When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Jonathan Trumbull Jr. — Signed 1804 Connecticut Militia Captain’s Commission — Washington’s Aide-de-Camp, Governor of Connecticut, Son of “Brother Jonathan”
Offered is an original partly-printed document signed, a Connecticut militia commission dated at New Haven, October 17, 1804, boldly signed “Jona Trumbull” as Captain-General and Commander in Chief (Governor) of the State of Connecticut, and countersigned by Secretary Samuel Wyllys. The commission appoints John Billings, Gent., captain of the first company in the 3rd Regiment of Militia, to take rank from August 24, 1804. The embossed red paper-and-wax state seal is intact at the left, and the reverse bears the contemporary docket, “John Billings Commission as Captain, Augt. 24th, 1804.”
About the Signer
Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (1740–1809) was one of the most distinguished public men of the founding era. He served as military secretary and aide-de-camp to General George Washington from 1781 to 1783 — among Washington’s most trusted confidants during the war’s final years — and went on to become the first Comptroller of the United States Treasury, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1791–1793), a United States Senator, and Governor of Connecticut from 1797 until his death in 1809 — the office he held when he signed this commission. He was the son of Governor Jonathan Trumbull Sr., Washington’s “Brother Jonathan,” and the brother of John Trumbull, the “Painter of the American Revolution” whose works hang in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Documents signed by Trumbull as governor connect directly to one of America’s great Revolutionary families.
⚠ CONDITION — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
This is an early document that shows significant age and handling, and is described frankly:
• The sheet is COMPLETELY SEPARATED into two pieces along the horizontal center fold. It is offered as two separated halves.
• There is a tear along a vertical fold running up through the “J” of the “Jona Trumbull” signature.
• There is a second tear along the vertical fold at the top left, running through the “O” of “YOU” at the start of the printed text.
• General overall wear, toning, creasing, small edge losses, separation along folds, and scattered spotting / foxing throughout.
The signatures and text remain fully legible and the state seal is present. This is very much a “collector’s condition” example, priced accordingly — an affordable way to own an authentic document signed by a Washington aide-de-camp and Connecticut governor. Please review all photos carefully, including the close-up of the tear, as they are part of the description and show the actual item you will receive.
SignerJonathan Trumbull Jr., Governor of Connecticut (Washington’s aide-de-camp)CountersignedSamuel Wyllys, SecretaryDate & PlaceOctober 17, 1804 — New Haven, ConnecticutAppointeeJohn Billings — Captain, 3rd Regiment of MilitiaFormatPartly-printed document signed, with embossed state seal
All signatures are authentic.
✓ FREE Shipping
