Description
1838 North Hempstead, LI Horatio G. Underdonk / Samuel Willis Estate Receipt. 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. N o major issues to note. B old attractive writing. Overall, in good to very 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. 2 3/4" x 6 1/4" Best effort transcription: Received North Hempstead June 20 1838 of Horatio G. Underdonk one of the Executors of Sam’l Willis dec’d Fifty dollars in part pay for services as Executor of the estate $50 Wm. Willis Reverse Receipt of Wm Willis for $50 Fees as Executor of S. Willis — 1838 ================================================== Observations & Historical Notes This 1838 North Hempstead receipt documents a payment of $50 made by Horatio G. Underdonk, acting as one of the executors of the estate of Samuel Willis, deceased. The payment was made to William Willis for services connected with administration of the estate. The Underdonk surname is historically significant on Long Island, particularly in Queens and Kings County, where members of the family were prominent landowners, clergy, merchants, and civic figures during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Willis family name was likewise established throughout Long Island communities during this period. Estate administration in 1830s Long Island could involve extensive responsibilities including property inventories, debt collection, settlement of claims, livestock and farm appraisals, land transfers, probate court appearances, and distribution among heirs. Executor compensation receipts such as this were common supporting documents in probate proceedings. North Hempstead in the 1830s remained largely agricultural and maritime in character, with local commerce closely tied to farming, coastal trade, mills, and New York City market connections. The document’s clean legal phrasing and compact format are typical of antebellum probate and estate-related financial paperwork from rural Queens County. ================================================================= 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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