| Sale: | Private Collection Thursday March 18th at 6:00 p.m. IMPORTANT AUCTION OF HISTORIC ARMS, MILITARIA, AMERICANA AND ARTWORK FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF JAMES L, KOCHAN The Lukens-Lenox Papers, c. 1740-c. 1870 |
|
The Lukens-Lenox Papers, c. 1740-c. 1870
Perhaps the most significant offering in this outstanding sale is the Lukens-Lenox Collection, which consist of the Colonial and Revolutionary era papers of John Lukens (1720-1789), who served as the surveyor-general of Pennsylvania from 1764 until his death, as well as those of his son-in-law, David Lenox --Revolutionary War officer, merchant, Federal marshal, diplomat, and president of the 1st Bank of the United States. Consisting of correspondence, public and private business documents, deeds, manuscript survey maps and plats, and rare imprints, it is probably the most important, intact collection relating to the colonial and Revolutionary history of Pennsylvania to be offered in the past half-century or more. Correspondence includes letters to- and from the following individuals: John Armstrong, William Bingham, Elias Boudinot, Richard Butler, John Cadwallader, George Clymer, Albert Gallatin, Francis Hopkinson, John Jay, Rufus King, Tobias Lear, Robert Lenox, Thomas McKean, Timothy Matlack, Thomas Mifflin, Samuel and William Maclay, James Monroe, Gouvenor, Morris, Robert Morris, Moses Meyers, Richard Peters, John and Thomas Penn, Edmund Randolph, George Read, Joseph Reed, George Ross, Nicholas and William Scull, Robert Stockton, Thomas Wharton, James Wilson, Thomas Willing, Oliver Wolcott, and George Washington. the Whiskey Rebellion, post-war diplomatic relations with Britain, the War of 1812, and the early banking history of the United States. The collection, now fully organized chronologically and topically, will be sold in four thematic lots. The Lukens portion of the collection, the greater portion of the collection in terms of sheer mass, is principally focused on Lukens careeer as a surveyor and later Surveyor General for Pennsylvania, land acquisition and personal business. As such, it will be sold in its entirety as a single lot. Lenox had a more varied career as banker, lawyer, soldier, and public servant and thus, his collection will be sold in three lots or thematic groupings. A finding aid has been prepared for all four lots and serious, prospective buyers are advised to schedule a private viewing of the manuscripts prior to the sale. A detailed guide to the collection in MS Word can be emailed upon request, or hard copies furnished at a modest costs. Lot A.  The Lukens Papers are like an American 'Forsythe Saga', with John Lukens being the charismatic head of a family that built its wealth and social status upon land speculation and public service in a few decades during the mid 18th century--only to have it diminished and eventually lost by his children and their offspring through an unfortunate series of events, such as war, business reversals, premature death, and misadventure (including drinking, gambling, and illicit affairs). Major topical areas include the exploration and settlement of the Pennsylvania frontier, Land Office business, Indian relations, the Pennamite War with Connecticut over the Wyoming Valley, the Revolutionary War, land speculation, and personal matters. Some four-plus linear feet of this collection is now properly organized and housed in archival boxes and containers. There are more than 50 survey maps, plats and diagrams within this fine collection. $45,000/75,000 Lot B.  This lot contains the personal and business correspondence of David Lenox and his wife Tacy Lukens Lenox. It covers his service in the Revolutionary War, his work as a lawyer and merchant from the late 1770s until the 1790s, and his later business transactions outside of banking and financing, as well as public service. This collection also includes Tacy private correspondence with her husband, family and friends. Approx. 1 linear foot. $8500/16,000 Lot C.  Papers relating to David Lenox's service as Federal marshal of the district of Pennsylvania, 1794-1795. Lenox, while serving writs of appearance to western farmer-distillers (who had refused to pay the new Federal excise tax on whiskey), had nearly been killed when confronted by a mob of angry, rifle-armed rebels. Among these papers is also the draft of a letter sent by Lenox in 1795 to President Washington, urging an acquittal for a rebel who had earlier saved his life (then in prison awaiting trial, following his capture during the military suppression of the insurrection). One such "choice" item is an original manuscript copy of the famous "Pittsburgh Resolve" of 31 July 1794, written by a committee of town residents to placate the rural "insurgents", who had threatened to burn the town as a hotbed of Federalist opposition, during the "Whiskey Rebellion" of 1793-95. Correspondents include Oliver Wolcott, Edmund Randolph, and George Washington. $12,000/30,000 Lot D.  Papers relating to Lenox's service as Agent for the United States to the Court of St. James during 1799-1801. Most of the correspondence relates to the ransom or exchange of American seaman seized by French or British prisoners during the Quasi- and French Revolutionary Wars. Correspondents include Rufus King, James Monroe, and Timothy Pickering. $10,000/20,000 Lot E.  Papers relating to Lenox's career as a President of the Bank of the United States, including its dissolution and the role of Lenox and his brother Robert, in the development of other banks and financing schemes, including plans for assuming the Federal war debt during the War of 1812. Correspondents include Robert Lenox, Stephen Girard, Moses Myers, and Gouverneur Morris. $10,000/25,000 |
||
| Previous :Page 7 | ||