|
Sale 58
|
|
press UP arrow key to increase the zoom ratio.
press DOWN arrow key to decrease the zoom ratio.
press RIGHT arrow key to increase the zoom window size.
press LEFT arrow key to decrease the zoom window size.
|
|
Lot 50
Hooper, William (1742-1790) Signer of the Declaration of Independence from North Carolina. Autograph Letter Signed "Wm Hooper," one page plus integral address leaf, 12¼ x 7½ in., Head of Elk (Maryland), Friday Evening. Undated, but March 1776. Integral leaf addressedd by Hooper to "The Honourable Joseph Hewes esquire / one of the Delegates for the Province of North Carolina at Philadelphia." Docketed "Wm Hooper" by Hewes.
The letter reads in full: "My dear Friend With my usual care (you'll say) I left my Watch at Mrs. Withys in Chester, where it still remains. Whether I hung it on a Chair at my Bedside, or omitted to bring it from the Privy, I am not very certain. Be so kind as to write her & desire her to send it to you. I wish I may be equal to the long Journey I have undertaken, I find no disa[gree]able change yet, I have some appetite, & Mr. [Pe]nn with his usual flow of Conversation will assist to keep up my spirits. Remember me kindly to my Congress friends & assure them that purely from Indisposition I failed to bid them a formal Adieu. My best Wishes attend them. Let me earnestly recommend to you to pay great Attention to your Health than you at present do & to use more exercise. My warmest wishes are for your perfect Recovery. I am most affectionately / Yours / Wm Hooper." A seal tear at left edge affected three letters of the word "disagreeable" and two and a half letters of the name "Penn"; paper loss from the small seal tear and the missing letters have been replaced. William Hooper, John Penn (who was Hooper's companion on this trip), and Joseph Hewes comprised North Carolina'a delegation to the Continental Congress; all three of them signed the Declaration of Independence. Mrs. Withy's Inn, a boarding house about 15 miles south of Independence Hall in Chester, Pennsylvania, owned by widow Mary Withy, is probably where Hooper stayed while attending Congress.
William Hooper and John Penn left Philadelphia for North Carolina in March 1776 to attend its Fourth Provincial Congress, which met in Halifax, North Carolina from April 4th through May 14, 1776. In a letter written by Joseph Hewes on Wednesday, March 27, 1776, to Robert Smith, his shipping business partner in North Carolina, Hewes says, "Unless Hooper or Penn should return I cannot leave the Congress. I dare not leave our Province unrepresented, or perhaps you might get some trusty person to come express in the service of the Province in case they should think such a thing Necessary to bring any particular information." Hooper's letter was penned on "Friday Evening," from Head of Elk (today, Elkton), Maryland, which is about 30 miles south of Chester, Pa., so it was written on his way to North Carolina, most likely on Friday, March 15 or 22. On April 12, 1776, the 83 delegates present at the Provincial Congress of North Carolina, including Hooper and Penn, unanimously adopted the following resolution: "Resolved that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be empowered to concur with the delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency," thereby becoming the first colony to authorize its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence. The date "April 12, 1776" appears on both the flag and the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina.
Hooper letters written in 1776 are exceedingly rare. Only a handful have ever been sold at auction. This letter is in fine condition. It is written on laid, watermarked paper and is boldly penned and signed. It is especially desirable because it is from William Hooper to Joseph Hewes and mentions John Penn and their "long Journey" to Halifax, North Carolina, where Hooper, Penn, and Hewes would be authorized to vote for independence, the first delegates so authorized by any colony. This letter would be an extraordinary addition to a Signers collection.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 20,000.
|
| |
| Realized $13,513 |
|
