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1768 Colonial RI. Whale Oil Manuscript Shipping Receipt, Samuel + William Vernon

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:325.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 500.00 USD
1768 Colonial RI. Whale Oil Manuscript Shipping Receipt, Samuel + William Vernon
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Colonial America
1768 Colonial Whale Oil Manuscript Shipping Document
January 1, 1768-Dated, Manuscript Document, Receipt for "6 Boxes Spermacity Candles," bought by Messrs. Samuel & William Vernon, Newport (RI), Framed, Choice Very Fine.
January 1, 1768-Dated, Manuscript Document, 1 page, 8.5” x 6”, matted and framed to an overall size of 16” x 17.5”, Newport, (RI). Being a clean well written bold looking receipt for "6 Boxes Spermacity Candles," bought by Messrs. Samuel & Wm. Vernon from James Robinson for £418.7. Samuel (1711-1792) and William Vernon (1719-1806), who both later supported the American Revolution, jointly ran a shipping firm. William also served as President of the Continental Navy Board. Spermaceti was the waxy substance found in the head cavity of the sperm whale and in the oils of other whales. Between 1768 and 1772, whale oil accounted for 53 percent of all Sterling earned by direct exports to Great Britain from the northern colonies. Also framed together with this handsome receipt is a 6.75” x 1.25” Hand-printed informational plaque with historical notes on the Colonial Whaling Industry. Professionally double-matted and beautifully (and expensively) framed under Plexiglas, and is ready to hand on display.
Biography:

Samuel Vernon (1683-1737) and his wife, Elizabeth Fleet, lived in Newport, Rhode Island, where he held many public offices. Their eight children included Samuel (1711-1792), Thomas (1718-1784), and William (1719-1806).

Thomas, a merchant and Royal Postmaster, was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. Samuel and William, were both Patriots who supported the American Revolution, jointly ran a shipping firm. William also served as president of the Continental Navy Board. Samuel and his wife, Amey Ward, had ten children; William and his wife, Judith Harwood, had three children.

Samuel and William Vernon Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan - Collection Scope and Content Note:

The Vernon collection (30 items) is made up of business correspondence and financial records pertaining to the shipping business of Samuel and William Vernon of Newport, Rhode Island. Correspondence (6 items) includes 5 letters to the Vernon brothers about their financial affairs, and about shipments and prices of goods such as rum, cotton, flour, and wine. One correspondent from Spain mentioned the resumption of trade after the end of the French and Indian War (April 18, 1763). The last letter is an unsigned draft letter to John Parish related to North American and Caribbean commerce in May 1777.

The collection contains 24 receipts, accounts, invoices, and bills of lading pertaining to the Vernon brothers' financial affairs from the 1750s-1780s. Most of the material concerns shipments of rum and foodstuffs such as flour, rice, cheese, and pork; many shipments were sent from Newport to Philadelphia. Some items are signed by or otherwise concern Josiah Hewes, who worked with the Vernon brothers.