Search Results: Titles starting with L from Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc.

NANCY ASTOR (1879-1964). Astor was the first woman to sit in the British Parliament. She was elected to the House of Commons in December 1919. She served in Parliament for over a quarter century and was known for her wit and her feud with Winston Churchill. TLS. 1pg. 8” x 10 ½”. July 27, 1920. London. A typed letter signed “Nancy Astor” with a postscript “How well I remember those day at dear Grandma Agassiz”. She wrote to Mrs. Cornelius Felton on Boston: “It was indeed kind of you to write to me on May 23td, and I deeply appreciate your letter. It is such letters as yours that comfort and encourage me in what are often very difficult days. Though I greatly appreciate the privilege of being the first woman to enter Parliament in England, it has certainly entailed many sacrifices, the greatest of which is having to be away so much from my children!” The letter has mailing folds and the original envelope is included.

WILLIAM BINGHAM (1752-1804). Bingham was a Senator and Continental Congressman from Philadelphia, as well as one of the richest men in the United States at the time. THOMAS MIFFLIN (1744-1800). Mifflin was a politician, soldier, and Founding Father from Pennsylvania. DS. 1pg. December 18, 1794. An oversized document signed “Tho Mifflin” as Governor of Pennsylvania. It is a partially-printed land deed engrossed by another hand, made out to William Bingham. “… Know ye, That in consideration of the monies paid by Robert Gilmore into the Receiver-General’s office of this Commonwealth at the granting of the Warrant herein after mentioned and of the sum of five pounds eleven shillings & six pence lawful money now paid by William Bingham Esq. into said office there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto the said William Bingham a certain tract of land called ‘Cheshunt’ situate in the late Purchase Dist. No. 4 Northumberland County Beginning at a beech thence by his other land west five… Read More

(EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND). Archive. 14 pieces. 1710-1864. Queen Anne’s County and Caroline County, Maryland. An archive of fourteen legal documents relating to land ownership on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Most of the documents date to the mid 18th and early 19th centuries and relate to the estates of Hackton and Bayard’s Large Range, and areas along the Tuckahoe Creek. Prominent Maryland residents whose names appear in the several hand indentures include Scottish-born businessman Francis Sellers, his father-in-law Henry Downes, John and William Tillotron, and the Troup family. The majority of the documents are land indentures; other contents include hand-drawn maps and wills. The archive is in good to fair condition, with tears, toning, and water stains. Highlights include: a) 2pgs. April 23, 1741 – October 3, 1743. A survey of land in Queen Anne’s County, belonging to John Bayard. Surveyed, written, and signed by “George G. Brewer”. Damp-stained. b) DS. 2pgs. February 6, 1812 –… Read More

PS. PS. 9” x 12”. No date. No place. A printed photograph signed “Leslie Howard” in blue ink on the lower border. This was cleanly removed from a program for his performance of Hamlet and there is information about the production on the back. The image measures 6 ½” x 8 ¼”and is in extremely fine condition.

SIMON CAMERON (1799-1889). Cameron was an important nineteenth-century politician. In addition to serving as a Senator from Pennsylvania for eighteen years in three separate periods, he was Lincoln’s Secretary of War from 1861 to 1862. Archive. 39 pieces. 1831-1889. An archive of letters and other documents signed by Simon Cameron, including numerous signed as U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. There is also one letter written to Cameron as Secretary of War. The recipients are primarily fellow politicians, particularly those with Pennsylvania origins. Topics include business, politics, law, and pleasantries. Letters date from the beginning of his political career through the last year of his life. All are signed “Simon Cameron” unless otherwise noted. All are in very good condition or better unless otherwise noted.

The Last Leaf: Voices of History’s Last Known Survivors (Prometheus Books, 2010), by Stuart Lutz, contains nearly forty interviews with the final survivor of, or last eyewitness to, historically important events. The book is written by author and historical document expert Stuart Lutz. The chapters include the last Civil War widows (the last only died eighteen months ago), the final American World War I soldier (he just turned 109), the last living person to have flown with Amelia Earhart, Houdini’s final stage assistant, the last suffragette, the final Iwo Jima flag raiser, the last designer of the ENIAC (the first computer), the final Medal of Honor recipient for actions on Pearl Harbor Day, the last pitcher to surrender a home run to Babe Ruth, the final employees of Thomas Edison and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many more. All told, the stories contain hope, loss, bravery, innovation, exploration, determination and every other human trait. No book like The Last Leaf had ever been done. Signed… Read More

ALONZO “LON” POLING (1854-1948). Poling was a Deputy United States Marshal in Oklahoma. ALS. 1pg. August 18, 1897. Lone Wolf, Oklahoma Territory. An autograph letter signed “Lon Poling”. Poling wrote to Judge John Embry in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The letter mentions Poling’s indictment for shooting someone named Baker, which seems to have caused him problems when applying for a later position. “Dear Sir and Friend: - I am making application for examination for rural carrier here and the enclosed printed slip is one of the questions I am required to answer and furnish papers as you see. I have secured the necessary abstract of court proceedings of my case in Chandler where I was tried for shooting Baker (the only time I was ever indicted) and would like a statement from you in accordance with part of printed slip which I have enclosed in parenthesis. Hoping you will give this your attention and thanking you in advance for the favor I remain, Yours very resp. Lon Poling”. In good condition… Read More

ARTHUR ST. CLAIR (1737-1818). St. Clair was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution, although he was relieved of his command during the war. He was later President of the Continental Congress. ADS. 1pg. 13” x 4”. October 18, 1771. Bedford, Pennsylvania. An autograph legal document signed “Ar St. Clair”: “George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great-Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. To the Sheriff of Bedford County, GREETING. We command you, that of the Goods and Chattles, Lands and Tenements of John Martin late of your County yeoman otherwise called John Martin Peddler living in Allen Township in Cumberland County in your Bailiwick, you cause to be levied as well a certain Debt of fifty seven pounds four shillings and three pence which William and Samuel Corey lately in Our County Court of Common Pleas, before Our Justices at Bedford, recovered against him as also sixty five Shillings and nine pence which to the said William and Samuel in Our… Read More

(DIVORCE). DS. 5pgs. March 17, 1920. Anderson County, Tennessee. A typed legal document from the divorce of S. R. Worthington and Leona Worthington. It transcribes Leona Worthington’s answers in cross examination. “For answer this defendant says: 1. That she admits that she and the complainant were married April 3, 1919, and that they separated on or about July 20, 1919…Defendant denies that a short time after their marriage she commence to nag and abuse complainant and kept that up constantly…On one occasion the complainant had so abused the defendant by making various and divers accusations against her and she told him that he had acted the rascal. She further denies that she ever so abused and quarreled with the complainant and treated him so cruel and inhuman that she drove him from his own home; and she further denies that she ever so abused him that he was forced to leave his bed and go up-stairs to try to get a little sleep and rest; and that she went up-stairs and insisted that he… Read More

AM. The temperance movement, an attempt to abolish alcohol from America, took hold in the late 19th Century. Its best known representatives are Carrie Nation, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Prohibition. AM. 7pp. 5” x 8”. No date. No place. An autograph poem entitled “A Suggestion To Need Of Our Nation”, praising the temperance movement: “…In course direct to each and all In a ‘temperance’ line As a career of uprightedness Ever true to a man’s life When met with books of instruction Through and in ‘hours of time’ For that ‘Guiding Star’ of one’s parents In this our nation’s strife To that turn which may unto one And all in manner guide To assistance of poor and weak Who have fully abstained From the habit of destruction Great in the liquor tide To that…of life whereby Nature’s arm is sustained So that ‘Noble Guidance’ in strength Of ‘Powerful Trust’ divine Which is permitted with care Unto churchmen direct To the parents of all vote In… Read More

CHARLES A. WOODRUFF (1845-1920). Woodruff was an Army General. LS. 3pgs. 8” x 10”. June 26, 1883. Santa Fe, New Mexico. A letter signed “C. A. Woodruff” as Army Chief Commissary Officer in New Mexico. On official “Headquarters District of New Mexico Office of the Chief Commissary of Subsistence” letterhead, Woodruff wrote to a post commander about a contract to provide beef to his post. The letter is lengthy, with much legal content concerning procedures to finalize the contract. “Sir: Enclosed herewith please find contract in quintriplicate for supply of fresh beef on the block at your post. For signature of Francis H Creamer of Engle New Mexico who was awarded the contract for next fiscal year. Also duplicate bonds for the contractors and sureties signatures…Please satisfy yourself as to responsibility of bondsmen. The certificate of identity on the bond should be made by a judge of a U.S. Court – a U.S. District Attorney or by some other civil official of the U.S. If the before… Read More

LESLIE COMBS (1793-1881). Combs was a long-time Kentucky lawyer and politician affiliated with the Whig and, later, Republican parties. He served under William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812, in the Kentucky House of Representatives for four nonconsecutive terms, including as Speaker in 1846, and was Clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals from 1860 to 1866. His eldest son was Minister to Guatemala, Honduras and Peru under President Theodore Roosevelt. ALS. 1 pg. 8” x 10”. September 11, 1861. Frankfort. An autographed letter signed “Leslie Combs” to “G.D. Prentice & Co.”. “I congratulate you on your morning paper – It has already done good – I have this day distributed the inclosed [sic] Union hymn in both - Print with a word or two”. G.D. Prentice is George D. Prentice (1802-1870), the creator of the Louisville Journal. Though a slaveholder, Prentice turned the nativist Journal (he is blamed for inciting an anti-immigrant riot that killed 22 in 1855) into a Unionist… Read More

LOUIS-RENÉ MADELAINE LA VASSOR, COMTE DE LA TOUCHE-TRÉVILLE (1745-1804). The Count De la Touche was a French admiral who served in the American and French Revolutions, as well as the Napoleonic Wars. LS. 2pgs. December 14, 1786. Paris. A letter signed “De la Touche”. In French, the Admiral De la Touche wrote to the Marquis de Lotbinière regarding a Naval volunteer. The letter dates to the period between the American and French Revolutions. In translation, it reads: “Even though I have the greatest desire, dear Marquis, to do what is possible to make M. Laudrier Desbordes happy, it is impossible for him to embark as 1st class volunteer if he does not have the required three actual years of service at sea. In case that he cannot fulfill that requirement, issued last January 1, he will qualify as 2nd class volunteer, to which the two campaigns that he has already participated in entitle him. You have inspired my infinite interest in him, dear Marquis, and I will be happy to provide support for… Read More

(BLEEDING KANSAS). Taking place between 1854 and 1861, Bleeding Kansas refers to violence between pro and anti-slavery forces regarding the status of slavery in Kansas. Bleeding Kansas ended when Kansas became a free state in 1861. ALS. 1pg. September 29, 1858. Ogden, Kansas Territory. An autograph letter signed “Ira Norris” to James W. Denver, the Territorial Governor of Kansas. Norris explored the Midwest and worked in territorial politics during the mid Nineteenth Century. He wrote from Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period: “Dear Sir Mr. Mobuly informs me that you intended coming up here the coming week. I wish to see you particularly before you leave the Territory, and should you not be able to come here I will take the train to go to Lecompton. Do me the favor to drop me a line and inform us if we may expect you ere, also about what train you will leave for Washington. Very Respectfully Yours truly Ira Norris”. The Lecompton Constitution was a proposed pro-slavery state… Read More

JAMES A. BRIGGS (1811-1889). Briggs was a prominent Nineteenth Century strategist and journalist best known for coining the famous 1840 campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too: and for helping Abraham Lincoln receive the Republican nomination in 1860. SCHUYLER COLFAX (1823-1885). Colfax served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1863 and 1869, and as the Vice President under President Ulysses S. Grant. ALS. 2 pg. 8” x 10”. April 27, 1863. New York. An autograph letter written and signed by “James A. Briggs” to “Colfax” discussing major political issues of the day. Briggs details the challengers Colfax may face in the Speaker’s race, principally from the Blair family given their national influence: “Will you please send me if you have the Report of the Com. on the Conduct of the War & the testimony accompanying the same…Are you laying springs for the Speaker’s Chair? You must go to work quietly but surely for the place. It seems to me that you are there… Read More

ALS. 2pg. 7 ¾” x 9 ¾”. 12 May, 1839. Roxbury, Massachusetts. An autograph letter signed “Geo. Putnam” and addressed to N.I. Bowditch, the son of famed mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), who had died a year earlier. In the letter, Putnam lavishes both the younger and elder Bowditch with great praise after reading the son’s memoir of his father. : “…I have devoured the contents at once notwithstanding the crowding + imperative engagements of Saturday night + Sunday. Your father’s name has for some time been making its way to the very head of my saints’ calendar. I venerate + love his memory as truly + dearly as any one can who was almost a stranger to him living. I am indebted to him for higher ideas of integrity + worth. He has lived for me – I realize that, he has, as truly tho very differently, as for you. I am wiser for the time at least, better for his having lived + died, + found worthy memorialists. I have now, I believe, all the memorials of your fathers… Read More

ALS. 3pgs. April 18, 1866. Port Ludlow, Washington Territory. An autograph letter signed “Arthur Phinney”. Phinney wrote to Washington Territory’s Governor, William Pickering concerning the welfare of a disabled Naval veteran named Martin Bescente, who was residing in Washington Territory. Pickering was deeply invested in providing aid and treatment to the disabled and mentally ill, and he worked to establish government-funded care during his time as Territorial Governor. “Dear Sir Your favor of 14th inst came duly to hand making enquiries in regard to ‘Mr. C. E. Urkholm’ alia ‘Martin Bescente’. World say in reply that Mr Bescente is residing here and has been living for the past six months on the bounty of Merry Amos Phinney. About two years ago Mr Bescente was taken sick and not having any means the mill here raised two hundred dollars by subscription and sent Mr Bescente to Victoria for medical advice. At Victoria he (Bescente) got into the hands of a ‘quack doctor’ who did him… Read More

(OCCUPIED JAPAN). ALS. 4 pages. 8” x 10 “. Osaka, Japan, October 8, 1945. An autograph letter signed “Van” to “Jane” describing the misery on the ground in Japan right after the end of the Second World War. Van is writing “Amidst a large crowd of Jap. civilians who have been begging me for some food, candy or cigarettes.” He later writes that “Japan so far has been nothing but misery and disease to me, along with big towns or small villages in complete ruins. So the people are living in the streets, under buildings, bridges, sleep under wrecked cars, busses, trolleys, etc. Every day thousands of small kids approach you their little hands stretched out in the hope that you’ll give them a piece of candy. Women unable to feed their babies, come up to you, with the little child sucking away on their breast, but not getting any milk at all. They beg for milk on their knees. Other women offer their gold wedding rings for a couple of C ration crackers. Disease is all over. Children with… Read More

ADAM PHILIPPE, COMTE DE CUSTINE (1740-1793). Custine was a French Army general and French Revolutionary politician. He also served in the American Revolution. He was executed on August 28, 1793 for his military failures during the Revolution. LS. 1pg. January 3, 1793. Mayence [Mainz, Germany]. A letter signed “Custine” and written in French. During the French Revolution, the Comte de Custine wrote from his campaign in Mainz. (Mayence in French). He was executed later this year after the failure of this campaign. “General, Citizen Sachot having the honor of being nominated the 24 Sber last to be attached to the staff of the army by you, general, he having been instated the same day and assuming his functions requests to be authorized to received from the treasury his pay for seven days in assignats until the 1st of the month of October. Approved payment to Citizen Sachot seven days arrears pay in assignats from the funds put aside for extraordinary expenses by virtue of the ordinance of the… Read More

JOSEPH STILLWELL (1883-1946). “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. TLS. 1 pg. 8” x 10”. March 11, 1946. San Francisco, California. A typed letter signed “J.W. Stillwell” to “Jimmy Murfin”: “Dear Jimmy: Thank you for your letter of 19 January. My autograph appears on the card which is furnished for that purpose. With it comes my best wishes”. The autographed card is not included. In 1946, General Stillwell was commanding the Sixth U.S. Army, with jurisdiction over forces in 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and the Caribbean. However, Stillwell was best known as the American chief of staff to Chiang Kai-Shek. In this capacity, his efforts to forge unity between Nationalist and Communist forces in China and work to end lend-lease aid to Chiang led to his firing and a rise of anti-Chiang sentiment that culminated in the Communist takeover of mainland… Read More