”, clipped signature pasted to page, undated, located in blue album. One (1) LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY (1791-1865), an American poetess commonly known as the “Sweet Singer of Hartford”, one-page, double-sided autographed letter written on separate paper, the left margin pasted to page, dated December 31, 1844 from Hartford, CT, sending New Yearís wishes, located in blue album. Civil War Generals/Leaders: One (1) WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN, a leading Union general, clipped signature from the bottom of a letter pasted to page, dated February 28, circa 1860’s from Hilton Head, SC, located in brown album. One (1) JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN (1828-1914), a Union general remember for his heroic actions at Little Round Top at Gettysburg, one-page bifolium letter, left margin pasted to page, dated October 25, 1906 from Portland, ME, in which he responds to Emily D. Boyd’s request for his autograph, located in blue album. One (1) JUBAL ANDERSON EARLY (1816-1894), a Confederate general, one-page autograph written on separate paper, the top margin pasted to page, dated October 31, 1847, from Toronto, ON, Canada, located in blue album. One (1) GEORGE MCCLELLAN, Union general, clipped signature from the bottom of a “Head Quarters, Army of the Potomac” letter pasted to page with George H. Thomas signature (see below), located in brown album. One (1) LEONIDAS POLK (1806-1864), a Confederate general killed in action near Atlanta in 1864, autographed quotation written on the page, dated July 4, 1855 from New Orleans, LA, reading “Now in thy youth he served him who givest…That his light in thy heart…”, located on blue album. Two (2) GEORGE H. THOMAS (1816-1870), a Union general nicknamed “The Rock of Chickamauga”. One (1) clipped signature pasted to page, undated, located in brown album. One (1) clipped signature from the bottom of a “Head Quarters, Army of the Potomac” letter pasted to page with McClellan signature (see above), located in brown album. One (1) JEFFERSON DAVIS (1808-1889), an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States, clipped signature pasted to the page, dated February 25, 1867, reading “very truly your friend Jefferson Davis”, located in blue album. Others Notable Figures: Two (2) HENRY DEARBORN (1751-1829), a Revolutionary War general, Congressman and Jefferson’s Secretary of War, and Commanding General of the United States Army during the War of 1812 clipped signatures. One (1) clipped signature pasted to page, undated, located in blue album. One (1) franked panel pasted to page, dated December 3 [year unspecified], from the War Department, Washington, D.C. Includes red wax seal, located in brown album. One (1) SAMUEL ADAMS, an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States who signed the Declaration of Independence, elderly clipped signature pasted to page with John Quincy Adams and Charles Francis Adams Sr. signatures (see above), located in brown album. One (1) WINFIELD SCOTT (1786-1866), a United States Army general and the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852, signature written on the page, located in brown album. One (1) GEORGE BANCROFT (1800-1891), an American historian and statesman, one-page autographed letter written on black bordered paper, left margin pasted to page, undated. One (1) BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, a prominent American scientist, one-page bifolium letter loose from album, dated March 14, 1845, New Orleans, LA, written to Miss Harrod as an introduction, located in blue album. Also includes clipped signatures of CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS SR. (1807-1886), LEWIS CASS (1782-1866), WILLIAM MARCY (1786-1857), JOHN PAULDING (1758-1818), CHARLES SUMNER (1811-1874), and others. Autographs housed in one (1) hardbound tooled navy-blue leather with gilt pictorial covers, containing approximately forty-three (43) autographs, with Boyd family crest ex libris label pasted to inside of front cover, gilt edged paper, and one (1) hardbound tooled light brown leather album with gilt pictorial front cover with gilt lettering to front cover and spine, containing approximately thirteen (13) autographs, inscribed “Annette M. Boyd from her Sister” in ink, front end paper, gilt edged paper (see above description for locations of specific autographs). 3rd item: HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW ALS. One double-sided, handwritten letter from Henry W. Longfellow, Cambridge, MA, to Mrs. Carroll, dated April 9, 1877. He writes to thank Mrs. Carroll for sending him photographs of the Wingate House. Housed under double-sided glass in a painted wooden frame with hook, top center. Sight – 6 3/4″ H x 4 3/8″ W. Framed – 7 3/4″ H x 5 3/8″ W. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN. The books and letter descended in the family of Lewis M. Coleman Jr. II (1894-1914), son of Lewis M. Coleman Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman (1827-1863) and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of United States Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. also was related to the family of Revolutionary War General Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. CONDITION: Autograph albums: Signatures in overall good condition with some foxing spots, old paste stains, toning impressions, minute tears (do not affect signatures). Covers in worn condition, majority of spine is no longer present, blue album. First leaf of pages separated from binding, blue album. Many of the pages are almost separated from binding, including page with John Adams and John Quincy Adams cut signatures, brown album. Several of the pages are blank, both albums. 3rd item: Overall good condition with foxing spots. [See more photos →] |
$7,800.00 | |
Cormac McCarthy, Suttree, 1st Edition, Signed | SUTTREE by Cormac McCarthy, Random House, New York, 1979. First Edition, First Printing. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed on the ffep (front free end paper) to McCarthy’s long-time friends, “For John & Lanelle / With lots of love / Cormac”. G/G, Good book in Good Dust Jacket. Stated First Edition on copyright page with correct Random House number line terminating in a “2”. Octavo, original boards, off-white & black cloth spine with gilt lettering. Original unclipped price of $12.95. 8 5/8″ H x 6″ W x 1 5/8″ D. PROVENANCE: Collection of the original giftee, East Tennessee. CONDITION: G/G, book slightly loose, fixing to top and fore edges, slight soiling to covers; DJ (dust jacket) is intact with chipping to top of spine, 1/4″ tears top corners, general rubbing; protected in archival cover. [See more photos →] |
$7,320.00 | |
Hicks Family Archive, TN | An extensive archive of material related to the family of Edward Dickson Hicks II, Edward Dickson Hicks III and Edward Dickson Hicks IV of Devon Farm, Nashville, Tennessee. The archive covers the men and their families over a time period from roughly 1850-1960, with the majority of ephemera dating from 1865, when Edward Dickson Hicks II (1831-1894) inherited the property from his aunt Fanny Harding and began raising Devon Farm cattle. The archive includes several hundred letters, many in original envelopes with postage stamps; dozens of postcards; several hundred receipts for furnishings, farm purposes, and services such as tuition of children from tutors and the Shelby Female Insititute (many on decorative letterhead of late 19th-early 20th century Nashville establishments); approximately 1 dozen land documents including deeds/indentures; broadside for the sale of Ed Hicks property Grassland, 12 miles southwest of Nashville; 50 to 100 photographs of family members, many identified verso, including an 8″ x 10″ print of Hunter Giers Hicks greeting First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt outside a train (the two ladies were said to have been friends), a photograph of Hunter Giers Hicks as a baby with her nurse Minnie, taken by her father, noted Nashville photographer Otto Giers, and scenes of cattle and farm life. 7 small notebooks/journals are present, including Ed Hicks account of his visit to the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition in New Orleans in 1885 and his expenditures; 1858 savings deposit book; 1866 diary with mostly farm related entries; a circa 1868 account book; an 1849 school notebook; “Mrs. Hicks'” (probably Mary Ann White Hicks or Harriet Cockrill Hicks) 1903-1905 journal with entries, mostly personal, but including an eclipse in Africa “visible in America at daylight,”, seeing a ferris wheel, yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans, creating “anxiety throughout the South”; peace between Russia and Japan – “Roosevelt is a peace maker;” and a 1907-1909 diary likely also from Mrs. Hicks, opens with “Today President Roosevelt arrived at nine o’clock and one grand __ was given him. He spoke at the Auditorium and then went to the Hermitage to visit the tomb of Andrew Jackson.” Includes some newspaper clippings, poems and other notes in the back. Other notable items in the archive include: Holy Bible, printed London 1853 by Eyre & Spottiswoode (no family info); ephemera related to Ed Hicks II’s role as administrator for the estate of John Davis c. 1853-1854; a 1856 “Phrenological Character” report on E.D. Hicks given at Fowler and Wells Phrenological Cabinet in New York (“You have a comparatively tough and enduring constitution, but have the appearance of having lived in a bad climate or having engaged in some occupation that was too confining for health, and have thus apparently run down…” ); 1857 letter commissioning Edward Hicks as delegate to the Southern Commercial Convention in Knoxville on orders of Gov. Andrew Anderson; Appointment signed by Governor Alvin Hawkins appointing Ed Hicks Fish Commissioner for Middle Tennessee, 1862; survey map of land along the Harpeth, possibly Devon Farm; plot of a field belonging to Jas. Greer, “Surveyed by Ed Hicks May 20, 1872 His first survey for which he received $1.30”; Broadside/advertisement for the Hurricane Mills Woolen Mills in Waverly, TN dated 1868; ephemera related to Hicks’ role in the Nashville Commercial Insurance Co including an 1868 telegram: “Our store was burned last night send an agent immediately,” signed J.M. White & Co. of Dresden, TN; an 1875 booklet titled Nashville Fire Alarm Telegraph Signal Stations; Emma Hicks’ autograph book with tipped in Victorian lithographed illustrations, circa 1892, containing approximately 50 autographs of young ladies; an 1891 secretarial signed letter from Gov. John P. Buchanan to Ed Hicks expressing regret at not being able to attend a meeting of the University of Nashville board of trustees; letter from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture commissioning Ed Hicks to collect samples of grain for the World’s Columbian Exhibition in 1893; a softcover book, “Information for Immigrants concerning Middle Tennessee and counties in that Division traversed by The Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway, published 1896 in Nashville and picturing “Hicks Cattle Farm, Davidson County”; wallet stamped E.D. Hicks Jr. (III) with hunting/fishing license and other various cards etc inside; newspaper obituary clippings and some family genealogy information; ephemera related to the Dobson-Hicks Seed Company, late 19th to early 20th century; 4 letters dated 1957 related to Ed Hicks service on the Nashville Metropolitan Charter Commission; and 2 personal letters from Gov. Buford Ellington including one expressing sadness at Ed Hicks’ death in 1962. CONDITION: Most items in good condition with expected toning, light handling grime, some tears to fold lines on earlier paper items and corner chips on photographs. A few documents exhibit chew losses. Several 19th century envelopes are worn with holes. Due to the large number of items in this archive, a personal examination is advised if you are planning to bid. [See more photos →] |
$7,080.00 | |
1 George Washington & 2 John Marshall Cut Signatures, Plus Mt. Vernon Albumen Print | 1st-3rd items: Three (3) cut book pages with signatures including one (1) George Washington and two (2) John Marshall. COAs from Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. will be provided for this lot. 1st item: George Washington (1732-1799) cut signature from the title page of an unidentified book, undated. Ink signature reads “G Washington” top right. 1 1/4″ H x 4 7/8″ W. 2nd item: John Marshall cut signature from the title page of “Sayings and Doings. A Series of Sketches from Life” by Theodore Hook, 1824. Ink signature reads “J Marshall” center right, with additional light pencil signatures by James Keith Marshall, John Marshall’s son, reading “James K. Marshall Leeds Fauquier” top and bottom center. 2 1/4″ H x 4 1/4″ W. 3rd item: John Marshall cut signature from the title page of “The Last of the Plantagenets: An Historical Romance” by William Heseltine, 1829. Ink signature reads “J Marshall” center right. 1 7/8″ H x 4 5/8″ W. All signatures accompanied by a leaf of folded laid paper identifying them as “two autographs of Chief Justice Marshall one of Washington” in 19th century script. Note: Marshallís ancestor William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147-1219), also called called William the Marshal, was an important figure in the development of classic knighthood during the reigns of Plantagenet kings Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, and Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. The ìLe Mareshalsî accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. (courtesy: Robert L. Hawkins, III). Note: James Keith Marshall (1800-1862) was a Virginia planter and politician. He served in the Virginia General Assembly as a delegate and as a state Senator, including after Virginia declared its secession during the American Civil War. John Marshall (1755-1835) was the Fourth Chief Justice of the United States and also served as Secretary of State under John Adams (1800-1801). 4th item: Albumen print of Mount Vernon, titled in pencil lower right and signed in pencil “Handy” possibly for Levin Corbin Handy (1855-1932), an American photographer who was related by marriage to Matthew Brady and apprenticed with him beginning at age 12. Image mounted on cardstock. Image – 7″ H x 9 1/2″ W. Cardstock – 9 3/8″ H x 12 3/8″ W. CONDITION: 1st item: Washington signature in overall good condition, slightly affected by pinprick holes. 1 1/4″ x 1/4″ area of toning, right side of paper (does not affect signature). 2nd item: John Marshall signature in overall good, strong condition, slightly affected by pinprick holes and areas of dampstaining. James K. Marshall pencil signature and inscription faint but visible. 3rd item: John Marshall signature in overall good, condition with areas of lifting to pen strokes, slightly affected by pinprick holes and foxing spots. 5/8″ x 1/4″ area of dampstaining, center right (does not affect signature). 4th item: Some grime and toning. Chipping to cardstock edges. [See more photos →] |
$7,040.00 | |
AJ Donelson's Invitation to Lafayette Ball in Nashville 1825, des. by Ralph Earl | Engraved invitation to the Ball held in Nashville, Tennessee in 1825 to welcome Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de La Fayette, General Gilbert du Motier (1757-1834) on his tour of the United States. The invitation, designed by artist Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl (Tennessee/Connecticut/England, 1788-1838), is addressed to Andrew Jackson Donelson (1799-1871), nephew and private secretary to President Andrew Jackson. Dated April 7, 1825, the invitation includes the names of several prominent "managers" of the event, enclosed within a decorative arch, flanked by busts of then-General Jackson and La Fayette on columns emblazoned with names of Revolutionary War battles, and surmounted by a larger bust of George Washington surrounded by clouds and patriotic motifs with the words "WELCOME LA FAYETTE", top. Artist and engraver name C.C. Torrey, lower left and right below image. Label for The Veerhof Galleries, Washington, D.C., en verso of frame. Housed under double-sided glass in a giltwood frame. Sight: 7 3/8" H x 4 7/8" W. Framed: 8 1/2" H x 6" W. Note: In 1777, the then 19-year old Marquis de La Fayette left his home in France to join America's fight for independence. His assistance proved greatly consequential, and in 1824, President James Monroe asked Lafayette to revisit the United States as the "Nation's Guest". His celebratory tour was remembered as "a triumphal march to which there had never been a parallel in the history of the nation" (Wilkins Tannehill, The Port Folio, Nashville, 1848, p. 150). It included visits to more than 40 cities in 15 states, where he was greeted as a hero with parades and parties. "The Lafayette Ball", held May 5, was the social event of the year in Nashville. It was held at the Masonic Hall with three hundred guests in attendance and, according to period accounts, included a lavish dinner and dancing. After being toasted by the ladies, Lafayette is said to have toasted them in return saying "Tennessee Beauty – equal to Tennessee Valor." (Source: Ann Harwell Wells, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 1, 1975). The designer of this rare invitation, artist Ralph Earl, was Andrew Jackson's confidante, relative by marriage, and "court painter" during his eight years in the White House (1829-1837). In this capacity Earl produced numerous likenesses of the seventh president and his social circle. Note: This particular invitation is discussed in "Selling Andrew Jackson: Ralph E. W. Earl and the Politics of Portraiture" by Rachel Stephens, published by the University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 2018, p. 66. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Overall toning, minute foxing spots, stains due to handling wear, creases and fold lines with very minute tears. Not examined outside of frame. [See more photos →] |
$7,040.00 | |
Abraham Lincoln Pardon, Book and Author Autographs | President Abraham Lincoln signed pardon release order for Wilburn Bybee dated Oct. 7, 1864, partially printed on blue paper, approx. 8″ x 10″, adhered within the book “Abraham Lincoln, A History” by John G. Nicolay and John Hay (New York: The Century Company, 1890; measuring 9″ x 6 1/2″), along with unrelated letters autographed by the book’s authors. These letters, also adhered to the front leaves, include a handwritten note on Supreme Court of the United States letterhead addressed to Harry Hance of West Chester, PA and dated March 11, 1886, reading “My Dear Sir, I regret I am unable to send you an autograph of President Lincoln or to indicate where one could be obtained. Yours Truly, John G. Nicolay”; and a printed note, signed in ink, on Department of State letterhead dated April 6, 1901 and addressed to Fred M. Hopkins of New York, reading “Dear Sir: The address you speak of was published by John Lane in London. I think he also has a publishing office in New York. I am not able to say whether he has any copies of the address on hand. I regret I have none myself. Yours sincerely, John Hay.” A note fully adhered to the front fly leaf from the bookseller Harry E. Davis of Chicago explains that this book was the first of ten volumes of the original 1890 edition of the first book publication of “Abraham Lincoln: A History” by Nicolay and Hay; that the three signed inserts contain original signatures; and that the book was bound in full dark blue Morocco with emblematic tooling to the order of Randall E. Briscoe, Houston, Texas, 1952. John Nicolay (1831-1902) and John Hay (1838-1905) were Lincoln’s private secretaries and biographers. After Lincoln’s assassination, both continued in political careers. Nicolay went on to be Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court and Hay later became the U.S. Secretary of State under William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Wilburn Bybee of Barren County, Kentucky, was incarcerated for “Robbing the U.S. Mail.” His pardon case file is on record at the National Archives/Library of Congress and may be viewed online at http://lincolnpapers2.dataformat.com/images/1864/10/243400.pdf . Provenance: the estate of Capt. L. Bush Cole, Nashville, Tennessee (formerly of Texas). CONDITION: Center fold of pardon paper and left edges of Nicolay and Hay letters have been adhered with linen tape into the fly leafs of the book at its hinge and we have not attempted to remove them; signatures are in good, clear condition and unaffected by any adhesive or folds. The letters do show some light discoloration and small stains. Book exterior in overall good condition with a few scratches to the back cover and light edge toning. Silk end papers have some minor foxing and glue staining at edges. NOTE: ONLY Volume 1 is present. [See more photos →] |
$6,608.00 | |
Wm. Blount signed document, 1793 | Tennessee Document signed at Knoxville, 1793, by then-territorial governor William Blount (1749-1800, served 1790-1796), along with militia paymaster David Allison and Judges David Campbell and Joseph Anderson, ordering the collection of funds for the use of the territorial government. “By William Blount, Governor in and over the Territory of the United States of America, South of the river Ohio, David Campbell and Joseph Anderson, Esquire, two of the Judges, in and for the Territory aforesaid: An act requiring persons holding monies arising from fines and forfeitures imposed for the punishment of Public Offenders, Taxes on Proceedings in Law and Equity, on the Probate of Deeds, on the registering of grants for land, and the iffuning [sic] marriage and ordinary licences [sic], as directed by the laws of North Carolina, to account for and pay the same.” In February 1790, North Carolina ceded its western land holdings to the United States. A few months later the area became the newly created Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio (the Southwest Territory). President George Washington appointed Blount territorial governor. In 1795, Blount called a meeting of the territorial legislature to request a referendum for statehood, and Tennessee officially became a state on June 1, 1796. (Source: The Tennessee Encyclopedia). Condition: Three folds across page and at edges, including a fold across the top portion of Blount’s signature, light toning and some small tears at sides, overall good condition. 12″ x 7 3/8.” Provenance: Nashville, TN collection. [See more photos →] |
$6,440.00 | |
Cormac McCarthy, The Orchard Keeper, 1st Edition, Signed | THE ORCHARD KEEPER, Cormac McCarthy, Random House, New York, 1965. First Edition, stated “First Printing” on copyright page; McCarthy’s first book, this is a presentation copy, warmly inscribed on the ffep (front free end paper) to McCarthy’s long-time friends, “To John & Lanelle […] / Best Wishes Always / Cormac McCarthy”. Book in Good condition, in publisher’s green and red boards with gilt stamping, DJ present but in Poor condition with separations, but front panel price of $4.95 and date of 5/65 intact. 8 1/2″ L x 5 3/4″ W. PROVENANCE: Collection of the original giftee, East Tennessee. CONDITION: Book in Fair Condition, with spotting to front board, slight wiggle to spine, small bump bottom front, rounded corners. Dust Jacket in Poor Condition, separated on diagonal tear on front cover, rear panel 75% separated, multiple chips and missing pieces throughout. [See more photos →] |
$6,100.00 | |
Mecklenburg NC Declaration of Independence Handbill | 19th century printed handbill of the text of the so-called “Mecklenburg (N.C.) Declaration of Independence,” including its four resolutions and the names of its 27 signers. The text is framed by a decorative Classical style border and features a central cartouche of an eagle over an image of two men in a boat. 10″ x 8″, mounted to a cardboard backing. Mounted beneath is a late 19th century newspaper clipping that reads –“We have been permitted to see an old paper, in the hands of Mrs. Mary Hadley Clare, of this city, great granddaughter of one of the Alexanders who signed it – the Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence. This copy, a printed handbill, is the property of Mrs. Cynthia Davidson Donoho of Hartsville, Tenn., who is a granddaughter of Dr. Ephraim Brevard, the Secretary of the Mecklenberg meeting. Mrs. Donoho is very old and she remembers this copy as a treasured thing at quite an early age. It contains the names of all the signers… This paper was evidently, judging fom the paper, execution and typography, and the coat of arms, printed at an early day after 1800. There was no printed copy in existence before that…” — The article goes on to explain the significance of the Meckenberg Declaration, said to be the first Declaration of Independence from England made in the thirteen colonies. Note: In 1819, a document called the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was published, with the claim that it had been written on May 20, 1775 — more than a year before the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed. But no earlier reference to that document has ever been found. Some historians believe the Mecklenburg Declaration is an inaccurate rendering of an authentic document known as the Mecklenburg Resolves (a set of resolutions passed on May 31, 1775, that fell short of an actual declaration of independence). Although published in newspapers in 1775, the text of the Mecklenburg Resolves was lost after the American Revolution and not rediscovered until 1838. Some historians believe the Mecklenburg Declaration was written in 1800 in an attempt to recreate the Mecklenburg Resolves from memory. According to this theory, the author of the Mecklenburg Declaration mistakenly believed that the Resolves had been a declaration of independence, so he recreated the Resolves with language borrowed from the United States Declaration of Independence. Defenders of the Mecklenburg Declaration have argued that both the Mecklenburg Declaration and the Mecklenburg Resolves are authentic. (Source: Learn NC (North Carolina Digital History, UNC-Chapel Hill). On various occasions throughout the 19th century, copies of the Mecklenburg Declaration were published in brochure or handbill form; this is believed to be one of those publications, probably circa 1830s. Additional provenance note: The newspaper article incorrectly states that Cynthia Donoho was the granddaughter of Dr. Ephraim Brevard; in fact, Cynthia Donoho, in whose family this piece descended, was Dr. Brevard’s neice. Condition: Discoloration, some faded areas and a small amount of foxing. Paper is glued to cardboard backing. [See more photos →] |
$6,084.00 | |
Okefenokee Map & J. Q. Adams Signed Free Franked Envelopes | Hand drawn Okefenokee Map, and 2 John Quincy Adams signed free franked envelopes, 3 items total. 1st item: Ink on paper hand drawn map depicting the area comprising the Cherokee Nation lands in Georgia, dated circa October/November 1830. The map depicts forts, trails, and other areas of interest including Hogan’s Ferry with a trail leading from Fort Gilman (established and abandoned within a year), Camp Pocket, the Indian Old Field Pino, several interconnect trails marked as Captain Beall’s Trail, and other locations in an around the Okefenokee Swamp. “Map Okefenokee” with several rudimentary sketches of buildings, rivers, and other topographical features and the signature “C.B. Mims”, en verso. Single directional arrow pointing North, center of map. 7 7/8″ H x 9 7/8″ W. 2nd item: John Quincy Adams signed free franked envelope after his term as 6th President of the United States (1825-1829) addressed to his nephew Thomas Boylston Adams, Jr., (1809-1837), High Tower, Cherokee Nation, GA, dated circa October/November, 1830. It refers to the Okefenokee Map with notation reading “Quincy Map Oct 22” with additional notation reading “Rec’d Nov 5th Friday 1830. Ansd ” 14th Sunday “. Address and notation about map in writing probably by a secretary or local postmaster, other notations possibly by Thomas B. Adams, Jr. 3 5/8″ H x 5 1/4” W. Biography: Thomas Boylston Adams, Jr. was a grandson of President John Adams; his father Thomas Boylston Adams, the president’s third son, was thus also a younger brother of President John Quincy Adams. He was a Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1824, to July 1, 1828, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to Bvt. Second Lieut. of Artillery, July 1, 1828. Second Lieut., 2nd Artillery, July 1, 1828. Served in garrison at Ft. Monroe, Va. (Artillery School for Practice), 1828-29, — and Ft. Moultrie, S. C., 1829, 1829-30; in Cherokee Nation, 1830; in garrison at Charleston harbor, S. C., 1830-31, 1831-32; in Cherokee Nation, 1832; on Ordnance duty, Dec. 13, 1832, to Jan. 17, 1836. He was promoted to First Lieut., 2nd Artillery, Dec. 1, 1834. In the Florida War against the Seminole Indians, 1836-37, being engaged in the Skirmishes at Camp Izard, Feb. 27, 28, 29, and Mar. 5, 1836,– and Action of Oloklikaha, Mar. 31, 1836. He died, Dec. 14, 1837, of a fever at Fort Dade, Florida, during the Second Seminole War. (source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/519*.html#note:additional_information). 3rd item: Fragment of John Quincy Adams signed free franked envelope after his term as 6th President of the United States (1825-1829). “FREE” stamped in red lettering below signature. Pencil notation reading “J Q Adams 1833″ above. Fragment of letter referring to a Cadet and a Squad, en verso (does not appear to be written in Adams’ hand). 2 3/4″ H x 2 1/8″ W. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN. Descended in his family from Charles Harrod Boyd, grandson of Charles Harrod (1787-1870). Charles Harrod was the brother of Ann (Anna) Frances Harrod Adams (wife of Thomas Boylston Adams, 1772-1832, the son of President John Adams). Note: Charles H. Boyd’s wife, Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Maj. General Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. She and Charles Harrod Boyd had four children, including Julia Wingate Boyd, who married Lewis M. Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, a direct descendant of John Marshall (1755-1835). John Marshall was the Fourth Chief Justice of the United States and also served as Secretary of State under John Adams (1800-1801). CONDITION: 1st item: Overall good condition with foxing spots, areas of dampstaining, and tears, largest 3/4”, surface of map. Writing in strong, clear condition. 2nd item: Adams’ signature in strong, clear condition. Overall good condition with foxing spots, surface of sheet (does not affect signature). 3rd item: Adams’ signature in strong, clear condition. Overall good condition with toning, left side (does not affect signature). [See more photos →] |
$6,000.00 | |
President Andrew Jackson Signed Letter to Andrew Jackson Donelson, 1836 | ALS. President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845, 7th president of the United States from 1829 to 1837) one-page handwritten bifolium letter, addressed to Major Andrew Jackson Donelson (1799-1871), near Nashville, Tennessee, containing condolences on the death of Donelson's wife, Emily Tennessee Donelson. The letter, mostly filled with condolences for Donelson in regard to someone who had recently died, reads, "My dear Major, Your heart rending letter of the 23rd Decber[sic] is just recd–still it is a consolation to me to know that after your unfortunate detention, that you reached home to pay the last tribute of respects to her [mones or monis]–You must summon up all your fortitude on this trying and melancholy occasion–Ki[s]s the dear little children for me & give my kind regards to Mrs. [Emily] Donelson with my heartfelt condolence to her & to you & all the connection on this sad bereavement your affectionatly[sic] Andrew Jackson" with a post script reading "Major A. J. Donelson–P.S. I will write you soon & ask what I shall do with Dear [Eanelys or Zanelys] & your things here–I have the pictures carefully boxed with nunl[sic] A.J." Address panel wirtten by Jackson with red ink Nashville, TN postmark stamp dated Jan 2 and traces of a wax seal, en verso. Housed under double-sided glass in a giltwood frame. Letter: 10" H x 16" W. Framed: 10" H x 8 1/2" W. Note: Andrew Jackson Donelson was the nephew and private secretary to Andrew Jackson after he won the 1828 presidential election. His wife Emily Donelson (1807-1836) was the niece of Rachel Donelson Jackson, Jackson's wife, and served as White House hostess and first lady of the United States until the events of the Petticoat Affair in the early 1840's put a strain on her relationship with Jackson. Emily Donelson died of tuberculosis on Dec. 19, 1836. This letter is dated January 2, 1836, but it is believed Andrew Jackson actually penned it on January 2, 1837, and mistakenly wrote the wrong year. The "Mrs. Donelson" mentioned later is probably Emily's mother, Mary Purnell Donelson, who was likely living with her daughter since Emily was ill and Mary's husband John had died in 1830. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Main body of letter with toning, primarily to left edge, light handling wear, writing and signature in good, legible condition. Traces of old paper repair, largest 4 1/4" x 1/4", to bottom left edge. Tears, largest 1 1/2", to fold lines, with 3/4" x 1/2" tear resulting from opening of letter, left center, en verso. Tears and other condition issues do not affect signature or majority of writing. [See more photos →] |
$6,000.00 | |
Invitation to Pres. Elect Andrew Jackson Nashville Ball, 1828 | Engraved broadside invitation to an ill-fated ball, planned to celebrate the election of President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) in Nashville, Tennessee. The ball was to be held at "Mr. Edmondson's Hotel", also known as the City Hotel, on December 23, 1828. It was cancelled when Jackson's beloved wife, Rachel, passed away suddenly of an apparent heart attack on December 22. The paper invitation, dated Dec. 10, 1828, was printed with the names of several "managers" enclosed within a decorative arch and the image of an American eagle surmounted by stars, with the words "VOX POPULI VOX DEI" at the top; this particular invitation appears to be addressed to "Mrs. Andrew J. Donaldson", likely Emily Donelson, who would go on to assume Rachel Jackson's duties as First Lady in Andrew Jackson's White House. Label en verso for The Veerhof Galleries, Washington, D.C. Housed under glass in a giltwood frame. Sight: 7 3/8" H x 4 7/8" W. Framed: 8 1/2" H x 6" W. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Overall toning, very few scattered minute foxing spots, 1" x 1/2" area of staining, possibly handling wear, top left. Approx. 1" tear to fold line, top right. Not examined outside of frame. [See more photos →] |
$5,888.00 | |
Gen. James Robertson Indian Orders to Col. Robert Hays, 1795 | Native American and Tennessee related ALS. One page handwritten letter on laid paper from the "Father of Middle Tennessee" Brigadier General James Robertson (1742-1814), addressed to Colonel Robert Hays (1758-1819), Revolutionary War officer and Muster Master / Lt. Col. of the Cavalry, Mero District, dated April 9, 1795. The letter commands Hays "…on the receipt of this, [to] Muster into service one Cornet [modern equivalent second lieutenant], one Corporal, one Sergeant, and seventeen privates as Mounted Infantry to pursue a party of Indians who lately appeared in Neely's Bend [outside Nashville] for twenty days I am [your humble servant] Jas. Robertson B G" with additional ink inscription reading "Colo. Robert Hays 9th April 1795" lower left. Ink inscription reading "Genl. Orders Apl. 9 1795" with later pencil inscriptions, en verso. 6 7/8" H x 8" W. Biography: "James Robertson, early leader of both the Watauga and Cumberland settlements, has been called the 'Father of Middle Tennessee.' Born in 1742 in Brunswick County, Virginia, he was the son of John and Mary Gower Robertson. In late 1769, as [James] Robertson grew increasingly frustrated with the provincial rule of North Carolina Governor William Tryon, he became intrigued by the stories of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains and began to consider relocating his family there. Late that year, he crossed the mountains and found a suitable site in the upper Holston Valley near the Watauga River. To establish his claim, he planted corn and built a corncrib and a cabin. On the return trip, Robertson became lost and wandered aimlessly for approximately two weeks before hunters directed him across the mountains. Encouraged by his favorable description of the land, several of Robertson's North Carolina neighbors decided to accompany him to the new frontier. In May 1772, when the Watauga settlers met to establish a government, they selected Robertson as one of the five magistrates to lead the Watauga Association. In addition, he was elected commander of the Watauga Fort. He was also an early companion of explorer Daniel Boone. In 1777 Richard Henderson of the Transylvania Land Company purchased a large tract of land from the Cherokees, including most of what constitutes present-day Middle Tennessee. In the spring of 1779 Robertson and a small party of Wataugans, acting on behalf of Henderson's claim, traveled to a site along the Cumberland River known as French Lick. There they selected a suitable location for a new settlement. Late that same year, Robertson returned with a group of men to prepare temporary shelter for friends and relatives, who planned to join them in a few months. The men arrived on Christmas Day and drove their cattle across the frozen Cumberland River. Crude cabins were erected for immediate winter housing, and a fort was built atop a bluff along the river. The fort was named Fort Nashborough, in honor of Francis Nash, who had fought alongside Robertson at the battle of Alamance in 1771. A faction of Cherokees known as the Chickamaugas opposed the Transylvania Purchase and warned the new settlers that trouble would follow their claim to the land. Attacks on the Cumberland settlement lasted several years and reached a peak between 1789 and 1794. Robertson's brothers, John and Mark, were killed, as were his sons, Peyton and James Jr. Another son, Jonathan, was scalped. Robertson narrowly escaped death on two occasions. In 1790 Congress created the Territory South of the River Ohio, and Robertson became lieutenant colonel commandant of the Mero District. The following year, President George Washington appointed him brigadier general of the U.S. Army of the same region. Occasionally, Robertson acted on behalf of the federal government to assist in the treaty negotiations with various Indian tribes. In 1804 he was commissioned U.S. Indian agent to the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations. His final mission took him to the Chickasaw Agency at Chickasaw Bluff. In his seventies, Robertson made the trip during heavy rains that forced him to swim several swollen creeks along the way. As a result, he became ill and died on September 1, 1814. His remains were later returned to Nashville, where he received a formal burial in the City Cemetery." (source: "James Robertson" written by Terry Weeks, Tennessee Encyclopedia, published by the Tennessee Historical Society, on October 8, 2017, accessed October 21, 2022, http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/james-robertson/). Colonel Robert Hays was born in Salisbury, N.C. and came to Middle Tennessee on a Revolutionary War land grant. There, he married Jane Donelson, daughter of the founder of Nashville and sister of Rachel Donelson, who later married Hays' friend, Andrew Jackson. In 1790, he was commissioned Justice of the Peace and Lt. Col of the Mero District under James Robertson. He later became Lt. Commander of the district (1797). He would go on to fight in the Creek wars as Muster Master under Jackson, and died in 1819 in Haysboro, Tennessee, named in his honor. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Letter with toning, areas of dampstaining, largest 2 1/2" x 4 1/4", smudges, ink blots, creases, general handling wear (does not overly affect writing and signatures). Robertson's signature is in good, legible condition, appears to have been hastily written. [See more photos →] |
$5,888.00 | |
Gen. James Robertson Orders Cherokee Reparations, 1797-98 | Father of Middle Tennessee Brigadier General James Robertson (1742-1814) related one-page handwritten reparation document to the Cherokee, addressed to Dr. Anthony Foster and issued by order of Robertson "…in consequence of two Indians being kill'd [sic] on Stones River [in Murfreesboro, TN] by White people (to Wit)" dated November 21, 1797. Below is a list of items, such as an iron pot, yards of cloth, silk, buttons, thread, linen, and a rifle, with columns of numerical amounts, totaling approximately thirty-one dollars, with an additional notation indicating that the items had been delivered to the Cherokee, witnessed by A. Lewis and Francis B. Sappington, dated January 30, 1798. Nashville, TN framing label, en verso. Float mounted and matted under glass in a carved wooden frame. Sheet: 12 3/4" H x 7 3/4" W. Framed: 18 3/4" H x 13 3/8" W. Biography: "James Robertson, early leader of both the Watauga and Cumberland settlements, has been called the 'Father of Middle Tennessee.' Born in 1742 in Brunswick County, Virginia, he was the son of John and Mary Gower Robertson. In late 1769, as [James] Robertson grew increasingly frustrated with the provincial rule of North Carolina Governor William Tryon, he became intrigued by the stories of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains and began to consider relocating his family there. Late that year, he crossed the mountains and found a suitable site in the upper Holston Valley near the Watauga River. To establish his claim, he planted corn and built a corncrib and a cabin. On the return trip, Robertson became lost and wandered aimlessly for approximately two weeks before hunters directed him across the mountains. Encouraged by his favorable description of the land, several of Robertson's North Carolina neighbors decided to accompany him to the new frontier. In May 1772, when the Watauga settlers met to establish a government, they selected Robertson as one of the five magistrates to lead the Watauga Association. In addition, he was elected commander of the Watauga Fort. He was also an early companion of explorer Daniel Boone. In 1777 Richard Henderson of the Transylvania Land Company purchased a large tract of land from the Cherokees, including most of what constitutes present-day Middle Tennessee. In the spring of 1779 Robertson and a small party of Wataugans, acting on behalf of Henderson's claim, traveled to a site along the Cumberland River known as French Lick. There they selected a suitable location for a new settlement. Late that same year, Robertson returned with a group of men to prepare temporary shelter for friends and relatives, who planned to join them in a few months. The men arrived on Christmas Day and drove their cattle across the frozen Cumberland River. Crude cabins were erected for immediate winter housing, and a fort was built atop a bluff along the river. The fort was named Fort Nashborough, in honor of Francis Nash, who had fought alongside Robertson at the battle of Alamance in 1771. A faction of Cherokees known as the Chickamaugas opposed the Transylvania Purchase and warned the new settlers that trouble would follow their claim to the land. Attacks on the Cumberland settlement lasted several years and reached a peak between 1789 and 1794. Robertson's brothers, John and Mark, were killed, as were his sons, Peyton and James Jr. Another son, Jonathan, was scalped. Robertson narrowly escaped death on two occasions. In 1790 Congress created the Territory South of the River Ohio, and Robertson became lieutenant colonel commandant of the Mero District. The following year, President George Washington appointed him brigadier general of the U.S. Army of the same region. Occasionally, Robertson acted on behalf of the federal government to assist in the treaty negotiations with various Indian tribes. In 1804 he was commissioned U.S. Indian agent to the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations. His final mission took him to the Chickasaw Agency at Chickasaw Bluff. In his seventies, Robertson made the trip during heavy rains that forced him to swim several swollen creeks along the way. As a result, he became ill and died on September 1, 1814. His remains were later returned to Nashville, where he received a formal burial in the City Cemetery." (source: "James Robertson" written by Terry Weeks, Tennessee Encyclopedia, published by the Tennessee Historical Society, on October 8, 2017, accessed October 21, 2022, http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/james-robertson/). PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Light toning, areas of loss, largest 1/4" x 1/4", tears, largest 1 1/2", primarily to fold lines, areas of dampstaining, largest 2 3/4" x 1", to top left corner, errased later pencil inscriptions and other general handling wear. Signatures and writing in overall good, legible condition. Not examined outside of frame. [See more photos →] |
$5,888.00 | |
Rare Lea 1855 Plan of Knoxville Map | Scarce “Plan of the City of Knoxville, Tennessee” drawn by R. W. Patterson, surveyed and compiled under the direction of Albert Miller Lea, lithographed and published by Ferdinand Mayer and Company, New York, 1855. Rare map depicting the city of Knoxville, TN with streets, including Gay Street, railroads and railroad depots, including East Tennessee-Georgia and East Tennessee-Virginia Railroad, East Tennessee & Kentucky Railroad, and the Knoxville & Charleston Railroad, bodies of water, including the Holston River (later renamed the Tennessee River), roads with distances in miles to nearby towns, hills, and other points of interest, including the East Tennessee Cemetery, the Glass Works, and the Market Place (more commonly known as Market Square). Title and scale of feet, centered below map, References, top right, directional arrows, top left and lower right. Map surrounded by a five line border. Housed in a plastic sleeve and mounted to corrugated fiberboard. Image – 23 1/4″ H x 26 1/4″ W. Sheet – 25 1/4″ H x 31 3/4″ W. Sleeve – 26 1/4″ H x 32 3/4″ W. Fiberboard – 30″ H x 35 3/4″ W. Biography: Albert Miller Lea (1808-1891) was born in Richland, Tennessee, a small village not far from Knoxville. He attended the United States Military Academy. He graduated fifth of 33 cadets in the Class of 1831. Due to his high class ranking, he was assigned to the engineers and posted to Fort Des Moines in the Iowa Territory, serving until his resignation in May 1836. In 1837, despite his youth, he became the Chief Engineer for the state of Tennessee. He then worked for the Federal government determining the boundary between Iowa and Missouri. From 1839 to 1840, he was an assistant engineer on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He became a brigadier general in the Iowa militia and then the chief clerk for the U.S. War Department. In 1844, he earned his master’s degree in engineering from East Tennessee University in Knoxville and joined the faculty as an instructor. From 1849 to 1854, was the city engineer for Knoxville, as well as managing a local glass manufacturing company. He moved to East Texas in 1855. During the American Civil War, Lea was an engineering officer in the Confederate States Army with the rank of major (later, lieutenant colonel). During the Battle of Galveston on New Year’s Day 1863, his 25-year-old son, Lt. Commander Edward Lea of the Union Navy, was mortally wounded while serving on the USRC Harriet Lane. Lea himself was among the Confederate officers who boarded the captured ship, and found his son shortly before his death. After the war, Lea lived in Galveston for several years. He moved in 1874 to Corsicana, Texas, where he purchased a farm. He died of heart failure in 1891 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Corsicana. The City of Albert Lea, Minnesota, is named in his honor. (For additional reading, see: “The Early Settlement of Albert Lea”. Sequicentennial History. City of Albert Lea, and Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 198). CONDITION: Overall good condition with foxing spots, largest 1/4″, toning, creases, stains, largest 4″ x 1″, areas of loss, largest 3 1/2″ x 1 1/2″, visible to surface and en verso of map. [See more photos →] |
$5,760.00 | |
Civil War Robert E. Lee Signed Letter to William Jackson | Civil War era ALS. One-page handwritten autographed letter signed by General Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870), Gaines Mill, Virginia, written to William C. Jackson, Augusta, Georgia, dated June 11, 1864. Composed during the events of the Battle of Cold Harbor (fought in Hanover County, VA, May 31-June 12, 1864), Lee writes "My dear Sir I am very much obliged to you for the pieces of Cotton you have been so kind as to send me. They will prove very useful & I shall enjoy the garments into which they will be Converted more than if made of the finest foreighn[sic] fabric. Our true road to independence is to depend upon ourselves & to make all that we require With great respect Your Obl Servant R E Lee" with additional inscription "Mr. Wm C. Jackson" lower left. Does not include envelope, one (1) typed transcription is included with addition of Jackson's address. Letter: 9 1/4" H x 7 1/8" W. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Letter in overall good, legible condition with toning, few scattered minute foxing spots, some minor smudging to letters. Toning impression of envelope reading "Mr Wm C. Jackson/Augusta/Georgia" with later pencil inscriptions, and two pieces of scotch tape, largest 1 1/8" x 1/8", top and bottom of right edges, en verso of letter. [See more photos →] |
$5,376.00 | |
Robert E. Lee Signed $20 CSA Bill & Lee CDVs, incl. Anthony & Brady Marks, 2 items | Photograph album containing fourteen (14) carte de visite (CDV) depicting Lee, including eight (8) depicting bust portraits of Lee in his Civil War era Confederate uniform, three (3) with studio marks including C.D. Fredericks and Company, NY, Morseâs Gallery of the Cumberland, Nashville, TN, and The Lee Gallery, Richmond, VA; one (1) full-length standing portrait of Lee in his Civil War era Confederate uniform, no studio mark; one (1) three-quarter length standing portrait of Lee in his Civil War era Confederate uniform, no studio mark; two (2) bust portraits of Lee in his Mexican War era United States uniform, both with E. Anthony or E and H.T. Anthony, NY studio marks; and two (2) depicting a seated Lee in 19th-century three-piece suits, one (1) likely Mexican War era, Allen and Horton, Boston, MA studio mark, and one (1) later in life, possibly after the Civil War, M.B. Brady and Company, Washington, D.C. and NY studio mark and a blue George Washington U.S. Internal Revenue Proprietary stamp, en verso. Note: the inscriptions on the CDVs are not believed to be in Leeâs handwriting. All housed in a blue leatherette photo album with a zipper closure. Album: 5 3/8â³ H x 4 1/2â³ W x 1 1/8â³ D. 15th item: Signed T-67 $20 bill, Series X, issued in Richmond, VA, February 17, 1864, engraved by Keatinge and Ball, Columbia, SC. Vignette of the Tennessee State Capitol Building, top center, portrait of Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the CSA, lower right. For Register/For Treasurer signatures. Serial Number 34203/ pp A. Signed âR. E. Leeâ top left of bill, in capitol building vignette. 3 3/8â³ H x 7 1/4â³ W. Note â the signature on this bill has variances from known, authenticated signatures of Robert E. Lee. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: 1st item: Uncirculated/About Uncirculated condition. Lee signature in good, legible condition. 2nd item: CDVs with varying degrees of toning, foxing spots, staining, some rubbing, losses to corners, minor pencil and ink inscriptions from previous owners and general handling wear to be expected from age and manner of use. One bust portrait of Lee in Confederate uniform with paper clip indentation, one bust portrait of Lee in Confederate uniform with orange ink stamp to top left of image. Photo album with peeling, tears to edges. [See more photos →] |
$5,000.00 | |
Abraham Lincoln Signed War Commission Document | Civil War military appointment commission document signed by both President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton in black ink, dated August 1864, conferring the rank of Captain in the Veterans Reserve Corps to James H. Remington. Housed in black painted wooden frame. Sight – 19 1/2″ H x 15 1/2″ W. Framed – 22 1/2″ H x 18 1/2″ W. Note: James H. Remington was born in Warwick, RI in 1838. He attended East Greenwich Academy before going to Brown University, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1862. In September of that year he was mustered as captain of Company H, 7th Regiment, RI Infantry. His active military career only lasted until December 13, 1862 when he was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia. A musket ball shattered his lower jaw and he was formally discharged by reason of disability in May 1863. Remington returned to Rhode Island where he was elected in April 1863 to the RI House of Representatives as a representative from Warwick. He resigned his seat in June as he was eager to return to military service. He accepted a captain’s commission in the newly formed Veterans Reserve Corps (initially called the Invalid Corps). He was immediately ordered to report for duty at Knight General Hospital in New Haven, CT where he assisted with the formation of companies for the Veterans Reserve Corps. After serving with several different units in Connecticut and Virginia, he settled in as captain with Company E, 1st Regiment of the Veterans Reserve Corps. The company’s primary duty was in Elmira, NY to guard rebel prisoners at Camp Chemung from November 1864 to June 1865. Provenance: Private Sevierville, TN collection. CONDITION: Fading of ink to the center of the document, some minor stains to the perimeter, possible tear lower right margin. Nice clear Presidential signature. [See more photos →] |
$4,864.00 | |
1805 TN Supreme Court Book, John Overton and Hugh White Opinions | CASES RULED AND ADJUDGED IN THE SUPREME COURTS OF LAW AND EQUITY AND FEDERAL COURT FOR THE STATE OF TENNESSEE BY AND OF THE JUDGES OF THAT STATE, BOOK THE THIRD. This early hand written legal book contains entries describing cases and opinions brought before the forerunner of the TN State Supreme Court, from May 1805 to Nov. 1808. It opens with a case in the Mero District (later known as Nashville) of "Jackson and Evens," over whether a contract made in another state should be subject to the statute of limitations of that state or of Tennessee. The book continues to detail cases argued in the Mero, Washington and Hamilton Districts involving slave rights, property and contract disputes, horse auctions, and even the authorization of George Roulstone to publish law journals. There is extensive writing recording the opinions of judges John Overton, Hugh Lawson White, and David Campbell, who served during this time period. (Overton, in particular, seems to have had much to say on many of the cases, and the book may have been written in his hand). 277 pp. 11 1/2"H x 7 1/4"W. Note: Tennessee's early legal system relied on a series of Districts, added as the then-territory became more populated. The 1796 Constitution of Tennessee formally instituted the frontier practice of having 2 types of courts: an "inferior" Court of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions (which heard law cases involving modest sums of money or property and minor punishments) and the Superior Court of Law and Equity, considered the "superior" court. The Superior Courts of Law and Equity had sole jurisdiction over cases punishable by loss of life or limb and cases of greater dollar value. They also served as courts of appeal, for those dissatisfied a Court of Pleas decision. The three traveling Superior Court judges heard cases in Jonesboro (Washington District), Knoxville (Hamilton District), Carthage (Winchester District), Clarksville (Robertson District), and Nashville (Mero District). Many of Tennessee's leading pioneers served as Superior Court judges, including Andrew Jackson (who stepped down in 1804), John Overton (who took Jackson's place), John McNairy, Archibald Roane, and Willie Blount. PROVENANCE: Descended in the family of Judge John Overton through his daughter, Elizabeth Overton Lea of Nashville to present consignor. CONDITION: Covers and spine in fragile condition with most of the leather worn away, front cover fully separated, half of first page missing. The interior pages, however, remain in good readable condition with soiling/light oxidation and small losses at edges, and light toning. [See more photos →] |
$4,800.00 | |
Cormac McCarthy, Outer Dark, 1st Edition, Signed | OUTER DARK, Cormac McCarthy, Random House, New York, 1968. First Edition, stated “First Printing” on copyright page; McCarthy’s second book, this is a presentation copy, warmly inscribed on the half-title page to McCarthy’s long-time friends, “To John & Lanelle with love / Cormac McCarthy”. Good condition book, original light blue 1/4 cloth and gray paper boards; Poor-Fair first state jacket, separated at spine, but still with sharp interior corners, and price of $4.95 and date of 9/68 intact. 8 1/2″ H x 5 3/4″ W. PROVENANCE: Collection of the original giftee, East Tennessee. CONDITION: Book in Good condition, slightly loose, spots of toning and fading to covers, spine with soiling. DJ (dust jacket) in Poor/Fair condition, separated along front spine crease, 4″ piece of spine separated, chips throughout, toning. [See more photos →] |
$4,392.00 | |
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson ALS to His Sister Laura, New Orleans Barracks, 1848 | One page handwritten bifolium signed letter from Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863), written in the New Orleans Barracks, Louisiana, during his career as a Second Lieutenant in Company K of the 1st U.S. Artillery Regiment, addressed to his sister Laura Ann Jackson Arnold (1826-1911), Beverly, Randolph County, [now West] Virginia, dated July 19, [no year but believed to be written in 1848]. The brief letter primarily outlines his recent travels and travel plans, writing "Dear Sister, At last I have returned from my foreign ramble, and I hope that my abscence[sic] has at least been beneficial to my health. I was much pleased at receiving at Jalapa two letters from you, which be assured gave me much relief from anxiety. My object in writing at present is to announce my arrival. From this place I expect to start tomorrow for New York by sea. I had my Daguerotype[sic] taken today and would send it to you had I an opportunity. Direct your letters to the city of New York. Remember me to Mr. Arnold, the balance of the family, and other enquiring firends. Your true brother T. J. Jackson." Handwritten address panel to Laura with black ink New Orleans postmark stamp, dated July 22, with later pencil inscription and traces of a red seal, en verso of bifolium. Lot also includes one (1) carte de visite (CDV) depicting a bust portrait of Jackson in his U.S. Military uniform; one (1) photogravure depicting a seated Jackson in his Confederate uniform, published by Johnson, Wilson, and Company, New York; one (1) double-sided typed biography of Jackson; and one (1) one page typed transcription of the letter. Letter: 10" H x 16" W. Note: "The close relationship between Laura and her brother Thomas was destroyed during the war. While he emerged as General Stonewall Jackson, a Confederate military leader, Laura remained a Unionist, and ultimately became estranged from both her brother and other members of the Jackson family. When Laura learned in 1863 that her brother had died after the Battle of Chancellorsville, a Pennsylvania Cavalry officer recorded her reaction in a letter home. When she 'heard of her brother's death, she seemed much depressed, but said she would rather know that he was dead than to have him a leader in the rebel army.' The wartime differences between Laura and her husband Jonathan Arnold led to a scandalous divorce in 1870, initiated by Jonathan. Afterward, she moved to Buckhannon, West Virginia; he stayed in the house in Beverly, living there until his death in 1883. In 1897, the assembled Society of the Army of West Virginia made Laura an honorary member for her 'patriotism and past efforts on behalf of Union arms.' In 1905, she attended a reunion of the 5th West Virginia Cavalry, which had occupied her hometown of Beverly after the Battle of Rich Mountain. The old veterans named her Mother of the Regiment for her efforts as nurse to their injured. If Laura Jackson Arnold ever had remorse over the permanent separation from her brother, she never expressed it publicly. She remained a Unionist to the end of her life, and made no effort to associate with any member of the Jackson family. Laura Ann Jackson Arnold died September 24, 1911, at the home of her daughter-in-law, and was buried in Heavner Cemetery in Buckhannon, West Virginia." (source: "Laura Jackson Arnold," Civil War Women Blog, dated November 29, 2010, accessed October 17, 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20101223175507/http://www.civilwarwomenblog.com/2010/11/laura-jackson-arnold.html). PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Letter in overall good, legible condition with light toning, scattered foxing spots, creases, general handling wear. Very minor tears, areas of loss to fold lines and edges of sheet, largest 1 1/4" x 3/4" area resulting from torn seal. Paper ephemera items with few scattered foxing spots, toning, handling wear. [See more photos →] |
$4,352.00 | |
J. S. Mosby Archive, 3 ALS, Signed Photo, 8 items | Archive of 8 items related to John Singleton Mosby, the Confederate "Gray Ghost," including three (3) ALS, one (1) signed cabinet card, and three (3) related newspaper articles, 8 items total. 1st-3rd items: Three (3) ALS. One page handwritten letters written on Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. stationary. From John Singleton Mosby, at the time of the letters working as an Assistant Attorney in the Department of Justice, Washington DC, to Mrs. J. D. Herblin, his cousin, Nashville, Tennessee. 1st item: Letter dated July 10, 1907. Mosby describes his life in Washington, D.C. writing "My dear Cousin: Your letter recd. I was very little hurt by being run over by a bycicle [sic] & I am entirely recovered. I recd. the picture & thought I had acknowledged it. I now live in Washington–an Assistant Attorney in the Dept. of Justice. I know the Wash. correspondent of the Boston Herald very well–Brownlow–One of my daughters & her two children live here with me. I wish very much that my official duties could at some time take me to Nashville where I was married–My love to your family. Sincerely Jno.S.Mosby". 2nd item: Letter dated December 4, 1907. Mosby expresses his continued interest in Nashville, TN, stating "My dear Cousin: I just recd. your letter of Dec. 1st. It will give me great pleasure to meet your nephews to show him some attention. Your lady friend to whom you gave the card of introduction has not yet presented it…I send you two pictures of myself…[I] have no doubt that Nashville has improved greatly since I was married there on Dec: 30th 1856. My love to your family. Sincerely yours, Jno.S.Mosby" with additional message reading "I recd. today a very kind letter from Gov. [James D.] Porter of the Peabody University of Nashville". 3rd-4th items: Letter dated October 9, 1908. Mosby mentions his friend, James Davis Porter, writing "My dear Cousin: Your letter just recd. with news of the death of my cousin Mrs. Thorne: Someone had sent me a Nashville paper announcing it. I am very sorry to hear it. When I lived in San Francisco we corresponded. She sent me her picture [which] is very much like my sister Blakely who lives in Washington. She was related to me on the Mosby side. Do you know Gov. [James D.] Porter; he lives in Nashville & is connected with the University. He is a particular friend of mine. If you ever see him remember me to him. I shall put the picture of the Mosby ancestor in my…book. I enclose a list of errata in my book [which] you can correct. My love to your family. Affectionately, Jno.S.Mosby". Includes a Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. envelope address in Mosby's handwriting, postmarked "Washington, D.C. Oct 9 1908 1 30 PM". All letters approximately 10 3/4" H x 8 1/4" W. Envelope – 3 3/4" H x 6 3/8" W. Biography: James Davis Porter (1828-1912) was an American attorney, politician, educator, and officer of the Confederate Army. He served as Governor of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879. He was subsequently appointed as Assistant Secretary of State during President Grover Cleveland's first administration, and Minister to Chile in Cleveland's second administration. As an elected state legislator on the eve of the Civil War, Porter had introduced the "Porter resolutions" which bound Tennessee to the Confederacy should war be declared. He served during much of the war as chief of staff to Confederate General Benjamin F. Cheatham, and saw action at various battles in Tennessee and Georgia. Porter spent his later years as chancellor of his alma mater, the University of Nashville, and as president of Peabody College. This was established at the University of Nashville during his gubernatorial administration. He oversaw the liquidation and transfer of the University of Nashville's assets to the Peabody Education Fund, which allowed Peabody College to be re-established near Vanderbilt University in 1909. (source: https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/james-davis-porter/). 5th item: Signed large cabinet card depicting John Singleton Mosby as a well dressed man in his late middle age. Signed "Sincerely Yours, Jno.S.Mosby". Studio marks for Tabler, 121 Post St., San Francisco, under image, lower left and right. Image – 7 7/8" H x 5 1/4" W. Card – 10 1/8" H x 7 5/8" W. 6th item: Copy of "Why I Fought for Virginia" by John Singleton Mosby, published in Leslie's Weekly, Thursday, April 6, 1911, pages 381-382. 7th item: Copy of an article titled "Gen. Robt. E. Lee's Spurs of Gold", published in the Nashville Banner, Friday, April 21, 1899. 8th item: Copy of a photograph clipped from a newspaper commemorating the unveiling of the monument designating the spot where Mosby disbanded the Mosby Rangers, April 21, 1865, published circa 1916. Biography: John Singleton Mosby (1833-1916), also known by his nickname, the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. His command, the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosby's Rangers or Mosby's Raiders, was a partisan ranger unit noted for its lightning-quick raids and its ability to elude Union Army pursuers and disappear. After the war, Mosby became a Republican and worked as an attorney and supported his former enemy's commander, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. He also served as the American consul to Hong Kong and in the U.S. Department of Justice. CONDITION: Overall good condition with toning, foxing spots, dampstaining, tears, etc. to be expected from age. Mosby signatures in very good condition. [See more photos →] |
$4,352.00 | |
J.M. Barrie – Mrs. Patrick Campbell Letter Archive | Mrs. Patrick Campbell (born Beatrice Stella Tanner, 1865-1940) letter archive, including twelve (12) ALS written by Peter Pan author, Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) to the famous British actress. The twelve J.M. Barrie letters, written between 1888 and 1925, reflect a growing fondness between the pair over the years; James Barrie begins by formally addressing her as "Mrs. Campbell"and progresses from calling her Beatrice to Stella, and in his 1925 letter, he signs off: "My Love, JMB". The most significant letter appears to be one dated 23 Oct. 1921, transcribed by Campbell in her autobiography, "My Life and Some Letters" (beginning on page 349), in which Barrie expresses jealousy over her relationship with George Bernard Shaw: "My Dear Stella, I am much elated to find that you have preserved for so long these two old letters of mine. Is the faint perfume that I fondly think comes from them really lavender? And if it is (I wish I hadn't thought of this), is it lavender meant for me, or were my little missives merely kept so near the beautiful G.B.S. [Shaw] budget that in time they stole some of the sweetness in which, I am sure, he lies wrapt?". He also notes that writer's cramp has forced him to use his left hand to write instead of his usual right hand. Barrie letters approximately 7" H x 5" W. Lot includes four (4) additional letters and 1 telegram, all approximately 8 1/2" H x 11" W, dating from Mrs. Campbell's film career in the 1930s with signatures of Norbert Lusk, Belford Forrest, and Edmund Goulding. Biography (source: The University of Chicago Library, which holds a collection of Campbell's papers): "Beatrice Stella Campbell, known professionally as Mrs. Patrick Campbell, was a renowned English actress, famous for her portrayal of characters at once passionate and intelligent. The daughter of an English businessman in India and an Italian countess, she began her professional stage career in 1888. Her first great success was as Paula in "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray" by Arthur Pinero. Among her famous Shakespearian roles were Juliet, Lady Macbeth, and Ophelia. She also starred as Melisande in Maeterlinck's "Pelleas and Melisande," and in the title roles in Hofmannsthal's "Elektra," and Yeat's "Deirdre." In 1914 she created the role of Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," and she maintained a warm friendship with the playwright. After World War I, she played few new roles, mainly recreating her former starring parts on tour in the United States and England. During the 1930's she also played minor roles in several American films. She died in 1940 in Pau, France." Provenance: a Middle Tennessee estate, by descent from Thomas G.B. Wheelock. Note: Thomas G.B. Wheelock was known as an astute collector of African Art and co-author of the book "Land of the Flying Masks: Art & Culture in Burkina Faso". He also inherited a sizeable collection of Asian, British, and military related antiques from his grandparents, Gilded Age tycoon George Briggs Buchanan of New York, and William and Margaret Wheelock, who owned a Scottish manor home known as Bunker Hill. (Margaret Carmichael Wheelock was also a founding partner of the fashion firm Farquharson & Wheelock in New York). CONDITION: Barrie letters: All letters with small holes from apparent previous binding; Nov. 1888 letter has old tape at seams; other letters generally good condition with toning and scattered foxing. Other letters: taped seams on MGM and Picture Play letters, chipping to edges of Goulding telegram, general toning and scattered foxing. [See more photos →] |
$4,352.00 | |
Archive: Wm. Vance of Memphis, TN, Slave and Lincoln Assassination interest | Archive of over three hundred (300) items primarily pertaining to Colonel William Little Vance (1815-1888), early Memphis, Tennessee businessman, slave trader, and witness to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Includes slave receipts, inventory lists, and other documents related to Vance and members of his prominent family including his wife Letitia Hart Thompson Vance (1826-1896), his father Samuel Vance (1784-1823), his mother Elizabeth Little Brown Vance (1792-1854), his son George Thompson Vance (1852-1926), and other family members. 1st item: Governor of Tennessee Samuel Houston (1793-1863) secretarial signed land document, granting Joseph Kerr one thousand eight hundred fifty-four acres in Obion County "…by virtue of Warrant No 93–dated the 17th of September 1808.." dated May 1, 1828. Secretarial signatures for Houston and Daniel Graham, below. Encapsulated (not laminated) in a plastic archival sleeve. Document: 16" H x 10 3/4" W. Sleeve: 18" H x 12 1/2" W. 2nd-4th items: Three (3) ledgers and date books belonging to William L. Vance, detailing personal and business expenses, such as the buying and selling of slaves, including one (1) group of unbound pages comprising a slave inventory including names, ages, and the amount the slaves were sold or purchased for, dating circa 1847-1859, one (1) brown leather book with business and personal expense records, including a record of expenses related to a trip to Washington, D.C., indicating that Vance purchased a ticket to Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, where he witnessed Lincoln's assassination, dating from circa 1857-1885, and one (1) black leatherette date book for the year of 1864. Ranging in size from 6" H x 3" W x 1/2" D to 12 1/2" H x 7 3/4" W x 1 1/2" D. 5th-7th items: Three (3) slave receipts, including one (1) detailing the temporary hiring of a "…negro girl named Fanny…" belonging to William L. Vance, stating that "…she is to be well treated in sickness and in health, and not transferred to the possession of any other person, or removed out of Mercer County, unless by Vance's consent…" It additionally states that she is to be returned at Christmas and that she is to be given several items of clothing. Twice signed by William Simpson and dated January 1, 1862. Also includes two (2) blank receipts. 6 1/4" H x 7 5/8" W. 8th item: Civil War era ALS. Two page handwritten bifolium letter on Thirty-Seventh Congress, House of Representatives, Washington City, United States of America stationary pertaining to William Little Vance, Esquire, stating that "…(the bearer) is a true and loyal citizen and a citizen of Ky…" and that Vance wishes to travel behind Federal lines during to conduct business, dated November 7, 1862. Encapsulated (not laminated) in a plastic archival sleeve. Document: 8 1/8" H x 10" W. Sleeve: 9 1/4" H x 12" W. 9th item: Hamilton Fish signed document stating that "…all whom is may concern to permit and freely to pass William L. Vance, accompanied by a minor son, a Citizen of the United States, and in case of need to give him all lawful Aid and Protection…" with a description of Vance's physical characteristics, dated July 10, 1873. Hamilton Fish signature below (Fish was a New York Governor and U.S. Senator who, during the Civil War, served on Lincoln's presidential commission that made successful arrangements for Union and Confederate prisoner exchanges; he later became U.S. Secretary of State from 1869-1877). Encapsulated (not laminated) in a plastic archival sleeve. Document: 18 1/4" H x 12 1/8" W. Sleeve: 19 1/2" H x 13 3/4" W. 10th item: Governor of Tennessee Albert H. Roberts signed commission naming George T. Vance a Notary Public in Shelby County, TN, dated January 17, 1920. Roberts and Ike B. Stevens, Secretary of State, signatures below. 15 3/4" H x 9 3/8" W. 11th-30th items: Twenty (20) land documents pertaining to land primarily in Shelby County, TN, including indentures and plat maps, dated from March 5, 1795 to June 12, 1873. 31st item: Civil War era copy of a letter from President Abraham Lincoln and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Ulysses S. Grant regarding "…James Hughes of Indiana…a worthy gentleman, and a friend…" originally dated October 22, 1864 and February 25, 1864. Encapsulated (not laminated) in a plastic archival sleeve. Document: 8 1/4" H x 6 1/2" W. Sleeve: 8 3/4" H x 7 1/2" W. 132nd-134th items: Approximately one hundred and two (102) tax receipts, inventory lists, promissory notes, checks, a ledger, and other legal and business related documents, dated February 12, 1848 to March 17, 1909. 135th-338th items: Approximately two hundred and four (204) letters, dated June 1770 to November 12, 1933, pertaining to members of the Vance family and others, including letters from the Civil War era (1861-1865) and the World War I era (circa 1917-18) from Corporal John Vance, Headquarters Company 120 Infantry, Sevier Branch, Greenville, South Carolina. The letters discuss personal matters and business, including the operation of his farm. Also includes approximately forty (40) envelopes, primarily addressed to William Vance. 339th-378th items: Approximately forty (40) souvenir postcards, blank or addressed to various members of the Vance family, advertisements, and other paper ephemera items, dated circa 1917 to 1923. Many of the documents, postcards, letters, and other paper ephemera items are encapsulated (not laminated) in plastic archival sleeves. Biography: Colonel William L. Vance, was born in Clarksville, TN, November 26, 1816, and educated in Nashville. He landed in Memphis, February 6, 1835, more by accident than design. He was en route home from New Orleans by steamer, among the passengers on board being three agreeable gentlemen, merchants in the then new town of Memphis. They prevailed upon him to stop here and accept a business engagement, and he was promptly installed as clerk in a store on Winchester street, between Main and Front row. In the fall of that year he was one of a party of Nashville gentlemen forming a horseback expedition to the then Mexican Territory of Texas. There he found an opportunity for investment in lands, and did so, a few years later selling at an advance that formed a nucleus for his future fortune. While in that State he was present at the meeting called to declare its independence of Mexico, and was appointed to the secretaryship of the legation to the United States, headed by his brother-in-law, George C. Childress, Minister. He took a prominent part in the erection of many landmarks of the city, some of which still stand and are ornaments. The most prominent of these is the Gayoso Hotel, which was the result of his enterprise and that of his brother-in-law, Robertson Topp. In 1844, Col. Vance was married to Miss Letitia Thompson, daughter of George C. Thompson, of Kentucky. When the war broke out Col. Vance, who was then engaged in farming in Kentucky, deposited upward of $100,000 with the Barings, of London, and awaited the cessation of hostilities, though he took no active part in them, being beyond the age for military service. On the evening of April 14, 1865, he was in Washington, and attended Ford's Theater and witnessed the assassination of President Lincoln. Col. Vance was the first who reached Willard's Hotel with the news. In 1867 he went with a commission from Gov. Bramlette, of Kentucky, to the World's Exposition at Paris, France, accompanied by his daughters, Misses Bettie and Sue. In 1868 he sold his Kentucky property and returned to Memphis, where he resided until his death in 1888. (source: THE MEMPHIS APPEAL obituary, November 14, 1888). Condition: All items in overall good, legible condition with expected toning, scattered tears, stains and small losses, 1st item: Separated along center fold line with dampstaining, toning, and foxing spots. Houston signature with 1" area of loss to first name. 2nd-4th items: Covers in fragmentary condition, pages in overall good, legible condition with some fading and foxing. [See more photos →] |
$4,320.00 | |
Archive of Col. John Fite, CSA, POW Johnson's Island, 1 of 2, 8 Items | Civil War archive of seven (7) letters from Confederate States of America (CSA) Colonel John Amenas Fite (1832-1925), 7th Tennessee Infantry, Company B, captured at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, plus one (1) photocopy of memoir (8 items total). The letters were written while he was a prisoner of war at Johnson's Island, Ohio, and dated July 23, 1863 to August 3, 1864. The autographed letters signed (ALS) are all one-page and written to various family members, including his brother Judge Samuel McClary Fite (1816-1875). 1st item: ALS from John A. Fite, Johnson's Island, OH, to his brother and sister, dated July 23, 1863. He begins his letter by detailing the events of his capture at Gettysburg and the status of a mutual friend, writing "…On the 3rd July 1863, at Gettysburg P.A. It was my misfortune with others of my regt. to be taken prisoners. I do not know who exactly of the Regt were taken or killed I have only seen a few of these Capt John Allen was wounded in the back of the head…". He mentions the conditions of the prison, stating "…This is [the] most pleasant prison by far I have seen…". John also writes of the unlikely possibility of being in involved in a prisoner exchange, writing "…All exchanges of officers has been stopped and here I expect likely to remain perhaps until the war is over…". 2nd item: ALS from John A. Fite, Johnson's Island, OH, to his brother, dated February 26, 1864. He begins the letter by acknowledging others that he has received from family members and stating that he is in good health and spirits. John also writes of his fellow prisoners, including Captain Allen, stating "…four hundred of my fellow prisoners from this place have been sent to Point Lookout, Md. They write back that they are very much pleased at the change among them was Capt Allen…". He ends the letter by detailing the guidelines of letters received by prisoners, writing "…Write only one page as we are not allowed to receive more…". 3rd item: ALS from John A. Fite, Johnson's Island, OH, to his brother Samuel McClary Fite, dated August 3, 1864. John addresses the subject of prisoner exchange again, writing "…It looks very much like we have settled down here for the war, as the subject of exchange seems to be forggotten[sic]…". He also mentions his health and the conditions of the prison in general, stating "…I have been quite unwell for the last two weeks, but I am now about well again. The health of this prison is not quite so good as it was for sometime past, but is still greatly better than it was last Winter & Fall. The principal complaint is Diarrhea very few deaths occur…". 4th-7th items: Four (4) ALS from John A. Fite, Johnson's Island, OH, including three (3) to his sister(s), dated March 1 and 6, and April 24, 1864, and one (1) to his brother, dated March 29, 1864. The letters primarily address correspondence that he has received from family members, or lack thereof, and his health. His letter dated May 20 does state that "…Capt Allen…[has] gone to Richmond on exchange…". 8th item: Photocopy of MEMOIRS OF COL. JOHN A. FITE 7TH TENN. INF. C.S.A. FEB.10, 1832-AUG. 23, 1925", 125 page typed document of John Fite's life, including his military career and time in Johnson's Island prison. Housed in a brown cardstock folder. Note: This archival material has been documented by the Tennessee State Library and Archives. (see: https://sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com/forms/FITE-JAMES_FAMILY_PAPERS_1814-1879.pdf) and published in "Colonel John A. Fite's Letters From Prison" by Raymond D. White, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer 1973, pp. 140-147 (8 pages). Biography: Col. John A. Fite, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, Tennessee, was born in 1832, in De Kalb County, a son of Jacob and Matilda (Baird) Fite. The father, of German origin, was born in North Carolina, and with his father came to Davidson County, then Smith County, and finally settled in De Kalb County, where he passed his days. Jacob married there, and was merchant at Alexandria as well as farmer. In 1846 he moved to nearby Lebanon, and died at the age of eighty-three. The mother, born in Hickman County, Tenn., died in 1876. Four of their eleven children were Dorcas R., widow of Leonard Scott; John A.; Dr. J. G. of Lebanon, and Edwin C. John, who went to Wilson County when he was fourteen years old and was educated in the university at Lebanon, and at Irving College. He began studying law at twenty-two, and in 1855 graduated from the law department of Cumberland University, and immediately began practice with his brother, Samuel, at Carthage. His brother was elected circuit judge in 1858, and he formed partnership with Hon. W. D. De Witt, now at Chattanooga. In 1861 John enlisted in Company A, Seventh Tennessee Regiment, Moore's Guards, was elected captain, and fought in Seven Pines; promoted major in 1862; he was in Mechanicsville (where he had two ribs broken), Chancellorsville, Cedar Run (where he received a wound in the leg), Fredericksburg and Gettysburg (where he was captured and taken to Fort McHenry), thence to Fort Delaware, thence to Johnson's Island, where he was retained for nineteen months, and paroled in February, 1865, but remained in North Carolina. After the war he resumed practice with his brother, and in 1871 was appointed clerk and master of chancery court holding it for over six years. In 1878 he and H. M. Hale became partners; in 1882 he was elected to the State Legislature to fill an unexpired term; and he was elected to his present position in 1886. December 29, 1866, he married Mary M., daughter of Leroy H. and Eliza Mitchell, and born in Smith County in 1841. Their two children are Bettie and Mattie. He was a Master Mason, and he and Mrs. Fite were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. For years he was one of the leading lawyers of Smith County bar. PROVENANCE: The Estate of Raymond White, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: All items in overall good, legible condition with light toning, few areas of dampstaining, minor tears and areas of loss to edges of letters. The April 24 letter is separated at the center fold line. [See more photos →] |
$4,080.00 | |
Partial Civil War Album, incl. Confederate Leaders | Partial Civil War era album containing twenty-one (21) cartes-de-visite (CDVs), including Confederate military leaders. Includes photographic and lithographic images depicting: one (1) "Rebel Army of Virginia" composite image; one (1) General Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) with facsimile signature; two (2) depicting General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863) with one (1) Mexican War era image; one (1) General Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (1825-1865); one (1) General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (1833-1864); one (1) General Lafayette McLaws (1821-1897); one (1) Brigadier General Bradley Tyler Johnson (1829-1903); one (1) Brigadier General James Jay Archer (1817-1864); one (1) Lieutenant General Wade Hampton III (1818-1902); one (1) Major General George Edward Pickett (1825-1875); one (1) Captain Harry Ward Gilmor (1838-1883); and more. CDVs with various studio marks, en verso. All housed in two (2) sections of E. Anthony cardstock gilt edged album sleeves. 5 1/2" H x 4" W x 5/8" D. CONDITION: All items in overall good condition with foxing spots, toning. Sleeves with toning, foxing spots, acid burn, tears, largest, 1 1/2", pencil inscriptions. [See more photos →] |
$3,584.00 | |
Cheek's Cross Roads Archive, 1802-1807, Davy Crockett interest | Cheek's Cross Roads, Tennessee, leatherbound journal or ledger, dating from June 12, 1802 through June 10, 1807, for a store owned and operated during this time period by David Deaderick (1754-1823), William Conway (born ca. 1775), and David Wendel (1785-1840), plus book and cabinet card (3 items total). Located in what is now Hamblen County, TN, Cheeks Cross Roads was acquiredby Jesse Cheek as part of a Hawkins County, TN land grant in 1789 along the intersection of Stage Road coming from Abingdon, VA and Kentucky Road between Kentucky and the Carolinas. He built a general merchandisestore in about 1795 that was later expanded to add stock pens for cattle hogs, mules, and horses. The store and all 200 acres of the Cheeks Roads property were purchased by David Deaderick and William Conway, both of Hawkins County, TN, from Jesse Cheek, recorded as being from Jefferson County, TN, on a deed of sale dated November 23, 1801, for the sum of $1800, witnessed by Charles T. Porter and David Wendel. The new owners of the store built a two-story brick structure that opened in 1802 near the original wooden structure. Conway left the partnership in 1804, and David Wendel joined Deaderick, who was operating out of Jonesborough, TN, in the business. It is during this time period, 1802-1807, that the journal was used as a record of purchases made by around 900 individuals, primarily men, each with their own account numbers. William Conway and David Wendel were the main contributors to the journal, each with their own styles of recording entries,all handwritten in ink. Conway's entries likely occurred on pages 76-123, pages 153-174, and Wendel's entries likely start on pages 175-248 when he was an apprenticeclerk at the store around April-August 1803, and continuing from page 249 until the end of the journal when he became a partner.Entries began on June 12, 1802 through the end of August, 1803, on page 247, with entries for August 1 and 2, 1803 on page 248. Page 249 then jumps to January 1, 1806, and ends on page 509 on June10, 1807, with about 32 months of recorded transactions in the journal. The first 75 pages were recorded by different individuals, likely otherapprenticeclerks. The entries show that the store sold a wide variety of goods, including books, dry goods, farm implements, foodstuffs, hardware and tools, equine equipment, housewares, medicines, a few musical instruments, personal care items, and, occasionally luxury items such as a crystal necklace, tea sets with colored edges, and laces. While most transactions were conducted on the barter system without the use of coin or currency, the journal records that the British monetary system was still in use until March, April, and May of 1803 when sales were recorded in both pounds and dollars. Starting on July 1, 1803, only dollars and cents were used. In addition toitsfunction as a general store, it also served as the local post office, with Conway and Wendel both serving as postmaster, and as a bank. Included is one (1) editor signed copy of the book CHEEKS CROSS ROADS TENNESSEE, STORE JOURNAL 1802-1807, edited by Ann K. Blomquist, PUBLISHED BY Gateway Press, Inc. Baltimore, 2001, and one (1) cabinet card depicting a portrait of Davy Crockett with a facsimile signature, studio marks for McCary and Branson, Knoxville TN. Journal – 13" H x 8 3/8" W x 2" D. Book – 11 3/8" H x 8 3/4" W x 1 1/2" D. Cabinet card – 6 1/2" H x 4 1/4" D. Note: Jesse Creek was acquainted with Davy Crockett (1786-1836) who grew up nearby where his parents John and Rebecca operated a tavern. In his autobiography, Crockett describes how, at age 12, he ran away from home, "I then cut out, and went to the house of an acquaintancea few miles off, who was just about to start with a drove. His name was Jesse Cheek, and I hired myself to go with him, determining not to return home, as home and the school-house had both become too hot for me." Note: Wendel left the partnership in 1817 to move to Murfreesboro, and Deaderick's son, David Anderson Deaderick (1797-1873), took over. The property remained in the Deaderick family after the death of the original David and was operated by his sons. By 1833, it had passed to James William Deaderick (1812-1890), another son of the original David. However, he was not a successful businessman and the Panic of 1837 contributed to the failure of the business. Afterwards, JamesDeaderick studied law and then served on the Tennessee Supreme Court. In 1844, Franklin W. Taylor bought the property from the Bank of Rogersville and operated the store with a variety of partners, includingHughes O. Taylor and Leeper Long. The brick store builtbyDeaderick and Conway and remnants of the wooden store built by Cheek were still standing in 1915 when Franklin Taylor showed Mr. McClung and Dr. George Mellon the location of the original Cheek's Cross Roads. While there are currently no visible signs of these early structures, there is a TennesseeHistoricalCommissionmarker at the site of the old store. (see:https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm57MF_Cheeks_Crossroads_1B_36). Source: Research and transcription help courtesy of Ann K. Blomquist, Dandridge, TN, editor of CHEEKS CROSS ROADS TENNESSEE, STORE JOURNAL 1802-1807. Provenance: Estate of Anne Harrison Taylor & Joseph F. Taylor, Morristown, TN. CONDITION: Overall good condition with wear, toning, dampstaining, tears, etc. to be expected from age and manner of use. Front cover and front end paper of journal are separated from spine. Numerous ink inscriptions to front end paper. Book in excellent condition. Cabinet card in overall good condition. [See more photos →] |
$3,480.00 | |
1859 VA Letter Written by Slave named Mariah (2 items) | Two (2) Pre-Civil War slave related letters, including one (1) written by Mariah, a female domestic slave of James Vincent Musgrove (1814-1890), Prince Edward County, Virginia, to her daughter. 1st item: ALS. One page handwritten letter from Mariah to Winney, her daughter, dated March 30, 1859. The letter, written shortly after Mariah was sold to Musgrove, reads "My dear little daughter I will take the opportunity to write you a few lines this leav[e] me well and I hope it will find you the same I am verry[sic] well [satisfied] with my home, but want to see you so bad, I am sold, I wo[u]ld bin[sic] so glad to of seen you before I left but co[u]ld not…wo[u]ld not let me go, but I am happ[y] to tell you I have a good master and a good home, I am sorry to be parted from you, but glad to tell you I have a good home, tell Mrs Sarrah I wo[u]ld like to gone to staid[sic] with her but they wo[u]ld not let me go, said they had [enough] negroes to wait on them without me…tell her she must take good care of you, I believe she will, and you must be a good girl, and if we are parted her[e] I hope we will not be when we leav[e] this world I hope we will meet in a better one than this, they can part us her[e] but…they can't part us in the other world, give my love to my white ones and all of my friends and accept a large portion for yourself, from your devoted mother Mariah". An additional note at the bottom reads "direct our letter to Princes depot Prince Edward cty Va and to Mr James V Musgrov[e]." Writing en verso reads "From Mariah a slave to her daughter." 11 5/8" H x 7 3/8" W.Biography: James Vincent Musgrove (son of Alexander Musgrove and Mary Lucy (Polly) Morris) was born June 18, 1814 in Culpepper, Orange County, Virginia, and died August 01, 1890 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. He married Caroline Jeannette Craddock on August 23, 1842 in Amelia County, Virginia, daughter of James Craddock, and had four children. He was listed as a merchant in the 1860 U.S. Census and was recorded as having a female domestic by the name of Mary [presumably Mariah] in his household. He enlisted March 16, 1863, Lynchburg, VA and served in the Confederate Army as a Private, Captain Schumaker's Group, Stuart's Light Horse Artillery. His second marriage was to Virginia Schumaker, date unknown. He was buried in the Old Methodist Churchyard, in Prince Edward County, Virginia. (source: https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/m/u/s/Jennevieve-Hancock-Musgrove/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0007.html). 2nd item: ALS.One page double-sided handwritten letter from Susan Craig, Yancey Mills, Crozet, Virginia to her sister Sarah Ann Craig Feamster (1823-1891), Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, dated May 19, 1859. Susan mostlydiscusses family matters, however she does reference Mariah's recent sale and discusses her daughter Winney writing"…I heard Sam Steele had soald[sic] Mariah and they wanted mother to send them Winney she beged[sic] Mother to sell her rather than send her there so she did not make her go…" Address panel and traces of red wax seal en verso. 12 1/8" H x 8" W. Provenance: Estate of Anne Harrison Taylor & Joseph F. Taylor, Morristown, TN. CONDITION: Both items in overall good, legible condition. 1st item: Minor staining, largest 1/8", left center of sheet. Tears to fold lines, largest 1/4". 2nd item: Minor staining, largest 1", center of sheet. 1/2" resulting from wax seal, lower center of sheet. [See more photos →] |
$3,328.00 | |
Sam Houston Signed Land Grant, 1827 | Governor of Tennessee Samuel Houston (1793-1863) signed land document, granting Andrew A. Brown twenty-five acres in Dixon County "…On the waters of the four mile fork of Jones Creek…," dated October 20, 1827. 15" H x 12" W. Note: Sam Houston's term as Tennessee governor lasted from 1827 until 1829, when he resigned and moved to Texas. Houston later became the President of Texas and its Governor. He is the only person in American History to be elected governor of two states by popular vote. PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee collection. CONDITION: Overall good condition with toning/acid burn, foxing spots, areas of dampstaining, largest 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". Tears, largest 2 1/2". Houston signature in overall good, legible condition, slightly affected by dampstaining. [See more photos →] |
$3,120.00 | |
16 TN Governor Signed Letters & Documents, incl. Willie Blount, Archibald Roane, Joseph McMinn, Wm. Carroll | 1st item: War of 1812 era ALS. One page handwritten letter from Governor of Tennessee Willie Blount (1767/68-1835), third Governor of TN from 1809 to 1815, Nashville, TN, to Major William Berkeley Lewis (1784-1866), Quartermaster Department, dated September 9, 1814. The letter outlines a request by Blount for Lewis to "…furnish on or before the 20th Instant at Fayetteville & the nece[s]sary camp equipage, hospital stores, contingencies, fuel, tools and transportation, for one thousand five hundred Militia Infantry of this state, ordered into the services of the United States for six months, who will rendezvous at Fayetteville on that day and be commanded by Brigadier Genl. Nath[aniel] Taylor Willie Blount" with additional inscription reading "Majr. Wm. B. Lewis [Department Quarter Master]." Later ink inscription en verso. 10" H x 8" W. 2nd item: Archibald Roane (1759/60-1819), second Governor of TN, serving from 1801 to 1803, signed Bill of Exception, written in regard to a case between Samuel Walker and John Vent, most likely in his capacity within the Tennessee circuit judgeship, dated March 1814. Signed "Archibald Roane" en verso of bifolium document. 10 1/4" H x 16" W. 3rd item: TN Governor Joseph McMinn (1758-1824), fourth Governor of TN from 1815 to 1821, and Daniel Graham, TN Secretary of State from 1818 to 1830, signed Justice of the Peace bifolium commission document issued to Robert Moore and John Link of Washington County, dated July 29, 1820, Signed "Jos. McMinn" lower right and countersigned "Daniel Graham" lower left. 10" H x 15 1/2" W. 4th item: ALS. One page handwritten letter signed by TN Governor William Carroll (1788-1844), fifth Governor of TN twice, from 1821 to 1827 and again from 1829 to 1835, no location but likely Nashville, TN, addressed to Mississippi Governor Abram Marshall Scott (1785-1833), seventh Governor of MS, serving from 1832 until his death, Jackson, MS, dated circa 1832. The letter discusses the need for TN and MS to "run the line" in terms of having the state lines evaluated by surveyors. Carroll suggests that the surveyors begin at Memphis "…with a view that the work may be accomplished before the wet weather sets in…" Signed "Wm. Carroll" lower right of last page, with additional inscription reading His Excellency A. M. Scott, Jackson, Mi[s]si[s]sippi." lower left of last page. 9 7/8" H x 8 1/8" W. 5th item: ALS. One page handwritten letter signed by TN Governor William Carroll, Nashville, TN, addressed to Thomas Washington, Esquire, no location but likely Nashville, TN, dated October 8, 1827. The brief letter informs Washington that Carroll will take the deposition of Nathaniel Coxe to the courthouse in New Orleans on Friday, November 9, "…to be read in evidence…in the circuit court of Davidson County where in Coldwell & Botts are plaintiffs and Carroll & Whiting are defendants where you may attend and cross examine…" Signed "Wm. Carroll" lower right. Ink inscription indicating that a copy of this message had been delivered to Washington on October 9, 1827, en verso. 6 3/8" H x 7 7/8" W. 6th item: ALS. One double-sided page bifolium letter signed by TN Governor Newton Cannon (1781-1841), eighth Governor of TN from 1835 to 1839, Executive Department, Nashville, TN, addressed to Kentucky Governor James Clark (1779-1839), 13th Governor of KY, dated December 10, 1837. The letter primarily discusses the "…improvement of the Cumberland River, a subject deeply interesting to both states…" Signed "N. Cannon" lower right of last page, with additional inscription reading "His Excellency James Clark" lower left of last page. Addressed to Clark with a black Nashville, TN postmark stamp dated December 11 and later ink inscriptions, en verso. 9 7/8" H x 16" W. 7th-8th items: One (1) arrest warrant and one (1) ALS, both signed by TN Governor James Chamberlain Jones (1809-1859), tenth governor of TN from 1841 to 1845. The arrest warrant, issued to the Governor of MS, states that Thomas Hill of Davidson County, TN "…fled from justice & is now running at large in the State of Mi[s]si[s]sippi…" and that he should be safely delivered to William A. Hagan when he is caught, dated February 2, 1843. Signed "James C. Jones" and countersigned by John S. Young, TN Secretary of State from 1839 to 1847, lower center. The one page letter was written by Jones in Nashville, TN, addressed to an unknown recipient, dated August 6, with an illegible year and is signed "James C. Jones" lower right. Warrant: 10 1/8" H x 8" W. Letter: 10" H x 8" W. 9th item: ALS. One page handwritten letter signed by TN Governor Aaron Venable Brown (1795-1859), 11th Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847, and as United States Postmaster General from 1857 until his death in 1859, "At Office" likely in Nashville, TN or Washington, D.C., illegibly addressed to the Secretary of the Navy or to someone in his office, undated, likely written during his tenure as Governor or Postmaster General. The letter is written in regard to a Mr. Wate McNairy from Tennessee who is currently in the Secretary of the Navy's employment and states that "…in respect of personal habits & clerkly qualifications you must cherish him…" Signed "Aaron V. Brown" lower right. 8 1/8" H x 5 1/8" W. 10th item: TN Governor Aaron Venable Brown signed bifolium document authorizing the Sheriff or Coroner or other Officer authorized to hold an election in Smith County, TN permission to hold an election due to the death of the Honorable Joseph H. Peyton, Representative in the Congress of the United States for the Eighth District in TN, dated December 14, 1845. Signed "Aaron V. Brown" lower right, and countersigned by John S. Young, TN Secretary of State, lower center. 10 7/8" H x 16 3/4" W. 11th item: TN Governor Neill Smith Brown (1810-1886), 12th Governor of Tennessee from 1847 to 1849, signed Justice of the Peace commission document issued to John Miller of Giles County, dated June 3, 1848, Signed "N.S. Brown" lower right. 10" H x 8" W. 12th item: TN Governor William Bowen Campbell (1807-1867), 14th governor of Tennessee from 1851 to 1853, signed commission document acknowledging that John S. Morris has been elected to the position of Chancellor for the Middle Division of TN, dated March 1, 1852. Signed "WB Campbell" lower right and countersigned by W. B. A. Ramsey, TN Secretary of State from 1847 to 1855. Ink inscription by Brier, dated March 5, 1852, en verso. 10 7/8" H x 8 1/2" W. 13th-16th items: Four (4) ALS. Handwritten letters signed by future or former TN Governors, including two (2) letters from Neill Smith Brown, one (1) dated August 15, 1860, and one (1) dated July 24, 1861; one (1) letter from William Trousdale (1790-1872), 13th governor of Tennessee from 1849 to 1851, dated July 5, 1852; and one (1) letter from William Brimage Bate (1826-1905), 23rd governor of Tennessee from 1883 to 1887, dated June 24, 1853. Ranging in size from 5 1/8" H x 7 1/2" W to 10" H x 7 7/8" W. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: Paper ephemera items with tears, areas of loss, dampstaining, foxing spots, toning, later ink or pencil inscriptions, and general handling wear to be expected from age and manner of use. Letters do not include envelopes, some are addressed and postmarked. 4th item: Top portion of letter is not present, however, the main body of the letter is extant. Separated along the right vertical fold line. 6th item: Two pieces of old scotch tape repair, largest 4 1/4" x 3/4", to lower half of fold line. [See more photos →] |
$3,000.00 | |
Robert E. Lee Signed CDV, Traveller & Lee CDV by Plecker, 2 items | 1st item: Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) signed carte-de-visite (CDV) depicting a bust portrait of Lee in his Civil War-era Confederate uniform. Signed "R E Lee" to white archival tape affixed to bottom of CDV. No studio marks. 4 1/8" H x 2 1/2" W. 2nd item: CDV depicting Lee standing in profile beside his most famous war-time horse, Traveller (1857-1871), at Rockbridge Baths, Virginia, in the summer of 1866. Studio marks for A. H. Plecker, Traveling Gallery, en verso. 4" H x 2 1/2" W. Note: This image was taken by Adam H. Plecker (1840-1929) with his assistant Michael Miley (1841-1918), who would go on to take many photographs of Lee during his career, so much so that he is often referred to as "General Lee's photographer". Allegedly, the original negative for this image was lost or broken, therefore all examples of this image are copies of the original photographic print and are heavily retouched. PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: 1st item: Lee signature slightly faint but in good, legible condition. General handling wear to white tape and CDV, slightly chipped to corners. Later pencil inscriptions, en verso. 2nd item: Minor creases, 1/4" scratch to top center of image, rubbing, corners are chipped. Ink inscriptions dated 1857 with affixed paper label with explanation of CDV, en verso. [See more photos →] |
$2,875.00 |