|
|
Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth 1777 Revolutionary War Document Signed Document Mentions Revolutionary War Major Epaphras Bull Framed with Ralph Earl Colorful Depiction of Ellsworth and Wife at Home
This is one of the largest and most desirable Oliver Ellsworth documents signed during the Revolutionary War for payment for transporting British war prisoners during 1777. The document signed my Ellsworth is clearly written and measures 8.25 x 6” and is framed to a size of 21.25 x 17.25.” 1777 was an important year for Ellsworth, for he became Connecticut's state attorney for Hartford County and was chosen as one of Connecticut's representatives in the Continental Congress, which he continued until 1783. He was a very important member of the Constitutional Convention, being a primary drafter of the Constitution and the one who is widely credited with giving the country its name, the United States of America. He took the leading role in getting the Constitution ratified in Connecticut. He was then chosen Connecticut's first United States Senator and assumed a prominent role in Congress and drafted the Judiciary Act creating the federal court system. He was also the Senate sponsor of the Bill of Rights and considered a dominant presence in the Senate in support of George Washington and his program, including Alexander Hamilton's critical financial system. President George Washington appointed him Chief Justice in 1796 and he served in that role until 1799 when he resigned to carry out a mission in France for President John Adams to resolve American conflicts with Napoleon Bonaparte. The autographed document is framed with a colorful copy of the Ralph Earl painting of Ellsworth and his wife, Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth, (now residing in the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford). The picture shows Ellsworth in the library of his home looking every bit the prosperous lawyer and/or Chief Justice with the window between them picturing the house itself, as shown in detail below.
In the 1777 document Ellsworth authorizes payment of 70 pounds for money advanced by Jonah Nott to the Commissary of Prisoners, Epaphras Bull for transportation of prisoners. Bull is an important Revolutionary War character. The “Record of Service of Connecticut Men In The War of the Revolution” says that Epaphras Bull was a member of the Connecticut party in April to May 1775 that was constituted by the Connecticut General Assembly a “Committee of War for the expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point” whose commander at the time of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga was the famous Colonel Ethan Allen of Vermont's Green Mountain Boys. After that notable service, which ultimately resulted in the transportation of guns to the heights overlooking Boston and the abandonment of the city by the British, Bull served as Commissary of Prisoners in 1776 and early1777. In 1777 Bull became an officer of the Continental Army first as Captain serving in the Saratoga campaign against Burgoyne and then from August 1779 as a Major of the Continental Army dragoons. The Record says he died in Virginia during movements preceding siege of Yorktown in September 1781. This historic document signed by an important figure in American history is archivally matted and framed in an antique frame and would be a wonderful addition to any home or office. Price: SOLD
|
