1851 North Hempstead, LI Samuel Willis est. / Horatio G. Underdonk $500 Receipt
$ 13.2
Description
1851 North Hempstead, LI Samuel Willis est. / Horatio G. Underdonk $500 Receipt. Such receipts were commonly retained by executors as proof that beneficiaries had received portions of their inheritance. Families such as the Dentons, Hickses, Sands, Hewletts, and Cornells remained prominent throughout the region during this period. Showing only minor signs of age & wear. Expected fold creases from posting. Creases, wear, staining and small tears along the right edge. Elsewhere, n o major issues to note. B old attractive writing. Overall, in good condition. You will receive the exact piece shown in the photos - please have a good look at the photos to access condition. It measures approx. 3 3/8" x 8 1/4" Best effort transcription: Received North Hempstead L.I. June 25 1857 of Horatio G. Underdonk Five Hundred dollars, being one half of a Legacy left me by the last will and testament of my father Samuel Willis deceased late of said town — $500 Joseph D. Willis =================================================== Observations & Historical Notes This 1857 North Hempstead, Long Island receipt documents payment of $500 to Joseph D. Willis from Horatio G. Underdonk, relating to an inheritance under the will of Samuel Willis, deceased. The wording indicates this was only “one half of a Legacy,” suggesting the estate was being distributed in installments or divided among heirs under probate administration. Such receipts were commonly retained by executors as proof that beneficiaries had received portions of their inheritance. A sum of $500 in 1857 represented a substantial inheritance, equivalent to many thousands of dollars today depending on the comparison method used. The document therefore reflects a family estate of meaningful value within mid-19th-century Long Island society. The Underdonk family was prominent throughout Queens County and Long Island during the 18th and 19th centuries, with members active in law, landholding, business, and public affairs. North Hempstead during the 1850s remained a prosperous agricultural and maritime township with close economic ties to New York City markets and coastal trade. ================================================================= During the 1850s and 1860s, North Hempstead on Long Island was a largely rural township in Queens County, New York (Nassau County would not be created until 1899). The area consisted of farming villages, mills, estates, small harbors, and developing transportation routes linking Long Island communities with Brooklyn and New York City. The phrase “North Hempstead Circuit” during this era most commonly referred to local court, legal, ministerial, or Methodist circuit activity. In legal contexts, circuit courts and traveling justices regularly moved through towns handling probate matters, debt cases, estate settlements, land disputes, and commercial claims. Religiously, Methodist “circuit riders” were also active throughout Long Island during the mid-19th century. Ministers traveled on horseback between scattered congregations in villages such as Roslyn, Manhasset, Great Neck, Westbury, and Hempstead, forming what were often called “circuits.” Economically, North Hempstead during the 1850s–1860s depended heavily on: farming and livestock oyster harvesting and coastal trade small shipbuilding and maritime commerce local mills and market gardening stagecoach and turnpike transportation By the Civil War era, railroads such as the Long Island Rail Road were beginning to reshape portions of the township, though many areas still retained their earlier agricultural and maritime character. Families such as the Dentons, Hickses, Sands, Hewletts, and Cornells remained prominent throughout the region during this period. ============================================ **Shipped securely in a new poly bag, sandwiched in chipboard, inside a new rigid mailer via USPS Ground Advantage service w/ tracking** Click HERE to see matchbooks 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 63,000 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. 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