Manuscript account and Request for Pay for the Time Spent in Attendance in the Provincial Congress in New York, 1775-1776

Wickham, (Capt.) Thomas

Publication Date: 1776

About this Item

Manuscript sheet, in ink, aprox 7 x 8", recto reading: 'An account of the Time that I Attended the Provincial Congress in New York". Below this is a list of six periods of time (eg: "From 19th May 1775 to 11th June following.24 days" and so on through 3rd Feb'y 1776 to 27th Febr'y.25 days") for a total of 127 days. Boldly inscribed beneath "Easthampton March 25th, 1776/ Cpt. Thomas Wickham".The verso bears the notation " received on this "29th day of March, 1776 of Col. Josiah Smith, Treasurer of the Suffolk County Committee one Hundred and Twenty Seven Dollars in full for the within bill" (signed) Cpt.Thomas Wickham--Paid". Folded across the center and with an old paper-tape repair in the top center of the front side (touching some of the letters) and on the rear side not affecting any writing. Thomas Wickham (1733-1794) was a delegate from Easthampton (Suffolk County, Long Island) to the First, Second and Third Provincial Congresses of New York. He became a refugee after the Battle of Long Island , eventually settling in Connecticut. He later became a privateer out of Stonington, Connecticut, commanding a sloop of eight guns and a crew of thirty. After the war, he served in the New York State Assembly. The First Provincial Congress of New York was officially convened May 22, 1775 (obviously with Wickham in attendance as his bill included service from May 19th which would include travel time), organized by the rebels, with one of its tasks being the sending of instructions to the New York delegates to the Continental Congress. It adopted a "Plan of Accomodation" and urged circuspection among New York's delegates regarding radical anti-British actions but at the same time urged repeal of unconstitutional laws affecting the colonies, ordered the stockpiling of arms and authorized the removal of cannon from Fort Ticonderoga. The Second Provincial Congress sat from Dec. 6, 1775 to May 13, 1776 and part of this period also appears on Wickham's account. (PLEASE NOTE: WE DO NOT PROVIDE SCANS OF MANUSCRIPTS, AUTOGRAPHS OR OTHER UNIQUE MATERIAL UNTIL A VALID ORDER IS PLACED. ALL PURCHAES FULLY REFUNDABLE IF PROVED NOT TO BE AUTHENTIC).

Seller Inventory # X180

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Manuscript account and Request for Pay for the Time Spent in Attendance in the Provincial Congress in New York, 1775-1776
• Publication Date: 1776
• Binding: Manuscript
• Seller catalogs:
  • History