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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.

Hancock, John, 1737-1793 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04348 Author/Creator: Hancock, John, 1737-1793 Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 September 1789 Pagination: 2 p. : address : docket ; 30 x 18.5 cm. Order a Copy

Letter has two portions, both dated 1 September 1789. The first, written by Henry Jackson, describes the bearer, John Sewall, who is the son of Jonathan Sewall, the former Attorney General of New York, and nephew of John Hancock. Declares that he is of good character and an able attorney on his way from Halifax to Quebec, where he plans to establish a law practice. Will be stopping in New York, and Jackson asks Knox to assist Sewall while he is there. The second page, written by John Hancock, is a letter of introduction for Sewall, asking that Knox welcome him into his acquaintance.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Jackson, Henry, 1747-1809
Hancock, John, 1737-1797
Sewell, Jonathan, 1766-1839

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