An essay on the autographic collections of the signers of the Declaration of indepandence and of the Constitution. From vol. xth, Wisconsin historical society collections. Rev. and enl

UC-NRLF

It. Mfil

LYMAN C. DRAPER

V

'O

Sketch of Lyman C, Draper, L,L, D,,

The Educator and Historian.

From the National Educator, May, 188 >.

The editor is going to talk to his "girls and
boys" very familiarly , and all about how to get
on in the world under the most adverse circum
stances; ancl to do so we must have a subject,
a live subject at that, and one too that they
have not read much about, but will say that the
boy that he will so familiarly talk about was in
experiences just about what the average village
or farmer boy has had; he was as a boy of the
period required to do his share of the family
labor, then when there was not much to do at
home he did occasional jobs for the neighbors.
One season he carried the hod, getting twelve
and a half cents a day, called then a York shil
ling. In the season of fruit gathering he picked
berries, carried them to the village and sold
them; in the winter mended shoes and boots for
the family. So you see he was hand}-. Then
as he grew older he clerked in the village gro
cery and dry goods store. At times, when he
could be spared, he attended the village school,
filling in the odd leisure time by reading any
books he could borrow, or when his scant earn
ings would permit would buy a book. B}r this
close application to study in his spare moments
he soon gained the reputation of a bo}r of stu
dious habits, a youth of letters.

Right here the editor may as well tell the
name of this boy; Lyman C. Draper, born Sept.
4. 1815; and the boy we are writing this truth
ful history about, had such a desire for knowing
all about the history of his country, that at the
age of ten, twelve and up to fifteen he already
had acquired a general knowledge of the his
tory of the country. He knew all about the
Indian Wars, the war for independence, the war
of 1812-14.

He never, boy as he was, neglected an oppor
tunity of talking with old pioneers and old
soldiers. He met Gen. LaFayette when that
great friend of America visited this country in
1825. Lyman was then only ten years old and
then had" a passion for learning all about the
great men. He met Gen. Cass, Gov. Clinton,
and other big men of that day. He wrote
sketches of them for the newspapers, LaFayette
being the subject of his first composition, and
also about the signers of the Declaration of
Independence. He met many Indians and from
their chiefs was always asking questions in re
gard to the \vars they had been engaged in.

The years passed on, and he was every day
adding to his stock of knowledge; and when he
was 18 years old he traveled from western New
York to Mobile, and while there collecting in

formation from ever}' reliable source, particular-
ly of the southern Indians who at that time
/till occupied parts of Georgia, Alabama and
other southern states.

On his return the next \rear, he camero.und bv
•way of New Orleans, then up the Mississippi
and Ohio rivers by steamboat, then across the
country to Granville, Ohio, where he entered
college, staying over two years, distinguishing
himself b\- the rapid progress he made in his
studies. He made the best use of his time, and
soon acquired an excellent library for those
days. In the winter of 1835-36, he journeyed
by horseback to Columbus, through thick
woods and rough roads. The season was
stormy, the roads almost impassable, the
bridges being carried away by the floods. On
one occasion he and his horse were carried down
stream, and he narrowly escaped drowning.
But he made the journey safely, accomplished
the object he went for, and returned, and then
journeyed east and entered a seminary at Stock-
port, New York, and was a close student for
over one year. Completing his course, he took
an extended course of private reading — his
books the early histories of the border.

He became so much interested that he con
ceived the idea of writing a history of the west
ern border life, and this became his controlling
thought, and he entered upon it with an en
thusiasm that has never faltered. He wrote
many letters to prominent pioneers all along
the line.

In 1840 he commenced to travel and visit the
old pioneers and revolutionary soldiers in their
homes, thus consuming much time, but secur
ing information from the actors, as many of
these old patriots could tell their story to an
interested listener better than they could write
it.

Bo3's, there were no railroads then, so our
young Lyman the collector of historical facts
traveled for many years far and wide on foot,
horseback, by stage, lumber wagon, and steam
boat, his receptacle for his note books being a
knapsack. These journeys led him through
thick woods and long distances through wilder
ness country. He traveled over sixty thousand
miles meeting with hundreds of curions inci
dents, some accidents, many hairbreadth es
capes by runaway horses, great storms, swol
len streams, turned over stages, snagged and
grounded steamboats, suffering from hunger,
not allowing any of these to hinder the mission
he had in view.

SKETCH OF I.YMAN C. DRAPER, LL. D.

Many of the people he sought were far re
moved from the common UMIV. rvnces of life,
but a hearty pioneer hospitality was extended
to the pilgrim explorer, after his arrival the
stranger was welcomed to the shelter of the
frontier settler's household. He spent weeks
together in these crude homes in New York,
Ohio, Kentuck3', Virginia and Tennessee back
woods, gaining historical information, valuable
reminisences from the old settler, from his rec
ollections or from family records, that would
add knowledge in regard .to the settlement in
early days and the adventures and privation
attending them. To give .••. list of people visit
ed, would take columns of the EDUCATOR, as
these searches after knowledge covered in time
a space of over a quarter of a century, in which
he interviewed the actors in the stirring scenes
of the past who still survived. Among these
were Major Bland Ballard a noted Indian
fighter in Gen. George Rogers Clark's campaigns
against the Ohio, Indiana and Illinois Indians.
Another one was Major George M. Bedinger, a
noted pioneer and Indian fighter of Kentucy;
Gen. Whiteman of Ohio and Capt. James Ward
of Kentucky, who had fought Indians -with
Kenton,and Gen. William Hall who had been a
great Indian fighter under Gen. Jackson in the
Creek War. He visited many of the old cam
paigners who had served with Gen. Clark in all
his Indian expeditions, the old associates and
their children who had been with Boone, Ken-
ton, Sumter, Sevier. Robertson, Pickens, Craw
ford, Shelby, Brady, Cleveland and the Wetzels,
and from these he gathered particulars in re
gard to the career of all these great fighters of
the Revolution, the Indian wars and the war of
1812-14. He also visited among the aged sur
vivors of the Indian tribes — the Senecas, Onei-
das, Tuscaroras, Mohawks, Chicasaws, Ca-
tawbas, Wyandots, Shawanese, Delawares and
Pottawattomies. Among these he found the
old chief Blacksnake, one of the Seneca war
captains at Wyoming with Brant, and the old
chief Walker of the Wyandots. He also visited
among the Canada Mohawks, who gave him
an Indian name. In his southern trips he visit
ed Gen. Jackson at his home in Tennessee, and
had a long talk with him about his Indian
wars and the battle of New Orleans; and com
ing up through Kentucky called on Col. R. M.
Johnson, the reputed Tecumseh slayer at the
battle of the Thames, and who was vice-presi
dent under VanBuren. He met Henr}- Cla}rand
saw Gen. Harrison in Ohio.

These distinguished men and those in more
humbler station he continued to interview and
correspond with for near forty years, gathering
authentic material for history. In later years,
his activity has known no limit and he has
gathered a rich harvest of collections. And
now just think of it, boys, there are on the
shelves of his library over two hundred and
fifty volumes of manuscript, the greater part
made up from wholly original matter covering
the entire history of the wars from 1742, the
date of the first skirmish with the redskins in
the valley of Virginia, to 1813-14, when Te
cumseh was killed and the Creeks were defeated.

Among these are the original manuscript nar
rative of Gen. George R. Clark's expedition to
Vincennes, Kaskaskia and other points in Indi
ana and Illinois, to chastise the hostile Indians.
The earliest original diary in his possesion,
is one kept by Captain Wm. Preston, relat
ing to the Sandy Creek expedition in West
Virginia, against the Indians, in 1756, and an
other by Col. Wm. Fleming of an early trip to
Kentucky, and numerons others. Then come
original manuscripts relating to St. Clair's and
Wayne's campaigns from 1790 to 1795. To
obtain all these vast stores of historical data,
it required the arduous labors here enumerated
to our class.

Mr. Draper's labors in other fields of literary
effort, we have not the space K> give in thi« talk.
He edited newspapers, lived out \n the woods
in a floorless, \vindowlesshut,a dozen miles out
in the wilderness from "anywhere," trying to
"clear up a new farm," most of his food being
sweet potatoes.

In 1842 he left his "clearing" to take a clerk
ship on the Erie Canal. But he did not stay
long, but the next year he went back south
again and added more to his manuscripts from
his intercourse with Mississippi pioneers, stay
ing there only one year. He returned east stop
ping with a friend, then living near Baltimore,
and this friend with his family moving to Phil
adelphia, where he accompanied them, still pur
suing his labors for historical data.

From Philadelphia he moved in 1852 to Mad
ison, Wis., being invited to assist in the man
agement of the State Historical Society of Wis
consin, and the following year he was selected
as one of the executive committee, and 1854 he
was elected Corresponding Secretary, and under
his care the Society has progressed at a marvel
ous pace ever since.

In the thirty-three years that he held that po
sition, the society's library increased to over
one hundred thousand volumes, besides such
stores of manuscript, a splendid museum and
art gallery, that attracts many thousands of vis
itors every year from every section of the union.

The circle of Mr. Draper's usefulness was en
larging all the time, and in 1858, he served as
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, hav
ing in charge the educational interests of Wis
consin. In this enlarged sphere of usefulness he
was quite as efficient as he had proved himself
collecting historical memoranda.

The educational system of Wisconsin was at
that early day but poorly organized, but he,
by dint of perseverance and by his administra
tive ability, added new life to the educational
system, that was felt in the schools of every
part of the state.

Of the great advances made, the limits of this
"talk" to the class will permit of but brief men
tion . He recomended the establishment of libra
ries; he made visits to other state surerintendents
and the leading educators of the day — Horace
Mann, Presidents Wayland and Sears with such
Canadian educators as Dr. Egerton Ryerson.
He made a carefnl study of the workings of
public school libraries, with the good results
from them, and used all the valuable informa-

SKETCH OF LYMAN C. DRAPER, LL. D.

tion acquired in securing needed legislation at
the session of 1859, by which one tenth of the
state school fund income was set apart as a
township librar\- fund, to which was added one-
tenth of a mill tax on the assessed valuation of
the property of the state. His plan was to es
tablish township libraries, place them under
competent management, these to be furnished
with books by the State Board. During the
first 3rear this was in operation, nearly ninety
thousand dollars were raised.

Supt. Draper won golden opinions from the
leading educators of the land; his work was ,
commended by Gov. Randall, br legislative ed- 1
ucational committees. ;ns si 3 :n office

emulated his zeal, adopting his systematic me
thod of keeping tt,e records in all the details oi'
the management of his department.

He also served as a member of the Board of
Regents of the University of Wisconsin and the
State Normal Schoo's. In these positions he
was very efficient in promoting the interests of
these institutions, devoting his energies to
founding a library for the University. He be
lieved "the true university of these days is a
collection of books." This service, with his life
labor in promoting the cause of historical liter
ature, was formalh- recognized by the Universi
ty by conferring upon him the title of LL. D.

Dr. Draper served only one term in the State
Superintendence', and the year of 1860 found
him back at his work in "behalf of the State
Historical Society, and in its prosecution he
brought the industry of an enthusiast, conduct
ing the Society's business with energy, presis-
tence and business tact of high order. The ad
ditions to the great library and museum were
made by his selection, and to this task he
brought great historical knowledge. Part of
his duties was to edit and publish the society's
Wisconsin Historical Collections, ten octaVo
volumes of some five hundred pages each have
been published, thus completing the first series,
the last containing a general index to the whole.

These Collections relate to the history of the
State, all gathered by Dr. Draper from early
pioneers or by interviews with noted men, white
or Indian. In the gathering of these materials
in regard to the early history of Wisconsin, he
has traveled thousands of miles, written many
letters, and interviewed hundreds of persons.

So completely has the work been done, that is
embodied in these Collections, covering all the
old territorial history, that they at this time
are the accepted authority for writers upon top
ics relating to Wisconsin's early history. All the
great historians quote from him, and Bancroft,
Sparks, Parkman, Shea, Lossing, have compli
mented Dr. Draper for the excellence, correctness
and great importance to students of American
history of these ten volumes of "Collections,"
in themselves a monument to him. The State
Historical Society of Wisconsin is to-day what
he has made it. Its near one hundred and
twenty thousand volumes cover the entire range
of American historical investigation — strong
in the departments of western history, works
on the Indian tribes, their wars — a collection of
bound newspaper files, extending through a

period of over two centuries, a genealogical de
partment, almost equal in extent to the His
toric-Genealogical Society of Boston.

The museum contains mam- thousand objects
of interest— a collection of pre-historic copper
and stone implements, and an imposing arrav
of oil portraits of American pioneers, also a full
set of the autographs of the fifty-six signers of
the Declaration of ledependence— fifty of them
being autograph letters, also a full set of auto
graph letters of the thirty-nine signers of the
constitution, and m irly complete set of the
presidents of the Continental Congress, and the
presidents of the United States.

In this hasty recital to the "Girls and Boys"
of our class, the editor can truly say "the half
has not ijcen told" — no, not a tithe of the la
bors of this great historian and scholar can be
enumerated here. So we will hasten to a con
clusion. Of his published works one book was
published in 1869, the title, "The Helping Hand,
an American Home Book for Town and Coun
try," a work of great practical utility. But
his great work — coming exactly in the range of
his special field of scholarship — is "King's
Mountain and its Heroes," a volume of over
six hundred pages, a true narrative of the Whig,
Tory and British warefare in the Carolinas dur
ing the war of the Revolution. The book was
well received, and Bancroft writes of it calling
it "a magnificent volume." Parkman says, it
"Is truly wonderful, requiring a lifetime of care
ful re search — a copious record of this ver3T inter
esting passage of our history." Geo. W. Childs
says of it, "A delightful book — enchains the
reader." Gen. Joe E. Johnson, says, "I find it
the most interesting American historical work
I have ever read." Gen. Sherman says, "The
work deserves credit for accuracy and fullness."
Hon. Robt. C. Winthrop writes, "Interesting
and valuable, exhibiting great research." Gov.
Seymour says, "It is a valuable contribution
to the history of our country." Gov. Perry
writes, " I am amazed at the extent of the his
torical information it contains." The Literary
World, Boston, "The effort is a master-piece."
Prof. Phillips says, "The author has a gift for
such work, and may be styled 'The lover of
Patriots.'" Hon. J. M. Lee, Tennessee, says,
"The book will live; its crowning virtue is, it
tells the truth, doing equal justice to Whig and
Tory." Such are a few sententious extracts,
approving Dr. Draper's great work.

He is a clear, forcible writer, with pure, ele
vated st}4e, a conscientious desire to do exact
justice to all the great actors who have moved
on the stage of history. He considers a perver
sion of truth as the meanest of lies. No living
man is so equipped to write the history of the
border forays of the Revolutionary epoch, and
of the first pioneer settlements, as Dr. Draper,
and a great body of students of American his
tory are \vaiting his forthcoming works. The
" Girls and Boys" of our class, whom we hope
are all students of history, will be glad to know
by the following letter received by the editor,
that the wishes of historical readers are soon
to be gratified.

SKETCH OF I.YMAN C. DRAPER, LL. D.

MADISON, April 12, 1887.
Mr. J. BONHAM,

MY DEAR SIR: Your obliging favor of 9th
inst. calls for my kind acknowledgments — and
for the number of the EDUCATOR, with its
friendly notice. At my age, 1 personally have
no desire for newspaper and magazine notor
iety.

If notices of any of our toilers, in any pur
suit, can be used as exemplars and stimulants
to the young, it is very proper to use them.

While I have withdrawn from the Historical
Society as its corresponding secretary and edi
tor of its publications, one duty has lapped
over for my completion — the tenth volume of
our Society's Collections, which finishes the
first series, and which will contain a full index
of the whole ten volumes. I am at work on
this, and hope soon to see it through the press.
Then I shall "pitch in" to my own personal
work — probably Boone first; then Gen. G. R.
Clark. Boone was the older and preceded
Clark in his advent into the West.

God bless you, my friend, I hope and pray
you may long be spared for work and useful
ness. Faithfully Yours,

LYMAN C. DRAPER.

So, " Boys and Girls," prepare for something
that is histor3', from this prince of American
chroniclers.

Bancroft wrote him sometime ago, saying: "I
look forward with eager interest for your lives
of Boone, of Clark, of James Robertson, and so
many others. Time is short — pray do not de
lay — the country expects of you this service."

Mr. Bancroft only voices the desire of the
public for the early appearance of these vol
umes.

After these will follow others, and no doubt
large orders will be waiting them when they
issue from the press.

In addition to lives of Boone, Clark, Robert
son and others, he has mapped out the life of
Gen. Simon Kenton, the noted "border fighter"
whose stiring career was filled with romatic
adventure. Then came Sumter, the hero of
South Carolina in the Revolution, while Brant
and Tecumseh and other Indian chiefs, he de
sires to introduce in their true colors to the
world of letters.

The great Indian fighters, Brady and the
Wetzel brothers, are down in his stores of
manuscripts for "a showing up." A work on
Dunmore's Indian war of 1774 is also among
those he has blocked out. One wrould think
these were enough, but he has more. But this
splendid series of histories, illustrative of early
times on the border, should he be spared for the
task, will rear for Dr. Draper a lasting literary
monument.

He commenced to gather this matter more than
a half century ago. The actors in these grand
old scenes have never been fairly represented in
any of the histories written. Dr. Draper alone,
has the open sesame, atid we know that the
wishes of our class and all other readers of the
EDUCATOR will go out to him, that lotig life and
good health may be vouchsafed him for the
prosecution of the great work yet remaining
for him to do, is certainly the ardent wish of
every lover of truthful history. Dr. Draper is
up in the seventies, "full of years and honors."
His years sit lightly on his shoulders, and he is
a bundle of nervous active, light and rapid of
step, he is still as active as many youth. He is
slight of stature, his features firiety cut, his face
readiby brightens with the most winning smiles.
A great part of his time has been passed among
his books and manuscripts.

He is a most amiable old-young gentleman of
"ye olden times," the "latch-string" of his lib
rary and working "den" is "always out," to
those who have a legitimate errand thither,
and when found, he is most amiable and
charming, and sometimes a merry conversa
tionalist. Few are so well informed on public
men, current events and the literature of the
day. He is a man of generous impulses, is the
soul of honor. He has been a tireless brain
worker — had he not been, he could not have
accomplished what he has for the world of let
ters, or carved out for himself the eminent posi
tion as a historian among the reading people of
the world. We are glad in this familiar "talk"
to introduce him to our class. The}r will be
glad to hear more about him and his " works,
that -will follow him" in the future, and no
doubt many will further cultivate his acquaint
ance after this introduction by reading his
works as they shall from time to time appear.

OP THE

n

AN ESSAY

AUTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS

OF THE SIGNERS

OF THE

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

AND OF THE

CONSTITUTION.

FROM VOL. XTH, WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS.

BY

LYMAN C. DRAPER, LL.D.
i\

NEW YORK:

BURNS & SON, PUBLISHERS,

744 BROADWAY.

1889.

COPYRIGHT, 1889,
BY BURNS & SON.

Press of J. J. Little & Co,
Astor Place, New York.

PREFATORY.

MANY years' experience in gathering, in behalf of the State Historical
Society of Wisconsin, a set each of the autographs of the Signers of
the Declaration of Independence, and of the Constitution, led me to
realize the patience and perseverance necessary in making such collec
tions, and strongly to impress me with their value in illustrating our
Revolutionary and Constitutional history.

In making a report of these collections of the Wisconsin Historical
Society, it seemed most appropriate to introduce the subject with some
account of the slow but steady growth in this country, of this beautiful
and inspiring employment ; and to note, moreover, other collections
extant, complete and incomplete, exhibiting the great labor of bring
ing them together, and instituting, to some extent, a just comparison
of their relative strength, historic importance, and intrinsic value.

The gathering of matter for this monograph was commenced in 1883,
not then realizing the difficulties attendant upon the undertaking ; but
time, perseverance, and patience have resulted in this little contribu
tion to the autographic literature of the country. For whatever of
value or interest it may contain, the credit is largely due to the
several persons mentioned in this essay, whose suggestions and informa
tion have been freely and generously contributed in furtherance of a
fair and just attempt to portray the growth and extent of this interest
ing branch of American literature.

In examining any array of autographs of the Fathers of the Revolu
tion, one cannot but feel in his heart a kindling of patriotism, and
cherish a sense of sympathy, as though he lived and shared with those
noble patriots in their trials and sufferings, hopes and fears, and in the
ultimate triumph that joyfully crowned their long and weary labors in
the forum and on the field.

So useful, patriotic and inspiring an occupation as gathering, arrang
ing, and illustrating any series of American autographs is worthy of all

4 PREFA TOR Y.

praise, and it may well be hoped that such letters and documents as
have escaped the thoughtless vandalism of the past may be utilized in
forming holograph collections of the great men and worthy women of
a former day, who have distinguished themselves in any department of
history, literature, or science. When properly grouped, illustrated,
and bound, such collections possess an interest that no mere book can
ever impart, because such a volume is unique in itself, and the auto
graphic specimens which form the collection inspire within us a love
and reverence for the writers we should not otherwise feel, and serve,
moreover, to give us new sources of studying their lives, characters, and
solid worth to their fellows and their country.

While enjoying, with pardonable pride, the gathering and possession
of noble collections of autographs, it is gratifying to note that several
of our American collectors design providing for the eventual transfer
ence of their treasures to deserving public libraries of our country,
where they will be preserved with pious care for all time, and thus be
made to subserve the noblest purposes of patriotism and history.
This is highly creditable to the foresight and good judgment of such
persons, and is worthy of emulation by other possessors of similar
inestimable literary gatherings.

The reproduction of this essay on the autographic collections and
collectors of our country, in this neat and tasteful form, is due to the
enterprise of Charles De F. Burns, the American pioneer in the distri
bution of the written remains of the heroes and worthies of the past,
and an expert as well of their genuineness and value. For a long
series of years Mr. Burns' aid, experience, and judgment have been
called into requisition in forming and improving many valuable col
lections, gathered by the good taste of not a few persons in our widely-
extended country.

L. C. D.

MADISON, Wis., March ist, 1889.

GENERAL INDEX.

ALLEN, Mrs. Eliza H., early autograph collector, ir, 30, 32, 81-83, 97-
Andrews, Frank D., autograph collection, 98, 109-10.
Autographs, origin and growth abroad, 9-11.

early collections in United States, 11—19, IO3~4-
abbreviations used, 46.
counterfeits, 20-28, 111-13.

" difference in character and value, 19, 20.

of the signers, wrong persons, 28-30.

slow progress in forming sets, 30.
sets extant, 1870-76, 30, 31.
subsequent additions, 31, 32.
Victoria's supposed set, 31.
dispersed sets, 31.
transferred sets, 31, 32.
classification of, 19, 20, 59, 105.
" cost of full sets, 13, 61, 68, 76, 81, 95.

cost of single specimens, 76, 78, 80, 102.
rarity of specimens, 16, 17, 32, 34, 44, 45, 53.
judges and experts of, 66, 90.
of non-signers, relative rarity, 105, 106.

names of, 35, 36, 43, 53, 54.

BAIRD, Henry C., and C. G. Barney, early collectors, n, 103.
Bartlett, Josiah, portrait and autographs of, 29, 37, 42.
Bell, Hon. Charles H., collections, 98, 99, 109.
Borden, Arba, collection, 101.
Braxton, Carter, portrait and autographs, 37-43.
Brown, Harold, collection, 95.
Burns, C. De F., good services, 4, 12, 30, 31, 37-42, 44, 45, 47, 63, 64, 68, 6g,

77, 80, 103.

CARROLL, Charles, noticed, 29, 51, 105.

Chamberlain, Hon. Mellen, collections, n, 19, 30, 32, 68, 74, 86-87, 99, 109.
Cist, Lewis J., early collector, n, 18, 28, 30, 31, 102.
Cohen, Mrs. D. J., collections, n, 30, 32, 34, 74, 91.
Conarroe, Geo. M., collections, n, 95, 109.
DANFORTH, Hon. Elliot, collections, 90.
Davis, Robert C., early collector, n, 20, 30, 32, 42, 71, 102, 113.

6 GENERAL INDEX.

Dickinson, John, noticed, 36, 54-55. 57-

Dreer, Ferd. J., collections, n, 16, 21, 24, 25, 27, 30, 32-34, 44, 66-68, 95-96,

97-98, 107.

Drexel, Jos. W., collections, n, 13, 18, 30, 32, 79~81, lo8-
Dubbs, Rev. Jos. H., D.D., collections, 94-95, 108.
EDGERLY, James A., collections, 91.
Ely, Mrs. Wm. D., collections, n, 30, 32, 34, 81-83.
Emmet, Dr. Thos. A., collections, n, 19, 24-26, 30-34, 37, 38, 75-76, 77~78, 79> 8o-

" " first set of signers, 60-61.

" " second set of signers, 60, 61, 77~78-

" third " " 61, 81.

" fourth " " 62, 85.

" " other series, 61-63, 107.

" " letter on Burns's engravings, 38-42.

Etting, Col. F. M., collections, II, 24, 25, 27, 30, 34, 44, 101, 108.
FAXON, Wm. B., collections, 97.
Federal Convention, 1787, sets of signers, 56-57, 61, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70-73, 80,

82, 86, 87, 89, 90, 96.

Federal Convention, 1787, Ford's list of members chosen, 106, 114-17.
Federal Convention, 1787, autographs of non-signers, relative rarity, 105-6.
Fogg, Dr. John S. H., collections, n, 24-27, 69-71, 80, 88. 106-7.
Ford, Gordon L., collections, II, 26, 98, 109.

Ford, Paul L.,list of members of Federal Convention, 106, 114-17.
Franklin, Dr. Benjamin, mentioned, 27, 28, 50, 67, 75.
GENERALS of the Revolution, sets of autographs, 62, 64, 68, 70-72, 86, 87, 89,

90, 94, 96, 99, 101.

Gibbes, Dr. R. W., early collector, n, 19, 31, 32.
Gilman, Rev. Samuel, mentioned. 17-19, 32, 53, 66, 67.
Gilmor, Robert, early collector, u, 15, 16, 30, 32.
Gratz, Simon, collections, u, 20-28, 30-34, 63-66, 87, 106, 112.
Greenough, Chs. P., collections, 96, 109.
Gunther, Chs. F., collections, n, 91, 108.
Gwinnett, Button, rarity of autograph, 16, 32, 33, 37~39. 43, 45> 53, 6o> 64, 66,

71, 72, 73, 80, 81, 84.

HALE, John M., collections, n, 32, 85-6, 108.
Hall, Lyman, autograph, 17, 32, 34, 37, 38, 43, 45, 72.
Hancock, John, autograph, 64, 66, 67, 82, 84, 96.
Harrison, Benjamin, portrait, 29, 36-38.
Hart, John, portrait and autograph, 16, 29, 34, 37-9, 43, 45, 49> 53, 60, 68, 69,

7i, 72, 74-

Hathaway, Miss Mary D., collections, 99.
Hewes, Joseph, autograph, 16, 34, 45, 53, 60, 66, 72.

Heyward, Thomas, Jr., autograph, 29, 32, 34, 45, 52, 53, 60, 69, 71, 72, 74, 81, 82.
Hitchcock, Hiram, collections, n, 91.

GENERAL INDEX. 7

Hoadley, Chas. J., collections, 100.

Hollingsworth, Z. T., collections, IOI.

Howarth, James W., collections, 93-4, 100, 108-9.

INDEPENDENCE, Declaration of, broadsides, 77-8, 79, 88, 96.

" fac-simile, 1824, note, 26.

" Charles Carroll's edition, 105.
JEFFERSON, Thomas, Mss., 103.

Jones, Charles C., LL.D., collections, n, 19, 32-34, 72-4, 83, 107.
LANE, Eben, collections, 101.
Lee, Francis L., portrait, 37-39, 43.

Leffingwell, Prof. E. H., collections, II, 30, 32, 34, 68-9, 92, 107-8.
Lossing, B. J., LL.D., books and engravings, 39—43.
Lynch, Thomas, Jr., rarity of autograph, 16, 18, 19, 27, 29, 31-2, 42, 45, 52,

53, 60, 64, 66, 68, 69, 71-4, 76, 79. 84, 85.
MADISON, James, Mss., 103.

Mayer, Col. Brantz and Henry C. Murphy, early collectors, n, 103.
McGuire, James C., and F. B., collections, 22, 24, 103.
Mickley, Joseph J., early collector, II, 30, 31, 80, 101-2,
Middleton, Arthur, autograph, 32, 34-5, 45, 53, 60, 69, 71, 72.
Morris, Lewis, autograph, 17, 29, 34, 38, 40, 43, 45.
Morton, John, autograph, no portrait, 16, 30, 34, 37, 38, 40, 42-5, 53, 60, 64,

66, 68, 69, 71, 72, 84, 88.

Myers, Col. T. B., collections, II, 19, 21, 30, 32, 33, 39, 60, 76, 78-79, 88.
NEW YORK State Library, collections, n, 30, 32, 34, 81.
OGDEN, Charles S., collections, 99.
PAINE, Nathaniel, collections, 96.

Penn, John, autograph and education, 34, 37 9, 43, 45, 72.
Penn, William, Mss., 67, 89.

Pennsylvania Hist. Society, collections, II, 19, 21, 26, 32, 33, 34, 75-6, 99, no.
RAFFLES, T. Stamford, collections, 15, 17-19, 30, 32, 34, 83-5.
Reed, Byron, collections, 93.

Revolutionary and other Ms. collections, 96, 99, 101, 103.
Roberts, Charles, collections, n, 30, 32, 42, 44, 71-2, 90, 94, 107.
Robeson, Andrew, collections, 83, 97.
Rodney, Caesar A., portrait, 37, 38, 41, 43.
Roper, Lewis, early collector, n, 101.
Ross, George, autograph, 29, 37, 38, 45.
Rush, Benjamin, autograph, 75, 88.
Rutledge, Edward, autograph and Mss., 34, 38, 66, 67.
SANDERSON, Howard K., n, 92-93.
Signers of Declaration of Independence, sets, 46-56, 60-87.

incomplete, 87-105.
TrumbulPs picture, 34-38, 40-43.
Hunt's engravings, 37-43.

8 GENERAL INDEX.

Signers of Declaration — Lossing's engravings, 42-43.

unknown representation, 38-39, 43-44.
" Burns' engravings, 37-38.

Emmet's letter on Burns' engravings, 38-42.
Additional explanations, 42-43.
" Constitution, sets, 56-59, 105-9.

incomplete, 109-10,

Albany Congress, 1754, 62, 64, 70, 87, 90.
of Stamp Act Congress, 1765, 62, 64, 70, 87,90.
of old Congress, 1774-89, 61, 62, 64, 70, 72, 75, 86, 87, 89, 97.
" of Confederation 1778, 62, 64, 68, 88.

Annapolis Convention, 1786, 64, 70.
Hartford Convention, 1814, 64, 70,
Washington's Aides -de-Camp, 65, 70, 89.
Presidents and Cabinets, 62, 64, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 83, 86, 88, 89,

90, 93, 95, 96, 97-

" Supreme Court Judges, 64, 69, 72, 74, 86.

Spaulding, Mrs. Sarah J., collection, 101.

Sprague, Rev. Dr. Wm. B., 12-19, 3°~33> 53> 60, 75-76, 83, 85, Io8.
Sprague, E. E. & W. B., Jr., 14, 15, 19, 30, 32, 74-76.
Spring, Robert, counterfeiter, 27-28, 111-13.

Stauffer, D. McN., collections, 24, 25, 27, 30, 88-90, 97, 104, 107.
Steele, Fred. M., collections, 26, 27, 100.
Stockton, Richard, portrait, 16, 29, 34, 38, 45, 73, 74.
TAYLOR, George, autograph, 16, 17, 28, 29, 30, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 45.
Tefft, Israel K., early collector, 11-13, 17, 18, 32, 33, 40, 41, 53, 66, 72, 80, 8l, 85.
Thacher, Hon. John Boyd, collections, n, 19, 21, 30, 32, 33, 74-75, 91, no.
Thatcher, B. B., early collector, n, 15, 16, 44, 104.
Thornton, Matthew, portrait, 17, 37, 39, 43, 66.
Trance-speakers, 54-55.
Turner, James W. , counterfeiter, 20-28.
VAN SCHAACK, Hon. Henry C., early collector, 100.
Vroom, Hon. Garret D. W., collections, 98, 109.
WASHINGTON, George, Mss., 65, 66-67, 75. 80, 88, 93, 101, 103.

" counterfeit letters, 27, 28, 111-13.

Whipple, William, portrait, 37, 46, 60.
Willard, Henry A., collections, n, 22, 25-27, 33, 91-92.
Williams, William, portrait, 38, 39.

Wisconsin Historical Society, collections, II, 32, 45-59, 70-71, 107.
Wright, Hon. J. Ridgeway, collections, 95.

OF TUB

17 i

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

THE London Athenceum declared, in 1855, tnat "the story of
what History owes to the autograph collectors would make a
pretty book." Interesting as this phase of the subject might be made,
it is not the purpose of the present paper to attempt its elucidation.

Sir Richard Phillips, whose career extended from 1767 to 1840,
claimed in his day to have been the pioneer in the collection of auto
graphs. This may have been true so far as England is concerned,
limiting his collection to varieties made for the single object of
curiosity. An autograph collection, in the ordinary acceptation of
the term, should not be confounded with collections of historical
manuscripts, made and preserved by Governments, Libraries, and
historians, for purposes of public records, or as materials for historic
literature. Such collections date back to the times of papyrus manu
scripts and the Alexandrian Library, long anterior to the discovery of
printing.

Some vague references to autographs may be traced back to the
palmy days of Greece and Rome. Autograph signatures in albums,
we are told, were known as early as 1466 ; and about the year 1550,
persons of quality took about with them elegant blank books for the
signatures of eminent persons or valued friends. One of these albums,
preserved in the British Museum, bears date 1578. In Germany,
over three hundred years ago, the practice of making collections of
autographs seems to have been quite common. It began with noble
men, and persons of taste and wealth. The custom soon spread to
other countries. Many large autograph collections were formed in
the sixteenth century, notably those in France of Antoine Lomenie"
de Brienneand Le Croix du Maine — Brienne's collection reaching 340
large folio volumes, preserved in the French National Library.

Similar collections have been made in England. Sir Robert Bruce
Cotton, Sir Hans Sloane, and Sir Thomas Bodley were the pioneers of
•2.

10 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

this good service in that country. Cotton's career extended from 1570
to 1631 ; and his gatherings embraced ancient records, charters and
other manuscripts, which had been dispersed from the monastic libra
ries during the reign of Henry VIII — among which is the original of
the famous Magna Charta, the foundation of British constitutional
freedom, wrung by the sturdy barons from the reluctant King John,
in 1512. His library and manuscripts, which had received numerous
additions from his son and grandson, after having been partially
destroyed by fire in 1731, were transferred, while still numbering over
20,000 articles, to the British Museum, in 1757. This was apparently
the earliest collection of the kind made in England.

Sir Hans Sloane, born in 1660, and dying in 1752, made a wonder
ful gathering of autographs in his day, commencing early and continu
ing to the end of his extended life of nearly ninety-two years. As a
great physician and naturalist, and long president of the Royal Society,
his tastes were largely in the line of natural science ; yet his collections
embraced many works and manuscripts on history, and his cabinet ot
curiosities was the finest of his time. Extremely solicitous that the
rich garnerings of a lifetime should not be scattered at his death, and
unwilling that so large a portion of his fortune should be entirely lost
to his children, he bequeathed the whole to the public on condition
that Parliament should make good ^"20,000 to his family. This sum,
though large in appearance, was scarcely more than the intrinsic value
of the gold and silver medals, the ores and precious stones, in the
cabinet alone ; for in his last will he declares, that the first cost of the
whole collection amounted to ,£50,000. Parliament accepted his
legacy, and from this ample beginning the British Museum had its
origin, supplemented shortly after by the noble Cottonian collection.
Among the Sloane Library of upwards of 50,000 volumes, there were
347 illustrated with cuts finely engraved, and colored from nature ;
and 4,100 volumes of manuscripts, together with an infinite number
of rare and curious works of every kind.

Sir Thomas Bodley gathered his library and manuscripts in the latter
part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, which formed the nucleus of the
noble Bodleian Library of Oxford, since augmented by many additions
to 22,000 volumes; and in many departments, these collections are
unique and invaluable.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. II

The subsequent manuscript additions to the British Museum, since
the Sloane and Cotton foundation, have been very large. The collec
tion of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, numbered over 7,600 volumes,
containing 40,000 documents; the Lansdowne MSS. consisted o
1,245 volumes ; while the Hargrave, Burney, Grenville and other col
lections have served to swell this great storehouse of manuscripts to
magnificent proportions, enriching and elucidating every department
of historic, scientific, and miscellaneous literature.

Auction sales of autographs began in London early in this century ;
and since about 1823 they have been quite frequent both in London
and Paris.

The pioneer autograph collectors in the United States were Israel K.
Tefft, of Savannah ; Rev. Dr. Wm. B. Sprague, of Albany ; and Robert
Gilmor, of Baltimore : followed by Lewis J. Cist, of Cincinnati ; B. B.
Thatcher, Hon. Mellen Chamberlain, Dr. John S. H. Fogg, and
Chas. P. Greenough, of Boston ; Howard K. Sanderson, Lynn ;
Nathaniel Paine, Worcester ; Maj. B. P. Poore, Newburyport ; Charles
H. Morse, of Cambridgeport ; Mrs. Wm. Hathaway, New Bedford;
Prof. E. H. Leffingwell, New Haven ; Mrs. E. H. Allen, Providence ;
Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, Col. T. B. Myers, Almon W. Griswold,
Jos. W. Drexel, Hiram Hitchcock, and D. McN. Stauffer, New
York ; Hon. Henry C. Murphy and Gordon L. Ford, Brooklyn ;
Hon. H. S. Randall, Cortland Village, N. Y. ; Hon. John Boyd
Thacher, Albany ; Hon. Elliot Danforth, Bainbridge, N. Y. ; Hon.
Henry C. Van Schaack, Manlius, N. Y. ; G. D. W. Vroom, Trenton,
N. J. ; Dr. Lewis Roper, Ferd. J. Dreer, Simon Gratz, Robert C.
Davis, J. J. Mickley, Henry C. Baird, Charles Roberts, and Geo. M.
Conarroe, Philadelphia ; Col. Frank M. Etting, Ward P. O., Penn. ;
John M. Hale, Philipsburg, Penn. ; Rev. J. H. Dubbs, Lancaster,
Penn. ; James W. Howarth, Glen Riddle, Penn. ; Dr. J. I. Cohen,
and Col. Brantz Mayer, Baltimore ; Henry A. Willard, Washington ;
Dr. C. G. Barney, Richmond ; Prof. R. W. Gibbes, Columbia, S. C. ;
Col. C. C. Jones, Augusta, Ga. ; Chas. F. Gunther, Chicago ; Byron
Reed, Omaha, Neb. ; and State Historical Society, Madison, Wis
consin.

The Pennsylvania Historical Society, and New York State Library,
though having valuable sets of autographs, secured them in their col-

12 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

lected condition, by purchase, and were not collectors by piecemeal.
Charles De F. Burns, of New York, as a dealer in autographs, and
publisher of the American Antiquarian, has, for a long series of years,
rendered singular aid to many collectors of the country.

Mr. Tefft seems to have been the precursor in the collection of auto
graphs in this country. Born in Smithfield, R. I., February 12, 1795,
he early lost his parents, and was raised on a farm. He acted awhile
as a book-keeper in a manufacturing establishment. In 1816, he
removed to Savannah, where he engaged in business, till misfortunes
overtook him, when he served with credit as a clerk, editor of literary
papers, and cashier of a bank. He commenced saving autographs as
early as 1815-16, without, apparently, at its commencement any defi
nite purpose. "He kept it very quiet at first," as he naively said in
after years, "feeling for some time very shy of being known as the
collector of such things." He could not have entered very enthusias
tically into the work until many years thereafter ; for, Dr. Sprague says,
when he visited Mr. Tefft at Savannah, in 1830, his collection was in a
very incipient state, probably not numbering more than twenty or
thirty letters. But some of these must have been rarities, for when Dr.
Sprague made this visit, Mr. Tefft most courteously and generously
offered for the Doctor's acceptance such of his autographs as he did
not possess. Dr. Sprague selected quite a number, assuring his
Savannah friend that he would return their full equivalent. At first,
Mr. Tefft grieved not a little over the loss of the gems of his collection,
and felt that his spirit for further gathering was broken, and that he
should scarcely seek to make good the ravages of this great Northern
despoiler. "But," said Mr. Tefft, many years after, "never was
promise more faithfully kept ; my gift to Dr. Sprague was literally
bread thrown on the water — it returned to me a thousand-fold ; and to
his steady liberality and friendship have I been indebted, more than to
all others, for the value of my collection." *

Another anecdote is related of Mr. Tefft, which illustrates how acci
dent sometimes furnishes what the most patient inquiry had failed to
supply. Visiting a gentleman's residence near Savannah — apparently
after 1845 — Mr. Tefft, finding the owner absent, walked out on the

* American Antiquarian, August, 1870.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 1 3

lawn, when a paper was blown across his path, and listlessly picking
it up, he joyfully discovered it to be one of the rare autographs of -a.
Georgia Signer of the Declaration — the only one he then lacked to
complete his set, and of which he had long been in active pursuit.
When the owner returned, and Mr. Tefft had transacted his business
with him, he was asked to specify the amount of his fee. " Nothing,"
said Mr. Tefft, " if you will allow me to keep this piece of paper I
found on your lawn." The owner replied that he was welcome to it ;
that its writer had once occupied the place, and his own servants had
recently cleaned an old garret of papers of which this was a waif. Mr.
Tefft related this circumstance with great enthusiasm, and evidently
valued this prodigal more than any other of the rarities of his many
years of persevering search. * This it would seem was the autograph
of Button Gwinnett, the rarest not only of the Georgia signers, but,
save Lynch, of the whole immortal fifty-six.

Mr. Tefft, after having formed one full set of autographs of the
Signers of the Declaration, and lacking only three of another, and
having made a splendid collection of other notable characters of both
continents, died at Savannah, June 30, 1862. He was a noble man,
and liberally assisted his fellow collectors with duplicates — especially
of Thomas Lynch, Jr. , that rarest of autographs of the Signers. In
1865, Almon W. Griswold, Esq., of New York, purchased of Mr.
Tefft's widow, his incomplete set of autographs of the Signers, which
was some years afterward disposed of, through Messrs. Sabin & Sons,
to Joseph W. Drexel, of New York ; while the full set of the Declara
tion Signers was purchased at the Tefft sale by E. French, at $625.00,
and subsequently sold to the New York State Library. The remainder
of Mr. Tefft's valuable collection was disposed of at auction in New
York, in March, 1867, the catalogue filling 264 pages, and estimated
to comprise 25,000 specimens.

Dr. Sprague commenced his collection apparently as early as the
autumn of 1815 — as soon, perhaps, as Mr. Tefft, and possibly even
earlier. "To him," says Charles F. Fisher, of Philadelphia, "more
than to any other single individual in the country, are we probably
indebted for the discovery and preservation of large masses of invalu-

* Historical Magazine, April, 1862; American Antiquarian, Nov., 1870.

14 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

able correspondence of the Colonial and Revolutionary times, which in
old trunks and boxes, in garrets and cellars, were fast hastening to
decay, and exposed daily by accident or carelessness to destruction,
until rescued by his zealous and untiring researches."

Dr. Sprague was born at Andover, Conn., October 16, 1795, and
graduated at Yale College in 1815. During the latter part of his
senior year in college, he was invited, through the Hon. Timothy
Pitkin and Prof. Silliman, of Yale, to go to Virginia, as an instructor
in the family of Maj. Lawrence Lewis, a nephew of Gen. Washington,
whose wife, nee Eleanor Park Custis, was the grand-daughter of Mrs.
Washington, and the adopted daughter of the Great Chief. He
accepted the invitation, and in the autumn of 1815 set out for Maj.
Lewis' country seat, Woodlawn, which had been a part of Washington's
plantation, near Mount Vernon. Here he was cordially received, and
remained as a tutor in the family until June, 1816.*

It was during this period — embracing probably nearly all of it —
that he obtained permission from Judge Bushrod Washington, who
inherited the papers of his distinguished uncle, to take whatever letters
he might choose from Gen. Washington's voluminous correspondence,
provided only that he would leave copies in their stead. The result
was, that he came into possession of some 1,500 letters, many of which
were included in the three sets of the Signers which he completed.
"Of course," writes his son, Wm. B. Sprague, Jr., "many other
autographs were obtained from friends by way of exchange, but a very
large number of his collections were addressed to Washington, and
bear his endorsement." Dr. Emmet had thought, from what Dr.
Sprague had told him, that the latter had, with his exchange with Mr.
TerTt, made up from his Washington collection a full set of the Signers,
and all the Generals of the Revolution.

Mr. Gratz states that, of Dr. Sprague's best set of Signers, which
eventually came into his possession, twenty-one were addressed to
Washington ; and, from this set, five had previously been exchanged
with Dr. Emmet, including the Lynch letter, and letters of Heyward
and Middleton. Mr. Gratz adds, that a few of the letters in his set of

* Charles B. Moore's Memoir of Dr. Sprague, in IV. Y. Genealogic-Biographi-
cal Record, Jan., 1877.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 1 5

the Signers, obtained by Dr. Sprague from the Washington manu
scripts, are represented in duplicate in the second Sprague set of the
Signers, now belonging to the Pennsylvania Historical Society. It
would appear, therefore, that aside from some duplicates, Dr. Sprague
did not acquire from the Washington manuscripts to exceed twenty-
nine letters of the Signers, — except duplicates, a little more than one-
half of the whole number. He probably had to exchange duplicates
for many he did not possess, not only with Mr. Tefft, as Dr. Emmet
states, but with several others, as indicated by Wm. B. Sprague, Jr.

There is a pretty general opinion with our oldest and most intelli
gent autograph collectors, that Dr. Sprague originated the idea of
making a collection of the autographs of the Signers of the Declaration
of Independence ; and that he was undoubtedly the first to complete
his set. The date of its completion is not known — it was, however,
prior to 1834 ; for Dr. Oilman's first visit to Mr! Tefft, in 1834, in
connection with Benjamin B. Thatcher's* letter of June, 1835,
reproduced in Burns's American Antiquarian of September, 1871,
show that Robert Gilmor, of Baltimore, had made his collection of
the Signers complete, with the single exception of Lynch ; Mr.
Thatcher adding : "Rev. Mr. Sprague has outrun him in this field,
for he has the whole, and so has Dr. Raffles, of Liverpool, and these
are the only two complete sets in the world.'' Dr. Raffles' collection
was not yet complete ; it then lacked at least George Taylor's auto
graph.

Dr. Sprague passed away May 7, 1876, but not until he had gathered
one of the largest and most valuable private collections of autographs
in this country — numbering, it is said, 40,000 specimens. He com
pleted three sets of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
two of which remain intact, and hereafter noticed ; while the third
set has been broken up, and gone to improve or fill up deficiencies in
other sets — some in completing that of the Wisconsin Historical
Society.

Mr. Thatcher testified, in 1835, to Dr. Sprague's wonderful collec
tion — as " at the head of the list longo iniervallo, being composed of

* This earliest writer on American autograph collections was born in Warren,
Me., Oct. 8, 1809, and died in Boston, July 14, 1840. He was the author of a
number of useful works.

1 6 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

20,000 specimens, at least — an enormous multitude, indicating, most
significantly, the vast pains which must have been taken by that intelli
gent, amiable, and indefatigable enthusiast to enhance the extent of
his treasures."

Dr. Sprague was a man of remarkable industry. Besides his pulpit
ministrations, he wrote no less than sixteen different works between
1821 and 1866 — one, Annals of the American Pulpit, is a production
of great merit, in nine volumes. He also wrote numerous introduc
tions to biographical and other works, was a contributor to Appletons'
New American Cyclopedia, and the author of more than 100 pamphlets.
The gathering of book materials, notably for his great work on the
American Pulpit, largely contributed to the augmentation of his won
derful autograph collection. Take him all in all, Dr. Sprague fills a
distinguished and unique place in the history of American literature,
and is accorded on all hands the highest rank among the early
American autograph collectors.

Robert Gilmor, of Baltimore, was also an early and successful col
lector of autographs. He was a man of liberal means, and one year,
while in Europe, expended $30,000 for paintings, autographs, and
other objects of virtu. Dr. Jared Sparks, who resided awhile in Balti
more, aided Mr. Gilmor very materially. Mr. Thatcher's description
of his collection, as it existed early in 1835, represents it as less volu
minous, but more general and valuable, autographically considered,
than Dr. Sprague's. It was very rich in specimens of noted English
and French characters — Mr. Thatcher enumerating many of them.
Mr. Gilmor lived to supply his wanting Lynch autograph ; and, dying
at the age of seventy-four, Nov. 30, 1848, his collection mainly passed
into the hands of Mr. Ferd. J. Dreer, of Philadelphia, including his
set of the Signers, while another portion was scattered, and aided mate
rially in making up and improving other collections. In his lifetime,
Mr. Gilmor had bestowed upon the Maryland Historical Society a
rich array of manuscripts, illustrating the period of the French and
Revolutionary wars ; and these Gilmor Papers will long serve to per
petuate his memory.

The deaths of several of the Signers during the Revolutionary con
test — Morton and Gwinnett, in 1777 ; Livingston, in 1778 ; Hewes
and Lynch, in 1779 ; Hart, in 1780; Taylor and Stockton, in 1781

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. l"J

— so soon after appending their names to the immortal Declaration,
have contributed to render their autographs exceedingly rare in any
form. These names, with the other North and South Carolina Sign
ers, together with Thornton, Samuel Adams, Hopkins, Lewis Morris,
Stone, Wythe, and Hall, are among those most difficult to obtain.

Some time prior to 1834, Dr. Sprague was so fortunate as to obtain
a Lynch signature from Gen. James Hamilton, of South Carolina, a
nephew of that Signer, which he generously sent to Dr. Raffles, an
indication that at this time Dr. Sprague had no thought of attempting
the formation of any set of the Signers beyond that which he had
already completed ; and Mr. Tefft supplied his English friend with an
official order, signed by Gwinnett. Still Dr. Raffles lacked a Taylor
autograph to complete his collection — so he wrote to Mr. Tefft. This
letter was shown to Rev. Dr. Samuel Oilman, of Charleston, S. C., on
his first visit to Mr. Tefft, in 1834 : "I now," wrote Dr. Raffles,
"possess every Signer of the Declaration of Independence, save one,
viz., George Taylor." On Dr. Oilman's second visit, early in 1837,*
Mr. Tefft showed him a letter from Dr. Raffles, "recently received,"
in which he said : " Pray, are your Signers complete ? I look with
mingled emotions of sorrow and hope upon the only hiatus I have in
mine." How the good Doctor's heart must have leaped for joy
when he, not long thereafter, opened a letter from his fellow collector,
Dr. Sprague, to find the long-sought "hiatus" supplied. It was a
legal document, with the Christian name of the signature unfortunately
torn off — still it served to perfect his set of the Signers. Its genuine
ness was vouched for by Dr. Sprague as an "original manuscript of
George Taylor, one of the Signers, "f

* The dates of these two visits are determined by the time of their publication
in The Rose, a literary journal, edited by Dr. Oilman and lady, at Charleston —
the first part of A Week Among Autographs appearing in the issue of April 18,
1835 ; while the results of the second visit are given from June 10 to July 8, 1837.
The papers on these visits were reproduced, first in Mrs. Caroline Gilman's charm
ing volume, Poetry of Traveling, in 1838 ; and somewhat enlarged in Dr. Gil
man's Contributions to Literature, in 1856. A file of The Rose is preserved by
Dr. Gilman's daughter, Mrs. Eliza Gilman Lippitt, of Washington, who has kindly
furnished these dates from that source.

f Statement of Hon. T. Stamford Raffles, of Liverpool, son of Rev. Dr.
Raffles.

1 8 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Mr. Tefft's first collection of the Signers, at the time of Dr. Oilman's
second visit, in 1837, was still far from being complete. He had then
recently received from his friend, Dr. Sprague, among numerous other
invaluable specimens, the autograph of Richard Stockton. "It had
been for years," adds Dr. Oilman, "upon his list of desiderata, and
was almost despaired of, as being probably no longer extant. " He
still lacked seventeen autographs to make up his set of the Signers —
those of Thornton, Floyd, Lewis Morris, Hart, Morton, Ross, Smith,
Taylor, Wilson, Read, Rodney, Stone, Braxton, Nelson, Penn, Lynch
and Middleton. These deficiencies having been made known by the
publication of Dr. Oilman's paper, A Week Among Autographs,
attracted the notice of persons who furnished him with these desiderata
— President Sparks alone sending him three letters. Whether the for
tunate discovery of the Lynch signatures by Dr. Oilman, in 1845,
served to complete Mr. Tefft's first set, we are not informed ; but when
Dr. Oilman published his Contributions to Literature, in 1856, in which
his autograph essay is reproduced, he states, that since its original pub
lication, and in consequence of its appearance, Mr. TefFt had com
pleted his collection. Mr. Cist, in the Historical Magazine of August,
1859, says " it was perfected many years ago." Mr. Tefft's indomi
table perseverance — with a supply of the Lynch signature to bank on —
enabled him, in a few years, and prior to the outbreak of our civil
war, to form nearly a second set, lacking only Paine, Sherman, and
Stone, which eventually passed into the hands of the late Jos. W.
Drexel.

Up to 1845, no collection of the Signers was complete, save those
only of Dr. Sprague and Dr. Raffles. In April and May of that year,
Dr. Oilman obtained for Mr. Tefft several signatures of Thomas
Lynch, Jr., cut from a volume of Latin translations made by him
while at college, preserved by his nieces, the Misses Bowman, of
Charleston, and from fly-leaves of printed books formerly belonging
to Mr. Lynch, which had been presented by Mr. Bowman, who had
married a sister of the Signer, to the Apprentices' Library of that city;
and these precious signatures were presented by Dr. Oilman to Mr.
Tefft, at whose solicitation he had procured them. He at once shared
his rich acquisition with Mr. Gilmor, Mr. Cist, and others, thus
enabling them to complete their collections, and with Dr. Sprague for

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 19

his additional sets. Hon. Mellen Chamberlain writes : "I was at Dr.
Sprague's house in Albany, I think, in 1848, and he then had two
complete sets of the Signers — one of which he designed for his son. "
The discovery of the Lynch signatures has had the happy effect of
completing no less than fifteen collections of the Signers.

Col. Jones, of Georgia, has succeeded in obtaining four Lynch sig
natures, three of them without the prefix, Thomas, or suffix, Junr.,
from the Signer's books purchased while a student at Eton — his T.
Lynch, Junr., signature, in his best set, is accompanied by one of
those simply " Lynch ;" another forms the Lynch representation in
his second set, while the other fills its proper place in his Old Con
gress series. It is, therefore, quite possible for this enterprising collec
tor, in the course of time, to emulate Dr. Emmet, in the completion
of four sets of the immortal Signers. Col. Jones states that he
obtained these four Lynch signatures from a lineal descendant of one
of the sisters of the Signer, adding : "I regret to say, that this source
of supply is wholly exhausted — at least, such is my present informa
tion."

So these fifteen Lynch signatures, not reckoning that of Dr. Gibbes,
destroyed at the burning of Columbia, appear to embrace all those
discovered by Dr. Gilman, and four since obtained by Col. Jones.
These, with the peerless Lynch letter, originally in Dr. Sprague's best
set, now in Dr. Emmet's, with the signature furnished by Gov. Ham
ilton to Dr. Sprague, and by him transmitted to Dr. Raffles, together
with the two land documents, in the collections of Col. Meyers and
Mr. Thacher, and a receipt detached from the deed in the Meyer's
collection, given by Mr. Lynch and wife just prior to going to sea in
1779, which now represents Lynch in the set at the Pennsylvania His
torical Society. These make the twenty-four undoubted Lynch auto
graphs found, twenty-two in the full sets of the Signers extant, and the
two extra signatures of Col. Jones, and no other genuine signatures of
this Signer are known to exist.

The difference in the character and attractiveness of these several
collections is very striking. One of the most distinguished collectors
in the country very justly remarks : "The different sets of the Signers
that are owned in the United States vary greatly in character, interest
and value. Some of them are as much superior to others as a perfect

2O AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Caxton imprint is superior to one that is largely made up of leaves in
fac-simile. Some are composed, to a great extent, of A. L. S. of the
period, on public matters, while others are formed mainly of letters
and documents of a private business character, written at a date remote
from 1776."

It is not strange that some autographs of the Signers — notably that
of Lynch — have been counterfeited. "A few years ago," says the
American Antiquarian of Nov., 1870, " a well-dressed man called to
see one of the most eminent * collectors in Philadelphia, and offered
to sell him a letter of Thomas Lynch, Jr., which he claimed to have
discovered somewhere in the South. A single glance satisfied the col
lector that it was a base forgery, and tearing the document in pieces,
he handed back the fragments to the stranger, who accepted them, and
retired without saying another word."

" Many years ago," writes Mr. Gratz, " a man residing in Washing
ton, who called himself James W. Turner, f offered for sale in Phila
delphia counterfeits of Lynch and other rare Signers. Whether he was
the person who actually manufactured these bogus autographs, I can
not say ; it is probable, however, that he was. The work was so well
done that inexperienced collectors were completely deceived by it ; in
fact, some old collectors were imposed upon, and purchased his wares.
I have seen not less than half a dozen of them, and two or three
recently, all of these Washington city forgeries.

"Turner's first effort to sell a Lynch letter in Philadelphia was made
in the year 1861. It was successful." The prices variously paid for his
letters, so far as known, were $10, $30, $50, and in one instance,
$100. "Shortly afterwards," continues Mr. Gratz, "he sent a Phila
delphia collector jive letters of Lynch, written on paper of different
sizes, folio, quarto, and octavo, so that the collector might select the
specimen that best suited him. By that time, however, the fact had
become known here that his productions were not genuine, and he was

* The late Robert C. Davis.

f This was probably an assumed name — no such person is recollected by Dr.
J. M. Toner, and other intelligent surviving residents of Washington of the period
referred to ; nor is any mention made of James W. Turner in the old directories.
— Letter of W. A. Croffut, Esq., of Washington.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 21

unable to make any further sales to Philadelphians. He once paid a
visit to Philadelphia, and tried to dispose of a lot of counterfeit Signers.
He chanced, however, to offer them to a dealer who was posted, and
who advised him to leave the city as quickly as possible if he wished
to escape arrest. He wasn't slow in getting away.

" Nor did Turner confine himself to the manufacture of Lynch 's
autograph ; but supplied, on demand, those of Gwinnett, Hall, and
other rare signers."

Mr. Dreer, of Philadelphia, has preserved two of these spurious
Lynch productions : so regarded by Mr. Gratz. One of them was
purchased from the widow of the late John M. Siegfried, of Easton,
Penn., a prominent autograph collector in his day, and the other at the
sale of his literary effects. Both are dated in Philadelphia, one July
23d, 1776, referring to "the sudden decease of my father," when, in
point of fact, the younger Lynch did not attach his signature to the
engrossed copy of the Declaration until nine days afterwards, and then
appended "Junr." to his name, showing quite conclusively that his
father was living at the date of this pretended letter; and Thomas
Lynch, Sr., did not die, as Sanderson and others inform us, till some
time in the subsequent autumn, at Annapolis, on his way home, ac
companied by his filial son.

In the four undoubted signatures extant written by the younger
Lynch after his father's death, that appended to the full letter in Dr.
Emmet's collection, and those affixed to the three land documents
in the respective collections of the late Col. Myers, Hon. J. B.
Thacher, and the Pennsylvania Historical Society, he invariably dis
carded the "Junr. "

Had the elder Lynch been dead at the time, as is asserted in this
pretended letter of July 23d, 1776, there would have been no occasion
for the suffix "Junr." to his son's name on the Declaration, on the 2d
of August thereafter.

The other Lynch letter from the Siegfried collection, dated July roth,
1776, which Mr. Gratz pronounces also as one of Turner's fabrications,
and a comparison of the two surely point to the same paternity,
simply purports to be a recommendation of a Philadelphian to a
Charleston friend, and beneath Lynch's name, signed as in the other
instance "T. Lynch, Junr.," is that of Arthur Middleton ; the latter

22 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

a poor counterfeit, obtained by a rude tracing apparently over the fac
simile of his signature in Sanderson's Lives of the Signers ; the size of
the tracing is so singularly exact as to prove its origin, as both Dr.
Emmet and Mr. Stauffer, as well as the writer can testify.

The internal evidence alone in the pretended Lynch letter of July
23d, 1776, brands it as an imposture and a cheat, while that of July
loth of the same year, and confessedly in the same hand-writing, must
necessarily partake of the same unreliable origin and character as the
other.

A writer in a recent Washington city paper, in an interesting account
of the autograph collection of Mr. Henry A. Willard, of that city, thus
refers to his Lynch letter and signature : "Mr. Willard has a Lynch
signature, and he has also what he believes to be a Lynch letter. It
was submitted to the inspection of Mr. Simon Gratz, of Philadelphia,
a well-known collector, who wrote Mr. Willard that he believed it
was a forgery. He said that he recognized it as one of the forgeries of
a man by the name of James W. Turner, who, Mr. Gratz states,
flourished in this city [Washington] some twenty-five years ago, and
sent out a number of counterfeit Lynch letters.

"Mr. Willard, however, believes in the genuineness of the letter.
He obtained it from Mr. Fred. B. McGuire of this city [Washington],
who found it among the Madison papers, in the possession of his
father, the late James C. McGuire, who was the executor of the estate
of Mrs. Madison. 'It had lain among those papers undisturbed,'
says Mr. McGuire, ' for the past thirty years, since the settlement of
the estate.' Mr. Willard thinks it is hardly possible that a forged
letter would be found in such a collection."

And yet the facts are decidedly against its being a genuine Lynch
letter. Aside from its having every appearance of being one of
Turner's productions, it presents internal evidence that it was not
written by the person, nor at the time it purports to have been ; nor
could it have been addressed to Gen. Moultrie as stated upon its face.
The letter reads as follows :

" PARISH ST. LUKE'S, Jan'y -2d, 1775.
" DEAR SIR :

" I have ordered a squad of ten men under command of S'g't
McDowell to seize provisions at Bache's Mills.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 2$

"We captured yesterday, on its way to the interior of the Province, a
train loaded with flour and salt beef. I have ordered it to be sent to
Charleston under guard.

" My men are all well and in good spirits.

" I am very respectfully

" Your humble serv't,

"T. LYNCH JR.

" Capt. S. C. R'g't.

"GEN. MOULTRIE, CHARLESTON,

per SERG'T DRAKE."

Brief as is this apparently plausible letter, when examined in the
light of facts and history, several glaring errors are disclosed, any one
of which would sufficiently brand it as the work of an impostor, and a
bungling one at that.

1. There never has been any such parish as St. Luke's anywhere
in the Charleston region, either in the revolutionary period or in
more modern times.

2. At the date of this letter, Lynch was no captain, nor was he till
nearly six months thereafter.

3. All evidence is wanting of any such locality as Bache's Mills ;
and certain it is that, on the 2d of January, 1775, there was no seizing
of provisions, flour nor salt beef, in South Carolina. It was not till
some time in June, after the reception of the news of the conflicts at
Concord and Lexington, and perhaps at Bunker Hill as well, that the
militia of South Carolina were organized and put in motion.

4. Appended to Lynch's signature we find "Jr." thus abbreviated,
when he almost invariably wrote it " Junr. "

5. His rank and military organization are imperfectly given, as
"Capt. S. C. R'g't" — conveying the idea that there was only one
South Carolina regiment in service, whereas there were several, after
their organization in June, 1775, and Lynch was really a Captain in
Col. Gadsden's first South Carolina regiment, and would not have been
likely to have failed to name the regiment to which he belonged.

6. The indorsement on the back, supposably by the receiver, is in
the same pale ink used in preparing the letter itself, a very suspicious
circumstance.

7. This letter purports to have been addressed to "Gen. Moultrie. "

24 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

It is true, that in June, 1775, not earlier, Moultrie was appointed
Colonel of the second South Carolina regiment ; but he was not pro
moted to the rank of a Brigadier-General till Sept. i6th, 1776, over
twenty months after the time this pretended letter was addressed to
him as General. Besides Gadsden, not Moultrie, was Lynch 's superior
officer, to whom he would properly have addressed his official reports.

It matters very little how this spurious Lynch letter came among the
Madison papers, though perhaps placed there innocently and inadvert
ently by the elder McGuire, who may, very likely, have been imposed
on by some one ; or it may have become mixed up with these manu
scripts in some other way not now explainable.

Gen. Moultrie, it is understood, belonged in early days to the
Federal party, and Madison to the Jeffersonian or Democratic party,
and it is quite improbable that they had any intimate or personal rela
tions ; nor could Madison's papers be presumably supposed to have
been the receptacle of revolutionary documents, in which he could have
had no interest whatever other than in those addressed directly to him
self; and in the early days of the Revolution, Madison was scarcely
known outside of his own neighborhood and county.

The single signature of Lynch in Mr. Willard's collection, which a
good expert who has examined it pronounces as unmistakably one of
Turner's wares, has an ear-mark which plainly indicates its origin. It
has been shown that Mr. Dreer's bogus Lynch letter, purporting to
have been written July 23d, 1776, bears internal evidence proving its
historic falsity. In this same letter the latter stroke of the letter h in
Lynch's name runs down considerably below the other letters in the
signature, and in this particular is very singular, and contrary to the
signer's mode of making the terminating h in writing his name. The
very same peculiarity occurs in this Lynch signature of Mr. Willard,
and as the Dreer letter with this singularity has been proven to be
fraudulent, so the Willard signature possessing precisely the same pecul
iar formation of the letter h determines beyond a question that both
were the production of the same prolific counterfeiter.

Dr. Fogg, of Boston, has what both Dr. Emmet and Mr. Stauffer
agree with me in regarding as a Lynch counterfeit. Some years ago
Dr. Fogg purchased a large parcel of Colonial papers, among them
quite a number of autographs of members of the old Congress. This

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 2$

document signed Thomas Lynch and A. Rutledge was of the number.
It is an order on John Calvert, who was probably a resident of Mary
land. Dr. Fogg at first supposed it was an autograph of the elder
Lynch, until subsequently observing that the date — more than a year
after his death — disproved this supposition. This document, dated
Feb. 1 4th, 1778, is apparently a genuine order signed originally by A.
Rutledge alone, and both Dr. Emmet and Mr. Stauffer judge from its
appearance that it came from the collection of the late Robert Gilmor,
of Baltimore, from which source each of these gentlemen has a con
siderable number of specimens. Some one, apparently Turner, pre
fixed the name of Lynch on the same line with Rutledge's, as there
was not space for it below, in such a way as to convey the idea that
Lynch signed it at the same time with Rutledge. This Lynch signa
ture is in much paler ink than Rutledge's, and paler generally than the
rest of the document. The T in Thomas, as well as other letters, has
a striking resemblance to Turner's other Lynch productions.

Comparing all these spurious Lynch fabrications with Dr. Emmet's
genuine letter of the signer, with the aid of Dr. Emmet and Mr. Stauf
fer, it was apparent, that while Turner had to some extent evidently
studied, or attempted to study, the fac-simile of Dr. Emmet's Lynch
letter as given in Brotherhead's work, yet this reproduction is not a
good copy — too coarse in the engraving ; yet it was evident that the
counterfeits were penned in a much ruder manner than Lynch ordina
rily wrote — always, in fact, save when he signed the land documents
extant with trembling hand when in failing health. The two figures
7, in the year, in Dr. Emmet's letter, and the mode of writing "Sir,"
are strikingly different from those in the Turner counterfeits. In all
three of these Turner letter forgeries, the two in Mr. Dreer's possession
and that of Mr. Willard, Charleston is invariably written as in mod
ern times ; whereas, in Dr. Emmet's Lynch letter to Gen. Washing
ton, Lynch writes it Charles Town, as was the uniform custom at
that day, whether in letters or printed books, legislative journals or
newspapers; and it was not till a considerable period after the Revo
lution that the name was abbreviated as we now have it. The word
obedient, which is written in full in the genuine Emmet letter, is
abbreviated in the two Dreer letters into "ob'd't" and "ob't."

Besides, in all six of these Turner frauds, the letters composing

3

26 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Lynch's name — excepting T in Thomas — are invariably run together
after the T in Thomas by one stroke of the pen in each portion of the
Christian and surname, which was not usual with the signer, especially
in his maturer years. Three of these counterfeits have "T. Lynch,
Junr," appended to them; one, " T. Lynch Jun.," and the Fogg
document and single signature of Mr. Willard are in full, Thomas
Lynch, without the Jun. in any form. On the Declaration, as fac
similes show, it * is L-yn-ch, and so in Dr. Emmet's letter ; while Mr.
Gratz writes that, on carefully inspecting the Lynch signature to the
signer's receipt in the collection of the Penn. Historical Society, he
finds the Christian name Thomas written thus disconnectedly —
T-h-om-as, and the surname, L-y-n-ch. His early boy signatures,
written while at Eton College, and which form the cut signatures
extant clipped from his books and Latin translations, in some instances
show possibly his name run together, though generally the letters form
ing the Lynch signature are more or less disjointed, as L-y— n-ch, or
L-yn-ch. The J in junior is separate from the rest of the word, while
Turner in his fabrications writes Junr., running all the letters together,
once writing it only "Jun.," and once "Jr." In none of the genuine
Lynch signatures extant do we find "Jun.," and one only where he
wrote it "Jr."

Fred. M. Steele, Esq., of Chicago, has one of these spurious Lynch
letters, purporting to have been written Nov. i6th, 1775, addressed to
Col. Gadsden, regretting that his feeble condition prevented his join
ing his regiment at that time. We have inspected this letter, as have
others familiar with Lynch's real signature, and all unhesitatingly pro
nounce it a barefaced forgery. Mr. Steele picked it up in Washington
several years ago. An able expert says truthfully of it, that "it is
written on modern blue sized paper, such as was not made until from

* On May 26th, 1824, Congress directed the Secretary of State to distribute
certain fac-simile copies of the Declaration of Independence, engraved by Wm.
J. Stone, of Washington, from the original then in the State Department ; and,
on the 3Oih of June following, John Quincy Adams, the then Secretary of State,
certified to these Declaration copies. One of them, in an excellent state of
preservation, with Mr. Adams' well-known autographic attestation, is in the rich
antiquarian collection of Gordon L. Ford, of Brooklyn, and there the signature of
Mr. Lynch appears, as Mr. Ford unites with me in stating — T-h-om-as L-yn-ch
Junr.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 2J

fifty to seventy-five years after Lynch's death." The whole letter is
very clumsily produced — written in two kinds of ink, and Col. Gads-
den's name is spelled "Gadsen," a mistake that the Signer would
never have made. While it purports to have been written at Charles
ton, yet the word Philadelphia is inserted directly under Charleston.
It is a miserable sham.

Neither Mr. Dreer, Dr. Fogg, nor Mr. Steele make any pretense to
the genuineness of these Turner fabrications ; nor does Mr. Willard
of his Lynch signature ; and it is merely as a warning to others, less
experienced, that these several deceptions have been so fully explained
and exposed. What has become of Turner, or his alias, is not known
— he is probably beyond the reach of temptation to counterfeit or
impose spurious autographs on the unwary and unsuspecting.

The successful forgeries of letters of Washington, Franklin, Lord
Nelson, and others, by Robert Spring, with several aliases, of Phila
delphia, form a curious chapter in the history of American autographs
and collections. He was born in England in 1813, but of his English
career nothing is known. He settled in Philadelphia as early as 1858,
dealing in a small way in prints, autographs, and books relating to
the history of America. He appears to have possessed both a facile
conscience and pen. On one occasion, Mr. Stauffer relates, Spring
ingratiated himself, on some plea of historical research, into the family
of a descendant* of Judge Chase at Annapolis, one of the Maryland
Signers, and managed to appropriate a goodly number of genuine
autographs, from which he must have realized some two or three
hundred dollars.

Unable to meet the demands on him for authentic autographs, he
began to fabricate and sell spurious productions. Expert in the use
of the pen, he soon acquired a rare facility in imitating the penman
ship of Washington, Franklin, Lord Nelson, and others. At this
period the temptation was great, as a Washington or Franklin letter
would command fully $20. " He had," writes Mr. Gratz, "so famil
iarized himself with all the characteristics of the handwriting of Wash-

* Presumably Hester Ann Chase Ridout, who died in Dec., 1888, leaving the
commodious old homestead, erected by Judge Chase in 1770, as a home for desti
tute, aged, and infirm women.

28 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

ington and Franklin, that he could write a letter in a similar hand of
either, without having an original letter, or any other guide, before his
eyes."

These counterfeits were written on paper apparently of the period,
with ink so prepared as to impart the appearance of age to the writing,
well calculated to deceive those not well posted in genuine autographs.
Mr. Gratz, in his notice of Spring in Appletons' Cyclopedia of American
Biography, states that this adroit forger was frequently arrested by the
civil authorities for obtaining money under false pretenses, but always
escaped punishment by freely confessing his guilt, and expressing con
trition for the offense.

His counterfeits of Franklin and Lord Nelson found ready sale in
Canada and England. He resorted to various expedients to market
his productions ; at one time, to cloak his operations, he assumed to
be a daughter of the celebrated Confederate leader, Gen. Thomas J.
Jackson, and carried on correspondence in her name. He never
attempted, Mr. Gratz states, to fabricate the signature of Lynch — he
could, in his day, find more ready purchasers and better prices for such
as Washington and Franklin. " He told me," adds Mr. Gratz, " the
entire story of his forgeries, and showed me specimens of them all."

He died in poverty in a Philadelphia hospital, of which he was an
inmate, Dec. I4th, 1876, at the age of sixty-three. Some of Spring's
literary forgeries, as well as those of the persevering Turner, are still
afloat ; every now and then some of them turn up in the auction sales
of autograph collections, and should be carefully avoided. For a
further account of Spring and his fabrications, see Appletons' Cyclopcedia
of American Biography, and Appendix No. i of this essay.

As the rare specimens of the Signers become still more rare, and
consequently of enhanced value, the temptation to counterfeit will be
greater, requiring increased vigilance for their detection.

"When collectors of so much experience," continues Mr. Gratz,
"as the late Dr. Sprague and Mr. Cist, placed autographs of the wrong
men in their collections, as Dr. Sprague did with several of his Generals
of the Revolution, and as Mr. Cist did in the case of George Taylor,
the Signer, it is not surprising that others, through lack of knowledge
or the absence of a skilled adviser, should accept of autographs of the
wrong person." "At the recent Cist sale," writes Mr. Burns, "his

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 29

collection of Signers, always counted among complete sets, disclosed
the fact that the autographs of both Hart and Taylor were not of the
right men."

One of the most discriminating autograph collectors in this country
writes: "There are many collections that would be considerably
decreased in size, if an expert were to examine them, and cast out all
the letters or documents that are not genuine, or not written by the
persons whose handwriting they are intended to represent."

The danger of taking the son for the father, or vice versa, or the
wrong man of the same name, has been very properly suggested by
Mr. Burns, as well as by the autograph collector just quoted. There
were two Lynches, father and son, so of Hart, Carroll, and Heyward.
There were two Richard Stocktons, father and son, both eminent
lawyers and statesmen of New Jersey — the Signer dying in 1781, while
the son outlived the father forty-seven years, and whose autograph, by
those not familiar with such things, and unobserving of dates, has
been mistaken for the Signer's.

There were two Benjamin Harrisons, near relatives, and both promi
nent in public affairs in Virginia during the Revolution — one, the
Signer, was contradistinguished from the other as Benjamin Harrison
of Berkley ; while his kinsman was known as Benjamin Harrison of
Brandon — Berkley and Brandon being the names of their respective
seats on the banks of the James River. Virginia also furnished two
Thomas Nelsons — Thomas Nelson, Sr., familiarly known as Secretary
Nelson, who resided in York town, was the unsuccessful competitor of
Patrick Henry for the first term of Governor of Virginia under the
Constitution of 1776, and when, shortly after, chosen one of the Privy
Council, he declined on account of the infirmities of age ; while his
nephew, Thomas Nelson, Jr., also of York County, who was the
Signer, became Governor during the life-time of his namesake uncle.
The father of Secretary Nelson, and grandfather of Gov. Nelson, also
bore the Christian name of Thomas.

It may be added, that Josiah Bartlett, Robert Treat Paine, Oliver
Wolcott, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris, George Ross, and others of the
Signers, had sons of the same name. Col. James Smith, of Pennsyl
vania, afterwards of Kentucky, and a James Smith, of Carlisle,
Pa., have sometimes been mistaken for their namesake, the Signer.

3O AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

George Taylor, also of Pennsylvania, had a counterpart of the same
name. There was a second John Morton, a Philadelphia Quaker
merchant, sometimes mistaken for the Signer. "I have," writes Mr.
Stauffer, "a series of about thirty-five letters that I call my set of
wrong men, who had the same name, and flourished at the same period
as the genuine ones." These are points that require the care and
knowledge of an expert, in order to prevent errors, which experienced
collectors are constantly on the alert to detect, and the mere suspicion
of the existence of one of which, would injure the reputation of a set
amongst connoisseurs.*

The progress of forming sets of the Signers has been slow from the
start. It took from 1815 to well on toward 1834, for Dr. Sprague to
complete his first collection; and till 1837 before Dr. Raffles sucj
ceeded in procuring the last of his fifty-six autographs. In 1845, we
judge, Mr. Gilmor completed his set ; and Mr. Cist and others prob
ably not very long thereafter.

In August, 1870, Mr. Burns enumerated fourteen sets of the
Signers, namely : Those of Dr. Raffles, Dr. Sprague's two sets, New
York State Library, A. W. Griswold, Dr. Emmet, Col. Myers, Mr.
Chamberlain, Mrs. Allen, Prof. Leffingwell, Mr. Dreer, Mr. Davis,
Mr. Mickley, and Mr. Cist. The Griswold set, now Mr. Drexel's, was
then incomplete, and the Mickley and Cist collections have since been
dispersed, while that of Mr. Davis has been added to the collections
of Mr. Charles Roberts. In November, 1870, Mr. Burns announced
two others as complete — Dr. J. I. Cohen's, and Dr. Sprague's third
set, — the latter of which passed into the possession of his son, E. E.
Sprague, and since transferred to Hon. J. B. Thacher, of Albany.

Mr. Sabin, in January, 1871, placed the number of sets then in
existence at seventeen, without naming them — " some of which, " he
added, "are very weak in specimens, and perfect in completeness
only." It is quite certain that there were not so many complete sets
at that day ; some that were so reckoned, doubtless, lacked one or
more specimens, as in the case of the Drexel set ; and some, then in
complete, have since been dispersed, going to improve and complete
others. As late as 1876, Mr. Brotherhead gave a list of seventeen

* Burns' American Antiquarian, Aug., 1870.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS, 31

persons in this country engaged in making collections of autographs of
the Signers ; of these, however, four never completed their sets, and
two were afterward dispersed.

When the first edition of Brotherhead's Book of the Signers appeared,
in 1 86 1, reference was made, in a notice of the work in the Philadel
phia Press, to Queen Victoria's collection, "which we have seen in
the private library at Windsor Castle," etc. The well-known author,
Theodore Martin, made inquiries regarding this pretended set, and
wrote to Mr. Brotherhead, June 21, 1875 : "In his last letter to me,
Gen. Ponsonby, Her Majesty's Private Secretary, says : ' When Mr.
Brotherhead sent a volume through the Foreign Secretary, in 1861, he
said : "Your Majesty already possesses nearly a complete set of the
original autographs of the Signers. " I can find no trace of this set of
autographs, nor can I ascertain that the Queen possessed any of their
autographs ; " and in a letter a month later, to Mr. Brotherhead, Gen.
Ponsonby further says: "The Librarian assures me that no such col
lection is in the library, and his further search has confirmed him in
his opinion, that the Queen never did possess these autographs. He
also inquired at the British Museum, but no trace of any such collec
tion can be found." Dr. Emmet writes : "Queen Victoria has no
set ; for I tried to see it at Windsor, and was told positively that she
never had one." This should be regarded as conclusive.

In enumerating the collections of the Signers extant, Mr. Burns, in
the August number, 1870, of his Antiquarian, referred to the Queen's
supposed set, adding : " Of this, we know nothing further than its ex
istence. Can any one tell us whether it is an original collection, or
that of the Rev. Dr. Raffles ? " As it was well known that the Queen
had secured no set of the Signers in this country, it was very naturally
surmised that she had obtained Dr. Raffles' collection ; but it trans
pires that the Doctor's set has never passed out of the possession of his
family.

During our civil war, a complete collection of the Signers, gathered
by the late Prof. Robert W. Gibbes, of Columbia, S. C., was destroyed
at the burning of that city — of its composition, we have no knowledge ;
of course, to have been complete, it must have included a Lynch sig
nature. During all these past years, three full sets have been dispersed
—Mr. Mickley's, one of Dr. Sprague's, and Mr, Cist's; and eight sets

32 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

transferred entire to other collectors, namely : " Mr. Gilmor's to Mr.
Dreer, Judge Chamberlain's full set to Prof. Leffingwell, Mr. Tefft's
two sets to New York State Library and to Mr. Drexel, Dr. Sprague's
two sets to Mr. Gratz and Pennsylvania Historical Society, E. E.
Sprague's to Hon. J. B. Thacher, and that of the late R. C. Davis to
Mr. Charles Roberts ; and eleven sets, meanwhile, have been com
pleted — three by Dr. Emmet, two by Col. Jones, and one each by Mr.
Gratz, Dr. Fogg, Wisconsin Historical Society, and Mr. John M.
Hale. The sets of Messrs. Drexel and Myers, and Mrs. Ely, deceased,
pass to their families or descendants.

It is very doubtful if any additional sets can ever be completed, save
by utilizing Col. Jones' two duplicates ; or by the transfer or breaking
up of sets already formed ; though possibly some of the incomplete
sets extant, whose composition is not known, might, if brought into
market, help out one or two others. A few of the incomplete collec
tions have Gwinnett, which still lack the Lynch signature.

It would seem that the source of supply of the Lynch signatures is
practically exhausted, and perhaps the Gwinnett also. Dr. Gilman
stated, in April, 1845, that the Misses Bowman informed him that a
large trunk of the papers of their uncle, Thomas Lynch, Jr., had, a
few years previously, been deposited for safety with their kinsman,
Gen. James Hamilton, and was destroyed by the burning of his
residence. They added that they had been accustomed, when they
went into the country, to place that trunk, with its precious contents,
in the bank, but had unfortunately on that occasion deviated from
their usual practice. Other Southern signatures, notably those of
Middleton, Heyward, and Hall, seemed almost as difficult of procure
ment.

Of the Lynch signatures, there appears to be fifteen extant obtained
by Dr. Gilman, at Charleston, and transmitted to Mr. Tefft — namely,
three possessed by Dr. Emmet, one each in the collections made or
possessed by Gratz, Dreer, Leffingwell, Cohen, Fogg, Ely, Roberts,
Drexel, Hale, Chamberlain, and the Pennsylvania and Wisconsin His
torical Societies, not counting the one once possessed by the late Dr.
Gibbes, not now in existence. The Lynch signature of Judge Raffles
came from the same source as Dr. Gilman's ; and the four obtained by
Col. Jones, of Georgia, one "T. Lynch, Junr.," the other three simply

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 33

"Lynch," came also from the title-pages of books once of the Signers'
Library. Thus we have twenty — to which add the full Lynch letter
in Dr. Emmet's best set of Signers, and the three Lynch land docu
ments signed, in the set of the Pennsylvania Historical Society and
those in the Myers' and Thacher collections, will make twenty-two
altogether represented in the full sets extant of the Signers recognized
and described in this essay, with the two duplicate signatures possessed
by Col. Jones. Others there are, which are not regarded as genuine
by our best judges.

Comparing the tracings of all three of Col. Jones' simple " Lynch "
signatures, without a prefix or suffix, with Dr. Emmet's similar one,
which is traced back to Dr. Sprague and Mr. Tefft, all four were found
as nearly alike as possible, with a slight upturned curl at the end of
the latter part of the h, like a single kink or twist in a pig's tail. This
peculiar characteristic of all four of these specimens is very unlike the
two Turner counterfeits — one in the letter of July 23d, 1776, in Mr.
Dreer's possession, the other the Lynch signature of Mr. Willard, in
which the last stroke in the h ends, not with an upward curl, but with
a slight downward dash.

Dr. Sprague became possessed of at least two of the three Lynch
signatures appended to land documents — two on one document — these
were written in a trembling or shaky hand, and with poor ink — just be
fore his fatal sea voyage, when in bad health, and hence the signatures,
though genuine, are quite unlike that appended to the Declaration.
Mr. Gratz owned one of these Lynch documents, that is now in the set
of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and before parting with it, and
wishing to select the specimen he regarded as most desirable for his
own collection, unhesitatingly preferred one of the neatly written cut
signatures of Lynch ; and he would not to-day exchange this cut sig
nature for either of the three Lynch D. S. extant. It is quite possible
that other collectors would act differently ; but, we apprehend, most
lovers of autographs would heartily approve the choice Mr. Gratz
made.

The Gwinnett autograph is rare — no full letter of his has yet been
discovered. Documents signed, of various kinds, have been preserved,
so that each of the twenty-two full sets of the Signers have been sup
plied, and several of the incomplete sets have also a specimen.

34 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS,

Only five full Hart letters are known to be extant — two possessed by
Mr. Gratz, and one each in the collections of Mr. Dreer, Mrs. Cohen,
and the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Dr. Emmet states that he
is under the impression that no genuine letter or document of Hart is
extant, that does not show his lack of scholarship, either in spelling,
misuse of capital letters, or want of punctuation, and that his signed
letters appear to have been written by some one writing a very similar
hand to that of the Signer, without betraying his deficiencies. Mr.
Gratz confirms this opinion, adding : " Hart was a poor speller, using
capitals at his pleasure, and in utter disregard of rules. These errors
are numerous in both of the letters I have of his writing. I have seen
some orders of the Assembly of New Jersey that were signed by Hart,
but written by a clerk, whose handwriting does bear some resemblance
to Hart's. I can scarcely believe that he ever had a private secretary ;
but when he was Speaker of the Assembly of New Jersey, and chair
man of the Council of Safety, it is likely that he utilized the services
of the clerk and his assistants. I have one such specimen, and have
seen several others, the bodies of which are written, respectively, by
different persons."

But two full Morton letters are known to exist — those in the collec
tions of Dr. Emmet and Mr. Stauffer, and an unsigned one in the
Raffles' collection.

We are aware of but six full Middleton letters — those in the collec
tions of Messrs. Emmet, Gratz, Dreer, Leffingwell, Raffles, and Etting.

Eleven Heyward autographs, A.L.S., are in existence — two pos
sessed by Dr. Emmet, two by Mr. Gratz, and one each by the New
York State Library, the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and in the
collections of Dreer, Leffingwell, Cohen, Ely, and Etting.

Eighteen full Hall letters are represented in the collections described,
while Samuel Adams, Hopkins, Lewis Morris, Stockton, Hewes,
Hooper, Penn, and Rutledge, though scarce, show a fair representation.

Intimately connected with a collection of autographs of the Signers,
are copies of the engraved portraits, and views of the residences of the
writers, for their proper illustration. Such engravings, judiciously
selected and properly mounted, add vastly to the interest and attract
iveness of any set of the Signers — indeed, they are quite indispensable.

Early as 17^7, while our distinguished American painter, Col. John

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 35

Trumbull, was yet in Europe, he seems to have formed the design of
his great national picture of the Signers — probably then painting
Adams and Jefferson, our respective representatives at the courts of
Great Britain and France, and obtaining their suggestions. In

1789, he painted portraits of such Signers as were then in Con
gress ; or, as he has recorded it in his autobiography, "I arranged
carefully the composition for the ' Declaration of Independence,'
and prepared it for receiving the portraits as I met with the distin
guished men who were present at that illustrious scene." Again, in

1790, he records : " In May, I went to Philadelphia, where I obtained
some portraits for my great work." In September, after passing some
time in the country, he went to Boston and New Hampshire in quest
of heads; and, in 1791, he says, "In February, I went to Charles
Town, South Carolina, and there obtained portraits of the Rutledges,
Pinckneys, Middletons, Laurens, Heyward, etc. ... In April,
I sailed for Yorktown . . . and then rode to Williamsburg, and
obtained a drawing of Mr. Wythe for the ' Declaration. ' " Washing
ton, in a letter to La Fayette, November 21, 1791, spoke of "the
greatness of the design, and the masterly execution of the work. "

As a few of the members who were present when the Declaration
was passed on the 4th of July, retired before the engrossed copy was
ready for signing, and thus failed to attach their names to the great
American Magna Charta ; while others, who were not present, but
subsequently became members, affixed their signatures to the Declara
tion, Col. Trumbull was embarrassed in determining how to treat
these classes. He finally resolved to include all the Signers of whom
he could obtain likenesses, and also those who were present when the
Declaration was enacted. Of this latter class, however, he for some
reason, omitted John Alsop* and Henry Wisner, of New York,

* The letter of Thomas McKean, the Signer, to Mr. Dallas, Sept. 26, 1796, shows
that Henry Wisner was present in Congress, July 4th, 1776, and voted for inde
pendence. Wm. Kelby, the able Assistant Librarian of the N. Y. Historical
Society, has aided me in the preparation of this note on John Alsop, and his
relation to the Declaration. He is represented as one of those who could not
bear the thought of a separation from the mother country, and, besides, the
instructions of the New York delegation did not authorize them to support so
decisive a measure, and he was consequently opposed to the Declaration, On the

36 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Charles Humphreys and Joseph Galloway, of Pennsylvania, and John
Rogers,* of Maryland.

Speaking of the pictures of the Signers, Col. Trumbull says : "All
saw the correctness of the portraits. Many knew the accuracy of the
countenances recorded." He has introduced forty-eight heads, and
full-length portraits, into his grand representation — five of whom were
not Signers, namely, George Clinton, R. R. Livingston, Thomas
Wharton, John Dickinson, who were in Congress when the act was
passed, but not at the signing, and Charles Thomson, the Secretary,
whose name attests the accuracy of the document, and genuine
ness of the signatures of the Signers. Of these forty-eight persons
represented in the picture, Col. Trumbull seems to have faithfully
painted thirty-eight from life, copied nine from other likenesses, and
painted one, that of Harrison, from directions given him for the
purpose.

In a letter written by Trumbull to Gen. W. H. Harrison, in Feb-

adoption of the measure, and its immediate ratification by the New York Provin
cial Convention, Mr. Alsop resigned his seat ; and, in a letter to the Convention,
he expressed surprise and indignation at the slight put upon the New York dele
gation in leaving it without instructions on this point, although such instructions
had been repeatedly sought for, and he concluded by adding his disapprobation as
to the course of Congress in closing the door against reconciliation with Great
Britain. If further proof were wanting of Alsop's presence in Congress, on July
2d and 4th, 1776, it is to be found inferentially in the fact that the Journals of
Congress show that he was appointed on a special committee as late as June 28th,
only a few days preceding the vote on independence. Mr. Alsop, when the
British took possession of New York, retired with his family to Middletown,
Conn., where he remained till the close of the war. He died at Newtown, L. I.,
Nov. 22d, 1794. — See John Austin Stevens' valuable paper on the New York
Delegates to the Continental Congress, 1774-76, before the N. Y. Historical
Society, May 2d, 1876, subsequently given in the Galaxy magazine for August,
1876; N. Y. Chamber of Commerce Records, 1768-84, p. 120.

* With reference to Rogers, see Etting's Hist, of Independence Hall, 85, 96,
100, 177. The Journals of Congress show that Mr. Rogers was appointed on
important committees, June $th and i8th, 1776. Lanman's Hist, of Congress, and
Drake's Biographical Dictionary, state that he served in the Congress of 1775 and
1776, was afterwards Chancellor of Maryland, and died at Annapolis, in October,
1789. There can be little doubt of his presence in Congress, July 4th, 1776, as
Col. Etting asserts.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 37

ruary, 1818, he states: "Since I wrote you last, I have inquired of
Mr. Peale, and have received for answer that he possesses no portrait
of your father in his museum. My sole reliance must, therefore, be
on such description as you and his friend, Col. Meade, of Kentucky,
can furnish me." As Col. Trumbull seems to have been faithful,
painstaking, and conscientious, it is but fair to conclude that he
painted the Harrison portrait from the suggestions of Gen. Harrison
and Col. Meade, and that his drawing was submitted to them, and
met their approval. Mr. Brotherhead very pertinently asks: "Is it
not better that we should have a portrait of Harrison under these
conditions than have none at all ? " We may fairly infer, as we hear
of no similar cases, that Col. Trumbull met with no other obstacles in
the procurement of the forty-eight portraits introduced into his great
picture. The fullest confidence may be reposed in the integrity of
Trumbull, and the genuineness of his portraits.

Of the other thirteen whose heads do not appear in the Declaration
painting, eight had passed away before Col. Trumbull commenced
securing likenesses for this purpose — Gwinnett, Morton, Ross, Hart,
Taylor, Rodney, Stone, and Penn. Hall survived till 1790; Francis
Lightfoot Lee, and Braxton, till 1797; Thornton till 1803, and Smith
till 1806. Why these five survivors were not visited by him, and
painted, is a matter of surprise and regret.

It was not till early in 1817 that Col. Trumbull received from Con
gress a commission to paint this and three other historical pictures for
the Rotunda of the Capitol. The painting of the Signers was first com
pleted in October, 1818, when it was placed on public exhibition.
Durand was employed in 1820 to engrave it, but it was not published
until 1822, and is the original of the millions of copies of all sizes
which have since been in circulation.

In 1849, William Hunt prepared the Biographical Panorama, printed
by Joel Munsell, of Albany, and illustrated with woodcuts, in which,
among others, were included the thirteen deficiencies of Trumbull's
picture. In 1870, Mr. Burijs commenced the publication of portraits
of twenty-two of the Signers from drawings in the collection of Dr.
Emmet. They were copied and engraved or etched by H. B. Hall,
and more especially designed for purposes of illustration. The twenty-
two were made up of Bartlett, Thornton, Whipple, Ellery, Hopkins,

38 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. .

Williams, Lewis Morris, Clark, Hart, Stockton, Smith, Taylor, Rod
ney, Braxton, Harrison, F. L. Lee, Nelson, Hooper, Penn, Gwinnett,
Hall, and Walton ; and Mr. Burns added Rutledge from Sanderson's
Lives of the Signers — thus supplying, in the number, ten of the
thirteen deficiencies of Trumbull, leaving only Ross, Stone, and
Morton unrepresented. Fifty sets of these Burns engravings were
issued, when the plates were destroyed.

Inquiries having been made concerning the origin of some of these
twenty-two Burns engravings, notably that of Hart, prompted Dr.
Emmet to write a statement of the matter, in October, 1872, to a
friend, which has never been published ; and which he has recently
amended and enlarged at the instance of the writer of this paper. As
thus corrected, it is well worthy of a place in this connection :

" I am very much obliged to you," writes Dr. Emmet, "for giving
me the opportunity of explanation in regard to the origin of these Burns
engravings, as I have been placed in a somewhat false position with
reference to them. For many years I have been illustrating Sander
son's Lives of the Signers, having had the whole book inlaid to folio ;
and, with the illustrations, it has now reached some twenty volumes.
As but a small portion of the portraits of these gentlemen had ever
been engraved, I had beautiful water-colored drawings made by H. B.
Hall of all the Signers given in Trumbull's large picture at the Capitol
at Washington, which contained all but thirteen of the fifty-six. They
were copied from the original painting.

"There is a portrait given of Stockton, and also of Williams, in this
Trumbull picture ; but the Stockton engraved for Burns was copied
from a likeness sent me by his grand-daughter, Mrs. George T.
Olmsted, of Princeton — the same picture that is in the Princeton
College Gallery. The head of this portrait had been cut out by an
English officer during the Revolution, and it was thought for a long
time to have been lost, but it was at length found behind the picture
where it had fallen when decapitated ; but fortunately it was not so
injured but that it could be, and was, restored.

"The Ellery, in the American Biographical Panorama, printed by
Joel Munsell, in 1849, for Wm. Hunt, I found was the same as given
in an unfinished plate, about the size of Trumbull's, from which I
have the only impression I ever saw — the plate itself, in a damaged

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 39

condition, is, I am told, in the Massachusetts Historical Society. Of
its history, I know nothing.

"The Thornton likeness in the Burns set was recognized by rela
tives as having been copied from a miniature then lost. A Mr.
Thornton, then an officer of the navy, wrote to Col. T. B. Myers, of
New York, at the time of publication, for information touching the
lost original, stating that the Burns engraving bore a remarkable resem
blance to different members of the Thornton family. I afterwards had
a correspondence with a descendant, a lawyer in Newburyport, Mass.,
who had been struck with the family resemblance, and wished to learn
from what source it had been obtained. Since then, the Thornton
family have had a portrait painted from this Burns engraving, and
presented to the State of New Hampshire, which now hangs in the
capitol at Concord.

"The Williams was taken from a recently published history of the
Williams family. It resembles very closely the wood-cut in the Hunt
work, and both have the same peculiar manner of wearing the hair.
The Francis Lightfoot Lee, in Hunt's book, was evidently from the
same source that Lossing obtained his, as given in the frontispiece to
the second volume of his Field Book ; the Burns engraving of Lee was
from the Lossing copy. The Bartlett, in the Burns series, corre
sponded with a likeness I had traced to his family. The Hall likeness
was taken from Brotherhead's Book of the Signers ; while the Hart,
Braxton, Gwinnett, Penn, and Thornton were taken from engravings
in Hunt's publication, which were copied to complete my series, and
my friends, and all' who have seen the collection, are familiar with
their source.

"After Burns issued the series, Charles L. Paschal, of West Phila
delphia, a great-grandson of Hart, wrote me in October, 1872, inquir
ing about its origin, saying that ' the Burns engraving of Hart from
your collection has been received. His descendants know by tradition
that there was, years ago, a portrait of him in existence, and as one of
them I am willing to accept this engraving as from the long-lost pic
ture, because the family likeness is seen distinctly in the descendants.
1 believe, therefore, it is correct, and am willing to accept it as authen
tic, and will do all in my power to prove the same, while some of my
relatives still live to assist me, though at an old age."

40 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

"Compare the Braxton profile engraving as published by Burns
from the Hunt work, with the full-faced etching recently issued,
and there can be no doubt that both likenesses were from the same
original.

"There are other curious circumstances and corroborations in
regard to these Hunt likenesses, although so roughly executed.
That of Lewis Morris is a case in point. I had never before seen a
portrait of Morris, except in Trumbull's picture as a young man ; and
this Hunt representation bears a remarkable resemblance to his
descendants now living in New York, with whom I have been per
sonally acquainted both in the present and past generations.*

"A Miss Morris, of the family of Lewis Morris, Jr., has stated to
me that the portrait of Lewis Morris, the Signer, which this wood-cut
in Hunt so closely resembles, had been for many years in the posses
sion of her father, near Willtown, South Carolina ; but during Sher
man's march, a party of officers stopped at the house to obtain some
refreshments, which were prepared by the ladies of the family, who
were alone. After the meal, one of the officers arose from the table,
and with his sword destroyed this picture as he left the room. Miss
Morris, on being shown the Hunt likeness of her ancestor, the Signer,
said that it had evidently been copied from the family portrait.

"The Morton was not engraved from the Hunt work, as his
descendants held that there never had been a portrait painted of him.
Yet I now think that this evidence proves nothing except that they
do not happen to know of any ; for it was the custom of the day for
every public man to have his portrait painted — and the family portraits
were then about the only wall decorations in use.

"The Smith and Taylor were copied from two wood-cuts,
which I purchased, among some odds and ends, at the Tefft sale of
autographs, in March, 1867; and were of much larger size, and of
older date, but evidently from the same source as the wood-cuts in

* Lossing, in his Field Book, and Brotherhead, in two editions of his Book of
the Signers, substantially copy Trumbull; though Brotherhead, in the first edition
of his work, reverses the view. \V. A. P. Morris, of Madison, Wis., a grandson
of the Signer, has a likeness of his father, Gen. Jacob Morris; and both father and
son, in addition to their baldness, indicate other points of resemblance to both
the Morris engraving in the Burns series, and in the Trumbull picture.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 4!

the Hunt book — from some older work from which they were copied.
The authenticity of these likenesses, however, must remain in doubt.
I was surprised to find that the Tefft wood-cuts of Smith and Taylor
and the likenesses in Hunt's book were evidently from the same
source, though the Hunt ones were only about half the size of the
Tefft cuts. While this was on my mind, Dr. B. J. Lossing paid me a
visit ; and as he had been an engraver, I showed him one of the Tefft
wood-cuts, and asked him if he knew anything about them. He
pointed to the engraver's name on the block, showing that the period
when these cuts were made antedated Hunt's work — the engraver
dying about 1820. These two wood-cuts have since been lost.

"The Rodney was the only 'make-up' of the whole set issued by
Burns. It was copied from the St. Memin portrait of the Signer's
nephew, Caesar A. Rodney, whose profile bore a remarkable resem
blance to his uncle, as I had been informed by different members of
his family.

" Regarding Hunt's Panorama, so often referred to in connection
with the Burns engravings, I may add, that it was evidently written for
the purpose of utilizing a number of odd plates and wood-blocks of differ
ent styles, originally gotten up for other purposes. Munsell told me
that he knew nothing of the origin of the portraits, beyond the fact
that he had to take a lot of old plates for a bad debt, and these were
among the collection — and the book was written to utilize them.

"And yet Mr. Munsell has, in a playful way, stated in the catalogue
of his imprints, that these engravings were the result of the imagination
of a young English artist, closeted in a room, and inspired by beer and
tobacco. I never saw a man laugh more heartily than Munsell did,
when telling the late F. S. Hoffman and myself how easily he gulled a
friend of his with the story of shutting up an English engraver to pre
pare a set of the Signers for him ; that this friend seemed to want some
thing of the kind, so he gave him a tough yarn.

' ' But, instead of these Hunt engravings being a cheat and decep
tion, it is evident that those of them with which we are familiar, are
fair, as regards likenesses, though very poorly executed. The volume
is filled with portraits, and many of them we can identify by compari
son with other likenesses, so that it is evident that the artist had an
original to copy from in almost every instance.

4

42 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

"Mr. Burns did a good work in adding so many authentic por
traits, while the uncertain ones, to complete the series, were done by
request, for illustrations. I wish that we had authentic portraits for
the whole number ; but until they can be found, I shall be satisfied
with what I have, feeling that full justice has been done them in the
ideal, if ever proved so. I believe that portraits once existed of the
whole ; for the custom was too general at the time these men lived,
and they may yet be found. But until then, no one can say posi
tively that some of these portraits are without foundation — for the
opposite opinion could as well be held."

These views of Dr. Emmet are thoughtful and judicious. Another
well-known and intelligent collector, the late Robert C. Davis, of
Philadelphia, remarks: "Some of Mr. Burns' series of the Signers
are doubtful ; but if we desire to illustrate their writings, what better
can we do? " We may feel thankful that we have so many likenesses
of the Signers that are of such well-established excellence and authen
ticity ; and of the few uncertain ones, we may very properly treasure
them in our illustrations until more reliable ones can be discovered.

One such discovery has recently occurred, as is learned from Mr.
Charles Roberts, of Philadelphia, who writes : "At the New Orleans
Exhibition of 1885, I found a photograph of Carter Braxton, in the
Virginia display. On inquiry, at Richmond, it turned out to be
genuine, and we have etched it." Dr. Fogg, of Boston, writes that,
in his opinion, the Bartlett likeness of the Hall series bears no resem
blance to the painting of that Signer by Trumbull, preserved in the
old homestead at Stratham, N. H., which has been engraved at pri
vate hands, a copy of which he sent to the Wisconsin Historical
Society. It is believed, too, that there is a likeness of Lynch extant,
as it has been promised by his friends for Independence Hall.

Might it not be better to have the Morton likeness, from Hunt's
Panorama, reproduced, or one made from prominent family traits sug
gested by its members, rather than have none at all ?

Since Dr. Emmet penned his statement, touching Hunt's Panorama
and its engravings of the Signers, he calls attention to the fact, which
he had overlooked, that while Hunt's work appeared in 1849, Dr.
Lossing had published early in the preceding year, his Lives of the
Signers, giving forty-nine wood-cuts of the Signers, lacking only

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 43

Thornton, Hart, Morton, Rodney, Braxton, Penn, and Gwinnett ;
and what is significant, is, that all of these forty-nine likenesses,
together with that of R. R. Livingston, are precisely the same as those
in Hunt's book, with slight changes, in some instances, in bust or
costume, but not in facial expression. Dr. Lossing must have had
good foundation for all these representations — giving five more than
Trumbull ; so that Hunt, after all, copying from Lossing, had high
authority for most of the wood-cut engravings of the Signers given in
his Panorama.

The Ellery, Lewis Morris, Smith and Taylor likenesses discussed by
Dr. Emmet, are thus shown to have been originally brought forward
by Dr. Lossing, a year in advance of Hunt. While in his work on the
Signers, Lossing gives George Taylor, as copied by Hunt ; yet from
mere accident this Taylor likeness was omitted in his engraving of the
Signers, prefixed to the second volume of his Field Book of the Revolu
tion, published four years later.

Dr. Emmet makes reference to Mr. Lossing's likeness of Francis
Lightfoot Lee in his representation of the Signers. Much credit is due
Dr. Lossing for the pains he took in perfecting this engraving. Forty-
eight of the Signers are represented in the picture, together with R. R.
Livingston, one of the Declaration committee, not present at the sign
ing. Besides F. L. Lee, Dr. Lossing introduces four others, not given
by Trumbull — Smith, Ross, Stone and Hall. The eight not appearing
on Lossing's picture are Thornton, Hart, Taylor, Morton, Rodney,
Braxton, Penn and Gwinnett.

Aside from the group of the Declaration committee, Dr. Lossing
thinks he did not copy largely from Trumbull. In his extensive travels
over our country in quest of historical matter, and while visiting the
families of the Signers, he, with the eye of an artist, not unfrequently
discovered better delineations, and thus availed himself of his rare
opportunities for improvement. But after a lapse of forty years, and
having gathered and engraved so many hundred likenesses, he writes that
he cannot, at this late day, recall the sources from which he obtained
them. His picture of the Signers must ever be regarded as invaluable
by all who take an interest in the pictorial literature of the country.

Dr. Emmet also refe'rs to the Ellery likeness in Hunt's Panorama as
being the same as that given in an unfinished plate, in possession of

44 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

the Massachusetts Historical Society. At the sale of the literary
effects, some ten or a dozen years ago, of the late John K. Wiggin, a
book-dealer of Boston, Mr. Burns, of New York, purchased a copy of
an engraving of the Signing of the Declaration, very different from
Trumbull's, some of the Signers having only the heads, but the plate
contained a large number of the Signers ; that Mr. Wiggin, learning
of the plate, got permission to have a few impressions taken from it.
Dr. Emmet has the impression obtained by Mr. Burns. Dr. S. A.
Green states that the unfinished copper plate, about twenty-two by
twenty-eight inches in size, was presented to the Massachusetts His
torical Society in 1859, by Hon. Leverett Saltonstall, who says that he
obtained it from the treasurer of the Revere Copper Company of Bos
ton. The treasurer received it among a lot of scrap copper, and was
curious to learn something of its history ; but was unable to discover
anything. The artist is unknown, and the plate itself reveals nothing
of its origin.

The Morton engraving in Hunt's Biographical Panorama, Mr.
Charles Roberts writes, does not, he is informed, resemble the family.
"I remember," he adds, "John S. Morton, who lived near us, and
our families visited. I understand that he made every effort to obtain
a portrait of his ancestor, the Signer, but without success ; and placed
a tablet instead in Independence Hall. I am satisfied that there is no
authentic portrait of Morton." Mr. Stauffer adds: ''There is no
portrait extant of Morton, save one through a mediumistic source — the
family have none ; every branch having been diligently interviewed. "

The late B. B. Thatcher, of Boston, a noted litterateur and auto
graph collector of his day, declared, over fifty years ago, that the forma
tion of a set of autographs of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde
pendence was the ne plus ultra of American collectors — many having
attempted it, and but few succeeded. Brotherhead, in his monograph
on his visit to Mr. Dreer's collection of autographs, in 1857, speaking
of his full set of the Signers, adds : "We know many industrious col
lectors, and they find it very difficult to collect even those that are con
sidered the most common. In a few years, such a collection will
bring an extraordinary price ; " and in the first edition of his Book of
the Signers. 1861, he says : "Both at home and abroad, every docu
ment, letter, or signature from the hand of a Signer, has become valua-

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 45

ble ; and the autographs of some of these worthies, it is almost impos
sible to obtain. A complete set is of the extremest rarity " — adding,
that autographs of Heyward, Ross, Harrison, Hall, Livingston and
Hopkins are scarce ; while those of Lewis Morris, Stockton, Hart,
Morton, Taylor, Wythe, Penn, Hewes, Lynch, Middleton, and Gwin-
net "are almost impossible to obtain, even a signature; and that
others are becoming rare, and bear a high value in proportion to their
scarcity." Mr. Burns declared, in 1870, when the supply was less
exhausted than now, that a collection of autographs of the Signers was
by no means easy to be brought together ; while the late Mr. Sabin,
a year later, said that "the formation of a set now is excessively
difficult."

It is, therefore, no small marvel that our Society should, at this late
day, have succeeded in completing our collection, after a quarter of a
century's efforts — aided by that prince of autograph collectors, Charles
DeF. Burns, of New York. Our set is as yet unbound, purposely
delaying that final completion of the work, with the hope of possibly
substituting full letters for some of the five signed documents of Hart,
Morton, Heyward, Middleton and Gwinnett — the chances are, how
ever, too faint to warrant an expectation ; and of the other, the Lynch
signature, which is a good one, there is not the least prospect whatever
of improving it. Another motive for delay in binding the collection,
is to add somewhat to the number of engravings for appropriate illus
trations.

When ultimately bound, they might possibly be compressed into
three volumes ; one for each of the old divisions of the Union — the
Eastern, Middle, and Southern States. But it is much more probable
that the accumulation of illustrative matter, views and engravings, will
render it advisable to extend the number of volumes to perhaps eight —
viz. : New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with their illustrations, eight
Signers; Rhode Island and Connecticut, six; New York and New
Jersey, nine ; Pennsylvania, nine ; Delaware and Maryland, seven ;
Virginia, seven ; North and South Carolina and Georgia, ten. The
eighth volume to be composed of fac-similes of the Declaration, a
printed broadside of the Declaration, published by order of the General
Assembly of Rhode Island, July 12, 1776, a copy of the Pennsylvania
Gazette of July 10, 1776, containing the Declaration ; together with

46 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

autographs of Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress, and of
those members who voted on the question, but were not present when
the engrossed copy of the Declaration was subsequently signed.

Such an arrangement of the autograph letters and documents, with
appropriate illustrations, and letterpress of Sanderson's Biography of
the Signers, with perhaps selections from Brotherhead's Book of the
Signers, all inlaid, and properly bound, would present a noble record
of the FATHERS OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.

A brief catalogue of our Society's set of these almost priceless letters
and documents cannot prove otherwise than interesting — noting their
dates, number of pages, general condition, and in some instances, the
subject matter to which they relate.

An explanation seems proper of the abbreviations used in describing
different kinds of autographs, with their relative rank or value. In
making a collection of autographs, all seek to obtain, if possible, A. L.
S. — autograph letters signed — as the best and highest class of specimens.
Some regard L. S. — letters signed, the body written by a clerk — as next
in rank of desirableness ; but it would seem that A. D. S. — autograph
documents signed, entirely in the handwriting of the signer — should be
preferred. D. S. — documents signed, whether printed or written by
another ; and cut signatures are the least desirable autographs, yet they
often serve to complete sets when nothing better can be obtained. An
A. D. — auto graph document, not signed, is sometimes called into requisi
tion to eke out a collection, as better than no specimen at all, which it
surely is. A. N. S. — autograph note signed — is generally regarded as
equivalent to an A. L. S. Collectors constantly endeavor to improve all
these classes by better specimens, in date, size, subject matter, or con
dition.

NEW HAMPSHIRE DELEGATION.

1. JOSIAH BARTLETT, A. L. S., December 6, 1794, one page, in good
condition.

2. WILLIAM WHIFFLE, A. L. S., September 7, 1779, two pages, in
good condition, addressed to his associate Signer, Mr. Bartlett, con
gratulating his friend on "the late happy event between England and
Spain " — i. e., their getting by the ears, by which the struggling
young Republic might hope to profit.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 47

3. MATTHEW THORNTON, A. L. S., October 9, 1775, one page, in
good condition.

MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATION.

4. JOHN HANCOCK, A. L. S. , September 9, 1780, one page, in
good condition.

5. SAMUEL ADAMS, A. L. S., March 14, 1768, addressed to the
people of Boston, which, says that experienced and competent judge
of autographs, C. DeF. Burns, "is really the most satisfactory speci
men of the name I have ever had." It covers two pages, dated,
signed, and in the handwriting of Mr. Adams — a beautiful sample of
chirography, finely preserved. It conveys facts of interest concerning
the poverty of the Bostonians, and its causes, a few years anterior to
the Revolution, viz. :

To the Free-holders and other Inhabitants of the town of Boston, in
Annual Town Meeting assembled, March i^th, 1768 :

The Memorial of Samuel Adams showeth :

That your Memoralist was chosen by said Town in the year 1764, a Col
lector of Taxes, — in which capacity he had before served the Town for
nine years successively — and being duly sworn, had the Province, Town
and County taxes, assessed the same year, accordingly committed to him
to collect; at the same time he became bound to the Town Treasurer,
with suretys, in the penal sums of Five thousand Pounds for the payment
of the same into the respective Treasurys.

That with all possible diligence, and with his best discretion, he attended
his duty ; but was greatly retarded by means of the small pox, which then
prevailed in the Town, and other obstructions : So that he was unable to
make any great Progress, till a new year came on, when a new Tax was
levied, on the same Persons who remained indebted to him as aforesaid,
which Tax was committed to another person to collect. That the Town
cannot be unmindful of the difficulties which the next year ensued, by
Reason of the Stamp Act, and the Confusion consequent thereupon; which
in a great Measure interrupted the course of Business of every kind. By
all which there became a Burden of three years' taxes upon those Per
sons, many of them at least, who had not paid your Memoralist for the
said year 1764.

That the Town, the last year, saw fit to direct their Treasurer to put

48 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

the Bond afore'd in suit ; which he accordingly did, and obtained a Judg
ment thereon ; and altho' your Mem'st has since been able to lessen the
sum by Payments into the Treasury, yet there still remains a large bal
ance due, which your Treasurer, if called on, can ascertain.

Now your Memoralist prays the Town to take the matter, with all its
circumstances, into candid consideration, and grant him a further Time
to collect his out-standing Debts, that he may be enabled thereby to com-
pleat the Obligation of his Bond : Or otherwise, that the Town will do
that which to them all shall seem good.

With all due respect to the Town,

SAMUEL ADAMS.

6. JOHN ADAMS, A. L. S., November 7, 1789, two pages, in good
condition.

7. ROBERT TREAT PAINE, A. L. S., February n, 1792, two pages,
in good condition.

8. ELBRIDGE GERRY, A. L. S., April 27, 1814, one page, in good
condition.

RHODE ISLAND DELEGATION.

9. STEPHEN HOPKINS, A. L. S., June 17, 1758 — a note to the House
of Deputies of that Province, about surgeons for the R. I. regiment
then in service, one page, in good condition.

10. WILLIAM ELLERY, A. L. S., May 21, 1786, one page, in good
condition.

CONNECTICUT DELEGATION.

11. ROGER SHERMAN, A. L. S., July 26, 1765, one page, in good
condition.

12. SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, A. L. S., April 28, 1785, two pages, in
good condition.

13. WILLIAM WILLIAMS, A. L. S., June 3, 1785, three pages, in good
condition.

14. OLIVER WOLCOTT, A. L. S., June 17, 1786, one page, in good
condition.

NEW YORK DELEGATION.

15. WILLIAM FLOYD, A. L. S., dated Philadelphia, August 10, 1776,
expressing anxiety to hear about the situation of affairs, after the Brit-

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 49

ish invasion, on Long Island, where he then resided — "What has
become of Gen. Woodhull, Mr. Hobart, Treadwell and Smith — what
about my family — who escaped, or what must they submit to ? " Two
pages, in good condition.

1 6. PHILIP LIVINGSTON, A. L. S., November n, 1751, one page, in
good condition.

17. FRANCIS LEWIS, A. L. S. , July 13, 1779, one page, in good con
dition. "Doctor Witherspoon and Col. Atlee," writes Mr. Lewis,
"two of the committee sent to Bennington, are returned, and yester
day offered their report to Congress, who were of opinion that it could
not be officially received, as the two others from Connecticut did not
join them at the conference. . . . Our cruisers have of late been
successful — two valuable prizes arrived here yesterday and the day
before."

1 8. LEWIS MORRIS, A. L. S., March 6, 1784, one page, in good
condition.

NEW JERSEY DELEGATION.

19. RICHARD STOCKTON, A. L. S., April 5, 1779, on land matters,
one page, in good condition.

20. JOHN WITHERSPOON, A. L. S., December 19, 1785, one page,
in good condition.

21. FRANCIS HOPKINSON, A. L. S., July 31, 1777 — instructions to
Capts. Barry and Reed, two pages, in good condition.

22. JOHN HART, A. D. S., an account of two pages, and indorse
ment, January i, 1778, in good condition.

23. ABRAHAM CLARK, A. L. S., January 9, 1794, one page, in good
condition.

PENNSYLVANIA DELEGATION.

24. ROBERT MORRIS, A. L. S., March 18, 1795, one page, in good
condition — acknowledging the receipt of the sword of the late Admiral
Paul Jones, which Mr. Morris says he "presented to Com. John
Barry, the senior officer of the present American Navy, who will never
disgrace it. "

25. BENJAMIN RUSH, A. L. S., July 25, 1796, two pages, in good
condition.

$O AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

26. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,* A. L. S., London, May 2, 1770 — ad
dressed to Noble Wimberly Jones, Speaker of the Assembly, Georgia :

" SIR. — Your favor of February 21, was duly delivered to me by Mr.
Preston, I immediately bespoke the Mace agreeable to your orders, and
was assured it should be worked upon with diligence, so that I hope to
have it ready to send with the Gowns by a ship that I understand goes
directly to Georgia sometime next month. By the estimation of the
Jeweller, who undertook it, the cost will not exceed ^80. What the
Gowns will amount to, I have not yet learnt ; but suppose ^100 will be
more than sufficient for the whole. I esteem myself highly honored by
your Government in being appointed, as you inform me, a second time
their Agent. I shall rejoice in any opportunity of rendering effectual ser
vice to the Province. I beg you will present my thankful acknowledg
ments to the several branches of your Legislature, and assure them of
my faithful endeavors in the execution of any commands I may receive
from them."

27. JOHN MORTON, D. S., a commission as speaker of the Pennsyl
vania Assembly, July 8, 1776, in good condition.

28. GEORGE CLYMER, A. L. S., May 7, 1794, one page, in good
condition.

29. JAMES SMITH, A. L. S., August 2, 1779, one page, in good
condition.

30. GEORGE TAYLOR, A. L. S. , April 18, 1757, one page, in good
condition.

31. JAMES WILSON, A. L. S., June 18, 1792, three pages, in good
condition — on land matters, addressed to Charles Carroll, of Carrollton,
with a page of holograph notes of Mr. Carroll's reply.

32. GEORGE Ross, A. L. S., January 20, 1779, one Paoe> in good
condition.

DELAWARE DELEGATION.

33. CESAR RODNEY, A. L. S., August 13, 1/79, one page, in good
condition.

* Dr. Franklin could not probably have had very much to do in the prepara
tion of the Declaration of Independence. In a MS. letter of the doctor, dated
June 21, 1776, addressed to Gen. Washington, now in Dr. Emmet's collection,
occurs this statement : "I am just recovering from a severe fit of gout, so that I
know little of what has passed there [in Congress], except that a Declaration of
Independence is preparing."

AUTOGRAPH COLLEC7IONS. 5 I

34. GEORGE READ, A. L. S., September 25, 1797, two pages, in
good condition.

35. THOMAS McKEAN, A. L. S., January 4, 1787, one page, in good
condition.

MARYLAND DELEGATION.

36. SAMUEL CHASE, A. L. S., March 16, 1785, on business matters,
three pages, in good condition.

37. WILLIAM PACA, A. L. S., April 5, 1772, one page, in good
condition.

38. THOMAS STONE, A. L. S. , May 26, 1786, two pages, in good
condition.

39. CHARLES CARROLL, of Carrollton, A. L. S., July 18, 1790, one
page, in good condition. Also a letter from the Signer's father, dated
August 3, 1775, addressed to "Dear Charley" — and directed to
"Charles Carroll, of Carrollton."

VIRGINIA DELEGATION.

40. GEORGE WYTHE, A. L. S., April 26, 1790, one page, in good
condition.

41. RICHARD HENRY LEE, A. L. S., January 20, 1793, two pages,
in good condition.

42. THOMAS JEFFERSON, A. L. S., August 7, 1814, business matters,
two pages, in good condition.

43. BENJAMIN HARRISON, A. L. S., May n, 1788, two pages, in
good condition.

44. THOMAS NELSON, Jr., A. L. S., July 30, 1785, business matters,
three pages, in good condition.

45. FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE, A. L. S., May 3, 1771, three pages,
in good condition.

46. CARTER BRAXTON, A. L. S., September 8, 1784, two pages, in
good condition.

NORTH CAROLINA DELEGATION.

47. WILLIAM HOOPER, A. L. S., August 2, 1787, two pages, in
good condition.

48. JOSEPH HEWES, A. L. S., May 15, 1776, one page, in good con-

52 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

dition ; stating that about three tons of powder had been voted by
Congress for the use of North Carolina, and had been forwarded in
twenty-five pork barrels, in three wagons.

49. JOHN PENN, A. L. S., June 7, 1778, one page, in good condi
tion.*

SOUTH CAROLINA DELEGATION.

50. EDWARD RUTLEDGE, A. L. S., May 12, 1795, two pages, in good
condition.

51. THOMAS HEYWARD, Jr., document signed, March 29, 1788, in
good condition.

Also an autograph document, attributed to him, but probably only
a copy, not signed, two pages of doggerel — entitled "A song made at
St. Augustine," no date, but during i78o-'8i, while a prisoner there,
captured at the surrender of Charleston. This song in part appears in
Johnson's Traditions of the Revolution, pages 269-270, and entire in
American Antiquarian, May, 1871. Garden, in his Anecdotes, mentions
that Judge Heyward wrote patriotic songs, with which to enliven his
fellow prisoners, copies of which were made for their use.

While there is little doubt that Judge Heyward composed the song
preserved in this copy, yet, on comparison of this manuscript with his
autograph signature, and fac-similes of his chirography, it is question
able if this is a holograph copy — it is, at least, an ancient transcript,
made in I78o-'8i, by one of his associates at St. Augustine.

52. THOMAS LYNCH, Jr., signature only, from the fly-leaf of a book

* Sanderson , in his Lives of the Signers, followed by other writers, states that
Mr. Penn had very deficient school opportunities, his father neglecting to give him
the advantages of a seminary education, and that he had merely two or three
years' instruction at a country school. This is hardly correct. The writer has
early manuscript authorities and reliable tradition, showing that Penn, a native of
Caroline County, Virginia, attended awhile the very superior private academy kept
by Donald Robertson, in the adjoining county of King and Queen, who made his
home awhile in the family of the elder Penn. Robertson was a distinguished
Scotch scholar, who had taken part in the Scotch rebellion under Prince Charlie
in 1745, and subsequently retired to Virginia ; where, among his scholars, was
James Madison, who, we are told by the historian Bancroft, rode on his pony from
his home in Orange County, a hundred miles away, for the sake of placing himself
under the superior instructions of this pre-eminent teacher of his day ; and Jack
Penn, as he was familiarly called, was among Robertson's most promising pupils.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 53

which once belonged to him — certified by Rev. Dr. Samuel Oilman,
of Charleston, that he presented the Lynch signatures of father and son,
to I. K. Tefft ; with Rev. Dr. W. B. Sprague's certificate, that he received
these signatures from Mr. Tefft. Fortunate, indeed, is the collector
who gets a genuine Lynch signature, even though it be but a signa
ture only.

53. ARTHUR MIDDLETON, document signed May 20, 1782, in good
condition.

GEORGIA DELEGATION.

54. BUTTON GWINNETT, document signed, May 6, 1777, in good
condition, and very neat. Gwinnett's autograph, like Lynch's, is
exceedingly rare.

55. LYMAN HALL, A. L. S., March 30, 1759, one page, in good con
dition.

56. GEORGE WALTON, A. L. S., February 24, 1784, two pages in
good condition.

Thus the catalogue shows fifty full autograph letters in the collection
of our Society, of which those of Floyd and Hewes were written in
1776, and ten others during the Revolutionary period. There is no
hope of improving the Lynch signature, which is a good one ;
while the prospect of bettering the others, Hart, Morton, Heyward,
Middleton and Gwinnett is scarcely more encouraging. As it is, the
set is a fine one, in good condition throughout ; and the members of
our Society may well felicitate themselves in the possession of so rich a
treasure.

In addition to these fifty-six autographs proper of the Signers of the
Declaration, we have, to appropriately accompany them, an A. L. S.,
August n, 1782, of Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress,
whose name attests the passage and the signing of the Declaration ;
also an A. L. S. of Robert R. Livingston, August 2, 1810, one page,
in good condition, referring to his wool and flocks of sheep ; an A.
L. S. of Henry Wisner, October 9, 1778, one page, somewhat stained,
otherwise in good condition ; and an A. L. S. of George Clinton,
August 2, 1794, referring to supplies for the frontiers of New York,
one page, in good condition. Livingston was one of the drafting
committee of the Declaration, while Clinton and Wisner's votes were

54 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

recorded in its favor ; but, unfortunately for their fame, all three were
called away from Congress by public duties at home, before the final
engrossment of the document on parchment for the signatures of the
members — Livingston even before the vote upon its passage ; but all
were in hearty accord with the measure, and in full faith that the times
and the circumstances demanded its adoption.

There is also in the collection an A. L. S. of John Dickinson, of the
Pennsylvania delegation, September, 8, 1787, in good condition. He
had for many years been one of the most steady and powerful
opponents of the arbitrary measures of Great Britain against the Colo
nies ; but when Independence was brought forward, he opposed it in
debate and vote as premature. It is further to be stated, that the
instructions of the Pennsylvania Assembly did not authorize the dele
gates to vote for Independence. Referring to Dickinson's hesitation
and opposition, Sanderson, in his Lives of the Signers, says : " When
we mention the name of that great and good man, John Dickinson,
we give sufficient proof that the cause of these sentiments was no
unmanly fear." There was no better patriot in the country; and
though temporarily retired from Congress, he was the next year made a
Brigadier-General of Pennsylvania militia, and two years later re-entered
Congress as a member from Delaware. His services were important
to his country. He died in 1808, in his seventy-sixth year.

Mr. Niles, in his Weekly Register of January 3, 1818, relates this
interesting incident of Dickinson, " as showing the power of the mind
abstracted from personal sensibilities : Fifteen or sixteen years ago,
then residing at Wilmington, Delaware, as I passed the house of the
late venerable John Dickinson, at 12 o'clock in the day, he was stand
ing at the door, and invited me in. After reproving me for not having
called to see him, for he had been a little unwell, he said that he
would have a glass of wine with me — the first that he had drank for
six weeks. After taking a couple of glasses in instant succession, he
suddenly sat down, and abruptly asked me what I thought of the
discussion then going on in Congress on the great question about the
Judiciary.* Having very briefly given my opinion, he said in a
sprightly manner, ' I'll tell thee mine ' — on which he began an argu-

* This discussion occurred during the session of Congress of 1801-1802.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 55

ment ; soon he became animated, and was uneasy in his seat. As he
proceeded, he elevated his voice, and, finally, rising slowly and uncon
sciously from his chair, he put forth his hand, and addressed me as if
I had been the chairman of a Legislative body, with all its members
present. I never have heard a discourse that was comparable to this
speech for its fire and spirit, poured forth like a torrent, and clothed
in the most beautiful and persuasive language. The graceful gestures
of the orator, his fine and venerable figure, interesting countenance,
and locks 'white as wool/ formed a tout ensemble that riveted me to
the chair with admiration.

" His delirium, if it may be so called, lasted nearly half an hour,
when it was interrupted by one of the family entering the room. He
stopped instantly, with a word half-finished on his lips, and sat down
in great confusion — apologized for his strange behavior, and entirely
dropped the subject. Air. Dickinson was an elegant speaker, and
one of the most accomplished scholars that our country has produced ;
but, perhaps, he never pronounced a speech so eloquent, so
chaste, and so beautiful, as that which he delivered before me as
stated. It was his soul rather than his person that acted on the occa
sion, and a master-spirit it was.* The argument was in favor of a
repeal of the Judiciary act."

Prominent among the few negative votes to the Declaration was that

* It cannot reasonably be charged, or suspected, that this was a case of simula
tion on the part of Mr. Dickinson. Conceding Mr. Niles as a credible and reli
able witness, then indeed, a "master-spirit" must have controlled this great
statesman of the Revolution on this notable occasion. Mr. Niles had all his life
mingled with the great orators of our country, and must have been familiar with
their forensic efforts, and yet declares that he " never heard a discourse that was
comparable to this speech,"

Such an exhibition serves to remind us of the experiences recorded in the Bible
— "the gift of tongues," "spiritual gifts," which the Rev. Drs. McClintock and
Strong, in their Cyclopedia of Religious Literature, pronounce as " utterances of a
spiritual kind;" or, as Smith, in his Dictionary of the Bible, defines spiritual
gifts as "a distinctly linguistic power."

Whatever may be the definition of this power, as God is the same yesterday,
to-day and forever, and both He and His laws alike unchangeable, we may very
properly conclude, that what was permissible in the days of pentecost, when men
began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, was permis
sible with John Dickinson, and also with trance-speakers of modern times.

56 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

of Joseph Galloway, also of the Pennsylvania delegation, who had long
filled a conspicuous position in the affairs of that Colony. ' After oppos
ing Independence, and retiring from Congress, he became a Tory, and
went to England. An autograph document with his signature, August
7, 1757, is included in the collection.

Catalogue of autographs of the Signers of the Constitution, belong
ing to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin :

NEW HAMPSHIRE DELEGATION.

1. JOHN LANGDON, A. L. S., October 20, 1809, three pages, in
good condition.

2. NICHOLAS OILMAN, A. L. S., February 9, 1791, one page, in
good condition.

MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATION.

3. NATHANIEL GORHAM, A. L. S., May 26, 1791, one page, in
good condition.

4. RUFUS KING, A. L. S., September 20, 1822, one page, in good
condition.

CONNECTICUT DELEGATION.

5. WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON, A. L. S., August 25, 1772, one page,
in good condition.

6. ROGER SHERMAN, A. L. S., August 28, 1787, one page, in good
condition.

NEW YORK DELEGATION.

7. ALEXANDER HAMILTON, A. L. S., October 7, 1794, one page, in
good condition.

NEW JERSEY DELEGATION.

8. WILLIAM LIVINGSTON, A. L. S., June 4, 1784, one page, in good
condition.

9. DAVID BREARLEY, A. L. S., May 21, 1783, two pages, in good
condition.

10. JONATHAN DAYTON, A. L. S., September 26, 1808, one page, in
good condition.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 57

11. WILLIAM PATERSON, A. L. S., November 29, 1783, one page,
in good condition.

PENNSYLVANIA DELEGATION.

12. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, A. L. S., January i, 1779, one page, in
good condition.

13. THOMAS MIFFLIN, A. L. S., March 30, 1787, one page, in good
condition.

14. ROBERT MORRIS, A. L. S., December 21, 1786, one page, in
good condition.

15. GEORGE CLYMER, A. L. S., January 7, 1799, one page, in good
condition.

1 6. THOMAS FITZSIMMONS, A. L. S., May 13, 1786, one page, in good
condition.

17. JARED INGERSOLL, A. L. S., January 27, 1789, one page, in
good condition.

1 8. JAMES WILSON, A. L. S., June 29, 1792, two pages, in good
condition.

19. GOUVERNEUR MORRIS, A. L. S. , December 23, 1805, one page,
in good condition.

DELAWARE DELEGATION.

20. GEORGE READ, A. L. S., June 10, 1787, one page, in good
condition.

21. GUNNING BEDFORD, A. L. S., February 3, 1810, two pages, in
good condition.

22. JOHN DICKINSON, A. L. S., August 4, 1788, one page, in good
condition. It is addressed to Dr. Rush, tendering his "heartiest con
gratulations on the adoption by the eleventh State," of the new Consti
tution.

23. RICHARD BASSETT, A. L. S., January i, 1811, one page, in good
condition.

24. JACOB BROOM, A. L. S., May 16, 1807, one page, in good con
dition.

MARYLAND DELEGATION.

25. JAMES McHENRY, A. L. S., March 10, 1780, two pages, in good
condition.

58 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

26. DANIEL OF ST. THOMAS JENIFER, A. L. S., December 12, 1785
one page, in good condition.

27. DANIEL CARROLL, A. L. S. , August 16, 1783, one page, in good
condition.

VIRGINIA DELEGATION.

28. JOHN BLAIR, A. L. S., March 20, 1787, two pages, in good
condition.

29. JAMES MADISON, A. L. S., February 22, 1823, one page, in
good condition.

30. GEORGE WASHINGTON, A. L. S., August 28, 1796, one page, in
good condition — returning thanks for a Fourth of July oration.

NORTH CAROLINA DELEGATION.

31. WILLIAM BLOUNT, A. L. S., July 5, 1797, one page, in good
condition. This letter is interesting, as referring to his impeachment
and expulsion from the United States Senate, apparently addressed to
some friend in Tennessee, where he resided :

" In a few days," he writes, "you will see published, by order of
Congress, a letter said to have been written by me to James Carey.
It makes a damnable fuss here. I hope, however, the people upon
the Western Wraters will see nothing but good in it, for so I intended
it — especially for Tennessee. When I shall be in Tennessee is
uncertain ; but come when I will, I trust they will view that particular
act as well-intended, as all my political conduct ever has been towards
them.

"I leave Philadelphia in a few hours, probably not to return to it
shortly. Allison is incog. Nothing is done for you. You had best
look to yourself. I suspect the Natchez will not now suit you.
Byers is a rascal."

32. RICHARD DOBBS SPAIGHT, A. L. S., February 25, 1794, one
page, in good condition.

33. HUGH WILLIAMSON, A. L. S., August 4, 1778, one page,
in good condition.

SOUTH CAROLINA DELEGATION.

34. JOHN RUTLEDGE, A. L. S., April 18, 1778, one page, an intro
duction, in good condition.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 59

35. CHARLES COTESWORTH PINCKNEY, A. L. S., March 16, 1815,
three pages, in good condition.

36. CHARLES PINCKNEY, A. L. S., no date (but written in 1807),
three pages, in good condition.

37. PIERCE BUTLER, A. L. S., January 15, 1808, two pages, in good
condition.

GEORGIA DELEGATION.

38. WILLIAM FEW, A. L. S., January 9, 1790, one page, in good
condition.

39. ABRAHAM BALDWIN, A. L. S., January 26, 1791, one page, in
good condition.

Also an A. L. S. of Col. WILLIAM JACKSON, November 2, 1797, the
Secretary of the Convention, who attested the Constitution, one page,
in good condition.

This enumeration of the sets of the Signers of the Declaration and
of the Constitution, possessed by the State Historical Society of
Wisconsin, presents a fine array of autographs in their line of collec
tion, exceeded in only a few instances in the Declaration series ; while
the Signers of the Constitution are represented by full autograph letters
in every instance, and four were written in the year the Constitution
was formed, 1787.

A subject so interesting warrants a reference to similar collections
extant, so far as the best attainable information, derived from the prin
cipal autograph collectors of the country, will enable us to describe
them. The known full sets of the Signers of the Declaration are only
twenty-two, and from the rarity of several of the autographs, the num
ber can never be very much increased, if at all.

In noticing these several collections, it is necessary to establish
some rules of precedence. On the whole, it would appear most
proper to fix upon the number of full autograph letters in a collection ;
though their character and condition — whether pretty uniformly in
folio or quarto size — and the extent and value of their illustrations,
should have their influence in determining their relative standing. A
few collectors have made an interesting consideration of enhanced
interest and value, of letters bearing date in the Declaration year, 1776.

In view of the almost insurmountable difficulties in making a com-

60 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

plete collection of the Signers of the Declaration, it is not a little sin
gular that more sets of the Signers of the Constitution have not been
brought together. The Declaration Signers number fifty-six — those of
the Constitution only thirty-nine ; so there are only about two-thirds
as many of the latter as of the former, and none of them so practi
cally unobtainable as are several of the Signers of the Declaration.
While the statistics show twenty-two sets of the Declaration Signers,
but nineteen full sets of the Constitution Signers have as yet been
brought together.

OTHER COLLECTIONS OF DECLARATION SIGNERS.

I. — DR. THOMAS ADDIS EMMET, New York. His best set — for he
has four — takes precedence by common consent. It includes fifty-four
full autograph letters of the fifty-six Signers, the only exceptions being
very fine specimens of autograph documents signed of both Hart and
Gwinnett. OfGwinnett, no known full letter is extant. Of the fifty-
six autographs of the set, fifty-one pertain to the Revolutionary period
— only Morton, Wythe, and Heyward not ranking as such, while Hart
and Gwinnett are documents ; and of these fifty-one Revolutionary
letters, thirty- one were written during 1776, a number of them refer
ring to the great Declaration. Four of the letters bear date in the
Declaration month of that year, — Clark's, July uth ; F. L. Lee's, the
1 6th ; Wilson's, the 25th ; and Hewes, the 28th.

The pre-eminent specimen of the collection, which stands unmatched
and unapproachable, is the unquestioned genuine Lynch letter,
addressed to Gen. Washington, July 5, 1777, having the General's
endorsement on the back in his well-known handwriting, obtained
from the Washington Papers by Dr. Sprague, who conveyed it to Dr.
Emmet in an exchange of autographs, practically costing the latter
some seven hundred dollars. The next great rarity of the set is a full
Morton letter, formerly of Col. Myers" collection, of which only one
other full letter of that Signer is known to exist, that of Mr. Stauffer,
and an unsigned one in the Raffles' set. Full letters of Heyward and
Middleton also grace the collection.

This fine set was originally placed in what is now Dr. Emmet's
second collection, so largely 'illustrated 'as to extend to twenty bound

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 6 1

volumes ; but Dr. Emmet, on further thought, fearing the valuable
autographs composing it would be measurably lost sight of while
scattered among such a profusion of illustrative matter, concluded to
replace it with a less important set, and thus be enabled to give to his
best collection of the Signers a more conspicuous exhibition, which it
so richly deserves, illustrating it with suitable portrait engravings, short
printed sketches of the several Signers, and fac-similes of autographs,
etc. It is not yet bound, awaiting other possible changes for the
better.

To give some idea of the cost of such indulgences : "In one way or
another," writes Dr. Emmet, "I have spent some twenty-five thousand
dollars on the set, and have not yet gotten it to my satisfaction." This
was written before he had detached this best set from the multitudinous
collection of illustrations in the twenty volumes now comprising the
second set, and this estimate of cost includes those numerous and
interesting illustrations. All will agree that the right man undertook
this herculean labor, and has never faltered for a moment in its prose
cution.

But Dr. Emmet's four full sets of the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence, and his collection of the Signers of the Constitution,
are by no means the only autograph groupings he has made. His
tastes, it will be seen, lead him to profusely and tastefully illustrate
them all. His entire collection numbers fifty-three volumes, divided
into the following groups or series :

1. The best set of Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
unbound, at least one volume.

2. His second set of Signers, already described, twenty volumes.

3. The Continental Congress, 1774-1789, of whose membership Dr.
Emmet has autographs of over three hundred and sixty ; illustrated by
two hundred and thirty-eight portraits, having had several specially
made for this purpose — seventy-two of the whole number are believed
to be without likenesses. This group includes his third set of the
Signers. Dr. Emmet has been many years engaged on this collection
— gathering materials for a biographical sketch of each member, to be
printed especially for this series ; and when thus completed, it will
embrace six volumes, a wonderful collection, including a large amount
of American biography to be found nowhere else.

62 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

4. The fourth set of the Signers is nicely arranged with Sanderson's
Lives of the Signers, of which Dr. Emmet has one of the few large
paper copies, in eight volumes, fully illustrated.

5. The Signers of the Constitution, already adverted to, in one
volume.

6. The Albany Congress of 1754, twenty-five members, representing
seven Colonies, in one volume. The printed illustrative matter is
from the second volume of Documentary History of New Fork, and
from Sir William Johnson's papers, giving an account of that Congress.

7. The Stamp Act Congress, 1765, twenty-three members, repre
senting nine Colonies, one volume. The printed matter has been
taken from Hughes' account in the second volume of Hazard's Register,
originally appearing in Almon's Prior Documents, p. 45, et seq., and
includes the credentials and journals.

8. The first Continental Congress, 1774, fifty-two members, repre
senting twelve Colonies, one volume. With this set of autographs of
the delegates, Henry Armitt Brown's oration on the one hundredth
anniversary of the meeting of this Congress, was inlaid, with the addi
tion of specially printed matter appropriate to the collection.

9. Signers of the Articles of Confederation, 1778, forty-one auto
graphs, representing thirteen Colonies, one volume.

10. The Generals of the Revolution, both Continental and State,
eighty-six specimens. This collection has been brought together with
the greatest care, so that there is scarcely an autograph which is
not of especial historical value. Grisvvold's Washington and his
Generals, in two volumes, has been brought into requisition for
this group, all inlaid, and extended to eight folio volumes, illustrated
with portraits, newspapers of the day, and three hundred and forty-
one autographs.

11. Presidents of the Old Congress, and Presidents and Vice-Presi
dents of the United States, nearly fifty fine specimens, one volume.
Dr. Emmet wrote, and had printed for this collection, a sketch
of each President of Congress, etc., on a single page, to face the
autograph and engraving.

12. Paper money issued by the Colonies, about two thousand
specimens, all inlaid, with a printed account of each issue, extended
to three volumes.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 63

13. Paper money issued by Congress. Samuel Breck's Historical
Sketch of Paper Money, 1843, as republished in 1863, with an appen
dix giving in full the issues and denominations, used as the basis
for this collection, inlaid to folio size, and illustrated, one volume.

All these volumes have special title-pages printed for them, with
printed text, head and tail pieces.

Dr. Emmet was born near Charlottesville, Virginia, May 29, 1828.
His father, John P. Emmet, was then, and for a period of nineteen
years, Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in the University of
Virginia. Dr. Emmet's grandfather, Thomas Addis Emmet, with his
famous brother, Robert Emmet, were noted leaders in the movements
of the "United Irishmen " in 1798 ; and again in 1803, Robert, the
younger, losing his young life in the heroic effort to obtain freedom
for his distracted country. Thomas Addis Kmmet, the patriot leader,
was long imprisoned ; but was finally liberated, settled in New York
City in 1804, where in the ensuing twenty-three years he rose to great
eminence at the bar.

While Dr. Emmet has long been ranked among the ablest members
of the medical profession in New York City, it is especially as an
autograph collector that he stands pre-eminent. He began the collec
tion of autographs and illustration of books at the early age of twelve,
and commenced the formation of his first set of the Signers about 1860,
since which he has prosecuted the collection of American autographs
with unusual ardor and remarkable success.

During the past twenty-five years, probably more autographs of the
Signers have passed through his hands than those of any one else in
the country ; and while he has been able to improve his own collec
tions, he has supplied other collectors with more than a single speci
men of all the Signers, save perhaps those of Lynch and Gwinnett.
He has thus proved himself a public benefactor — well worthy of the
high honor Mr. Burns designed to ascribe, when referring to him as
" the Premier American Autographer. "

II. — SIMON GRATZ, of Philadelphia. In 1856, at the age of seven
teen, an accidental search among an accumulation of family papers in
his native city of Philadelphia, gave Mr. Gratz a taste for gathering
autographs, which he has prosecuted for thirty years with rare discrim
ination and success. Mr. Burns, in the Antiquarian, August, 1870,

64 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

stated that the collection of Mr. Gratz of the Signers then lacked but
two autographs, and that it was then regarded as " a fine series." That
gap has long since been filled, and the whole set greatly improved. It
has now fifty-three full autograph letters in quarto or folio size — the
other three are Morton, a folio autograph document signed ; Gwinnett,
a very fine folio autograph document signed, and Lynch, a cut signa
ture. It nearly equals Dr. Emmet's best set in the number of 1776
letters, having twenty-seven — one of vhich, that of Wilson, was writ
ten on the memorable 4th of July in that year; and a Hancock letter
of July 5th, 1776, covering a copy of the Declaration to one of the
States.

All the specimens are choice both as regards matter and condition.
It is largely illustrated with portraits and views, as yet kept loose in
scrap-books for further possible improvement. No pains nor expense
has been spared to improve its character.

Mr. Gratz needs only a Lynch to complete a second set, which is
used in his series of the old Congress of 1774-1789. This group of
the old Congress lacks but a few names of being complete. A dupli
cate of Lynch he once possessed, but spared it to a fellow collector to
round out his set.

In addition to the names contained in this series of the old Con
gressmen, Mr. Gratz has complete sets of A. L. S. of the Presidents,
and Presidents pro tempore of the Continental Congress, the Signers of
the articles of Confederation, the Congress of 1774, excepting Boerum,
the members of the Annapolis Convention, and the members of the
Federal Convention. His series of the Generals of the Revolution is
complete, and is composed entirely of A. L. S., (many of them being
addressed to Gen. Washington), with the exception of Baron de
Woedtke, which is L. S. 4to, and John Whitcomb, A. D. S., folio.
He also has complete sets of the Albany Convention of 1754, the
Stamp Act Congress of 1765, the Hartford Convention, the Presidents,
Vice-Presidents, and Cabinet officers, Bishops of the Episcopal Church,
complete to 1877, moderators of the Presbyterian General Assembly,
complete to 1882, Judges of the Supreme Court of the United States,
Speakers of the House of Representatives, and Presidents pro tern, of
the United States Senate.

His collection of names of the Colonial period embraces most of the

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 65

Royal Governors, and of the persons who were prominent, on either
side, in the French and Indian wars.

He has letters of nearly all the Colonels, and noted officers of lower
rank, of the Continental Army, 1775 to 1783, most of the French
officers who served during the Revolutionary war, and of the Generals,
and many of the lesser officers, who served on the British side.

His series of letters and MSS. of Washington contain specimens of
the handwriting of " the Father of his country " from boyhood to the
year of his death ; as well as letters of his mother, Mary Washington,
and of Martha, his wife, his brother, Lawrence, etc., etc. The total
number of Washington letters in the collection is eighty-eight, aside
from many A. D. S. and MS. documents.

The rest of the American portion of the large collection of Mr.
Gratz covers a wide field, including naval officers, from the Revolu
tionary period to the close of the civil war ; Generals and officers of
the war of 1812, the Mexican war, and the Civil war; literary char
acters, from John Eliot, of "Indian Bible" fame, and William Hub-
bard, the historian of the New England Indian wars, to the writers of
the present day ; United States Senators, Governors, artists, actors,
scientists, Washington's Aides-de-camp, and a remarkably full series of
the American clergy, commencing with the earliest Colonial names,
etc., etc.

His foreign collection numbers about ten thousand letters and docu
ments, and embraces series of the European Emperors, Kings, and
Queens, the poets and prose writers of Great Britain and Continental
Europe, and of the most noted warriors, statesmen, philosophers, artists,
composers, men of science, etc., etc., who flourished during the last four
centuries. Most of the names are represented by A. L. S. — among
the rarer of which may be mentioned those of Mary, Queen of Scots,
Erasmus of Rotterdam, Macchiavelli, Saint Vincent de Paul, Ninon de
Lenclos, Massillon, Spinola, Catherine de Parthenay, the Huguenot
heroine, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford, beheaded on Tower
Hill, the first Duke of Buckingham, assassinated by Felton, and
Richard Bentley, the great classical scholar ; the composers, Mozart,
Handel, and Bach ; the painters, Rubens, Poussin, and Sir Joshua
Reynolds ; the philosophers and astronomers, Galileo, Kepler, Heve-
lius, Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle, and Halley ; the reformers,

66 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Luther, Calvin, Melanchthon, Brentz, Bullinger, and Guillaume Farel ;
the French revolutionists, Robespierre and Marat ; the poets and
prose-writers, Robert Burns, Richard Baxter, Byron, Charlotte Bronte,
Madame D'Arblay, Edward Gibbon, John Keats, John Locke, Alex
ander Pope, Tobias Smollett, Percy B. Shelley, Jonathan Swift, Jeremy
Taylor, and Sir Henry Wotton.

As a judge of the genuineness of American autographs, particularly
of the Signers, Mr. Gratz stands unrivaled.

III. — FERDINAND J. DREER, of Philadelphia. Born in that city,
March 2, 1812. Mr. Dreer was for many years laboriously engaged as
an assayer and manufacturer of gold ware, retiring from active business
in 1862. At twenty-two he broke down from over-work, and has ever
since been in feeble health ; yet since he commenced his autograph
gatherings, about 1849, ne nas f°und pleasant employment in collect
ing, repairing and arranging his thousands of rare letters of both hemi
spheres, and illustrating his books and manuscripts, giving occupation
to both body and mind, and, as he believes, prolonging his days.

Mr. Dreer's set of the Signers, like the collection of Mr. Gratz,
numbers fifty-three full autograph letters. It has been selected and
improved with great care and expense. The three specimens of the
set not A. L. S., are Morton, A. D. S., Gwinnett, D. S., and Lynch,
a cut signature. Next to the sets of Dr. Emmet and Mr. Gratz, Mr.
Dreer's is the strongest extant in 1776 letters, having twenty-one speci
mens, no less than seven of which were written during the month of
July of that year — Rutledge on the ist, Clark on the immortal 4th,
John Adams on the 5th, Hancock on the pth and 24th, Hewes on the
24th, and Thornton on the 27th. The Adams letter came from Mr.
Tefft's incomplete set, and is noticed in Dr. Gilman's paper on the
Tefft autographs.

Such of these as needed it were carefully repaired, and are kept in
cases, without yet having determined their final grouping. Mr. Dreer
has fifty-one letters and signed documents towards a second set, and
forty towards a third.

His collection of the Signers of the Constitution, limited to those
who actually signed the document, are all A. L. S., and is a very fine
one.

Besides these, Mr. Dreer has no less than seventy original letters of

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 67

Washington, from the earliest date to the time of his death, remarkably
complete and interesting — undoubtedly the largest accumulation of
Washington letters extant next to that of Mr. Gratz, outside of the
Washington papers preserved by the Government. He has also over
forty letters of William Penn and family ; a large number of Franklin;
no less than thirty of Jefferson ; and eleven of Edward Rutledge,
written between 1792 and 1797. These Washington, Penn, and
Franklin letters are exclusive of those utilized in various book illustra
tions.

In addition to his own varied acquisitions, Mr. Dreer obtained, some
thirty years since, the rich collection of the late Robert Gilmor, of
Baltimore — including his set of autographs of the Signers, and his
especially rich array of foreign autographs, comprising the most cele
brated sovereigns of Europe, with all the most distinguished generals,
naval commanders, statesmen, reformers, authors, artists, scientists,
composers, musicians, inventors, astronomers, explorers and travelers.

Among the set of musicians, are Handel, Hayden, Beethoven, Mo
zart, and Bach — all A. L. S. ; astronomers, Galileo, Kepler, the elder
Herschel, son and daughter, all A. L. S. ; reformers, Calvin, Luther,
Melanchthon, and De Beza, fine A. L. S. ; also four of Cowper, four of
Pope, four of Burns, two of Gray, and others of Sir Christopher Wren,
Thomson, Gay, Byron, Shelley, Campbell, and Leigh Hunt's original
of Abou Ben Adhem ; James 1st, of England ; Henry Vllth ; Henry
IVth, of France; and Erasmus of Rotterdam.

In 1857, Wm. Brotherhead wrote, and privately printed, an edition
of twenty-five copies of a visit to Mr. Dreer's autograph collection. It
is in small folio size ; and three pages of the fifteen descriptive of all
the groupings, are devoted to the American portion, while twelve are
given to the foreign. It is a very interesting exhibition of a noble
gathering of autographs, sparkling with gems of many a noted man
and woman of both continents.

Many patient years has Mr. Dreer spent in arranging, repairing and
pressing his autographs, and adding fly leaves for their protection.
He devotes more hours to these interesting labors than he ever did to
the acquisition of wealth. His avarice is limited to the accumulation
of autographs, and grouping and improving them for noble and useful
purposes. Though in feeb'e health, he declares that his love for col-

68 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

lecting and repairing autographs, and illustrating books has added
largely to his happiness as well as augmenting his days.

IV. — The late Prof. EDWARD H. LEFFINGWELL, son of William and
Sally Maria Beers Leffingwell, was born in New Haven, April 15, 1803.
He was graduated from Yale College in 1822, and two years later was
graduated in medicine. In 1825, he went to Lima, South America,
remaining there three years in the practice of his profession, when he
removed to Lambayque, in Northern Peru, where he resided six
years. Returning to the United States in 1834, he received the
appointment of Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in the
University of Missouri ; and, in 1836, he visited Buenos Ayres, and
the next year returning to his native country, located awhile at Bruns
wick, Maine, with a view of more thoroughly prosecuting the study of
physical science, under the direction of Prof. Parker Cleveland, of
Bowdoin College. Returning to St. Louis, he resumed his chair in
the University ; and after nearly nine years' connection with that
institution, owing to ill-health, he resigned in 1852. He subse
quently accepted the chair of Chemistry and Toxicology in the Medi
cal College of Memphis, Tenn. ; but the condition of his health did
not admit his long continuance there.

From 1855 to 1863, he resided in Boston ; after which he made his
home in New Haven. He commenced his autograph collections upon
his settlement in Boston, where he purchased, at a cost of some two
thousand dollars, the fine set of the Signers made by Hon. Mellen Cham
berlain, together with other commenced series, and many foreign auto
graphs. This set of the Signers are all in folio size, save that of
Middleton, which is a quarto. Mr. Burns pronounces it "a fine"
one. In 1857, it lacked only the autograph of Paca, which was
soon after supplied. It numbers fifty-one A. L. S. ; of the remaining
five, Hart and Morton are A. D. S. ; Hopkins, L. S. ; Gwinnett, D. S.,
and Lynch, a single signature. The set has several 1776 letters, and
is unbound, preserved in cases, and copiously illustrated with por
traits and engravings, biographical and historical cuttings.

Besides his full set of the Declaration Signers, he gathered also an
incomplete set, and two full collections of the Signers of the Constitu
tion ; he also brought together a set of the Generals of the Revolution ;
Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United States from Washington

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 69

to Buchanan inclusive, with the heads of departments, Judges of the
Supreme Court, Ministers to Foreign Courts ; Protestant Episcopal
Bishops, from Seabury to Green, with many eminent American clergy
men and literary characters. He had also a fine set of English sover
eigns from Henry IV., with two exceptions, to Queen Victoria ; and
of the English Premiers, from 1754 to Lord Beaconsfield, with a single
exception. He had also autographs of Shakespeare, it is said, but
which is presumably doubtful, of Bacon, Cromwell, Raleigh, Lady
Jane Gray, Newton, Cowper, Dryden, Goldsmith, Burns, Byron, and
other English notabilities, together with many illustrious names of
French royalty and nobility, and of other portions of Continental
Europe.

Professor Leffingwell died at New Haven, June 25, 1888, in his
eighty-sixth year, leaving his noble collection of autographs to his
niece, Miss Mary Matilda Leffingwell, of that city.

V. — DR. JOHN S. H. FOGG, Boston, Mass. Dr. Fogg was born in
Eliot, York County, Maine, May 21, 1826, and commenced picking
up autographs about the time of his graduation from college, in 1846,
making quite a collection of old commissions, etc. He recommenced
their gathering in 1858, and for a year or two collected quite a goodly
number.

In 1873, he was prostrated by paralysis, and has ever since been
confined to his room, a constant sufferer. Recovering somewhat from
this attack, he turned his attention, in 1875, to forming a set of the
Signers, of which he already had a few specimens. He consummated
the collection in 1881 — a wonderfully short period for such a difficult
accomplishment. Many of these specimens he has since very materi
ally improved.

Mr. Burns declares it "really a fine set," which its composition
proves. It is made up of fifty A. L. S. ; Heyward and Middleton, L. S. ;
Hart, Morton, and Gwinnett, D. S. ; and Lynch, a cut signature. It
presents an unusually strong array of letters written during the Revolu
tionary period, numbering forty-five A. L. S., and two others, L. S. ;
of which nineteen were written in Independence year, 1776 — three in
July, Witherspoon's the 3d, Clark's the 9th, and Hopkinson's the 23d.
Such letters as needed it have been thoroughly repaired ; all are
mounted on a fly in a wrapper, and the illustrations are mounted in

70 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

the same wrapper. These illustrations consist of engravings or etchings
of all the Signers save Morton ; of some there are several different
likenesses, together with Brotherhead's fac-similes and views. As yet
they are unbound, awaiting still further possible improvement.

Dr. Fogg lacks but two, Howard and Barnes, of a complete set of
the Albany Congress of 1754, and but two, Murdock and Lynch,
Sr., of a full set of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765. He has also
a second collection of the Declaration Signers, lacking Lynch only,
included in his series of the Old Congress, ij'j^-^g, which wants but
thirty-five of the whole number of about three hundred and ninety-
five.

Besides his set of the Signers of the Constitution, he has a collection
of the members of the Annapolis Convention of 1786 ; the Colonial
and State Governors of Massachusetts ; members of the famous Hart
ford Convention ; all of the thirty-eight Major-Generals of the Revo
lution, and all save eight of the ninety Brigadier-Generals ; Washing
ton's Aids, with two exceptions ; Presidents and Vice-Presidents of
the United States, with cabinet officers — each Administration by itself.
In all these series no letter plays a double part ; and all the series are
well illustrated with engravings.

" Here I am," writes Dr. Fogg, "sitting in my chair, utterly help
less, and often distracted with pain, as I have been for more than
thirteen years. I don't know how I could make life tolerable were
it not for the pleasure these autographs afford me. I take com
fort in collecting, arranging and repairing them, associated with my
companion, whose tastes in these directions are in harmony with
mine ; for we work together in repairing old letters, matching the
paper used, imitating water marks, texture, color, and other par
ticulars — mounting them to a uniform size, and inlaying small por
traits to the same dimension. Mrs. Fogg in all these labors, is
equally enthusiabth with me. Thus, you see, I have some blessings
in my cup of afflictions, and they are of a magnitude sufficient
to reconcile me to my lot, if anything could do it. I have now some
four or five thousand or more autographs altogether."

VI. — STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Madison, Wis. This collection
has been some twenty-five years in accumulating — originating, in
1856, in a donation of autographs of Samuel Adams, Floyd, Lewis,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. /I

Robert Morris, McKean, R. H. Lee, Jefferson, as well as R. R. Liv
ingston, and Charles Thomson, from the late Hon. Henry S. Randall.
It was some time thereafter before the idea of completing a full set
was resolved on, and the full quota was made up in 1881, with subse
quent improvements. While the collection is not strong in historical
documents of the Revolution, it takes high rank in embracing so
many full autograph letters — fifty A. L. S. ; Hart, A. D. S. ; Morton,
Heyward, Middleton, and Gwinnett, D. S. ; and Lynch, an inlaid cut
signature. It is illustrated with one or more engravings or etchings of
all the Signers save Morton, with Brotherhead's views •acci&fac-similes,
and other appropriate matter.

The gift of the Hon. H. S. Randall of one hundred American auto
graphs to the Society in 1856, laid the foundation of other series
besides that of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. We
have now a full set of the thirty-nine Signers of the Constitution,
including their Secretary, William Jackson, all A. L. S., with appro
priate illustrations ; a nearly complete set of the Presidents of the Old
Congress, and Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United States,
together with a portion of the Generals of the Revolution, and the Gov
ernors of Wisconsin. These constitute the autograph collections
proper of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

VII. — MR. CHARLES ROBERTS, of Philadelphia. His ancestors
migrated from Wales to Pennsylvania about 1695. Mr. Roberts was
born in Philadelphia in 1846, and, at the age of fourteen, entered
Haverford College, and while there commenced gathering autographs
in a small way. After graduating, he added little to his collections
until about the time of the Centennial. He was an original member
of the Committee of One Hundred, a city reformatory body who did
good work in the interests of the people, and is serving his third term
in the Common Council. He was for many years a partner in one of
the largest glass manufacturing establishments in the country, from
which he retired in 1885. He is a member of the council of the Penn
sylvania Historical Society, one of the managers of Haveiford Col
lege, and of several charitable institutions. He finds time to indulge
in the fascinating pursuit of gathering and arranging autographs. He
had made a fine collection of the Signers, lacking Lynch only, with
other series, when he recently purchased the entire collection, one of

72 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

the best in the country, gathered by the late Robert C. Davis, of Phila
delphia, which not only enabled him to complete and improve his own
set, but to place it considerably higher in rank than that occupied by
Mr. Davis' collection. As now improved, Mr. Roberts' set of the Signers
embraces forty-nine A. L. S. ; Hart, Morton, and Heyward, A. D. S. ;
Livingston, L. S. ; Middleton and Gwinnett, D. S. ; and Lynch, a fine
cut signature which came from Mr. Tefft to the late Mr. Davis.
Thirty-six of the number were written during the Revolutionary
period, of which those of Clark, Franklin, R. Morris, Wilson, and
Hewes were penned during 1776.

In the estimation of some of our best autograph judges, Mr.
Roberts' set of the Signers, as now improved, takes very high rank on
account of the fine condition and beauty of many of the rare specimens,
such as that of Lyman Hall, which is a superb folio ; and that of
Joseph Hewes, which is a six page A. L. S., dated Philadelphia, July
8th, 1776, in which he asks, "What has become of my friend
Hooper?* . . . My friend Penn came time enough to give his
vote for independence, " etc.

Mr. Roberts' other series deserve special notice. He has two full
sets of the Signers of the Constitution, one of them including all who
were chosen, and at any time attended, but failed to avail themselves
of the opportunity of signing that instrument ; all the Generals of the
Revolution, save Moore and de Borre ; a full set of the Presidents and
their Cabinets, together with the Vice-Presidents, Chief Justices and
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, nearly complete ; and only
wanting Lynch of a second set of the Signers, which go to make up
the series of members of the old Congress, 1774-89.

VIII. — CHARLES C. JONES, Jr., LL. D., Augusta, Georgia. It is
very fitting that Col. Jones should have made up a set of the Signers.
Descending from a prominent Revolutionary family of his State, he was
born at Savannah, October 28, 1831. With a good education, he is
well equipped for his profess on, and for an antiquary and historian
as well — taking the very front rank, in these particulars, of his fellow

* This would imply, notwithstanding his biographers assert that Hooper voted
for the Declaration, that he was absent at the time of the vote on July 2d, and
its proclamation July 4th ; but, approving the measure, subsequently signed this
great charter of American freedom.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 73

citizens of Georgia, and of the Southern States. Aside from his numer
ous historical, antiquarian, and military addresses and brochures, in
pamphlet form, his more substantial works, Historical Sketch of
Chatham Artillery, 1867; Historical Sketch of To-mo-chi-chi, Mico of
the Yamacraws, 1868; Antiquities of the Southern Tribes, 1873 ; Siege
of Savannah, 1874 ; Dead Towns of Georgia, 1878 ; History of
Georgia, in 2 vols., 1883, with two more in preparation, and Sketch
of Maj. John Habersham, 1886, have deservedly given him a high
reputation.

In 1866, he commenced collecting his first set of the Signers, com
pleting it in 1880, though improvements have been subsequently made.
This collection, which is really a very fine one, consists of forty-nine
full letters, with Stockton and Gwinnett, A. D. S. — both remarkably fine
specimens ; Livingston, L. S. ; Morton, Heyward, and Middleton,
D. S. ; and Lynch the usual cut signature. Thornton, Whipple, and
Hevves are 1776 letters; while those of Hancock, Ellery, Wolcott,
Lewis, Taylor, Ross, Rodney, Paca, Stone, Wythe, Harrison, Nelson,
Hooper, Penn, Hall and Walton, sixteen in number, were written
during the Revolutionary period, that of Hall in 1777, on public
affairs and of the highest interest. This series is inlaid on Whatman
paper, and illustrated with the best engraved portraits extant, and
views of residences, etc., and is neatly bound in two volumes, size of
page, 1 6 by 12^ inches.

While a student at law in London, Mr. Lynch wrote his name on
the title-pages of books he purchased, sometimes T. Lynch, Junr., and
at other times simply " Lynch." Col. Jones has had the good fortune
to obtain one of the former and three of the latter from a lineal
descendant of one of the sisters of the Signer, who inherited a portion
of his library, and all are genuine beyond a question. The T. Lynch,
Junr., signature, accompanied by one of the others, represents the
Signer in Col. Jones' best set of the Signers, another in his second set,
while the other fills its place in his set of the Old Congress. Thus all
are placed in his collections.

Col. Jones has a full set of the Signers of the Constitution, also of
the Presidents of the Continental Congress, and of the Presidents and
Vice-Presidents of the United States, nearly all A. L. S., inlaid,
illustrated, and bound.
6

74 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

A complete set of the Chief Justices and Associate Justices of the
Supreme Court, and Attorneys-General of the United States, is also
inlaid, illustrated and bound.

A complete set of the Colonial and the State Governors of Georgia,
inlaid, illustrated and bound.

A complete set of the Signers of the Confederate Constitution, all
A. L. S., inlaid, illustrated and bound.

His series of members of the Continental Congress is in an advanced
condition, including a "Lynch," and lacking only twenty-nine of
completion ; his series of Confederate autographs is also well advanced,
and will embrace five volumes. He also has over two hundred
volumes of printed books, privately illustrated with maps, views, auto
graphs, and portraits, all inlaid and handsomely bound, while his exten
sive archaeological collection embraces nearly 20,000 objects.

IX. — MRS. DAVID J. COHEN, Baltimore. This collection was
formed by the late Dr. Joshua I. Cohen, of that city — commenced in
1836, and completed in 1850. A second set was lacking only two
names at the close of 1870. Dr. Cohen passing away, his autographs
came into the possession of his sister-in-law, the present owner. The
full collection of the Signers consists of forty-nine A. L. S., with Thorn
ton, Livingston, Morton, Wythe, Middleton and Gwinnett, D. S., and
Lynch, as usual, a signature only. Among the rarities may be men
tioned the full letters of Sherman, Stockton, Hart and Heyward. The
set is unbound, preserved in cases, without illustrations.

X. — Hon. JOHN BOYD THACHER, formerly State Senator, and Mayor
of Albany, after many years' efforts, has gotten together a full set of the
autographs of the Signers. Mr. E. E. Sprague, of New York, son of
Rev. Dr. Sprague, became possessed of one of the three full sets
made by his father, and which was completed, as Hon. Mellen Cham
berlain believes, as early as 1848. It consisted of forty A. L. S., the
rest being made up of less valuable specimens ; but among them the
Lynch and Gwinnett being both documents signed. The Lynch signa
ture is attached to a conveyance of land made in 1779, at Charleston —
a counterpart to Mr. Lynch's deed of March in that year in the late
Col. Myers' collection, from which was detached a receipt which
represents Lynch in the collection of the Pennsylvania Historical
Society. Mr. Thacher and Mr. E. E. Sprague were early boy friends,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 75

and in that way apparently, Mr. Thacher formed his taste for auto
graphs ; and recently, an opportunity occurring, he purchased Mr.
Sprague's entire collection, and has thus been enabled to complete and
enrich his set. As it now stands, it numbers forty-eight A. L. S. ;
with Hart, Morton, Stone, and Gwinnett, A. D. S. ; Hopkins, L. S. ;
and S. Adams, Heyward, and Lynch, D. S. Of these, five are 1776
letters — Williams, Witherspoon, Franklin, R. H. Lee, and Wythe.
This set has some special merits — the R. H. Lee letter, and those of
Lewis, Witherspoon, and Chase, were addressed to Gen. Washington,
and of course were of the rich selection made by Rev. Dr. Sprague
from the Washington Papers ; the Walton letter was written to Gen.
Lincoln, complaining of his captivity ; the Rush letter, penned imme
diately after the death of Franklin, refers to the deathbed scene of that
great patriot and philosopher.

This collection, yet unbound, is partially illustrated, and Mr. Thacher
is gathering additional illustrative material, and designs securing draw
ings of a unique set of plaster busts of the Signers made by a genius
for the Centennial, but who failed to complete and place them upon
the market.

Mr. Thacher has autographs of about two-thirds of the members of
the Old Congress, 1774-89, of which his duplicate Signers, fifty-three
in number, form a part ; and he has also a partial set of the Signers of
the Constitution, and some of other American series.

XI. — PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Philadelphia. Some two
years before the death of the Rev. Dr. Sprague, Dr. Emmet offered
him $50 each for the choice of certain specimens of his best set of the
Signers, or $25 each for the whole. Dr. Sprague replied that he had
no idea that they could be worth any such sum ; but he could not per
mit himself to think of parting with them, as nearly all of them had
been gifts from friends, and the love of collecting, rather than dispers
ing, was still on him.

After thinking the matter over, however, he stated to Dr. Emmet
that, as he had done so much more than any one else to perpetuate the
memory of the Signers, his set should very properly be made the best
— Dr. Sprague adding, that he ought not to be selfish, and kindly
offered to exchange such specimens in his collection as would improve
Dr. Emmet's, but would not consent to sell them. This resulted in

76 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

an exchange — Dr. Emmet taking the peerless Lynch autograph letter,
a Heyward, a Middleton, and two others, promising to satisfactorily
square the account before Christmas.

Dr. Sprague furnished fourteen autographs of the Signers, not the
most valuable, and Dr. Emmet supplied a Lynch cut signature, and
forty-one others, thus making a full set — some of these forty-two Dr.
Emmet already possessed, while others he purchased for this special
purpose. This collection was arranged with the fourth edition of
Sanderson's Lives of the Signers, 1865, with portraits, views, and docu
ments, extending the whole to three volumes, bound in half red levant
morocco. Dr. Emmet expended for the autographs he especially pur
chased for the set, the inlaying, binding, etc., only three dollars short
of $700, which he regarded as practically the cost to him of the famous
Lynch letter. The cut Lynch signature, which Dr. Emmet supplied
for this set, was subsequently exchanged by Dr. Sprague with Col.
Myers for a Lynch signature attached to a receipt ; and Col. Myers
having the deed with Lynch's autograph attached, from which the
receipt was taken, disposed of the Lynch cut signature to some other
collector.

This is the collection which has since passed into the possession of
the Pennsylvania Historical Society, at a cost, it is understood, of two
thousand dollars.

It is pronounced by Mr. Burns, and corroborated by others who
have seen it, as "a good set." Among them is a very fine letter of
Hart ; and six of the letters, those of Carroll, Read, Stone, Harrison,
Penn, and Hall, are addressed to Washington. Forty-eight are A. L.
S., while Livingston and Middleton are A. D. S. ; Hall, L. S.; Morton,
Taylor and Gwinnett, D. S., and Heyward and Lynch are signatures
only. That of Wolcott is the only one mentioned as written in 1776.

It is proper to explain about the Lynch signature, as it is not one of
those cut from books. It would seem that Dr. Sprague obtained it
from Col. T. Bailey Myers, as it has this indorsement written on the
back : " The original deed from which this receipt is cut, executed by
Thomas Lynch and wife, just prior to their sailing in a vessel, which
was never heard of afterwards, for the restoration of his health, is in my
collection. The signature, it will be seen, shows the feeble state of
the writer. T. BAILEY MYERS."

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS, 77

The receipt is for _^~io,ooo, S. C. currency, paid by Martin Savage
to Thomas Lynch.

As the Society had perhaps half of the autographs of the Signers
before this purchase, they expect, by the aid of these duplicates, at
some future day, to improve the collection. The Society has no com
plete set of the Signers of the Constitution.

XII. — Dr. EMMET'S second set. This collection consists of forty-
four A. L. S. ; Bartlett, Thornton, Hancock, Hopkins, Morton, Tay
lor, Rush, and Hall, A. D. S. ; Hart and Middleton, L. S. ; Gwin-
nett, D. S. ; and Lynch, cut signature. The autograph document of
Hancock, a very important historical one, bears date July n, 1776 ;
while thirty-one of the full letters were written during the Revolution
ary period, of which six bear date during the Declaration year, besides
Hart's L. S.

This excellent set is greatly enhanced by the elaborate extent of its
illustrations. Dr. Emmet's patience and success in bringing together
his illustrative matter is not merely remarkable, but is truly wonderful
— greatly excelling any effort of the kind ever attempted. Taking the
historical matter of Sanderson's Lives of the Signers, and the whole of
Brotherhead's Book of the Signers, as the basis, all inlaid to folio size,
Dr. Emmet has extended the work to twenty volumes. The illustra
tions are almost innumerable, including twelve hundred autographs,
many valuable historical documents, old newspapers, original water-
color portraits of the Signers, together with a large number of portraits
of the Revolutionary period, many of which are now almost extinct,
of persons mentioned in the papers or text, rare contemporaneous
views of places, coats of arms of States, and many other appropriate
illustrations, all inlaid by Trent on Whatman's drawing paper, of a
uniform royal folio size. "When completed," says Mr. Burns, "it
wiil be the grandest monument ever erected to the memory of the
Signers by private hands ; and on it no expense has been spared, and
the print collections of both continents laid under heavy contribu
tions."

Among the unique illustrations of this noble set of the Signers are
two early printed broadsides of the Declaration. One must have been
issued as early as July 5, 1776, as John Adams on that day inclosed a
copy to a lady correspondent, the letter to whom, now in Mr. Dreer's

78 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

collection, is copied into Dr. Oilman's paper on the Tefft autographs.
But the second one, which was sent out by order of Congress, January
18, 1777, to each of the States fora public record, also in printed form,
is properly attested by their own signs manual, by President Hancock
and Secretary Thomson. Both of these broadsides are about fifteen
by eighteen inches in size.

XIII. — The late Col. THEODORUS BAILEY MYERS, of New York,
descended from noble Revolutionary ancestry, and was born in that
city, December I3th, 1821. After receiving a suitable education, he
studied law, and was a member of the military staff of Govs. Wright
and Bouck. He raised a company for the Mexican War, and on the
breaking out of our Civil War he entered the I2th N. Y. regiment,
and then served on Gen. Butler's staff as quartermaster, and subse
quently on Gen. Wool's military staff. He was President of the
Sixth Avenue R.R. , and was a member of the American Geographi
cal Society, and of the Union and Century Clubs. He was also a
director in the Samaritan Home, the Institution for the Blind, and
other humanitarian societies.

He began to value and collect historical documents when he
came of age. His was "an excellent set" of the Signers, as asserted
by Mr. Burns several years since. In the Historical Magazine for
November, 1868, all the letters and documents of the collection were,
as it then existed, given in extenso. Col. Myers there says of the
collection: "It was made without reference to size; but the object
has been, as far as possible, to obtain papers of historical interest."
He subsequently made many changes in it.

It has one great rarity among its illustrations, of which but one
other is in private hands, that of Dr. Emmet — an original printed
copy of the Declaration, with the signs-manual of the President and
Secretary of Congress, perhaps one of those sent to each of the
thirteen States, by order of that body, January 18, 1777 : "It was for
many years, " says Col. Myers, "the property of a gentleman in the
South, from whom the collector procured it, like the other specimens,
without 'making a raid,' or incurring an obligation which he did not
attempt to acquit."

This Myers' set of the Signers numbers forty-three A. L. S. ; with
Thornton, Livingston, Hart, Morton, Taylor, Middleton and Wythe,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 79

A. D. S. ; Hopkins and Smith, L. S. ; Heyward, Lynch, Gwinnett and
Hall, D. S. The Lynch document is a deed of land, dated March
3<Dth, 1779, but one other of the kind is known to be extant ; from
this Lynch deed Col. Myers detached a receipt signed by Lynch,
which was passed over in exchange to Dr. Sprague, and now forms
the Lynch representation in the set of the Signers of the Pennsylvania
Historical Society. Of the forty-three full letters, twenty-six were
written during the Revolutionary period ; while seven of them bear
date in 1776 — Bartlett, Whipple, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Lewis
Morris, Wilson and Chase. Judge Wilson's was written on the 4th
of July in that year, recommending some company officers.

Col. Myers' poor health forbidding his further attention to his
autographs, Dr. Emmet writes: "Recently his general collection has
been arranged and bound up in seven volumes in alphabetical order,
as he had no series complete but the Signers. This work has been
done under my direction as an old friend. I have put the Signers
into a special volume with their portraits, fac-similes of their letters,
and one of the broadsides of the Declaration of Independence, signed
by Hancock and Thomson, already mentioned. In the beginning of
the volume is given a printed account of the drawing up of the
Declaration, with an autograph and portrait of each member of the
committee. There are also an autograph and portrait of the President,
Secretary and Chaplain of Congress — then a fac-simile of the Decla
ration, and afterwards, in their order, the Signers from the different
States. The result has been a superb volume, very handsomely
bound — something which would have given Col. Myers great satis
faction could he have seen it in his best days. "

Col. Myers delighted in collecting works and manuscripts illustra
tive of American history. For some time before his health failed
him, he was engaged on a memoir of the members of the New York
Society of the Cincinnati.

His death resulted from a stroke of apoplexy in New York City,
June 1 6th, 1888, in his sixty-seventh year. He was a man of many-
virtues and acquirements, and left his fine autograph collections
to his son and daughter, who will no doubt highly prize so precious
an inheritance.

XIV.— The late JOSEPH W. DREXEL, of New York. This is the

8O AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

second set formed by Mr. Tefft, and was purchased, in 1865, by
Almon W. Griswold, of New York, from Mr. Tefft's widow, and sub
sequently passed into Mr. Drexel's possession. It lacked Paine, Smith,
and Stone of completion, which Mr. Drexel has since supplied, as well
as otherwise improved the collection. Thirty-nine are A. L. S. ; while
Hart, Harrison, Wythe, and Middleton are A. D. S. ; Hancock, Jeffer
son, and Gwinnett, L. S.; Thornton, Paine, Hopkins, Morton, Taylor,
Ross, Stone, Hey ward, and Walton, D. S., and Lynch, a cut signature.
The specialty of the collection is a brief Gwinnett letter written in 1777,
purchased at the Mickley sale, in Nov., 1878, at a cost of $110. Some
one treated it with a dose of acid, for the purpose of darkening the
ink, which had become pale, and caused the ink to spread, so that it
looked like a letter-press copy, thus unfortunately injuring its appear
ance. Mr. Drexel, and perhaps others, have latterly thought this a
full autograph letter ; but in the Mickley catalogue it was recorded
simply as an L. S. ; and a comparison of the body of the letter as given
in Brotherhead's Book of the Signers, with the signature, and with a
few lines written by Gwinnett in Dr. Emmet's collection, prove that it
is only a signed letter. Such is the decided understanding of Messrs.
Gratz, Dreer, Davis, and Burns, who examined it at the time of the
Mickley sale, and Messrs. Emmet, Fogg, and StaufFer concur in this
opinion. The capital B and G in the signature are different from
those in the body of the letter.

Five of the full letters of the collection were written in 1776 — Wol-
cott, Livingston, Clark, R. Morris, and Wilson — the latter, dated June
26th, relates to a debate in Congress on independence. The collection
is yet unbound, and is illustrated with engravings and etchings of the
Signers, views, etc., with printed biographies.

Mr. Drexel had also a set of the Signers of the Constitution, and a
collection of over thirty Washington letters, including a plan of his
Mount Vernon estate drawn by himself.

After a long illness, Mr. Drexel died in New York, March 25, 1888,
in his fifty-sixth year. He was born in Philadelphia, January 24, 1833
— the youngest of the sons of Francis Martin Drexel, the founder of
the banking house of Drexel & Co., in that city. He inherited his
father's love and taste for music and art. His collection of paintings
was valued at $500,000 ; and his musical library was the most complete

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 8 1

in the country, which he designed for one of the public libraries of
New York. He established soup-houses for the poor, and provided for
the wants of many of the unfortunate families of convicts left destitute,
and in many other ways proved himself a real lover of his race.

XV. — Dr. EMMET'S third set. This forms a portion of his fine
series of members of the Old Congress, ryy^'Sg. They number
thirty-nine A. L. S. ; Thornton, Whipple, Paine, Williams, Wolcott,
Hart, Hopkinson, Stockton, Morton, Taylor, Read, and Wythe are
A. D. S. ; L. Morris, Heyward, Middleton, and Gwinnett are D. S. ;
and Lynch a signature, from the Bolton sale, originally from Mr.
Tefft. Sixteen of the full letters were written during the Revolution
ary period, of which Witherspoon and Hewes were penned in the Dec
laration year.

XVI. — STATE LIBRARY, Albany, N. Y. This was the first and only
complete set formed by Mr. Tefft ; and after its purchase, at the Tefft
sale, in March, 1867, at $625 by Mr. E. French, it was sold to the State
of New York, with only twenty-seven full letters, for the moderate
sum of $800, the Legislature having made a special appropriation for
that purpose. Since it went into the possession of the State, a number
of improvements have been made, by the care and good judgment of
the Librarian, the late Dr. Homes, in the substitution of better speci
mens, including eleven full letters. It now numbers thirty-eight
A. L. S. ; while Samuel Adams, Paine, Sherman, Hart, Stockton,
McKean, Paca, Gwinnett, and Hall, are A. D. S. ; Lewis and Living
ston, L. S. ; Thornton, Hopkins, Lewis Morris, Morton, Stone and
Middleton, D. S., and Lynch, a cut signature. Of the full letters,
Clark and Smith were written in 1776, and fifteen others during the
Revolutionary period. The rarities of the collection are the full letter
of Heyward, and the fine A. D. S. of Gwinnett. The set is nicely
bound in dark Turkey morocco, in quarto size, with thirty -four
engraved likenesses, and engravings of the Declaration ; and in the
volume are included letters or documents of R. R. Livingston, John
Dickinson, and Thomas Willing, members of the Congress of 1776,
but not Signers, and of Charles Thomson, the Secretary, together with
one of Washington.

XVII. — The late MRS. WM. D. ELY, Providence, R. I. This col
lection was made by Mrs. Eliza H. Allen, a daughter of Welcome

82 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Arnold, of Providence, a descendant of the first Governor Green, of
the Colonial days of Rhode Island. She was born in Providence,
October 5, 1796 ; and was united in marriage to Hon. Zachariah
Allen, LL. D., of that city. Mrs. Allen inherited from childhood
many old ancestral papers, which inspired in her an early love for
autographs. She must have commenced her set of the Signers not
very long after Dr. Sprague, and by indefatigable industry she suc
ceeded in securing her group of autographs, without the necessity of
purchasing many of them, as at that early day they had not, to any
extent, become a marketable commodity. She substantially com
pleted her collections before 1850 — her full set of the Signers some
what earlier. She has the honor of having been the only lady who
has succeeded in forming a complete collection of the Signers — Mrs.
Wm. Hathaway, of New Bedford, Mass., having gathered a partial set.

It consists of thirty-seven A. L. S. ; with Thornton, Floyd, Lewis,
Stockton, Witherspoon, Morton, Taylor, Smith, McKean, Chase,
Wythe, Middleton, Gwinnett, and Walton, A. D. S. ; Livingston and
Clymer, L. S. ; and signatures only of Hart, to a Continental bill, F.
L. Lee, and Lynch. Three of the full letters bear date in 1776 — Wol-
cott, February loth, Hancock, July 6th, and Gerry, October 4th,
while eleven others were written during the Revolutionary war. The
set is bound in a volume with thirty-five engraved likenesses. The
Hancock and Heyward letters, and A. D. S. of Gwinnett, form the
special features of interest in the collection.

Besides this full collection of the Declaration Signers, Mrs. Allen also
formed nearly another set, together with many of the Signers of the
Constitution ; all of the Presidents of the United States ; all of the
Bishops of the Episcopal Church, from Bishop Seabury down to within
a short time of her decease, illustrated with old engravings or photo
graphs. Also many Huguenot letters in French, dating back to 1669,
noted German autographs, many crowned heads, English and French;
an original letter of Louis Philippe, written expressly for Mrs. Allen,
with his signature and seal, alluding to his "chequered life," and his
early visit to this country ; together with letters of Voltaire, Addison,
William Penn, Roger Williams, and many other notable personages.

Mrs. Allen also secured a superb work, in six folio volumes, con
sisting of autographs of all the persons, and illustrations of all the

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 83

places, mentioned in Cowper's poems and works, and is more particu
larly referred to in the notice of Andrew Robeson's incomplete set of
the Signers, to whom these rare and beautiful volumes went by
bequest.

Mrs. Allen passing away August 30, 1873, in her seventy-seventh
year, her collection of the Signers and others was inherited by her
daughter, Mrs. Ely, and by her grandson, Andrew Robeson. Mrs.
Ely died at Providence, Oct. 15. 1888, at the age of seventy years.
Her autograph collection will doubtless descend to her only surviving
child, Mr. William Ely.

XVIII. — Col. C. C. JONES' second set consists of thirty-six A. L. S. ;
Bartlett, Thornton, Hopkins, Sherman, Williams, Stockton, Clark,
Ross, and Read, A. D. S. ; Wolcott, Livingston and R. H. Lee,
L. S. ; L. Morris, Hart, Morton, Taylor, Heyward, Middleton, and
Gwinnett, D. S. ; and Lynch, a signature. This set is designed for his
son, and is inlaid on Whatman paper, and illustrated with the best
engraved portraits extant, and views of residences, etc. Of the letters,
eight were written during the Revolutionary period — Whipple in 1775,
Smith in 1776, Hewes in 1777, Wythe and Penn in 1780, Nelson in
1781, Harrison in 1782, and Paca in 1783.

XIX. — Hon. T. STAMFORD RAFFLES, Liverpool, England. This
collection was made by his father, the late Rev. Thomas Raffles, D. D.,
and LL. D. , of that city, who was a much older man than any of our
American collectors, having been born in London, May 17, 1778. He
used to say, that the gift of a letter of the celebrated traveler, Mungo
Park, first " inoculated " him with a passion for autographs. This
was some time prior to 1814, when we find him securing valuable
additions to his collection. Making journeys in Great Britain and on
the Continent, he never returned without adding to his autograph
accumulations. He received his first visit in 1828, from Rev. Dn W.
B. Sprague, with whom he had previously been in correspondence ;
and for many years they rendered each other much mutual aid in the
exchange of autographs. While it is not now known, yet it is quite
likely that Dr. Sprague inspired in Dr. Raffles the idea of making a
collection of the Signers. After many patient years of effort, Dr.
Raffles completed his set in 1837.

This collection of the Signers numbers thirty A. L. S. ; Hart and

84 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Paca, A. D. S. ; John Adams, Hopkins, Lewis, McKean, Hooper,
and Walton, L. S. ; Thornton, Hancock, Huntington, Livingston,
Lewis Morris, Clymer, Morton, Ross, Smith, Taylor, Wilson, Jefferson,
F. L. Lee, Wythe, Heyward and Gwinnett, D. S. ; with Hewes and
Lynch, signatures — the latter a cut one, " T. Lynch, ]'.," attached to
a letter of his father signed "Tho. Lynch," with Dr. Sprague's cer
tificate, that the autograph of the younger Lynch was taken from a
book used by him while a student at Eton College, and furnished by
his nephew, Gov. Hamilton, of South Carolina. The Gwinnett is an
order on the Treasurer to pay an express rider six pounds, dated March

4,1777-

Among the rarities of the collection are the full letters of Samuel
Adams, Sherman, Stockton, and Middleton, with a fine historical
document of Hancock to Washington, October n, 1776, directing
him "by every art, and at whatever expense, to obstruct effectually the
navigation of the North River, between Fort Washington and Mount
Constitution." The special defects of the collection are, that while the
Morton is a finely written holograph letter, June 20, 1765, addressed
to Sir Wm. Johnson, and certified as such by Dr. Sprague, it is not
signed ; and the signature of George Taylor is imperfect, the Christian
name having been torn off. Besides the Hancock document, the
Stockton letter was written in 1776.

A writer, nearly thirty years ago, said of this collection : " Dr.
Raffles has his set bound in a beautiful volume, and values it almost as
he would the famous Koh-i-noor. A wealthy Boston merchant once
introduced himself to him in the street, and requested the privilege of
seeing his collection. He then told the Doctor that he wished to make
a present to his native city, and had seen nothing which so pleased him
for that purpose as this set of autographs, and asked if there was any
sum which would induce him to part with it ? The Liverpool Doctor,
however, who was wealthy, and besides considers a first-rate autograph a
luxury greater than a miser's gold heap, was not to be tempted."

Dr. Raffles wrote many works of merit, and prepared a lecture on
his favorite autograph hobby. He purchased comparatively few of his
large manuscript collections, but arranged and illustrated them, accu
mulating as many as forty folio volumes, and fully as many more
quartos, besides his seven volumes of American celebrities. He died

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 85

in Liverpool, August 18, 1863, leaving his noble autograph collections
to his worthy son, Judge T. Stamford Raffles, of that city.

XX. — Dr. EiMMEx's fourth set is made up of less desirable specimens
than those comprising his other full sets ; it is, however, a very neat
and creditable collection. It numbers twenty-nine A. L. S. ; with
Bartlett, Whipple, Hancock, Paine, Hopkins, Sherman, Floyd, Lewis,
L. Morris, Clark, Wither-poon, Clymer, McKean, Morton, Rush,
Wilson, Hooper, Heyvvard, and Hall, A. D. S. ; Livingston, Hart,
Stockton, Taylor, Wythe, Middleton, and Gwinnett, D. S. ; and
Lynch, a signature cut from a book. The Lynch signature, which
was long lacking, was secured from Mrs. Ely's incomplete set, and
though it is signed simply "Lynch," without the prefix Thomas, or
suffix Jr., yet it may be regarded as genuine, as Col. Jones has a simi
lar one in his second set, whose genuineness is well attested. Besides,
this signature in Dr. Emmet's collection came from Dr. Sprague to
Mrs. Ely's mother, Mrs. Allen, and it is highly probable that Dr.
Sprague had it, as he did several others, from Mr. Tefft.

Of the twenty-nine full letters, fourteen bear date during the Revolu
tionary period, of which five were written in 1776 — that of Ross, only
two days before the Declaration. This set is made up of letters and
documents in quarto and octavo size — thirty-nine in octavo, sixteen in
quarto, with the Lynch signature. It is used to illustrate Sanderson's
Lives of the Signers, in eight volumes, uncut, with just enough rare
prints and engraved likenesses to render the volumes attractive and of
convenient size. It is neatly bound.

XXI. — JOHN M. HALE, attorney at law, Philipsburg, Pa., has
recently completed his set of the Signers. He was born in Lewistown,
Pa., February 18, 1839, and graduated from the University of Penn
sylvania in 1862. He commenced the collection of autographs in
1853, first finding rare letters and documents among some old papers
he had occasion to examine; and commenced by exchanging dupli
cates, and since has purchased many autographs from various auctions
and other sources, securing his Lynch and Gwinnett at the recent Cist
sale.

His collection of the Signers consists of thirty A. L. S. ; Bartlett,
Thornton, Whipple, Hancock, Paine, Hopkins, Sherman, Williams,
Wolcott, Livingston, Lewis Morris, Clark, Hopkinson, Stockton, Tay-

86 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

lor, Rutledge, and Walton, are A. D. S. ; S. Adams, L. S. ; Morton,
Taylor, Heyward, Middleton, Gwinnett, and Hall, D. S., and Smith,
in both D. S. and A. D. ; Hart and Lynch, signatures. Fourteen are
Revolutionary letters — Stone, Read, Hewes, and Penn, 1776 ; R. H.
Lee, 1777; Lewis, 1778; Witherspoon, 1779; John Adams and Har
rison, 1780; McKean and Nelson, 1781; Rodney, 1782; and Paca
and Braxton, 1783.

Mr. Hale has nearly complete several other series — Presidents of the
Continental Congress, and Presidents of the United States ; Signers of
the Articles of Confederation ; members of the Continental Congress ;
Chief Justices and Associates of the Supreme Court ; officers of the
Revolutionary war ; Episcopal Bishops of the United States • Governors
of Pennsylvania ; also a full set of the Signers of the Constitution.
All these groups are finely illustrated.

XXII. — Hon. MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN, Boston. Though not the oldest
in years, Mr. Chamberlain has been the longest engaged in making auto
graph collections of any of his surviving fellow collectors of sets of the
Signers. He was born in Pembroke, N. H., June 4th, 1821 ; gradu
ated at Dartmouth in 1844, and from the Dane Law School in 1848 ;
and, in 1885, had conferred on him by Dartmouth the degree of LL. D.
He has served as a judge, and has been many years Librarian of the
Boston Public Library. He began to collect autographs as early as
1836, and made the fine set of the Signers, and other series, now
in the Leffingwell collection. Judge Chamberlain's present set of the
Signers is unique in its character and arrangement. It is made up of
the genuine signatures, pasted on a fine copy of the Declaration in fac
simile, of full size, on parchment colored paper. The document is
glazed and framed. It thus faithfully represents the great Declaration,
and is infinitely more pleasant to look at than the misused and time-
worn original at Washington. This set was completed about 1865.

He has sets of the Signers of the Constitution and of the Confedera
tion ; also, an address of the Continental Congress to the King of
Great Britain in 1774, all represented in the same way as the Signers.
These Judge Chamberlain calls Tablets ; and it must be confessed
that they present a very attractive appearance.

His general collection, American and European, will, when bound,
with portraits and other illustrations and letterpress, make some 200

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 87

volumes. He has made a specialty of illustrating books, such as
Duyckinck's Cyclopedia of American Literature, which has grown to
about sixty volumes ready for binding.

Whether expressed or otherwise, the autograph of Charles Thomson,
the faithful Secretary of Congress, may always be regarded as finding an
appropriate place in every collection of the Signers of the Declaration
of Independence.

INCOMPLETE SETS OF THE SIGNERS.

Concise notices will now be given of the incomplete collections
extant of the Signers, so far as we have been able to obtain any
knowledge of them — giving their strength so far as known. These
representations tend to show the scarcity of certain autographs, and the
difficulty — nay, almost impossibility — of securing them.

1. SIMON GRATZ, of Philadelphia, has all save Lynch of a second
set — which he once possessed, but spared it to round out another col
lection. This set forms a part of his series of the Old Congress, and
consists of fifty-one A. L. S., with Hopkins and Gwinnett, L. S. ; and
Morton and Middleton, D. S. The character and condition of the
specimens are very little inferior to his complete set. There are some,
though not many, 1776 letters among them. The collection is well
illustrated.

2. Col. FRANK M. ETTING, Ward P. O. , Delaware Co., Penn.,
has fifty-five of the Signers, lacking Lynch ; fifty are A. L. S. ; Hart
and Morton, A. D. S. ; Hopkins, Smith, and Gwinnett, D. S. Mr.
Tefft once tendered Colonel Etting a Lynch signature, which he
declined, saying he never admitted such specimens into his col
lection.

Besides this set and many duplicates of the Signers, he has two sets
of the Signers of the Constitution ; the Albany Congress of 1754,
nearly complete ; the Congress of 1765, with the Colonial Governors
of the period, and letters of Braddock, Wolfe, and other officers of the
Seven Years' War ; the Congress of 1774, complete and unique, includ
ing an original printed copy of the association of 1774, signed in
written signatures by the members — this copy was sent to Maryland,
and purchased from a descendant of Col. Tench Tilghman, who
inherited it ; a set of the Generals of the Revolution, nearly complete ;

88 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

the Confederation of 1778, nearly, if not quite, complete ; Presidents,
Vice-Presidents, and Cabinet members, from Washington to Johnson.
Colonel Etting has devoted to Washington, Byron, and Napoleon,
each a separate volume of autographs and illustrations, giving each his
associates and surroundings, his loves and his hates, and everything
going to make up a unique and interesting collection. Among all
these are many great rarities — one a letter from Mary, the mother of
Washington, in which she familiarly writes of her " George " with her
own hand.

Colonel Etting has one-half of a copy of the Declaration of Inde
pendence, which he believes was the one John Nixon read from when
the great act was proclaimed in Independence Square, on the 8th of
July, 1776. It came from Mr. Nixon's papers, and is very much worn,
as if carried in his pocket in hot weather ; but unfortunately only the
latter half of the document is preserved, the signatures being printed.

Colonel Etting, now fifty-five years of age, commenced his auto
graph gathering many years ago ; but poor health in recent years has
prevented him from prosecuting and completing his collections,
which, it is understood, he designs eventually to bequeath to the
Pennsylvania Historical Society.

3. Dr. JOHN S. H. FOGG, of Boston, has a second set of the Signers,
fifty-five in number, lacking Lynch only. It is used in his group of
the Old Congress ; forty-eight are A. L. S. ; Taylor and Read, A. D. S. ;
Morton and Middleton, L. S. ; Hart and Heyward, D. S. ; and Gwin-
nett, A. D. Of the full letters, twenty-seven were written in 1776, and
Morton, L. S. also. Fully illustrated.

4. D. McN. STAUFFER, of Ne^v York, having fifty-five autographs
of the Signers, lacks only Lynch of a full set ; of which forty-five
are A. L. S., having the rarity of a full Morton among them, which
with Dr. Emmet's, formerly Colonel Myers', are the only two full
Morton letters known to be extant, an unsigned one being in the
Raffles' collection. Thornton, Wolcott, and Read, are A. D. S. ;
Hopkins, Livingston, and Middleton, L. S. ; Lewis Morris, Hart,
Heyward, and Gwinnett are D. S. Twenty-two of the full letters are
of the Revolutionary period, nine of which are 1776 letters — nearly all
are of historical interest, particularly that of Rush, which was written
in old Independence Hall, and refers at length to the Declaration.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 89

Mr. Stauffer has completed a set of the Signers of the Constitution,
as well as of the non-signers, largely illustrated.

He has besides several other interesting series :

(i). The Old Congress, ijj^-Sg, lacking only twenty-eight, which
includes forty-one specimens of a second set of the Signers.

(2). Generals of the Revolution, wanting only thirteen names.

(3). Aids to General Washington, thirty in number, lacking one
only.

(4). Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and Cabinet Officers, arranged in
separate administrations, from Washington to Lincoln inclusive. All
A. L. S., and each administration complete, though necessarily in
some instances duplicating specimens.

(5). Governors of Pennsylvania to date.

(6). Mr. Stauffer has used about three thousand letters and docu
ments in illustrating a History of Philadelphia, from 1630—1830, which
fills by the expansion of these profuse illustrations, twenty-five folio vol
umes, and contains, besides the autograph letters and documents, some
thousands of engravings, views, broadsides, pen drawings, water-
colors, etc., etc. This splendid work is not yet complete. The col
lection is particularly rich in autographs of the Penn family, eighteen
letters in all, commencing with an A. L. S. of Admiral William Penn,
the father of the founder of Pennsylvania.

(7). Of the Colonial and Revolutionary period, he has arranged in
miscellaneous lots the "officers of the Revolution," numbering over
five hundred names.

Mr. Stauffer has also numerous minor series, chiefly Pennsylvania
groups — Mayors of Philadelphia, 1700-1876, wanting two only;
Attorneys-General of Pennsylvania, 1682-1876, lacking only four ; U.
S. Senators from Pennsylvania, complete ; Judges of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court ; members of Pennsylvania Convention, and Com
mittees of Safety ; Governors of other States ; officers of French and
Indian War, 1755, etc.; medical, literary men, clergymen, etc., etc.

He has between ten and twelve thousand letters and documents in
all, including a goodly number of foreign names, French marshals,
kings of England, and British officers of the Revolution, etc.

Mr. Stauffer, the collector of all these interesting series of auto
graphs, was born in Lancaster, Pa., in 1845, and commenced collect-
7

9O AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

ing his rich gatherings in 1876, when he fell heir to the papers of
Chief Justice Jasper Yeates, of Pennsylvania, a large and valuable
accumulation of papers and correspondence of a man who figured
prominently in public affairs in that State from 1774 until his death in
1817. Mr. Stauffer, as well as Mr. Gratz, is justly regarded as a judge
and expert in American autographs.

5. CHARLES ROBERTS, of Philadelphia, has fifty-four of a second set
of the Signers, which form part of his members of the Old Congress and
of the Confederation, lacking only Lynch and Gwinnett ; forty-two are
A. L. S. ; the other thirteen are made up of less desirable specimens.

6. Hon. ELLIOT DANFORTH, of Bainbridge, N. Y., was born in
Middleburgh, Schoharie County, in that State, March 6, 1850, and
after receiving a liberal education, and making some journeys to the
Pacific coast, he studied law under the direction of his father, Judge
Peter S. Danforth, of Middleburgh ; and since his admission to the bar,
in 1871, he has, besides successfully practicing his profession, filled
many local positions of honor and responsibility, once declining a
candidacy for Congress, and twice has represented his district in
National Democratic conventions. He is now worthily serving his
second term as Assistant State Treasurer of New York. He is a hard
student in solid literature, and a successful collector of autographs and
manuscripts.

Mr. Danforth's collection of the Signers numbers fifty-four, lacking
Lynch and Gwinnett ; of which thirty-six are A. L. S. ; Thornton, Han
cock, Sherman, Wolcott, Livingston, Clark, Hopkinson, Stockton,
Ross, Read, Heyward and Hall, A. D. S.; S. Adams and Middleton,
L. S. ; Paine, Hopkins, Hart and Morton, D. S. Of the full letters,
fifteen were written during the Revolutionary period, one of them a
1776 letter.

Mr. Danforth has an Old Congress series well advanced, in which
are scattered nearly all of the Signers of the Constitution ; a set of
the Generals of the Revolution to the number of sixty-seven ; the
Albany Congress and Stamp Act Congress lack only a few names ; and
he has a complete set of the Presidents, Vice- Presidents, and Cabinet
officers, together with a very fine series of the leading Union and Con
federate generals, and many literary and other celebrities.

7. Dr. EMMET has a fifth collection of the Signers numbering fifty-

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. pi

four, embraced in his special set of the Congress of 1774, and among
other groups, all or nearly all in A. L. S. form, and lacking Lynch and
Gwinnett. Although unambitious of completing a fifth set, this suc
cessful collector may yet surprise both himself and friends with the
accomplishment of this remarkable feat.

8. HIRAM HITCHCOCK, of New York, has fifty-four of the Signers,
lacking Lynch and Gwinnett ; of which John Adams, Gerry, Paine,
Ellery, Huntington, Lewis, Witherspoon, Franklin, R. Morris, Rush,
Wilson, Rodney, Carroll, Chase, Braxton, Jefferson, one of the Lees,
Nelson, Hooper, and Walton are A. L. S. ; while the others are
A. D. S. or D. S.

9. CHARLES F. GUNTHER, of Chicago, has fifty-four of the Signers,
wanting Lynch and Gwinnett, said to be largely of a good character ;
but Mr. Gunther neglects to give any information concerning them.

10. The second set of Mrs. D. J. COHEN, of Baltimore, gathered by
the late Dr. Cohen, lacked two of completion in 1870, apparently
Lynch and Gwinnett ; and, it is believed, the collection has received na
addition or improvement since that time.

11. JAMES A. EDGERLY, of Great Falls, N. H., has a set wanting
Lynch and Gwinnett. We only learn that it is not strong in full auto
graph letters.

12. The second set of Hon. JOHN BOYD THACHER, of Albany, num
bers fifty-three, lacking Lynch, Gwinnett, and Hall, made up mostly
of A. D. S., and D. S., and with but few full letters in the collection.

13. HENRY A. WILLARD, of Washington, D. C., has fifty-three of
the Signers, which includes a Gwinnett signature, and lacks Lewis
Morris, Hooper, and Lynch. He has both a Lynch letter and signa
ture, but they are undoubtedly spurious, as elsewhere fully explained.

There are twenty-six A. L. S. in the collection ; Clymer, Stone, and
Middleton, A. D. S. ; S. Adams, L. S. ; Bartlett, Thornton, Whipple,.
Paine, Hopkins, Williams, Lewis, Hart, Hopkinson, Clark, Smith,
Taylor, Wilson, Rodney, McKean, Harrison, and Hall are D. S. ;
Sherman, Morton, Wythe, Hewes, Heyward, and Gwinnett, are signa
tures. The set is handsomely bound in leather, and illustrated with
engravings.

Mr. Willard had his interest first attracted to autographs by coming
into possession of many of the papers and letters of his wife's grand-

92 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

father, Hon. Stephen R. Bradley, who was an aid to Gen. Wooster in
the Revolution, and represented Vermont in the United States Senate
from 1791 to 1795, and again from 1801 to 1813. He survived till
1830, was a man of eminent ability but eccentric habits, and had an
extensive correspondence in his day, from which Mr. Willard selected
many valuable autograph specimens.

Some years ago Mr. Willard, in passing along one of the streets of
Washington, was prompted to step into a junk-shop, where was a
great pile of paper heaped up in the middle of the floor awaiting assort
ment for the paper mill. Happening to turn some of the papers over
with his foot while chatting with the proprietor of the shop, Mr. Wil
lard was surprised to see that they consisted mainly of old letters and
manuscripts of various kinds, and picking one up discovered that it
was a valuable autograph letter. He then requested that the pile be
left for his further examination, to which the proprietor said that his
employees would soon be ready to assort the papers, so as to have them
in readiness for shipment the next day. After considerable negotia
tion and the payment of fifty dollars, Mr. Willard arranged to have the
pile left undisturbed till the following day, with permission to select
such as he might choose. It proved to be a rich vein he had struck,
and many valuable additions were made to his collections.

Mr. Willard has among his rich gatherings a set of all the Presidents
and their Cabinets down to Lincoln's administration, and many manu
script speeches of Clay, Webster, Hayne, Benton, Polk, Choate and
others.

14. The second set of Miss MARY M. LEFFINGWELL, of New Haven,
Conn., numbers fifty-two of the Signers, lacking Taylor, Lynch, Mid-
dleton, and Gwinnett ; forty-six are A. L. S., with Bartlett, Hopkins,
and Hey ward, L. S. ; Hart and Livingston, D. S. ; and Morton, a sig
nature to a Continental bill. Unbound, and copiously illustrated.

15. HOWARD K. SANDERSON, of Lynn, Mass., probably the youngest
collector of autographs of the Signers, is only twenty-two years of age,
and commenced his collection in 1884. His set numbers fifty-two, of
which twenty-six are A. L. S. ; Bartlett, Sherman, Williams, Wolcott,
Floyd, Stockton, Read, Hooper, and Rutledge, are A. D. S. ; Living
ston, Lewis, L. Morris, Smith, Taylor, Harrison, Heyward, and Wal
ton are L. S. ; Thornton, Hancock, S. Adams, Hopkins, Hart,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 93

Witherspoon, Franklin, Morton, and Wythe are D. S. ; and Lynch,
Middleton, Gwinnett, and Hall lacking. Of the full letters, twelve
are of the Revolutionary period, as are also five of the L. S. ; the full
letters of Chase and Penn were written in 1776.

Mr. Sanderson has also several other series well advanced — the Presi
dents, Governors of Massachusetts ; and of the kings and queens of
England, from Henry VIII. to Victoria, fifteen in number.

16. BYRON REED, of Omaha, Nebraska, commenced collecting auto
graphs about forty years ago, but much of his gatherings has been
brought together within the past ten years. While his collection is
genera1, his set of the Signers numbers fifty-two, lacking Hooper,
Lynch, Gwinnelt, and Hall. It consists of twenty A. L. S. ; thirteen
A. D. S., some of which are important historical documents ; sixteen
D. S. ; and three L. S.

17. JAMES W. HOWARTH, of Glen Riddle, Pa., has fifty-two of the
Signers, of which nineteen are A. L. S.; while Paine, Floyd, Ciark,
Stockton, Ross, Rush, Wilson, Chase, Stone, and Rutledge, are A. D.
S. ; Whipple and Livingston, L. S.; Bartlett, S. Adams, Hopkins,
Huntington, Hart, Franklin, Morton, Smith, McKean, Harrison,
Nelson, Hewes, Hooper, and Heyward, D. S. ; Lewis, L. Morris,
Rodney, Read, F. L. Lee, and Middleton, signatures, and Wythe, a
specimen of writing. The lacking autographs are Penn, Lynch,
Gwinnett, and Hall. Nine of the full letters are of the Revolutionary
period, of which Taylor's was written in 1776. The set is arranged in
a large book, illustrated with forty-four portraits and forty-eight
views.

Besides a full set of the Signers of the Constitution, Mr. Howarth
has all but four of the Generals of the Revolution, including eight
specimens of Washington ; also the Presidents and Vice-Presidents, with
the Cabinet officers, neatly bound, and, so far as obtainable, illustrated
with portraits, views, and biographical sketches. He has another full
set of the Presidents, and a third one nearly complete ; and a volume
of President Jefferson Davis of the Southern Confederacy, and his
Cabinet, with personal sketches, engravings, and views.

He has twenty autographs towards a second set of the Signers. He
has, moreover, series of our American judiciary, members of Congress,
eminent political and literary characters, distinguished divines,

94 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

together with a full set of the Generals on both sides of our civil war,
also fully illustrated.

Mr. Howarth has several finely printed books, illustrated with auto
graphs — Duyckinck & Chappell's Lives of the Presidents, Tome's
War in the South, in three volumes ; National Portrait Gallery, two
volumes ; Lives of the Governors of Pennsylvania, with thirty-eight
autograph illustrations — designing to arrange his autographs, colonial
and modern, of the Governors of other States and Territories in sepa
rate volumes. He has also a large album, with portrait engravings and
autographs of many American celebrities.

Mr. Howarth was born in Delaware County, Pa., in 1847, where he
fills an honored and useful position in society. He commenced gath
ering autographs in 1864, and his varied and growing collections now
exceed seventeen thousand, which include Napoleon and Wellington,
with many foreign potentates and celebrities.

1 8. The third set of CHARLES ROBERTS, of Philadelphia, numbers
fifty-one of the Signers, of which thirty-five are A. L. S. ; the others are
either A. D. S., L. S., or D. S. Fully illustrated.

19. Rev. Jos. H. DUBBS, D. D. , of Lancaster, Pa., has fifty of the
Signers, made up, as a rule, of letters or fine A. D. S. , and not in
cluding any cut signatures. The lacking autographs are Penn, Hey-
ward, Lynch, Middleton, Gwinnett, and Hall.

Dr. Dubbs has also a complete set of the Signers of the Con
stitution ; and other series, yet incomplete, of the Generals of the
Revolution, Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Cabinet members, Judges
of the Supreme Court, naval officers, American authors, and American
divines, including more than a hundred Episcopal bishops ; together
with series of Pennsylvania members of the Continental Congress and
down to the present time, Governors, Senators and Attorneys-General.
Dr. Dubbs commenced making his collections in 1860, and has been
very successful, giving, however, but little attention to them of late
years.

Dr. Dubbs was born at North White Hall, Pa., October 5th,
1838. He graduated from college in 1856, and from the Mercers-
burg Theological Seminary in 1859 ; and acceptably served as rector
of Zion Church, Allentown, Trinity Church, Pottstown, and Christ
Church, Philadelphia, and since 1875 has served as Professor of His-

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 95

tory and Archaeology in Franklin and Marshall College at Lancaster.
He has been honored with membership in several learned institutions ;
serving also as editor and newspaper correspondent and author of
Historic Manual of the Reformed Church.

20. HAROLD BROWN, of Providence, R. I., has forty-eight specimens
of the Signers, of which thirty-five are A. L. S. ; Bartlett, Hart, Read,
Wythe and Hewes, A. D. S. ; Livingston, L. S. ; S. Adams, Hopkins,
Floyd, Morton, Ross, McKean and Heyward, D. S. ; wanting Hancock,
Paine, Taylor, Hooper, Lynch, Middleton, Gwinnett and Hall. This
set was originally made by the late Hon. Henry C. Murphy, of
Brooklyn, and was purchased for the Hon. John Carter Brown, at the
Murphy sale, in March, 1884, at a cost of $445, and has since been
improved. On the death of Mr. Brown, the set passed into the hands
of Mr. Harold Brown. There are nine duplicates of the Signers, in
some form, in the collection.

21. GEO. M. CONARROE, attorney at law, Philadelphia, commenced
his collections about 1850, and gathered the most of them during the
ensuing ten years. His set of the Signers numbers forty-eight, of
which thirty-three are A. L. S. ; Paine, Witherspoon, Morton, Ross,
Smith, Taylor, and McKean, A. D. S. ; Harrison, L. S. ; J. Adams, a
note signed with initials ; Bartlett, Thornton, Hopkins, Stone, Middle-
ton, and Gwinnett, D. S. ; lacking Wythe, Hewes, Hooper, Penn,
Heyward, Lynch, Gwinnett, and Hall.

Mr. Conarroe has also made incomplete series of Generals of the
Revolution, Presidents and Cabinet members ; together with interest
ing collections of literary, scientific, and legal autograph letters and
documents.

22. The late HARRISON WRIGHT, of Wilkesbarre, Pa., commenced
collecting autographs in 1864, and continued it until his death, Feb.
20, 1885. His collections include a set of the Presidents and their
Cabinets, and forty-eight of the fifty-six Signers of the Declaration of
Independence — of which fourteen are A. L. S., one L. S., and seven
signatures. The lacking autographs are those of Bartlett, Williams,
L. Morris, Hooper, Hewes, Lynch, Middleton, and Gwinnett. On
Mr. Wright's death, his autographs fell to his brother, Hon. J. RIDGEWAY
WRIGHT, of Wilkesbarre, who has concluded to retain and improve them.

23. The second set of F. J. DREER, of Philadelphia, numbers forty-

96 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

seven ; of which forty-three are A. L. S. ; Morton, A. D. S. ; Hopkins
and Livingston, L. S. ; and Heyward, D. S.; lacking Thornton, Paine,
Stockton, Ross, Stone, Penn, Lynch, Middleton and Gwinnett. Copi
ously illustrated.

24. CHARLES P. GREENOUGH, of Boston, has forty-seven autographs
of the Signers, including a D. S. of Gwinnett; twenty are A. L. S.,
nine A. D. S., one L. S., thirteen D. S., two A. D., and two signa
tures ; all are utilized in a series of members of the Old Congress, of
which he has a large majority. Besides nearly all of the Signers of the
Constitution, Mr. Greenough has a complete set of the Presidents and
Vice-Presidents and Cabinet officers, and a nearly full set of the Gen
erals of the Revolution. From the John Hancock papers, he selected
for his general collection 1,500 letters, and 2,000 from Daniel Web
ster's correspondence.

25. NATHANIEL PAINE, Worcester, Mass., has forty -five of the Sign
ers in his collection, of which eighteen are A. L. S. ; Whipple, Sher
man, Wolcott, McKean, Paca, Wythe, and Rutledge, A. D. S. ; S.
Adams, Hancock, Paine, Ellery, Williams, Floyd, Livingston, L.
Morris, Hopkinson, Witherspoon, Morton, Ross, Taylor, Wilson,
Chase, and Walton, D. S. ; Hart, Stockton, Harrison, and Heyward,
signatures ; lacking Hopkins, Clark, Read, Stone, Hewes, Hooper,
Penn, Lynch, Middleton, Gwinnett, and Hall.

Mr. Paine's collection of the Signers is bound up in two volumes, in
half red crushed levant morocco, with illuminated titles especially pre
pared for them. The first volume contains an historical monograph,
handsomely printed, with fourteen engravings of the Signers mentioned
in that collection ; a brief history of the thirteen original States, and
lives of the Signers properly illustrated; two finely printed copies of
the Declaration, with an early broadside of that document ; then
Broiherhead's fac-simttes from his Book of the Signers, with portraits,
and before each fac-simile is placed the original autograph on the space
left vacant for that purpose. This volume embraces the New England
States and New York, with an illuminated coat of arms of each of those
States. The second volume includes the remaining States, with auto
graphs and illustrations similarly arranged, together with fac-similes of
the original Declaration and signatures, and chronological tables of the
principal events of the country from 1776 to 1876.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 97

26. ANDREW ROBESON, of Brookline, Mass., inherits from his grand
mother, the late Mrs. Eliza H. Allen, of Providence, her incomplete
set of the signers, numbering some forty-three, lacking Whipple, Floyd,
Stockton, L. Morris, Smith, Read, R. H. Lee, Nelson, Middleton,
Lynch, Gwinnett, and two others not designated.

Mr. Robeson also inherits from Mrs. Allen a unique collection of
autographs of all persons or places mentioned in Cowper's poems or
works, in six large folio volumes, beautifully bound and illustrated by
engravings and pen and ink sketches by a son of a Mr. Thompson, an
engineer in the British army. In one of these volumes is an autograph
of Bunyan, with its history. It is said that there are only thirteen
known autographs of Bunyan in existence.

27. WM. B. FAXON, New York City. His incomplete collection was
made several years past by his father, the late Hon. Wm. Faxon, of
Hartford, Conn., at one time Assistant Secretary of the Navy. It
consists of forty-three of the Signers, of which J. Adams, Gerry, Sher
man, Stockton, R. Morris, Rush, Clymer, Rodney, Carroll, Paca,
Jefferson and Braxton are A. L. S. ; Bartlett, Thornton, Whipple and
Paine, A. D. S. ; Hancock, Huntington, Livingston and Harrison are
L. S. ; S. Adams, Hopkins, Ellery, Williams, Wolcott, Lewis, Wither-
spoon, Franklin, Ross, Wilson, McKean, Chase, Stone, R. H. Lee,
Wythe and Rutledge are D. S. ; Hopkins, Hart and Morton are bills
signed ; Hewes and Penn, letter franks ; Nelson and Walton, signa
tures. Those wanting of the Signers are Floyd, L. Morris, Clark,
Smith, Taylor, Read, F. L. Lee, Hooper, Heyward, Lynch, Middle-
ton, Gwinnett and Hall.

Mr. Faxon's other collections embrace autographs of nearly all the
Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Cabinet officers, many army and naval
officers, congressmen and literary characters.

28. The second set of D. McN. STAUFFER, of New York, numbers
forty-one, which goes towards forming a collection of the members of
the Old Congress — some three hundred and eighty in all, of which he
lacks but twenty-three.

29. The third set of F. J. DREER, of Philadelphia, numbers forty,
thirty-five of which are A. L. S. ; S. Adams, Livingston, Smith arid
Paca, L. S. , and Morton, D. S. ; while sixteen are lacking, viz. :
Thornton, Paine, Hopkins, Williams, Hart, Stockton, Ross, Stone,

98 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Hewes, Hooper, Perm, Heyward, Lynch, Middleton, Gwinnett and
Hall.

30. GORDON L. FORD, of Brooklyn, has thirty-seven of the Signers
— thirty A. L. S. , and seven either A. D. S. or D. S. There are none
of the Signers of the Carolinas or Georgia represented in the collection,
save a signed document by Rutledge. His collection was commenced
in 1839, at which time Mr. Ford states that he knew but four other
collectors in this country j namely : Dr. Sprague, Mr. Tefft, Mr. Gil-
mor and Mr. Cist. His aim was not so much to form any complete
series, as to secure letters of historic interest and value. His incom
plete set of the Signers is alphabetically arranged, illustrated with por
traits, views and short sketches, but not bound. His entire autograph
collection is one of the largest in our country, reaching probably the
great number of a hundred thousand letters and documents. Mr.
Ford, a native of Connecticut, who has passed his sixty-fifth milestone
in life, enjoys the company of his surroundings with unflagging
pleasure and pardonable pride.

31. FRANK D. ANDREWS, of Vineland, N. J., has a general collec
tion of some ten thousand specimens. Among them are thirty-four
autographs of the Signers, of which Ellery, Huntington, McKean,
Paca, Chase, Carroll, Jefferson, Harrison and R. H. Lee are A. L. S. ;
Bartlett, Thornton, Paine, Williams, Clymer, Smith and Wilson are
A. D. S. ; Hopkinson and R. Morris are L. S. ; J. Adams, S. Adams,
Gerry, Hancock, Wolcott, Livingston and Ross are D. S. ; Sherman,
Franklin, F. L. Lee, Nelson and Wythe are signatures ; Lewis, auto
graph specimen of writing, and Hart and Morton, colonial bills signed,
and one other not classified.

32. Hon. GARRET D. W. VROOM, of Trenton, N. J., has twenty-six
of the Signers, of which Hancock, Livingston, Clark, Stockton, Wither-
spoon, Clymer, Morris, McKean, Jefferson and Walton are A. L. S. ;
while Bartlett, Thornton, Sherman, Floyd, Lewis, Hart, Ross, Smith,
are A. D. S.; John and Sam. Adams, Gerry, Huntington and Franklin
are L. S. ; and L. Morris, Hopkinson and Hall are D. S.

Mr. Vroom has also a number of letters, of the Revolutionary period,
in other series.

33. Hon. CHARLES H. BELL, of Exeter, N. H., has a general collec
tion of most of the officers and patriots of the Revolution as well as

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 99

foreign officers, which include twenty-one of the Signers of the Declara
tion of Independence, of which about one-half are A. L. S.

Mr. Bell's special attention has been given mostly to a collection of
autographs of the Generals and other distinguished officers of the Rev
olution, which have been inlaid with appropriate letterpress, illustrated
with engravings. His autographs have been divided into the following
groups :

I. Preliminary, including George III. and his principal ministers,
and the leading patriots of the ante-Revolutionary period.

II. Concord, Bunker Hill, and the siege of Boston.

III. Canada and Burgoyne's expedition.

IV. Battle of Long Island to Valley Forge.

V. Monmouth to Arnold's treason.

VI. Southern officers and events.

VII. Yorktown, and end of the war.

These groups embrace nearly all of the American Revolutionary
Generals and a good proportion of the British and other foreign
officer, and is particularly strong in the French officers in the American
service. When possible, specimens of the officers written during the
campaign in which they more especially figured, have been obtained.

34. Hon. MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN, of Boston, besides his set of
mounted signatures of the Signers, has some thirty letters and docu
ments towards a second collection, of which we have no classification.

35. The PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY has about one-half of
the Signers in separate letter form, which they design utilizing, at some
future time, in improving their set, which came from the collections of
the late Dr. Sprague.

36. Miss MARY D. HATHAWAY, of New Bedford, Mass., inherited
from her mother, Mrs. William Hathaway, several years since, an
incomplete collection of the Signers. Of its composition we have no
information.

37. CHARLES S. OGDEN, of Philadelphia, is mentioned as an auto
graph collector as early as 1853. "Some twenty years or more ago,"
wrote the late R. C. Davis, " Mr. Ogden had the nucleus of a nice col
lection of the Signers, which was given to his son Henry Corbit
Ogden, of New York." We have no knowledge of its strength or
classification.

IOO AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

38. The second set of J. W. HOWARTH, of Glen Riddle, Pa., num
bers twenty specimens.

39. Hon. HENRY C. VAN SCHAACK, of Manlius, N. Y., made some
general autograph collections in his day. He was born at Kinderhook,
N. Y. , April 3, 1802. For sixty-four years he practiced law ; declin
ing public employments, he devoted himself to his profession and to
literary pursuits. His chief literary productions were, Life of Peter
Van Schaack, LL.D., his worthy parent ; A Kinderhook Mansion ; Henry
Cruger, the Colleague of Edmund Burke ; Captain Morris, of the Illinois
Country ; a History of Manlius ; and a Life of Major Harry Van
Schaack, who figured largely in the Revolutionary War in the New
England States, in manuscript, which his descendants intend publishing
in accordance with the author's wishes. He was fond of saving histori
cal newspaper scraps, and left many volumes systematically arranged,
twelve of which relate exclusively to historical and biographical selec
tions, and three to the history of Onondaga County, N. Y.

His collection of autographs was designed to illustrate the period
of the war of the American Revolution, among which were at least
eighteen full letters of the Signers — all bound in three fine volumes,
and fully illustrated with engravings, sketches, newspaper articles,
etc., descending to his children, Mrs. Wm. G. Hibbard, of Chicago,
Mrs. A. J. Vanderpoel, of New York, and Peter Van Schaack, of
Chicago.

Mr. Van Schaack died at Manlius, N. Y., Dec. 18, 1887, in his
eighty-sixth year, leaving behind him a stainless name, and a reputa
tion for ability, goodness and integrity, second to none of his day and
generation.

40. CHARLES J. HOADLY, of Hartford, Conn., has eighteen auto
graphs of the Signers — of which Huntington, Sherman, Williams,
Wolcott, Hopkinson, Carroll, and Braxton are A. L. S. ; Hancock
and R. Morris are L. S. ; Bartlett, Thornton, Hopkins, Clymer,
Franklin and Jefferson are D. S. ; and Hart, Morton, and Heyward
signatures on Colonial bills.

41. FRED. M. STEELE, of Chicago, has a few specimens of the Sign
ers. His collection numbers some four thousand altogether, which
include Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and Cabinet officers, military
characters, and literary and musical celebrities.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. IOI

42. EBEN LANE, of Chicago, has autographs of several of the Signers,
including one of Hart, but seems not to have made any special effort
towards perfecting the series. He has what he regards as a Lynch
signature, which he has had several years, but is unable to trace its
origin. The chances are ten to one that it is spurious. Mr. Lane is
a grandson of Chief Justice Ebenezer Lane, of Ohio, related to Oliver
Wolcott, the signer, and Governor Griswold, of Connecticut, and in
this way Mr. Lane got quite a start in his autograph collection.
While he has many groups, none of them seem to be complete ; among
them are the Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and Cabinet officers, the
Chief Justices and Associates, American statesmen, many of the
Generals of the Revolution, the American Episcopal bishops, and
many dramatic personages — the latter used in illustrating Maclise's
Portrait Gallery, and Matthews' and Hutton's Actors and Actresses
of Great Britain and America.

43. Z. T. HOLLINGSWORTH, of Boston, has a large but general col
lection of autographs, with no completed group. He has quite a
number of specimens of the Signers of the Declaration and of the
Constitution. On Washington and the Revolutionary War, it is under
stood that his collection is quite strong and interesting, including
many papers and correspondence of General Jethro Sumner, of North
Carolina, during the campaign of 1780.

44. Mrs. SARAH J. SPALDING, of Newburyport, Mass., has an inter
esting general collection, which came down to her in part from her
Revolutionary ancestry. They embrace, among others, a fine repre
sentation of our modern American writers of prose and poetry. There
is no series complete, but the collection contains quite a number of
the Signers.

45. AREA BORDEN, of Boston, has recently commenced the formation
of a set of Signers, and has specimens, mostly in letter form, of about
twenty.

46. Col. F. M. ETTING, of Ward, Pa., in addition to his set of fifty-five
of the Signers, has nearly a full collection of the signatures of the
Signers, mounted and framed, with likenesses. Of their exact num
ber and deficiencies, we are without information.

The incomplete set of Signers made by Dr. LEWIS ROPER, of Phila
delphia, was purchased at his death by the late Jos. J. MICKLEY, of

102 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

that city, at a sale in Feb., 1851, which took place on a wet night
when there were but few or no competitors ; and after much improving,
and completion prior to 1860, it was finally dispersed at auction, after
Mr. Mickley's death, in Nov., 1878 — many of the specimens bringing
good prices for that day — Gwinnett, L. S. , $110; Lynch signature,
bought for Dr. Fogg, $95 ; Hall, A. L. S., $60 ; Hewes, A. L. S.,
$37.50; Hooper, A. L. S., $32 ; Middleton, L. S., $29; Penn, A.
L. S., $27.50 ; F. L. Lee, A. L. S., $21 ; Heyward, D. S., $15.

LEWIS J. CIST, of Cincinnati, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1818,
was an early collector, commencing in 1835, but did not complete his
set of the Signers until 1850, when he received a Lynch signature from
Mr. Tefft. His collection seems to have been the fifth completed set
— Sprague, Raffles, TefFt and Gilmor preceding him in this honor.
Mr. Cist, quite a poet and litterateur, spent his life mainly in the em
ploy of banks and insurance companies. But his set, after all, was
deficient of two of the Signers, from his having been misled by two
wrong specimens. His death at Cincinnati, March 31, 1885, caused
the dispersion, separately, of his large collection of autographs at auction.

ROBERT COULTON DAVIS, of Philadelphia, was a prominent and suc
cessful autograph collector for a period of some forty-seven years —
making one full set of the Declaration Signers and of the Signers of
the Constitution, with other notable series, all of which since his death
have passed into the possession of Mr. Charles Roberts, of Philadelphia.
Mr. Davis was born in Philadelphia, Aug. 3, 1833, where he was long
engaged in the business of a druggist. The political campaigns of
1840 and 1844 inspired within him a love for autographs; prior to
1845 ne had secured but a few, which were pasted promiscuously in a
scrap-book. Obtaining from Mr. Clay an autograph letter, he began
in earnest to gather those of other celebrities. He commenced form
ing his set of the Signers in 1850, completing it in 1870, and was ever
after improving and perfecting his specimens to folio size as opportuni
ties offered, so that all, save about half a dozen, were of that size. Mr.
Davis died in Philadelphia, in the midst of his usefulness, Aug. 24,
1888, at the age of fifty- five years. His splendid autograph collection
has gone to enrich Mr. Roberts' several series — thus doubling up two
fine gatherings, and adding very much strength and completeness to
the combined collection.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 1 03

The late JAMES C. McGuiRE's manuscript collections are of an histori
cal character ; the Washington papers alone fill two volumes, relating
to the movements of the army during the Revolution, and questions of
state, including a draft of the original first Farewell Address submitted to
Mr. Madison. There are several volumes of Madison letters, published
some years ago for private distribution. Many letters of Jefferson,
Gen. Knox, Adams, and Clay ; a volume of letters of Edmund Ran
dolph ; of Joseph Jones, a prominent member of Congress from Virginia
during the Revolution ; of John Drayton, and of Edmund Pendleton.
Here may be seen the ciphers of Madison and Jefferson during the
Revolution, and Tobias Lear's account of expenses for the first eleven
weeks of Washington's residence in New York as President, in 1789 ;
and a large number of other Colonial and Revolutionary manu
scripts.

GEORGE W. CHILES, the distinguished Philadelphia philanthropist,
has a very fine general collection of manuscripts and autographs, em
bracing twenty thousand names. They include the most celebrated
literary men of both continents, each letter containing some sentiment
characteristic of the writer. He has the manuscript of Dickens's Our
Mutual Friend, for which he has refused $6,000. He has also auto
graphs of all the Presidents, bound and illustrated. We do not learn
that he has made any collection of the Signers.

The collection of HENRY C. BAIRD, of Philadelphia, commenced in
1842, and described in the Bizarre magazine, April, 1853, included a
goodly portion of the Signers, which have been dispersed. Dr. C. G.
BARNEY, of Richmond, Va. , made a fine collection of the Signers, con
taining many valuable historical letters, and lacking only Lynch and
Gwinnett ; but despairing of securing these, he sold his autographs
separately to other collectors. Col. BRANTZ MAYER, of Baltimore, a lit
erary man of much repute, made a collection of the Signers, which
lacked Taylor, Lynch, Middleton, Gwinnett, and Hall ; he dying in
February, 1879, his autographs were dispersed at auction in November
following. The late Hon. HENRY S. RANDALL, of Cortland, N. Y.,
also made a collection of the Signers, which needed only Gwinnett of
completion, which since his death, August 14, 1876, passed, with his
other autograph groups, which he had been some thirty years gather
ing, into the hands of Mr. C. DeF. Burns, and have been dispersed.

104 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Other collections — notably those of B. B. THATCHER, of Boston ;
CHARLES H. MORSE, of Cambridgeport, Mass. ; E. D. INGRAHAM,
ALFRED B. TAYLOR. JOSEPH H. TODD, JOHN G. HOWARD, JOHN M.
SEIGFRIED, and EDWARD HERRICK, of Pennsylvania ; JOHN R. THOMP
SON, of Richmond, Va. ; JOSEPH B. BOYD, of Maysville, Ky. ; JOHN
B. MOREAU, of New York ; OSCAR T. KEELER, of Columbus, Miss. ;
and W. T. BLOCK, of Pittsburgh — have been disposed of, and served
to strengthen other sets of autographs.

The autographs of extreme rarity, of some of the Signers, are steadily
but surely enhancing in value. The Lynch signature, which, in 1845,
had no pecuniary value, Mr. Davis paid $5 for in 1861, and four or
five years later Mr. Gratz paid $10 for his ; Dr. Fogg $95 in 1878 ;
subsequently it brought $145, $150 in 1881, and $210 at the recent
Cist sale. The Gwinnett, in document form, which brought $no in
1878, and the same in 1881, commanded $185 at the Cist sale; and
at this sale also a Lewis Morris letter brought $85, while a Stockton
letter netted $50. Mr. Stauffer has refused $300 for his full letter of
John Morton, of which only one other is known to be in existence,
save the unsigned one in the Raffles' collection.

Still other autograph collectors have been in the field. Col. PETER
FORCE, of Washington, gathered many manuscripts and documents,
which since his death have passed into the library of Congress. In
the Bizarre magazine, Philadelphia, Oct. 29, 1853, quite a list of
other known autograph collectors of that period is given : JAMES T.
FIELDS, of Boston, chiefly of literary characters ; Capt. FURMAN SEY
MOUR, U. S. A., West Point ; Dr. THEO. L. CUYLER, Trenton, N. J. ;
Dr. L. R. KOECKER, WM. SCHOTT, Jos. H. HEDGES and Dr. S. A.
ALLIBONE, all of Philadelphia — the latter since of the Astor Library,
New York ; HENRY T. OATES, Charleston, S. C.; and WM. L. MAC
KENZIE, Toronto. It is not probable that any of these collections
embraced any considerable number of the Signers, nor have we any
definite information whether any of these autograph garnerings, save
those of Colonel Force, are still preserved intact, or have been dis
persed. Such manuscript collections as those of JARED SPARKS, GEORGE
BANCROFT, PETER FORCE, FRANCIS PARKMAN, and the writer of this
essay, as well as those of the Historical Societies of our country, do
not properly come within the scope of this paper, as they were

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 1 05

gathered, not for any autographic display and embellishment, but for
the sole object of subserving the purposes of history.

In this connection it may be mentioned, that on the remarkable
coincidence of the deaths of Adams and Jefferson, July 4th, 1826, the
fiftieth anniversary of the passage of the Declaration, Charles Carroll
alone remained of that illustrious body who ventured on the experiment
of American Independence. This venerable patriarch had several
copies of the engrossed Declaration prepared, which he signed as the
sole survivor, on the 2d of August, 1826 — just fifty years after the
signing of the great original. One of these he presented to John
McTavish, who, we believe, married a daughter of the Signer, and is
yet preserved in the family ; another copy was presented to the New
York City Library, countersigned by President J. Q. Adams and
several of his cabinet officers and some other public characters, and
also indorsed by Gov. DeWitt Clinton and others of the State of New
York. This copy is bound in folio form in vellum, and after having
been misplaced for many years, has recently been recovered.

SETS OF SIGNERS OF THE CONSTITUTION.

Besides the thirty-nine Signers of the Constitution, there were thirty-
four others chosen, who either declined acceptance of the membership,
or failed to attend, or, though attending part or all of the session, did
not affix their names to the instrument adopted by the Convention.
Autographs of several of the Signers proper are difficult to obtain. A
distinguished collector states that his personal experience leads him to
declare that the relative rarity of the autographs of the delegates who
did not sign the Constitution would be fairly expressed, at this time,
by the following classification, referring to A. L. S., and not those of
inferior grades :

1. Those most readily obtained : E. Gerry, Caleb Strong, Robert
Yates, John Lansing, Luther Martin, Edmund Randolph, Nathl.
Pendleton. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Gabriel Duvall, Thomas
Sim Lee, Henry Laurens, Wm. R. Davie, John Pickering, Oliver
Ellsworth, Richard Henry Lee, John Neilson, John F. Mercer and
Patrick Henry.

2. Richard Caswell, William Pierce, George Walton, Abraham

106 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Clark, James McClurg, Alexander Martin, George Mason, Robert H.
Harrison and Thomas Nelson.

3. Benjamin West, Wm. Churchill Houston, Francis Dana, George
Wythe, Wm. Houstoun and Thomas Stone.

4. Willie Jones.*

In briefly describing the full collections of the Constitutional
Signers, and the incomplete sets as well, any mode of discrimination
is not without its difficulties. In following the rule laid down in
classifying the sets of the Declaration Signers, giving those precedence
having the largest number of A. L. S., there is no certainty that really
the best collections, if judged by their condition or historical value,
are properly recognized. At present, however, we see no better way to
get at the matter ; and if not deemed the best, each one must readjust
the list to suit his own judgment, with the facts as they are reported
and presented. If a committee of experts, as at a fair, were person
ally and carefully to examine the several collections in detail, they
might reach very different results.

1. SIMON GRATZ, of Philadelphia. His set of the Signers of the
Constitution is a superior one — undoubtedly the best extant. It is
composed wholly of A. L. S., and includes not only the thirty-nine
Signers proper, but the thirty-four others who were chosen delegates,
and who either failed in their attendance or, from some other cause, did
not sign the Constitution. Eight of the letters of the Signers are
addressed to Washington, and nine others relate to the business of the
Convention. Several of the autographs of the thirty-four non-Signers
are more difficult of obtainment than those of any of the Signers
proper.

2. Dr. J. S. H. FOGG, of Boston. Of his set of the thirty-nine Sign
ers of the Constitution, all are A. L. S. , except Blair, D. S. He has
also full autograph letters, save of Wythe only, which is a signed
document, of the other thirty-four who were chosen members of the
Convention of 1787, but failed to sign the Constitution. Including

* For a full list of all the seventy-three persons chosen by States to the Federal
Convention of 1787, whether they attended or not, and whether they signed the
Constitution, or failed for any reason to do so, see Mr. P. L. Ford's carefully
prepared paper, Appendix No. 2.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. IO/

William Jackson, the Secretary, the collection is illustrated with fifty
engravings, leaving twenty-four without likenesses.

3. and 4. CHARLES ROBERTS, of Philadelphia, has two full sets of
the thirty-nine Signers proper, all in A. L. S., with appropriate illus
trations. He has also one full set, and nearly another, of the non-
Signers.

5. D. McN. STAUFFER, of New York, has a full set of the Signers
of the Constitution, and also of the non-Signers, and all in A. L. S.,
save Bedford, Read, Jones, and West, A. D. S. ; Dana, Blair, Wythe,
and Houstoun, D. S. There are illustrations of fifty-six of the num
ber ; among the lacking likenesses are those of Pickering, Yates,
Houston of New Jersey, Brearley, Broom, Fitzsimmons, Caswell,
Pierce, Houstoun of Georgia, and Pendleton.

6. Col. C. C. JONES, Jr., of Augusta, Georgia. His set of the Signers
of the Constitution is complete — all A. L. S., save Wilson and Read,
A. D. S., and Franklin and Mifflin, D. S. The collection also
includes all the members elect to the Convention of 1787, who were
either not present, or failed to sign the engrossed document ; and all
these also are A. L. S., except Benjamin West, A. D. S. This series
is likewise illustrated with portraits, inlaid on Whatman paper, and
bound.

7. FERD. J. DREER, Philadelphia, has all the Signers in A. L. S.,
and quite a portion, in some form, of those chosen who did not
attend, or did not sign. Properly illustrated.

8. Dr. THOMAS A. EMMET, of New York. Of his collection of the
Signers of the Constitution, thirty-seven are A. L. S., and only Broom
and Carroll are A. D. S. ; fifteen are of folio size, and twenty-four are
quartos. The set also includes sixteen others who were chosen mem
bers, but did not sign the Constitution — of which thirteen are full
letters. It is an excellent set, and illustrated with portraits, views, etc.

9. STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Madison, Wis., has all the Signers
proper in A. L. S., with suitable illustrative matter.

10 and ii. The late PROF. LEFFINGWELL had two sets of the
Signers of the Constitution — the first consists of thirty-six A. L. S. ;
with Blair, L. S., and Bedford and Read, D. S. The second col
lection has thirty-five A. L. S., with Bedford, G. Morris, Read, and
Blair, D. S. He had also a set of those who were elected to the

108 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Convention of 1787, but failed from various causes to sign the Con
stitution. These descended to his niece, Miss Mary M. Leffingwell,
of New Haven, Conn.

12. The late JOSEPH W. DREXEL, of New York, possessed the set
made up by Mr. Tefft, of Georgia, consisting of thirty-two of the
Signers proper, in A. L. S., with Sherman, Paterson, and Bedford,
A. D. S. ; Wilson, Bassett, and Rutledge, autographs not signed, and
Blair, D. S. This set was purchased at the Tefft sale, in March, 1867,
by the late Wm. Menzies ; and at the sale of the Menzies' library and
manuscripts, in Nov., 1876, it was bought by Joseph Sabin & Sons at
$290, and passed over to Mr. Drexel. After its purchase by Mr.
Menzies, it received a full Washington letter in place of a D. S. It
has printed biographies, is illustrated, and handsomely bound, with
twenty-nine portraits which were inlaid by F. Bedford, and a rubricated
title-page and special table of contents printed for the volume by Mun-
sell.

13 and 14. Col. FRANK M. ETTING, of Ward, Pa., has two sets,
which he represents as full, of which we have no classification.

15. C. F. GUNTHER, of Chicago, has the thirty-nine Signers proper
— not reported in detail, but supposed to be nearly all in full letter
form.

1 6. Rev. Dr. J. H. DUBBS, of Lancaster, Pa., has all the Signers
proper, and only wanting three or four of the others chosen to the
Convention ; twenty-eight are A. L. S. ; six A. D. S. ; and the others
D. S.

17. JOHN M. HALE, of Philipsburg, Pa., has a full set of the Signers
of the Constitution, of which twenty-five are A. L. S. ; four A. D. S. ;
five D. S. ; three L. S. ; and two signatures. He has also in some form
autographs of all save nine of the non-Signers. The set is finely illus
trated.

1 8. JAMES W. HOWARTH, of Glen Riddle, Pa., has a full set of the
thirty-nine Signers of the Constitution, of which eleven are A. L. S. —
namely, King, Clymer, Ingersoll, R. Morris, Wilson, Dickinson, Mc-
Henry, Madison, Washington, Rutledge, and Butler; Gorham, John
son, Sherman, Dayton, Jenifer, and C. C. Pinckney, are A. D. S. ; Gil-
man, Langdon, Livingston, Paterson, Franklin, Fitzsimmons, Mifflin,
G. Morris, Bassett, Bedford, Broom, Blair, Blount, Spaight, William-

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 1 09

son, Charles Pinckney, Baldwin, and Few, are D. S.; Brearley, Read,
and Carroll, signatures. Also thirteen who were chosen members but
failed to be present to attach their names to the Constitution — Gerry,
Martin, Randolph, and West, A. L. S.; Ellsworth and Walton, A. D.
S. ; Strong, Yates, Clark, Mercer, and Pendleton, D. S. ; Patrick
Henry, L. S. ; and Wythe, signature. Illustrated as far as possible.

19. Hon. MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN, of Boston, has a unique set of
signatures of the Signers, appended to a neat copy of the Constitution.

INCOMPLETE SETS.

1. CHARLES P. GREENOUGH, of Boston, has thirty-six of the Signers
proper to the Constitution, of which twenty-one are A. L. S. ; Gilman,
Langdon, Sherman, Bassett, Bedford, and Wilson, are A. D. S. ;
Gorham, A. N. S. ; Dickinson, L. S. ; Johnson, Paterson, G. Morris,
Read, Jenifer, and Blair, D. S. ; Spaight, signature ; with Brearley,
Carroll, and Blount wanting.

2. G. M. CONARROE, Philadelphia, has thirty-five of the thirty-nine
Signers, lacking Johnson, Washington, Rutledge and Few.

3. Hon. CHARLES H. BELL, of Exeter, N. H., has autographs of
twenty-nine of the Signers of the Constitution, about one-half of which
are A. L. S. They form a part of his general collection of patriots of
the Revolution, and are inlaid and illustrated.

4. GORDON L. FORD, of Brooklyn, N. Y., has about two-thirds of
the Signers of the Constitution, scattered through his large general
collection of autographs, alphabetically arranged — the exact number
is not easily ascertained.

5. Hon. GARRET D. W. VROOM, Trenton, N. J., has twenty-six of the
Constitution Signers. Langdon, King, Hamilton, Brearley, Dayton,
Livingston, Paterson, Clymer, Dickinson, Fitzsimmons, Ingersoll,
Gouv. and R. Morris, Spaight, Butler, and Few, A. L. S. ; while
Madison and Sherman are A. D. S. ; and Gilman, Franklin, Mifflin,
Washington, Blount, and Rutledge, are L. S. ; and McHenry and
C. C. Pinckney, signatures.

6. FRANK D. ANDREWS, Vineland, N. J., has autographs of twenty-
one of the Signers proper — of these King, Fitzsimmons, Ingersoll,
Jenifer, and Butler are A. L. S. ; Clymer, Wilson, and Rutledge are
A. D. S. ; Hamilton and R. Morris are L. S. ; Gilman, Langdon,

1 10 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

Livingston, Mifflin, and Washington are D. S. ; and Johnson, Sher
man, Dickinson, Madison, Blount, and C. C. Pinckney are signatures.

Wanting to complete a set — Gorham, Dayton, Brearley, Paterson,
Franklin, G. Morris, Bedford, Bassett, Broom, Read, Carroll, Mc-
Henry, Blair, Spaight, Williamson, C. Pinckney, Baldwin, and Few.

Of the non-Signers, Mr. Andrews has Strong, D. S. ; Pickering,
Ellsworth, Yates and Henry, A. D. S.

7. Hon. JOHN BOYD THACHER, of Albany, N. Y., has the partial
set, late E. E. Sprague's, of which several rare names are wanting. It
is believed Mr. Thacher has considerably improved it.

8. The PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY has an incomplete
collection.

In all the complete collections of autographs of the Signers of the
Constitution, and probably in most of the partial ones as well, the
autograph of William Jackson, the Secretary, is very properly included.

APPENDIX No. i.
From the American Antiquarian, May, 1888.

THE "SPRING" AUTOGRAPH FORGERIES.

A NUMBER of these forgeries, well known to older collectors, have recently
been offered, both privately and at New York auction sales. We can only advise
beginners, or those who are not familiar with autographs, to examine carefully
before purchasing, and, in case of doubt, to take the opinion of an expert. As a
matter of interest we reprint, from a Philadelphia paper of November 5, 1869, an
account of the forger and his peculiar transactions :

MAKING AND SELLING BOGUS AUTOGRAPHS — HEARING BEFORE THE MAYOR.
— Yesterday afternoon a man by the name of Robert Spring, residing at No.
2,132 Christian Street, was before the Mayor, charged with obtaining money by
false and fraudulent pretenses, by selling what purported to be autograph letters
of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and other persons of eminence. To facilitate
his designs he went under the names of William Emmerson, Thomas French,
Samuel Hawley, M.D., and Samuel R. Hampton, M.D.

He would obtain genuine letters of those he wished to use, and trace them upon
a sheet of old paper procured from the backs of old books, or stain the paper with
coffee grounds, or some other preparation, to give it an ancient look. These
fraudulent letters would then be addressed to parties having fine libraries, or who
were fond of collecting such articles. In the note accompanying the bogus letter,
the writer would state that he was sadly in need of money, and if the recipient
wished the autograph letter, he could send a certain sum of money to an address
given, which would in nearly all cases be outside of Philadelphia, Camden being
one of the principal points of operation.

A large number of replies were received to letters of this kind, and remittances
varying from $10 to $15, and even more, were sent to him. He has operated in
this manner for years. In 1859, he was arrested by Detective Franklin, the same
who arrested him in the present instance, and taken before Mayor Henry, who
held him to appear when desired. After this he left Philadelphia and went to
Canada, writing several letters from that point in the name of " Emma Harding,"
which stated that she had in her possession a large collection of autograph letters,
and being in destitute circumstances, owing to the recent death of her husband,
she would be obliged if they were purchased, provided any were desired. She
was to be addressed in the care of Samuel Hawley, M.D.

Several responses were received, a number of them containing money. From
Canada he went to Baltimore, and wrote several letters in the name of Fannie
Jackson, stating that she was a daughter of General Stonewall Jackson, and gave
as an excuse for writing, that she was in poor circumstances and urgently needed
money. They were principally sent to the rebel bondholders in England, but
the whole thing was almost immediately exposed, and very little or nothing was

112 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

obtained. After this he went to England, and was exposed in London, but never
brought to justice.

He wrote about eighty letters in November year ago, and requested the answers
to be sent to Richmond, Va. Seventeen letters were received in response, directed
to the name of Dr. S. R. Hampton. Three of them contained money. In his
attempt to obtain money by the Jackson letters, sent to England, he received
about £10.

Detective Franklin, sworn. — Complaint was made here a few days ago, in refer
ence to a man named Spring, who is a dealer in autographs, charged with defraud
ing certain parties, by passing upon them fraudulent autograph letters ; went down
to his house to see him, and found a number of manuscripts ; he was arrested in
1859, and came before Mayor Henry, charged with dealing in forged letters of
General Washington ; he then lived in Anita street, near Tenth ; bought one of
these letters myself ; the paper he uses for these letters is prepared by himself,
being generally stained with coffee ; he frankly acknowledged his guilt yesterday
when arrested ; he also wrote me a letter at my request, and gave me the list of
postmasters, where the letters had been sent from time to time.

The letter was here read by the detective, and is as follows :

PHILADELPHIA, October 4, 1869.

SIR : Hearing there have been several complaints made, I beg to state to you,
from the remembrance of your fair and honorable treatment of my case with
respect to the bogus Washington autographs, in the year 1858, that since I have
resided in this city (June 6, 1868), I have never, by word or act, wronged any
person in the United States, though I have obtained, in several instances, small
sums from England, driven to such from dreadful home affliction, and to aid in
supporting a large family of seven children, the youngest of whom died three
months ago, at a moment I had not a dollar.

Mr. Gratz can inform you I have tried by every effort to obtain a creditable
livelihood, and it was only to spin out my shortcomings that I solicited and ob
tained the small assistance I did from England about ten months since. I prom
ised Mr. Gratz I would never do another dishonorable act, and with the exception
of receiving replies to letters written to Europe before that period, and which,
from my urgent affliction and often absolute want, I could not resist the tempta
tion to keep. I have kept my promise. You know, Mr. Franklin, the affliction to
which I allude. I am writing this under the greatest distress. I write this to
you at four o'clock in the morning.

I am willing you should know all, and have it in your power to stop in future
any dishonest attempt, should I make any. In November, 1868, I wrote about
eighty letters. The replies were to be sent to Richmond, Va., and Baltimore. The
postmasters of Richmond and Baltimore were requested to re-direct to Camden,
N. J. I received, as far as I can remember, seventeen letters, three containing
money, £10, £$, £i (a sovereign). They were in the name of Dr. S. R. Hamp
ton, and, of course, are all run out.

My second attempt was the Jackson letters, which were immediately exposed in
England, though not before I had received several letters, two containing money,
£$ and ^5, and were received at Fairfax, Va., Bloom field, N. J., &c., postmas
ters of which forwarded to Lenwood, Pa. The latter were the same letters as Dr.
Hampton's, only in name of Hawley. These were written in July, and received
^25. These were sent to Bordentown and Elkton, Md., postmasters to re-direct
to Eddenton, Pa., Kelleysville, Pa., Lazaretto, Philadelphia. At the same time
I wrote ten letters almost similar to the Jackson, from two of which I received
£10, and although so late, I last week saw an advertisement in Baltimore, and
requested the postmaster at Lazaretto to send the letter to Philadelphia. I send
you orders on all the postmasters, so that in future if any more arrive they may

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 11$

reach you — not me. Anyhow, I promise you, without any reservation, never
again to use any dishonorable means to procure money. I will rather starve first.
I gave my word in Boston I would never write to any one in the United States.
I kept my promise. I now make it to you, without any reservation.

Yours, in great affliction, W. E.

The second letter was the Jackson letter, stated to have been written by a
daughter of Stonewall Jackson, and which was sent all over Europe ; he had
answers to this letter sent to different sub-post-offices, so that they should not
come direct to Philadelphia. He has admitted the whole thing to be a forgery, and
I have recovered some fifty letters from him. I have his post-office book with the
addresses of the people to whom he wrote.

Detective Franklin then took the prisoner down stairs to see the Washington
letter in Independence Hall, and to discover if it was original. Upon his return
the detective reported that it was a forgery, and that it had been written by the
pr'soner himself.

Robert Coulson Davis, druggist, residing at Sixteenth and Vine Streets, sworn.
— Have known the prisoner personally for a good many years ; became acquainted
with him through having a fancy for collecting autographs and things of that
nature ; he was residing in Lombard Street when I first knew him. What led me
to know about these forgeries was that they were repeatedly handed to me by the
parties to whom they were addressed ; being expert in distinguishing such matters
was the cause of their being sent to me ; I have also had several conversations
with the prisoner in relation to the forgeries some years ago, but have not seen
him before since '62 or '63, when he left here and went to Baltimore.

Mr. Davis exhibited a book, which contained a large number of the forgeries of
the accused. We give a few of those of Washington, which may be interesting to
the general public :

HEADQUARTERS VALLEY FORGE, Jan. 29, 1778. — Sir: — Send to General
Mclntosh's quarters the two men arrested last night at the King of Prussia Inn,
and again at dark order a picket of eight men to patrol on the Norristown road
some distance beyond the tavern, with orders to bring in all strangers unable to
give a good account of themselves found on the road. Go. WASHINGTON.

To General Huntingdon.

HEADQUARTERS VALLEY FORGE, Feb. 4, 1778. — Permission is granted to Mr.
Clymer, with his negro man Ben, to pass and repass the pickets at the bridge and
on the Norristown road. Go. WASHINGTON.

HEADQUARTERS, BERGEN COUNTY, Sept. 7, 1780. — Permission is granted to
Mr. Lewis Stevens, with his negro boy Nat, to pass and repass the picket at
Rambo. Go. WASHINGTON.

MOUNT VERNON, Dec. 18, 1798. — To the Cashier of the Office of Discount and
Deposit, Baltimore : — Will please pay General Samuel Smith or bearer, the sum
of eight hundred dollars, and charge the same to my account.

$800. Go. WASHINGTON.

At the conclusion of the testimony of Mr. Davis, the Mayor held the accused in
$500 for a further hearing.

114 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

APPENDIX No. 2.
From the Collector, September and October, 1888.

THE FEDERAL CONVENTION, 1787.
BY PAUL LEICESTER FORD.

IN 1819, when John Quincy Adams, by direction of Congress, edited and pub
lished ihejotirnal of the Federal Convention, he drew up from the commissions, etc.,
filed by the attending delegates, a list of the members, including those who were
appointed but did not attend, and those who attended and did not sign the com
pleted instrument, making in all a list of sixty-five names.

This list was accepted and republished by Elliot in his Debates in the State
Convention, by Curtis, in his History of the Constitution, and more recently in the
Official Programme of the Constitutional Centennial, and no additions are promised
in the forthcoming memorial volume of that celebration. Thus, this list, prepared
in 1819, has become a fixture, and both students and autograph collectors have
accepted it as correct.

There are, however, several omissions, and by reference to original documents,
acts, journals, etc., I have increased the list to seventy-four names. To this I
have added, in such cases as I have been able, the reasons of members for declin
ing the appointment, and for the non-attendance of such as failed to be present in
the Convention ; the day of arrival of the attending members ; their absences ; the
date of leaving of those who failed to sign the Constitution, with their reasons ; and
the part the non-attending or non-signing members took in their own States in
support of or opposition to the ratification.

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature. June 27, 1787.

Langdon, John. Attended Convention July 23. Signed.

Pickering, John. Did not attend Convention. Voted to ratify the Constitution
in the New Hampshire Convention.

Oilman, Nicholas. Attended Convention July 23. Signed.

West, Benjamin. Did not attend Convention. Voted to ratify Constitution in
New Hampshire Convention.

MASSACHUSETTS.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature, March 10, 1787. Commissioned by
Governor, April 9, 1787.

Dana, Francis. Did not attend Convention owing to judicial duties and ill-
health. Voted to ratify the Constitution in Massachusetts Convention.

Gerry, Elbridge. Attended Convention May 29. Sat through the session, but
refused to sign. Was strongly opposed to the adoption of the Constitution by
Massachusetts, but was defeated in his election to the State Convention.

Gorham, Nathaniel. Attended Conveiition May 28. Signed.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. 115

King, Rufus. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Strong, Caleb. Attended Convention May 28. Left Convention some time
after August 16. Voted in favor of ratifying Constitution in Massachusetts Con
vention.

CONNECTICUT.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature, May, 1787.
Johnson, William Samuel. Attended Convention June 2. Signed.
Sherman, Roger. Attended Convention May 30. Signed.

Ells-worth, Oliver. Attended Convention May 28. Left Convention some time
after August 23. Voted to ratify Constitution in Connecticut Convention.

NEW YORK.

Act providing for appointing delegates passed February 28, 1787.

jilected by Legislature, March 16, 1787.

Yates, Robert. Attended Convention May 25. Left Convention July 5. Voted
against ratification of the Constitution in the New York Convention.

Hamilton, Alexander. Attended Convention May 25. Was in New York July
3-26. Again in Convention August 13, and was in New York August 20-26.
Signed.

Lansing, John, Jr. Attended Convention June 2. Left Convention July 5.
Voted against ratification of the Constitution in New York Convention.

NEW JERSEY.

Appointed delegates by Acts of Legislature, 1786-7.

Commissioned by Governor, November 23, 1786, May 18 and June 5, 1787.

Brearley, David. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Houston, William Churchill. Attended Convention May 25. Ill health com
pelled him to leave some time after July 23.

Paterson, William. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Neilson, John. Did not attend Convention. Voted to ratify the Constitution
in New Jersey Convention.

Livingston, William. Attended Convention June 25, having been delayed by
his official duties as Governor of New Jersey. Was absent from Convention July
3-19. Signed.

Clark, Abraham. Did not attend Convention, being present in the Continental
Congress. Opposed to the adoption of the Constitution in New Jersey, but
though elected to the State Convention was prevented by ill health from attending.

Dayton, Jonathan. Attended Convention June 23, not having, been appointed
until June 5. Signed.

PENNSYLVANIA.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature, December 30, 1786. Supplement
ary act, appointing Franklin, passed March 28, 1787.

Mifflin, Thomas. Attended Convention May 28. Signed.
Morris, Robert. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.
Clymer, George. Attended Convention May 28. Signed.
Ingersoll, Jared. Attended Convention May 28. Signed.
Fitzsimmons, Thomas. Attended Convention May 28. Signed.
Wilson, James. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Morris, Gouverneur. Attended Convention May 25. Was absent for some
time prior to July 2. Signed.

Franklin, Benjamin. Attended Convention May 28. Signed.

Il6 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS.

DELAWARE.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature, February 3, 1787. Commissioned
by Governor, April 2, 1787.

Read '^George. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.
Bedford, Gunning. Attended Convention May 28. Signed.
Dickinson, John. Attended Convention May 29. Signed.
Bassett, Richard. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.
Broom, Jacob. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

MARYLAND.

Elected delegates by Legislature, April 23, 1787. Vacancies filled by Legisla
ture, May 5, 8, and 22. Commissioned by Act of Legislature, May 26, 1787.

Harrison, Robert Hanson. Declined.

Carroll, Charles of Carrollton. Declined. Favored adoption.

Stone, Thomas. Declined. Died just after publication of the Constitution.

McIIenry, James. Attended Convention May 28. Left June I, owing to the
illness of his brother. Returned prior to August 13. Signed.

Lee, Thomas Sim. Declined. Voted in favor of ratifying in Maryland Con
vention.

Duvall, Gabriel. Declined.

Jenifer, Daniel, of St. Thomas. Attended Convention June 2. Signed.

Carroll, Daniel. Attended Convention July 9. Signed.

Mercer, James Francis. Attended Convention August 6. Left September 4.
Opposed the adoption of the Constitution in Maryland.

Martin, Luther. Attended the Convention June 9. Left September 4.
Opposed the adoption of the Constitution in Maryland.

VIRGINIA.

Elected delegates by Legislature, December 4, 1786. Vacancies filled by Gov
ernor.

Washington, George. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Henry, Patrick. Declined. Voted against the ratification of the Constitution
in the Virginia Convention.

Randolph, Edmund. Attended Convention May 25. Sat through the session,
but refused to sign. Voted in favor of ratifying in the Virginia Convention.

Blair, John. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Madison, James. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Mason, George. Attended Convention May 25. Sat through the session, but
refused to sign. Voted against the ratification of the Constitution in the Virginia
Convention.

Wythe, George. Attended Convention May 25. Left June 5, owing to "the
serious declension of his lady's health." Voted in favor of ratification in Virginia
Convention.

Lee, Richard Henry. Declined, "for family reasons," and because he did not
approve that the same men who had framed the Constitution should pass upon it
in the Continental Congress. Opposed the adoption of the Constitution.

Nelson, Thomas. Declined, having retired into private life. Was opposed to
the adoption of the Constitution.

McClurg, James. Attended the Convention May 25. Left Convention some
time after July 20. Favored the adoption of the Constitution.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. II?

NORTH CAROLINA.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature, January 6, 1787. Vacancies filled
by Governor, April 3 and 23, 1787.

Caswell, Richard. Declined. Favored adoption of the Constitution, but was
defeated in his election to the first North Carolina Convention.

Martin, Alexander. Attended Convention May 25. Left Convention after
July 26. Favored adoption of the Constitution, but was defeated in his election
to the first North Carolina Convention.

Davie, William Richardson, Attended Convention May 25. Left after July
26. Voted to ratify the Constitution in the North Carolina Convention.

Spaight, Richard Dobbs. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Jones, Willie. Declined. Voted against the ratification of the Constitution in
the first North Carolina Convention.

Blount, William. Attended Convention June 20, being "detained by indis
position in New York." Was in Continental Congress July 13-August 24. Dis
approved the Constitution, but signed. Was defeated in his election to first North
Carolina Convention.

Williamson, Hugh. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

Act providing for delegates passed by Legislature, March 8, 1787. Elected by
first ballot of Legislature. Commissioned by Governor, April 10, 1787.

Rutledge, John. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Pinckney, Charles. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Butler, Pierce. Attended Convention May 25. Was present in the Continen
tal Congress August 2-5. Signed.

Laurens, Henry. Never attended, being " kept away by ill health." Voted
in favor of ratifying the Constitution in South Carolina Convention.

GEORGIA.

Appointed delegates by Act of Legislature, February 10, 1787. Commissioned
by Governor, April 17, 1787.

Few, William. Attended Convention May 25. Signed.

Baldwin, Abraham. Attended Convention June n. Signed.

Pierce, William. Attended Convention May 31. Was present in the Con
tinental Congress July 13-September 24.

Walton, George. Did not attend Convention.

Houstoun, William. Attended Convention June I. Left some time after July
1 8.

Pendleton, Nathaniel. Did not attend Convention.

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