Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Jackson, Henry (1747-1809) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.05080 Author/Creator: Jackson, Henry (1747-1809) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 July 1791 Pagination: 1 p. ; 30.4 x 18.3 cm. Order a Copy

Notes he received this day from Captain Chessman a tin case containing the maps of the District of Maine. Hopes Knox receives them safely. Says he will see the advantage of purchasing Mount Desert by looking at the maps. Saw in the newspaper that Postmaster General Samuel Osgood resigned. Puts forward David Cobb's name for the position, claiming "he expects it." Says Cobb's situation is disagreeable with a family of 11 children and no employment. Begs "save him - for godsake save him - he is one of the best men on Earth." Timothy Pickering was appointed the next Postmaster on 12 August 1791.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Jackson, Henry, 1747-1809
Osgood, Samuel, 1748-1813
Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829
Cobb, David, 1748-1830

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