1871 Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad Promissory Note
$ 13.2
Description
1871 Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad Promissory Note. Document Overview Company: Trustees for the Bondholders of the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad Company Location: Hartford, Connecticut Date: March 24, 1871 Amount: $10,000 Payee: Geo. M. Bartholomew Bank: Payable at the American National Bank (Hartford, Conn.) Due: July 31, 1871 Signed: (Geo. M. Bartholomew, Acting Trustee) Transcription (Front) Hartford, March 24th 1871 $10,000 On July 31st next after date, we promise to pay to the order of Geo. M. Bartholomew Ten thousand Dollars, at the American National Bank Value Received. Trustees for the bondholders of the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad Company (Signed) Geo. M. Bartholomew, Acting Trustee Due Aug 3 Context & Function This is a trustee’s promissory note—essentially a short-term financial instrument issued to manage cash flow or bridge financing related to bondholder obligations. In 1871, the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad was under trusteeship due to long-standing debt issues following the Panic of 1857 and subsequent reorganizations. Trustee-issued notes like this one were used to: Pay accrued interest to bondholders Fund operating expenses between semiannual bond payments Reconcile balances at the company’s trustee bank (here, American National Bank, Hartford) 🧍 ♂️ Geo. M. Bartholomew George M. Bartholomew (1812–1885) was a major Connecticut financier and railroad executive. He served as: Treasurer of the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad Later trustee for its bondholders during reorganization Co-founder of the American National Bank of Hartford (est. 1851) His signature appears frequently on financial documents of 1860s–70s Connecticut railroad trusts. 🕰 Historical Background By 1871, the HP&F’s original route from Hartford, CT to Willimantic, CT (and beyond toward Rhode Island) was operational but burdened by construction debt. The company’s bondholders had placed it under a trusteeship to manage its securities and income. The note predates the 1875 absorption of HP&F into the New York & New England Railroad, marking the final phase of its independent operation. It measures approx. 3 1/2" x 8" **Shipped securely inside a poly sleeve sandwiched in cardboard, inside a rigid mailer via USPS Ground Advantage service w/ tracking** Click HERE to see postcards I have available. Click HERE to see transit and trade tokens I have available. Click HERE to see billheads I have available. Click HERE to see letterheads I have available. For U.S. based orders, the shipping cost for the first purchase is $4.00 and no extra cost for additional similar items such as billheads, letterheads, tickets, patches, post cards, trade cards, stock certificates that can safely be shipped in the same package. I have over 58,000 unique items here on eBay - Click HERE to visit my store & save with combined shipping for multiple buys. For U.S. orders on a PC, use the "add to cart" feature to select multiple items before paying. If the cart does not combine shipping costs, I will refund excess fees as I pack your order the following morning. I have enjoyed buying and selling vintage collectibles for over 40 years. Unless noted otherwise, all items I offer are original and not reproductions. Please review photos for condition issues (if any) as they are part of the description, and contact me with questions before bidding or buying. All items are securely packed and shipped via USPS. Please rely on my 25+ yr. 10,000+ 99.9% feedback rating as a guide to your buying decision. I hope all is well with you and your family — thanks for stopping by! – Jerry
