{"product_id":"rare-1814-war-of-1812-privateer-crew-document-brigantine-portsmouth-prize-money-power-of-attorney-signed-by-officers-crew-portsmouth-new-hampshire","title":"Rare War of 1812 Privateer Archive – Brigantine Portsmouth – Complete Prize Money Papers, Crew Rosters \u0026 Certified Copy – Portsmouth, New Hampshire – 1814","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"3314081d-8cfd-43dd-8ad5-e662e1086296\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-5\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"160\" data-end=\"609\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eAn extraordinary and museum-worthy archive documenting one of the best-known American privateers of the \u003cstrong data-start=\"264\" data-end=\"279\"\u003eWar of 1812\u003c\/strong\u003e. This collection consists of the original legal instruments executed by the officers and crew of the celebrated \u003cstrong data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"429\"\u003eprivateer brigantine \u003cem data-start=\"415\" data-end=\"427\"\u003ePortsmouth\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e together with multiple contemporary crew rosters and a certified notarial copy, all relating to the distribution of prize money earned during the vessel's successful first cruise.\u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"611\" data-end=\"1151\"\u003eExecuted at \u003cstrong data-start=\"623\" data-end=\"652\"\u003ePortsmouth, New Hampshire\u003c\/strong\u003e, on \u003cstrong data-start=\"657\" data-end=\"676\"\u003eAugust 16, 1814\u003c\/strong\u003e, the principal manuscript appoints \u003cstrong data-start=\"712\" data-end=\"728\"\u003eAbraham Shaw\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"733\" data-end=\"753\"\u003eEnoch S. Parrott\u003c\/strong\u003e as the lawful attorneys for the officers and crew, authorizing them to collect, litigate, receive, and distribute all prize money arising from captures made by the privateer. The attorneys were empowered to appear before government officials and courts, settle all claims, recover funds due the crew, and distribute each sailor's allotted share after deducting an agreed \u003cstrong data-start=\"1125\" data-end=\"1150\"\u003e2½ percent commission\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1153\" data-end=\"1729\"\u003eAccompanying the original instrument is a \u003cstrong data-start=\"1195\" data-end=\"1237\"\u003ecertified copy dated November 15, 1814\u003c\/strong\u003e, signed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1249\" data-end=\"1278\"\u003eJames Ladd, Notary Public\u003c\/strong\u003e, bearing his original embossed notarial seal and certifying that it is a true copy of the executed power of attorney. Also included are multiple original manuscript crew roster sheets listing the officers and seamen entitled to prize shares. Together, these documents preserve the names of well over \u003cstrong data-start=\"1579\" data-end=\"1607\"\u003e100 identifiable members\u003c\/strong\u003e of the \u003cem data-start=\"1615\" data-end=\"1627\"\u003ePortsmouth\u003c\/em\u003e's company, making the archive an exceptional resource for maritime historians and genealogists alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1731\" data-end=\"2751\"\u003eThe papers include Captain \u003cstrong data-start=\"1758\" data-end=\"1776\"\u003eThomas M. Shaw\u003c\/strong\u003e together with an extensive roster of officers and crew, including Benjamin Damrell, Nathan Walden, Amos Williams, Brackett Johnson, Joseph S. March, Henry Trevett, James Stimson, John Middlehunt, William Francis, Robert Smith, John Aiken, Carter Gale, George Granard, William Oxford, Peter Prince, Thomas Warner, James Roxbury, George Lang, Robert Holmes, John McCann, William Carter, John Lewis, Thomas Waldrip, Joseph Paul, Caleb Hopkins, Joseph White, John Fitzgerald, Snow Jones, John Hunter, George Frost, Thomas J. Keyes, Peter Jewett, John Riddell, James McKeen, James Saunders, Andrew C. Pierce, George S. Wentworth, Nathaniel Todd, William Prince, William Turner, Oliver Brooks, John U. Rollins, Benjamin Buck, Samuel Prescott, Thomas Hutchings, Samuel Trickey, Rufus Willey, Isaac B. Shepherd, Thomas Buckland, Charles H. Schroeder, Henry A. Randall, David Davis, Asa Veazey, and many dozens of additional Portsmouth mariners identified throughout the manuscripts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2753\" data-end=\"3415\"\u003eThe \u003cstrong data-start=\"2757\" data-end=\"2778\"\u003ebrig \u003cem data-start=\"2764\" data-end=\"2776\"\u003ePortsmouth\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e was among New Hampshire's most successful privateers during the War of 1812, capturing numerous British merchant vessels and generating substantial prize money for her owners and crew. While letters of marque, commissions, and individual prize claims occasionally appear on the market, surviving archives that combine the executed power of attorney, certified copy, and extensive crew rosters are exceptionally rare. These papers provide a remarkable insight into the legal and financial administration of American privateering and preserve one of the most complete surviving records of a privateering crew's entitlement to prize money.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3417\" data-end=\"3754\"\u003eThe archive remains in \u003cstrong data-start=\"3440\" data-end=\"3463\"\u003every good condition\u003c\/strong\u003e, with bold manuscript throughout, original folds from period use, minor edge wear and small fold separations consistent with age, and an attractive embossed notarial seal on the certified copy. Overall presentation is excellent, with outstanding research, exhibition, and display potential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3756\" data-end=\"4277\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eThis is an exceptional opportunity to acquire a substantial and historically important \u003cstrong data-start=\"3843\" data-end=\"3875\"\u003eWar of 1812 maritime archive\u003c\/strong\u003e documenting one of New Hampshire's most successful privateering vessels. Combining original legal documents, certified copies, and extensive crew rosters, the archive represents a significant survival of early American naval and commercial history and would be equally at home in an advanced private collection, maritime museum, institutional archive, or serious collection of War of 1812 manuscripts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"pointer-events-none -mb-px h-px w-full opacity-0\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"19\" data-end=\"277\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003el.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52597787754778,"sku":null,"price":8950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_1861.jpg?v=1785238673","url":"https:\/\/princetonaudubonprints.com\/products\/rare-1814-war-of-1812-privateer-crew-document-brigantine-portsmouth-prize-money-power-of-attorney-signed-by-officers-crew-portsmouth-new-hampshire","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}