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Original early American legal document dated November 23, 1803, from Cumberland County, Massachusetts — present-day Maine, nearly 17 years before Maine became a state.
Printed Commonwealth of Massachusetts writ completed extensively in period manuscript.
The document concerns a judgment involving Thomas A. Barham of Hebron and William Nason of Gorham. Nason is identified in the document as a “millman.” The proceeding was before William Gorham, Esquire, Justice of the Peace.
The writ directs the Sheriff of Cumberland County, his deputies, or the constables of Gorham to levy money, goods or chattels belonging to William Nason to satisfy the judgment. If sufficient property could not be found, the printed language authorized officers to “take the body” of Nason and commit him to the jail in Portland until the obligation was satisfied or he was otherwise discharged according to law.
Signed at the bottom by William Gorham.
The reverse retains additional period handwritten docketing/return notation, including a January 23, 1804 date.
A fascinating piece of early New England legal and social history documenting debt collection and the legal process in what was then Cumberland County, Massachusetts, before Maine statehood.
Date: November 23, 1803
Location: Cumberland County, Massachusetts (present-day Maine)
Gorham, Maine
Hebron, Maine
Document Type: Legal execution writ / debt judgment
Names include: Thomas A. Barham, William Nason and William Gorham
Material: Period laid paper with printed and handwritten text
Condition:
Original antique document with expected age-related toning, staining, fold lines, edge wear and other handling consistent with a document more than 220 years old. Please review all photographs carefully for exact condition, handwriting and content.
Guaranteed original period document, not a reproduction.
