{"product_id":"1772-colonial-philadelphia-manuscript-signed-by-mayor-gibson-nantucket","title":"1772 Colonial Philadelphia Manuscript Signed By Mayor Gibson, Nantucket","description":"\u003cp\u003eRare colonial Philadelphia manuscript document dated December 11, 1772 and signed by John Gibson, Mayor of Philadelphia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a highly attractive 1772 Philadelphia mayoral certificate and sworn deposition, signed by John Gibson, Mayor of Philadelphia, concerning the death of a Philadelphia mariner on Nantucket Island.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIdentification\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe document is dated:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 December 1772\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand begins:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I John Gibson Esq. Mayor of the City of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sworn witness is:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElias Soien (or Soren), of the Town of Boston, Mariner\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewho testifies that he personally knew:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilliam Wallace, son of William Wallace, late of Philadelphia, mariner, deceased,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand states that Wallace:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"departed this Life on the Island of Nantucket\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand that the witness:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"attended his Funeral and saw him decently buried.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reverse contains a related estate release dated:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 February 1773\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eexecuted by Samuel Baker, administrator of the estate, concerning a legacy of £250 left under the will of William Wallace. The document references Philadelphia probate matters and the executor Joseph Turner, a prominent Philadelphia merchant. The document therefore forms part of the settlement of a colonial-era estate. The signature of Mayor John Gibson is authentic and contemporaneous. Gibson served as Mayor of Philadelphia in 1771–1773.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistorical Importance\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is considerably more interesting than a routine legal paper because it combines:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eColonial Philadelphia government.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA mayoral certification.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaritime history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNantucket death and burial testimony.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProbate and inheritance settlement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal Philadelphia mayor's signature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePre-Revolutionary War date (1772–1773).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe document also demonstrates how deaths occurring far from home were legally proven before probate courts and estate distributions could proceed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCondition\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComplete manuscript document.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExcellent colonial calligraphy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStrong John Gibson signature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal witness and estate signatures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFold wear and age toning typical of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMinor edge wear and seal loss.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCondition is better than average for a 1772 Philadelphia municipal document.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe document records the sworn testimony of a Boston mariner attesting to the death and burial of William Wallace, son of a Philadelphia mariner, on Nantucket Island. The witness states that he personally attended the funeral and saw Wallace buried.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reverse contains a related 1773 estate and inheritance release concerning a £250 legacy arising from the Wallace estate, providing additional genealogical and probate interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeatures:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSigned by John Gibson, Mayor of Philadelphia\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDated December 11, 1772\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePre-Revolutionary War American manuscript\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNantucket maritime history\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhiladelphia probate and estate settlement\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMultiple original signatures\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComplete document with text on both sides\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn exceptional colonial American legal and maritime document connecting Philadelphia, Boston, and Nantucket only a few years before the American Revolution.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52371754909978,"sku":"EB-327216784971","price":4013.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/57_f34ff49c-9fa9-4407-8c85-7ece05714fa3.jpg?v=1781826853","url":"https:\/\/princetonaudubonprints.com\/en-ca\/products\/1772-colonial-philadelphia-manuscript-signed-by-mayor-gibson-nantucket","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}