James Madison – DS, an unusual presidential commission with a signed attestation on the back by Delaware Judge Gunning Bedford, Jr. a signer of the Constitution and classmate of Madison.
Madison appoints Nehemiah Tilton of Delaware as Register of the Land Office in Adams County Mississippi. Signed July 5, 1810, the framed document measures 15.5 x 9 .75 at sight and is countersigned by Secretary of State Robert Smith. Nehemiah Tilton served in the Revolution as a Lt. Colonel in the Dover Regiment of the Delaware Militia. With appointment in hand, Tilton moved to Adams County (Natchez) Mississippi where he died on the job, just four years after being appointed.
The frame is double paned making the back completely visibly to show the certification that Tilton took the oath of office in Delaware. That is written out by a clerk but then signed by Gunning Bedford who swore Tilton into office. Bedford was from a prestigious Delaware family and was a classmate of Madison at the College of New Jersey later renamed as Princeton University. Bedford was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution. Once the new government was created, George Washington appointed Bedford as Delawares first federal judge. His signature is not particularly common, but it is quite unusual to find the pairing of Madison’s signature on presidential documents with the signature of another Founding Father.
The appointment shows overall age toning, the vertical fold is entirely split with a minor archival repair on the back to keep the two halves in place, starting tears on two horizontal folds, one tear touching the end of Smith’s signature. The gold frame shows some age with chipping but overall acceptable for immediate hanging and the document displays nicely despite the fold separation. Madison’s signature particularly stands out. A nice three-way association of the Revolution co-signed by the two signers of the Constitution to install a Revolutionary Was veteran into federal job.
[#6568]
James Madison – DS, an unusual presidential commission with a signed attestation on the back by Delaware Judge Gunning Bedford, Jr. a signer of the Constitution and classmate of Madison.
Madison appoints Nehemiah Tilton of Delaware as Register of the Land Office in Adams County Mississippi. Signed July 5, 1810, the framed document measures 15.5 x 9 .75 at sight and is countersigned by Secretary of State Robert Smith. Nehemiah Tilton served in the Revolution as a Lt. Colonel in the Dover Regiment of the Delaware Militia. With appointment in hand, Tilton moved to Adams County (Natchez) Mississippi where he died on the job, just four years after being appointed.
The frame is double paned making the back completely visibly to show the certification that Tilton took the oath of office in Delaware. That is written out by a clerk but then signed by Gunning Bedford who swore Tilton into office. Bedford was from a prestigious Delaware family and was a classmate of Madison at the College of New Jersey later renamed as Princeton University. Bedford was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution. Once the new government was created, George Washington appointed Bedford as Delawares first federal judge. His signature is not particularly common, but it is quite unusual to find the pairing of Madison’s signature on presidential documents with the signature of another Founding Father.
The appointment shows overall age toning, the vertical fold is entirely split with a minor archival repair on the back to keep the two halves in place, starting tears on two horizontal folds, one tear touching the end of Smith’s signature. The gold frame shows some age with chipping but overall acceptable for immediate hanging and the document displays nicely despite the fold separation. Madison’s signature particularly stands out. A nice three-way association of the Revolution co-signed by the two signers of the Constitution to install a Revolutionary Was veteran into federal job.
[#6568]