Lot 84
1679 Power of Attorney by an Early Settler of Pemaquid, Document signed by Sylvanus Davis, June 9, 1679, one page, 13 x 8¼ inches, Boston, New England, Granting power of attorney to John Morrell, currently at Piscattaway (Maine), New England, to carry out any collection of money on behalf of Davis, as if he were personally present to do the same. Signed at the bottom by Sylvanus Davis with his red wax seal and witnessed by William Kent and Thomas Kemble. Fold wear and edge faults affect a few words of text, else in overall very good shape for such an early Boston document.
Born in 1635, Sylvanus Davis was one of the early settlers of ancient Pemaquid and later of Falmouth, now Portland, Maine. He is first reported as buying land from the Indians in ancient Pemaquid up the Damariscotta River in June of 1659; he bought more land from the Indians in 1665 and 1694, as well as from other settlers; he also received land grants from the colonial government. Davis established himself as a coastal trader, harvested timber from the Norumbega tidewater and brought this timber to Portland, Boston and other coastal communities until the beginning of the Indian Wars in 1676. After 1673, Davis was an agent for the Clark and Lake Company on Arrowsic Island and was there in 1676 when the Indians attacked the Clark and Lake settlement and fort at the southeasterly point of the island. He was badly wounded but managed to escape, as noted in The History of the State of Maine by Williamson. Davis is listed in Noyes ' Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire.
Estimated Value $400 - 600
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| Realized $552 |
