Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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A Portion of the George J. Kramer Grand Prix Collection of United States Domestic Mails 1776-1869 continued...

Territorial and Frontier Mail

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

"Marietta (Northwest Territory) Decem. 14th 1788." Dateline on folded letter to Peter Turner or Thomas Rumrell in Rhode Island, manuscript "Per Favor of Col. Sproat", carried privately by courier out of Northwest Territory without entering the mails, splits along folds make it difficult to read safely

FINE. THS IS REPORTED TO BE THE EARLIEST LETTER IN PRIVATE HANDS FROM THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.

Ebenezer Sproat (sometimes spelled "Sprout") was a Continental Army officer, son-in-law of famed Revolutionary War Navy Commodore Abraham Whipple, and a pioneer in Ohio Country. He was a founder of Marietta, Ohio, the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory. According to the Siskin sale catalogue (Bennett), he provided the only early courier service to and from Marietta. This letter was carried on the second trip and is the earliest known in private hands.

Ex Siskin (Image)

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E. $ 5,000-7,500

CLOSED
Will close during Public Auction

(Marietta, Northwest Territory) "Way - 10". Manuscript postmark on folded letter from Hebron Conn., May 8, 1800, to "Colo. Israel Putnam, Bellpree, N W Territory" (Belle Prairie, or Bellepre), in care of "Mr. Wells", June 27 receipt docketing, small faint toned spot

VERY FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE NORTHWEST TERRITORIAL "WAY" MARKING.

Colonel Israel Putnam (1739-1812), one of the original pioneers in the Northwest territory, was a son of General Israel Putnam, "Old Put" of Revolutionary War fame. According to Marilyn Logue (http://wchs-ohio.org/BFL.htm ): "Colonel Putnam and two of his sons arrived in 1788 after crossing the mountains with a wagonload of farming utensils pulled by two yokes of oxen. The next spring Israel and about forty of the Ohio Company associates located their farms on the rich Ohio River bottomlands just a few miles downriver from Marietta; they named their settlement Belle Prairie or 'beautiful meadow' (now called Belpre)." (Image)

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E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

"Kaskasia March 7" (1804). Manuscript territorial postmark and "25" rate (over 500 miles) on folded letter to Williamstown Vt., datelined "Kaskaskia, Indiana Territory, 3 March 1804", interesting content related to the recent Louisiana Purchase, including "Doubtless you are informed of Louisiana's being ceded to the United States...possessions is taken without any resistance by the Spanish, but uniformly are highly pleased to be citizens...", some minor soiling, Very Fine, Kaskaskia was the capital of Illinois during the territorial period and also for two years after statehood, it lies in the small area of Illinois that is west of the Mississippi (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $800.00
Will close during Public Auction

(Knoxville, Southwest Territory, to Frankfort Ky., 1793) "Hawkins 34 Cts." Manuscript postmark and rate for double letter sent between 201 and 250 miles, on folded cover originating in Knoxville, Southwest Territory, and addressed to Isaac Shelby, the first Kentucky Governor, carried by Roulstone's semi-official post and entered mails in Hawkins (now Rogersville Tenn.), manuscript "Via Hawkins court post" and "June 6", original letter now in archives was datelined Knoxville, June 6, 1793, edge tears and minor soiling

FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE. THIS IS THE EARLIEST UNITED STATES TERRITORIAL POSTMARK AND THE ONLY REPORTED COVER FROM THE SOUTHWEST TERRITORY, WHICH EXISTED FROM 1790 TO 1796 AND BECAME THE STATE OF TENNESSEE.

Southwest Territory was created by the Southwest Ordinance from lands that had been ceded to the United States by North Carolina. It existed as an incorporated territory only from May 26, 1790, to June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Tennessee. Its capital was Knoxville. The Siskin sale catalogue (Bennett) states that this is the only documented cover from Southwest Territory.

Ex Siskin (Image)

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E. $ 4,000-5,000

SOLD for $5,750.00
Will close during Public Auction

"Knoxville 4th July 1797, Benjamin Hawkins." Docketing inside folded cover addressed to Col David Hanly, S.W. Point, endorsed "Dragoon Express", privately carried with no postal markings, splits along folds, still Very Fine, Hawkins was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, in 1797 he was General Superintendent of Indian Affairs, dealing with tribes south of the Ohio River (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $400.00
Will close during Public Auction

(Louisiana Territory) "Cape Girardeau 31 May 1811". Manuscript postmark and free frank of postmaster J. M. Ferron on folded letter to Pittsburgh Pa., Fine and rare, this is the latest recorded example of this Louisiana Territory marking (subsequently became part of Missouri Territory), this is the listing example in ASCC (Image)

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E. $ 400-500

SOLD for $850.00
Will close during Public Auction

(Orleans Territory) New Orleans Nov. 21. Well-struck circular datestamp with fleurons on folded cover to Portsmouth N.H. and forwarded to Dover N.H., manuscript "25" rate, endorsed "Mail via Fort Stoddert", fresh and Very Fine use routed thru Fort Stoddert in what is today part of Alabama (Image)

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E. $ 200-300

SOLD for $400.00
Will close during Public Auction

(Orleans Territory). Two folded letters, one with red "New Orleans Oct. 10" (1808) circular datestamp to New York, manuscript "25" rate and "Ft. S Mail" for routing via Fort Stoddert, docketed on back "Rec'd 12 Novr." indicates this took 33 days to get to New York, vertical file folds, other with similar Aug. 6 circular datestamp in black to Wilmington Del. endorsed "pr Natchez" at lower left with "25" rate, vertical file folds, Very Fine and attractive pair of covers showing different route designations (Image)

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E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $180.00
Will close during Public Auction

(Mississippi Territory) NATCHEZ*24 june (1808). Bold strike of straightline datestamp on folded letter to Providence R.I., manuscript "postage 8/1" and "25" cents rate, July 29 receipt docketing, light vertical file folds, Very Fine, nice example of the Natchez straightline on a cover carried on the "Natchez Trace" route from Mississippi Territory (Image)

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E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $800.00
Will close during Public Auction

Fort-Winnebago M.T. (Michigan Territory, later part of Wisconsin). Clearly struck black circular handstamp with manuscript date "June 17" in red, used as a forwarding mark with matching redirection "To Fort Howard" and rated "Forwd 12-1/2 (total) 37-/1/2", on folded letter datelined "May 28th 1834, Town of Niagara, County of Niagara (N.Y.)" and addressed "To the Chiefs of the Stockbridge Tribe of Indians residing near the Winebago Lake, South West from Green Bay, In the North west (Ter.) To the care of John W. Quinney.," lightly struck blue "Buffalo N.Y. May 31" double-oval datestamp and manuscript "25" rate applied at originating post office, letter was delivered to John W. Quinney, who added a post-script "+++The above was recd. July 4th 1834 after having gone the rounds viz from Buffaloe to Green Bay, thence to Winnebago Fort at the Wisconsin & Fox Rivers prtage & back again to Green Bay Post Office. J. W. Q.", minor splits along folds and waterstaining, otherwise in remarkably fine condition considering the destination

A FASCINATING INDIAN-RELATED LETTER BEARING THE RARE FORT WINNEBAGO CIRCULAR DATESTAMP AND SENT TO FORT HOWARD. AN OUTSTANDING POSTAL HISTORY ARTIFACT.

In this three-page letter, the writer, a half-Indian named John W. Newcom, petitions the "Chiefs & Warriors of the Mohekunnuk or Stockbridge Tribe" for money -- principal plus nine years' interest -- he claims was taken from him in 1825 when New York State relocated the Stockbridge Tribe. Newcom makes an intriguing reference to "adobted Affricans" he feels should not have been given land grants over him and his family, "but because my father was a white man, many of our people were opposed to my having any right in the nation." Later he states "I hope that our people will no more adopt Affricans into our Tribe for we are so poor our selves..." Newcom also directs that correspondence be sent to the new "Cherokee Post Office", referring to the post office established in January 1833, which changed its name to Chalmers in June 1834.

No markings are recorded for Fort Howard in the ASCC, and any use to or from this pioneer fort is rare (Image)

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E. $ 3,000-4,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

(Wisconsin Territory) GREEN BAY, W.T. Red straightline handstamp with manuscript Jany 6 date, "25" rate crossed out and re-rated "50" with manuscript "Double" at bottom on 1837 folded cover to Albany N.Y., docketing on back, light file folds including through the postmark, still Very Fine and scarce, Wisconsin Territory was split off from Michigan Territory in 1836 (Image)

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E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $400.00
Will close during Public Auction