Update: Abandoned home find

Ryanblood1 · Nov 4, 2020

I’ve been going through alot of these old letters and documents... Got a headache from hell from straining my eyes for hours on end trying to read some of these letters. I wasn’t going to post anything else until I got through it all but I couldn’t wait on this. I am reading this correctly, right?

This 1738 is so far the oldest

creskol · Nov 4, 2020

Looks like it! That's cool! :icon_thumright:

Vermont treasure hunter · Nov 4, 2020

What does it say??

GB1 · Nov 4, 2020

Only thing I can read is. John Hancock

DizzyDigger · Nov 4, 2020

Sweet Jeebus! That looks like John Hancock's original John Hancock...

Ryanblood1 · Nov 4, 2020

It says “To Gunning Bedford Esq. Dep. 7 (I can’t make out the next word, major?) General. John Hancock. Philadelphia

Kantuckkeean · Nov 4, 2020

No doubt about the John Hancock. Congratulations! I’ll try to decipher the rest later.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

Ryanblood1 · Nov 4, 2020

Kantuckkeean said:
No doubt about the John Hancock. Congratulations! I’ll try to decipher the rest later.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

Thanks man! This was with it

Kantuckkeean · Nov 4, 2020

“On the service of the Publick” and what you already know is all that I can make out of it. Perhaps someone else here can read the line starting with “Dep.”

The ruling of the Supreme Court mentions John Jay, the first Chief Justice, which is cool.

Oh, and it says that same sex marriage and marijuana have been legal in Georgia since May 2, 1782. Who’d’ve figured?

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

Ryanblood1 · Nov 4, 2020

Which picture is it that says that? I looked up that court case and they said they only have records of it in a printed copy. They also say it happened on May 4th but it’s on May 2nd.

Ryanblood1 · Nov 4, 2020

Check this one out and tell me what you think about it.

Kantuckkeean · Nov 4, 2020

I was joking about the same-sex marriage and marijuana stuff...

The document in post 11 of this thread appears to be a receipt for a dinner for Gen. Washington Pinkney [sic?], Maj. Rutledge, Capt. Week, and Ensign McCall. They had wine... 8 bottles. I wish that I could put drinks on my expense account... that’s a no-go for me for meals when traveling. That dinner was on April 25, 1799.

Then on May 2, 22 men from Capt. Bird’s Company dined at the same establishment.

Joseph G. Posner was being invoiced. Not sure who he was... will look into these fellas.

Update: Apparently it’s “Gens. Washington Pinckney” so this could very well be an invoice for then Fmr. Pres. George Washington and Gen. Thomas Pinckney... would need to do some more digging to see if it’s George Washington but it seems likely. He offered Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Thomas’s brother) a position in his administration.

Update 2: After a little digging, I now find it more likely that the “Gen. Washington” would be Brig. Gen. William Washington... I wondered why he would have been referenced as “Gen. Washington” in 1799 which was after his presidency, if it was George Washington. It would seem more appropriate to use the title Fmr. Pres. or Pres. rather than Gen. One would have to read their diaries, biographies, or cross reference with letters or other period documents to verify.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

Sheperdess · Nov 4, 2020

Keep up the good work.

Ryanblood1 · Nov 4, 2020

If the guy writing the letter met him before his presidency he would have be use to calling him that Gen Washington. I feel like In history books and documentaries they refer to him as gen. Washington. Plus he just refers to Maj Rutledge and Capt weeks by last name. And the “Gen” has a “s” on the end. Seems to me it’s Generals Washington, pinkney, Major Rutledge, etc. Cause there’s no Washington pinkney that I can find. Theres John Rutledge and his brother Edward. I can’t find any ensign McCall either. But they all seem to have know each other. Would’ve made sense to sit down to drink years after the war. I don’t see why He sat down and had 6 bottles of wine with George Washington and them guys and then tries to get reimburse for it. HAha I was thinking there’s no way that paper says anything about same sex or marijuana. Maybe that’s why the guy wanted his money back. GW might get handsy when he’s drunk.

Kantuckkeean · Nov 4, 2020

Ryanblood1 said:
If the guy writing the letter met him before his presidency he would have be use to calling him that Gen Washington. I feel like In history books and documentaries they refer to him as gen. Washington. Plus he just refers to Maj Rutledge and Capt weeks by last name. And the “Gen” has a “s” on the end. Seems to me it’s Generals Washington, pinkney, Major Rutledge, etc. Cause there’s no Washington pinkney that I can find. Theres John Rutledge and his brother Edward. I can’t find any ensign McCall either. But they all seem to have know each other. Would’ve made sense to sit down to drink years after the war. I don’t see why He sat down and had 6 bottles of wine with George Washington and them guys and then tries to get reimburse for it. HAha I was thinking there’s no way that paper says anything about same sex or marijuana. Maybe that’s why the guy wanted his money back. GW might get handsy when he’s drunk.

Yes. It’s “Gens.” As in Gen. Washington and Gen. Pinckney (2 different Generals) and he’s referring to them by last name as well. I still think that Gen. Washington refers to Brig. Gen. William Washington and Gen. Pinckney (although misspelled), is Gen. Thomas Pinckney... It could very well be Charles Cotesworth Pinckney though. He and Edward Rutledge were apparently good friends. Thomas and Edward were also good friends.

It’s an invoice, not a letter. I think that the invoice would have been from a restaurant owner and not someone who knew personally knew Gens. Washington and Pinckney prior to the war or after. The military officers likely charged the dinner to the military and the invoice was from the restaurant owner to either the military treasurer or the State (GA) treasurer, so the reimbursement was to the restaurant owner from the State of Georgia, as addressed to Joseph G. Posner Jr.

The restaurant owner was probably wanting his 22 George Washingtons (i.e. $22).

At the time of that dinner, Fmr. Pres. George Washington was at Mount Vernon.

Wikipedia says that Brig. Gen. William Washington concerned himself with the defenses of S.C. and GA during that time... which lends some credence to the hypothesis that’s it was Brig. Gen. William Washington and Gen. Thomas Pinckney.

If I was a betting man, I’d say that it was Brig. Gen. William Washington, Gen. Thomas Pinckney, and Edward Rutledge and they were having some tasty vittles and wine with Capt. Weeks and Ensign McCall.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Washington

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cotesworth_Pinckney

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pinckney

You may also find these writings of interest...

https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/...of-george-washington-vol-xiv-1798-1799/simple

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

SeabeeRon · Nov 5, 2020

Ryanblood1 said:
If the guy writing the letter met him before his presidency he would have be use to calling him that Gen Washington. I feel like In history books and documentaries they refer to him as gen. Washington. Plus he just refers to Maj Rutledge and Capt weeks by last name. And the “Gen” has a “s” on the end. Seems to me it’s Generals Washington, pinkney, Major Rutledge, etc. Cause there’s no Washington pinkney that I can find. Theres John Rutledge and his brother Edward. I can’t find any ensign McCall either. But they all seem to have know each other. Would’ve made sense to sit down to drink years after the war. I don’t see why He sat down and had 6 bottles of wine with George Washington and them guys and then tries to get reimburse for it. HAha I was thinking there’s no way that paper says anything about same sex or marijuana. Maybe that’s why the guy wanted his money back. GW might get handsy when he’s drunk.

These are some amazing documents!! Are they originals and are you going to get them authenticated? Best of luck!

cw0909 · Nov 5, 2020

something to consider if your selling, or loaning the docs to an institution
some of those signatures, like the john hancock signature, are worth some
$$ an depending on the subject of the document, could increase in $$$.
https://natedsanders.com/blog/2016/09/john-hancock-autograph/

thanks for sharing this incredible find, freaks me out they could have
been in a dump, or went for recycled paper

Ryanblood1 · Nov 5, 2020

Wow oh ok cool. Thanks a lot. That helps. It’s going to take me the rest of my life to get through all this. I have today come across a letter from Governor Joseph E Brown to President Buchanan. And a telegram from Governor Brown to R.E.Lee.