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ALS, one page, 7.75 x 5.75, September 19, 1784. Handwritten letter from Daniel Boone to James Minor, in full (spelling and grammar retained): “Mr. Smith Has Wated on me Several times to Survey your Land But onavoidable accedents hath prevent it But it will be Dun in a few weeks from now but your Land is out of any Dispute and is very good and Lyes a bout 20 miles from Boonesborrough between the Cantuck and Licking I hope you will Rest assured the business shall be Dun as Mr. Smith is always Redy to attend.” Boone has addressed the reverse mailing panel in his own hand, “Mr. James Minor.” In very good to fine condition, with some small stains, and discreet expert professional repairs. Accompanied by an engraved portrait of Boone bearing a facsimile signature.
As a pioneer and frontiersman, Daniel Boone was influential in extending the nation beyond the peaks of the Allegheny Mountains. With the company of his brother Squire, he explored the Kentucky wilderness from 1767 to 1769, and eventually settled his family in the territory in 1773. Two years later, he extended the Wilderness Road over the Cumberland Gap through the Allegheny Mountains and erected three settlements, one of which was named ‘Boonesborough.’
In 1783, Boone was appointed deputy surveyor of Lincoln County, and in this role surveyed parcels of land for early Kentucky settlers, including the tract referenced here. In the wake of the Revolutionary War, he resettled in Maysville, Kentucky, and later was elected to the Virginia state assembly in 1787. His military pursuits over, Boone became a local celebrity and, for a period, earned a profitable living as a tavern keeper, surveyor, horse trader, and land speculator.
An especially important moment in Boone’s life came in November 1784 with the publication of John Filson’s The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke, which chronicled his adventures and quickly made him an international celebrity, with translations appearing in French and German shortly thereafter. The legalities of land speculation soon caught up with Boone’s sense of honor and weak investment strategies, and in 1788, he moved upriver to Point Pleasant, Virginia, operating at a trading post and later occasionally working as a surveyor’s assistant. An interesting land document dating to the most prosperous period of Boone’s life.
The Western Americana auction of Jochen Zeitz.
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