1791 Thomas Mifflin Signed Pennsylvania Land Patent – Elizabeth Dunwoody – York County – Vellum – "Elizabeth's Retreat"
An original Commonwealth of Pennsylvania land patent issued on April 7, 1791, during the administration of Governor Thomas Mifflin, Revolutionary War general, signer of the United States Constitution, and the first Governor of Pennsylvania under the Commonwealth's 1790 Constitution. The document grants 61 acres in Reading Township, York County, to Elizabeth Dunwoody, the tract being identified by its original name, "Elizabeth's Retreat."
Beautifully executed in large eighteenth-century manuscript hand on vellum, the patent conveys the property with detailed metes-and-bounds descriptions and references the original survey completed on June 13, 1787. The reverse bears period docketing identifying the grantee, acreage, and county, together with recording information noting enrollment in the Pennsylvania Patent Books on April 8, 1791. Original embossed Commonwealth paper seals remain attached, and the registration endorsement is signed by Mark Irwin, Master of the Rolls.
Pennsylvania land patents from the first years of statehood are among the most desirable official documents of the early Republic, particularly those signed by Thomas Mifflin. Combining Revolutionary War history, early western settlement, and outstanding calligraphic presentation, this is an exceptional display piece and an important artifact of Pennsylvania's post-Revolutionary land system.
Condition: Original folds, scattered age toning, minor edge wear, seal reinforcements, and light staining consistent with age. Ink remains dark and highly legible. A handsome and highly collectible eighteenth-century Pennsylvania land patent suitable for display or institutional collection.
An original Commonwealth of Pennsylvania land patent issued on April 7, 1791, during the administration of Governor Thomas Mifflin, Revolutionary War general, signer of the United States Constitution, and the first Governor of Pennsylvania under the Commonwealth's 1790 Constitution. The document grants 61 acres in Reading Township, York County, to Elizabeth Dunwoody, the tract being identified by its original name, "Elizabeth's Retreat."
Beautifully executed in large eighteenth-century manuscript hand on vellum, the patent conveys the property with detailed metes-and-bounds descriptions and references the original survey completed on June 13, 1787. The reverse bears period docketing identifying the grantee, acreage, and county, together with recording information noting enrollment in the Pennsylvania Patent Books on April 8, 1791. Original embossed Commonwealth paper seals remain attached, and the registration endorsement is signed by Mark Irwin, Master of the Rolls.
Pennsylvania land patents from the first years of statehood are among the most desirable official documents of the early Republic, particularly those signed by Thomas Mifflin. Combining Revolutionary War history, early western settlement, and outstanding calligraphic presentation, this is an exceptional display piece and an important artifact of Pennsylvania's post-Revolutionary land system.
Condition: Original folds, scattered age toning, minor edge wear, seal reinforcements, and light staining consistent with age. Ink remains dark and highly legible. A handsome and highly collectible eighteenth-century Pennsylvania land patent suitable for display or institutional collection.
