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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.

Hillegas, Michael, 1729-1804 to Joseph Clarke

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01450.008.01 Author/Creator: Hillegas, Michael, 1729-1804 Place Written: Baltimore, Maryland Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 8, 1777 Pagination: 1 p. : docket : address Height: 32 cm, Width: 20.5 cm Order a Copy

Hillegas states that he is sending the Continental Loan Office certificates by favor of James Betton and William Gregg. The certificates amount to $171,100 in total, with 389 at $400 each, 1 at $500, and 25 at $600. He asks Clarke to number them and dispose of them according to the resolutions of Congress and the enclosed instructions. He gives instructions on numbering the certificates and asks for receipts to be given to Governor Jonathan Trumbull (of Connecticut), who will transmit them back to Hillegas. The Continental Loan Offices administered loans to the Continental Treasury to help finance the war effort. Hillegas was the Treasurer of the United States, and Clarke was the Commissioner of the Continental Loan Office in Rhode Island.

Hillegas, Michael, 1729-1804
Clarke, Joseph, 1719-1792
Betton, James, fl. 1777
Gregg, William, fl. 1777
Trumbull, Jonathan, Sr., 1710-1785

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