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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.

McKellar, John, fl. 1759 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.08037 Author/Creator: McKellar, John, fl. 1759 Place Written: Thomaston, Maine Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 August 1806 Pagination: 1 p. : address Height: 24.4 cm, Width: 19 cm Order a Copy

Written from "St. Georges," likely in or near present-day Thomaston, Maine. Writes to ask for an appointment to be keeper of the new lighthouse to be built on Franklin Island. Explains that he and his son are in financial trouble, and if he obtains the appointment, he can afford to pay his debt. Asks Knox to use his influence to help him obtain the appointment.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
McKellar, John, 1759-?

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