[Queen Ann's War] Notables Signed Early RI And Providence Plantations Document

Description: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, established on the east coast of America. It was founded by Roger Williams and was an English colony from 1636 until 1707 when it became a colony of Great Britain until the American Revolutionary War in 1776. At that time, it became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The document offered here was executed just five years after Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became a British colony. It is a very early power of attorney and containing the signatures of two notables, EDWARD THURSTON, “her majesty’s Justice of the Peace,” and JOHN HAMMETT, likely the first clerk of the Assembly. It’s rare to see documents around this period, the same time frame when Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713) was nearing an end. Thurston was involved in the defenses of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Hammett was chosen clerk by the General Assembly when it met to organize and admit freemen. One-page 7 ½ x 11 legal document in which Jeremiah Wilcox of “the town of Newport in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations...ordain, make and in my stead and place...Captain Edward Groove of Newport Mariner commander of the Sprague...to be my true sufficient and lawful attorney...the seventeenth day of September One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twelve...In the eleventh year of Her Majesties Reign Ann Queen of Great Britain...” EDWARD THURSTON, justice of the peace, signed the document attesting that Wilcox came before him “as a voluntary act.” Thurston was chosen commissary to provide all military stores for the colony, an important position for the defense of the colony. Two vessels for war purposes were purchased by the colony and several transports were provided to carry troops to Boston. JOHN HAMMETT was the first clerk chosen by the General Assembly as it was putting together an organization and admitting freemen. His salary was fixed at six shillings a day. Queen Anne’s War was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars involving the empires of Great Britain, France and Spain. The wars were fought seeking control of the North American continent. The Treaty of Utrecht ended the war in 1713, following a preliminary peace in 1712. Some terms were ambiguous in the treaty, and the concerns of various indigenous communities were not included, setting the stage for future conflicts. Many persecuted groups settled in the colony, notably Quakers and Jews. The Rhode Island colony was progressive, passing laws abolishing witchcraft trials, imprisonment for debt and most capital punishment. However, the Rhode Island General Assembly legalized African and Native American slavery throughout the colony in 1703. The slave trade fueled the growth of Providence and Newport into major ports. Rhode Island was the first of the Thirteen Colonies to take up arms against Great Britain in the Gaspee Affair, when an armed group attacked and burned a British Navy ship in June 1772, more than a year before the infamous Boston Tea Party. Toning and some scattered staining. A few small holes in the center fold, affecting very little. Most of the red wax seal present. A couple of fold breaks reinforced on the verso. A great example of early British and American Colonial history. [Some research included] Everything we sell is guaranteed authentic forever to the original buyer. We also offer a 30-day return policy. If you discover a problem or are dissatisfied with an item, please contact us immediately. Our goal is to please every customer. We are pleased to be members of The Manuscript Society, Universal Autograph Collectors Club, The Ephemera Society, the Southern New England Antiquarian Booksellers and the Preferred Autograph Dealers and Auction Houses. [COL 111]

Price: 650 USD

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

End Time: 2025-01-04T20:27:04.000Z

Shipping Cost: 13 USD