Postal History
VERY EARLY 1811 stampless folded letter written from Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts and sent to a prominent military man while stationed at For Detroit in Michigan Territory !! A rare destination indeed !!
The writers implore him to quit his war duties and move back to Rehoboth. This letter was sent to Fort Detroit only a year before the Fort came under siege by the British - see SCANS, TRANSCRIPT and RESEARCH NOTES below.
Postmarks are a bit of a mystery to me. There is a black circular date stamp - which could be Norwich since there a notation of James Elllis (the writer) in Norwich (even though the dateline is Rehoboth). However, there\'s also a manuscript (Cape...??) and a rate mark of 50 cents.
Letter is intact with edge wear. Still a great piece with a rare destination.
This letter was written by James Ellis (1769-1854), the son of Rev. John Ellis, Jr. (1726-1805) and Bethia Palmer (1725-1814). James was married to Martha Bridgham (1770-1832) and resided inn Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts.
James Ellis wrote the letter to his niece\'s husband, Col. Jacob Kingsbury (1756-1837), a native of Franklin County, Connecticut. In 1775, Kingsbury enlisted as a private in the Continental Army. He served in General Anthony Wayne’s Indian campaigns and was promoted to lieutenant of infantry in 1789. On November 24, 1799, he married Sarah Palmer Ellis (1774-1857), the daughter of Benjamin Ellis (1752-1825) and Rosanna Thayer (1754-1774). Upon promotion, Lieutenant Colonel Kingsbury was given command of Fort Wilkinson, Georgia, and later was one of the principal builders of the fort at Bellefontaine near St. Louis. He was promoted to colonel inspector-general before retiring from the army in 1815. After retiring, he returned to his family home in Franklin, Connecticut, where he died on July 1, 1837.
TRANSCRIPTION
Addressed to Col. Jacob Kingsbury, Fort Detroit, Michigan Territory
Rehoboth [Bristol County, Massachusetts]
January 24th 1811
Dear Sir,
In company with my niece Rosanna, ¹I have been to Pawtucket to examine relative to the title that she and her sister have to certain real estate lying in that village. I find there is a small lot that they are heirs to which comes in the Palmer line by Will; the lot is small -- say 30 rods of land, & perhaps from its local situation it may sell for 50 or 60 $. Be it more or less, it is worth saving & whatever it sells for I will let you know immediately after the sale, and the one third part, which will appertain to you in right of your wife will be subject to your order. The documents which you forwarded me under cover of the 7th of September last, are sufficient to authorize me to dispose of the right, and at the opening of the spring, the business will be attended to.
Since the receipt of your letter, I have also received a letter from Capt. Stark & wife in which they not only authorize me to make the sale of their right, but direct me to pay over the amounts to Rosanna as a free gratuity from them.
When may we expect to see you in New England? I should suppose that you had spent a sufficient portion of your time in the active defense of your country; that age, connections, property, and the enjoyment of social life would induce you to quit the scenes of war & return to the bosom of your friends, the land of your nativity. We should be gratified & we hope before long to realize the pleasure of seeing you abandon the field of Mars & at times enjoying the company of yourself & lady by the social fireside in the Land of Rehoboth. Present my love to my niece. May she & you & your children ever enjoy the benedictions of Heaven.
Yours respectfully, -- James Ellis
[To] Col. Jacob Kingsbury -- my nephew!!!!!
¹ Probably Rosanna Thayer Ellis (1782-1856). She died of consumption at the age of 74 in Dudley, Massachusetts. She was the sister of Col. Jacob Kingsbury\'s wife Sarah.
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$2.00 postage in the United States, and only $ 3.00 elsewhere. We accept paypal.We combine postage for multiple purchases. Postal insurance and registration extra. We\'re members of the American Philatelic Society. We\'ve been selling on since July 1998 and - thanks to the support of customers like you - have a 100% response rating.offer WITH CONFIDENCE!
