Lot 488: 2 Benjamin Cleveland Early NC Docs. Incl. Gov.-Signed, King’s Mountain, 1777-80

Two (2) early North Carolina governmental documents that relate to Benjamin Cleveland’s (1738-1806) service as Wilkes County Justice of the Peace. 1st item: Printed document with handwritten annotations and amendments that outlines the responsibilities of Cleveland and fellow Wilkes County Justices in regard to their duty to “legally execute and enforce” state laws. On paper with “State of North-Carolina” printed heading. Witnessed by Richard Caswell, North Carolina Governor, at New Bern and dated December 24, 1777, with Caswell’s signature en verso along with “Wilkes” inscription. Approx. 15 1/2 in H x 12 in. W. 2nd item: 1780 handwritten letter signed by Governor Richard Caswell and written to Cleveland informing him of Paul Patrick’s and “Livston” [Livingston] Isbell’s appointments as Wilkes County Justices of the Peace. All three men had fought just over a month earlier at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Signed by and witnessed by Gov. Caswell at New Bern and dated November 19, 1780 (“The 4th year of our Independence”). With early shellac or wax North Carolina state seal used from 1779-1794. Sheet: approx. 11 in. H x 7 3/4 in. W. Seal. 3 in. Dia. Biographical Note: Benjamin Cleveland, known as “Old Roundabout” due to his large size and stature, was born in Prince William County, Virginia, in 1738 and in 1769 settled in present-day Wilkes County (then part of Surry County), North Carolina, where his neighbor was Daniel Boone. He served in the Surry County militia during the American Revolution and, in 1774 and 1775, as a justice in the Surry County court. In 1778, he was elected to the House of Commons and in 1779 to the state Senate. When Wilkes County formed in 1778 Cleveland served as head of the commission of justices and was a colonel in the Wilkes militia, where he earned a reputation for his harsh treatment of Loyalists. He assisted in the defeat of Major Patrick Ferguson’s Redcoats at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, famously commandeering Ferguson’s white stallion following the British Major’s death. He moved to South Carolina in his later years, where he served as a judge in the Pendleton County court. (Adapted from North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources)

PROVENANCE:

The Collection of Dr. James and Rebecca Whicker, Knoxville, TN.

CONDITION:

Both items with fold lines, creases, losses, and staining. Item 1 without loss to text and primarily marginal staining. Item 2 in three pieces, with some passages missing, most text legible and present. With fading to ink and toning to sheet, especially to central tear. Seal with marked wear throughout and minor losses to lower edge.