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Revolutionary War-dated manuscript DS, signed “Joseph Clark,” one page, 6.25 x 4.5, October 25, 1777. A civilian travel pass issued from Middletown, Connecticut, in full: “Permit Thomas Rogers of Branford in the State of Connecticut being a Deputed Friend to the United & Independent States of America and a Supporter of their Independence, to pass from Middletown in Hartford County in said State, to Branford by Water, in the County of New Haven; he having a [canoe] to take thither for his own use.” Signed at the conclusion by Clark as justice of the peace. In very good to fine condition, with staining to the side edges, not affecting readability.
Issued in Middletown, Connecticut, on October 25, 1777, just eight days after Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga, this wartime travel pass captures a rarely preserved aspect of Revolutionary War life: the monitoring of civilian movement and political loyalty on the American home front. The document formally identifies Thomas Rogers as “a Deputed Friend to the United & Independent States of America and a Supporter of their Independence,” reflecting the extent to which allegiance had become an official prerequisite for ordinary travel during the conflict. Civilian travel passes of the Revolutionary era survive less frequently than military commissions, pay records, or wartime correspondence, offering a glimpse into the practical realities of civilian life during the war.
