Duer, William (1747-1799) [Statement concerning the Scioto Company in Ohio]
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.10236 Author/Creator: Duer, William (1747-1799) Place Written: New York Type: Manuscript document Date: 27 August 1791 Pagination: 6 p. : docket ; 38.6 x 23.3 cm. Order a Copy
Discusses the problem with the Scotia company, the uncertainty of the emigrants who thought they had bought land, and the possibility of obtaining actual acreage versus merely a land option. Divided into eleven parts. Sewn binding.
Duer was an American lawyer, developer, and speculator from New York City. He had earlier served in the Continental Congress and the convention that framed the New York Constitution. Duer's inveterate speculating and his mishandling of a joint business endeavor caused him to spend seven years in debtor's prison. The Scioto Company was a French institution which granted worthless deeds in the Ohio Country to French colonists. The Company was organized by Duer and others and had arranged with the Ohio Company for the use of about 4,000,000 acres on which the Ohio Company had secured an option only. The dishonesty of those who conducted the sales in France, the unbusinesslike methods of Barlow, Duer's agent in France, and the failure of Duer and his associates to meet their contract with the Ohio Company, caused the collapse of the Scioto Company early in 1790, and two subsequent attempts to revive it failed. Meanwhile about 150,000 acres (607 km²) had been sold to prospective settlers, companies and individuals in France. On their arrival, the settlers were told that the Scioto Company owned no land. When they arrived they were assured by the agent that the place lay within their purchase. This land, however, fell within the limits of the tract bought outright by the Ohio Company, which sold it to the Scioto Company, and to which it reverted on the failure of the Company to pay.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.