Small Archive of Twelve (12) Documents Signed

U.S. Grant's confidante and right-hand man John Rawlins (1831-69) was a fellow Galena, Illinois resident and served as his chief of staff throughout the Civil War and rose to the rank of brevet major general; Grant appointed him Secretary of War, but he served only six months before dying at age 38. His younger brother Lemmon (1834-95) was one of his many siblings. One of these dozen documents notes John Rawlins and three of them note Lemmon Rawlins -- as follows. 1) DS in unknown hand (NOT Rawlins'), 8" X 12", 4pp lined lettersheet, Guilford, IL, 1857. Very good. Mild age toning, soiling and edgewear. New roads were being built in this remote rural area west of Galena and taxes were being assessed to land owners of Guilford. This document gives their name and property location. Opening statement records, "A list of the Lands in Road District No 4 in the Town of Guilford at Which a Road tax is assessed for the year AD 1858 by the Commissioners of Highways." Four full pages of names follow with property location. Near the center of the first page appears John A. Rawlins and locations of three parcels; his name appears again near the bottom of the second page, with a fourth parcel described. A closing statement at the bottom of the fourth and final page repeats the purpose of the assessment, at the foot of which the three commissioners place their miniscule signatures. Rawlins overcame a poor education, his father's drunkenness and his family's lowly status to get himself educated and since 1854 had been an up-and-coming attorney in boomtown Galena -- as attested by his ownership of four land parcels in this unusual period document. Although none of this document is in Rawlins' abysmal script, it is a fascinating, intriguing look into his early years. 2) DS, 8" X 12", 4pp lined lettersheet, Guilford, IL, 15 June 1858. Very good. Mild age toning and edgewear. Statement in unknown hand from "We the Commissioner of Highways of said Town of Guilford having proceeded to ascertain, estimate and assess the highway labor and road tax to be performed and paid. have made out the estimate and assessment." and followed by a list of residents followed by how many days' labor for which each has been paid. This list fills more than half of the first and all of the second page . On the otherwise-blank third page, Lemon Rawlins dockets it in his crude hand: "A job list for -- / District No 2 filed / June 15th 1858 / LP Rawlins / Town Cler[k] / [illegible]." 3) DS, 12½" X 8", 4pp pale blue lined lettersheet, Town of Guilford, n.y. Very good. "I Charles Terry Overseer of highways for road district No 4 in said Town hereby render to Michael Curry one of the commissioners of highways of said town the following account to wit The names of all those Persons assessed to work on the highways in said district" with Lemon [sic] Rawlins the first name of the two-column list that follows, which also fills much of the second page; Terry signs off at the top of the third page. 4) DS, 12½" X 8", 4pp lined lettersheet, Town of Guilford, 30 April 1859. Very good. List of laborers and their number of days worked, with Lemmon Rawlins appearing on the half full second leaf. 6-12) Remaining DsS are similar, several with additional lists of laborers and their days worked. One especially interesting document is a 7½" X 12½" unsigned and undated list entitled "Expenses on Road in District number 1" and cites suhc material as "Henry Willard for five logs," "1 pair cattel prarie plow and teamster," "thomas caspar for 1 load flat Rock," "for Logs leading to the bridgs," "8 lod Rocks to the bridgs," etc., etc., each with prices ranging from 25 cents to $2.60, the highest being $16.50 "for my work 20½ days. 16½ days over." All in all an engrossing and unusual record of road construction in pre-Civil War Illinois.…