Lot 214
Grace, Robert - A Co-founder of the Library Company of Philadelphia. Autograph letter signed ("Rob. Grace"), one page with integral docket leaf, 7½ x 6", Philadelphia, July 29, 1739. To Mr. John Yeates, a merchant in Barbados, ordering that once Yeats has received the debt owed Grace by Conrad Adams, the balance of Grace's account should be shipped to him in rum if it could be bought at 15 pence per gallon, otherwise to send cash. Minor soiling, else fine. Written on Rittenhouse Paper Mill watermarked paper. Penned and signed boldly in dark ink.
Grace's family came from Barbados in the early 1700s. He was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin and, with Franklin, was one of the original founders of the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. The first shipment of books, ordered from England, were housed in Grace's home on Jones Street until the Library's building was ready. The Library Company is still in existence today, housing many rare prints and books about Philadelphia.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
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