1857 Jamaica, NY S.C. Archer Estate $2.94 Property Tax Receipt

Description

1857 Jamaica, NY S.C. Archer Estate $2.94 Property Tax Receipt. By the late 1860s Jamaica was increasingly tied economically and socially to New York City. Large estates owned by old Long Island families—including descendants of early Dutch settlers such as the Bergen, Remsen, and Van Wyck families—were still prominent in the surrounding countryside. Expected fold creases from posting. Eye-catching colored paper stock and bold legible writing. No major issues to note. Overall, very clean and 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. 6 1/4" x 7 7/8" ======================================== Front Jamaica October 20th 1857 Estate of S. C. Archer To the Village of Jamaica Dr. For Taxes for 1857 Real Estate assessed at 3575 Personal “ “ Whole Amount 3575 @ 8¢ — 2.80 Collectors fees — .14 $2.94 Received payment of C. C. Betts Executor March 30 – 1858 A. Hendrickson Collector Reverse Taxes 1857 Jamaica Village $2.94 Notable observations: This is an early municipal tax receipt from Jamaica documenting village taxes assessed against the Estate of S. C. Archer. The assessed real estate valuation was $3,575, which represented a fairly substantial property holding for mid-19th century Queens County. The tax rate appears to have been only 8 cents per $100 of assessed value, producing a total tax of $2.80 plus a 14-cent collector’s fee. The document illustrates how local village governments in the 1850s funded roads, public maintenance, and civic functions through relatively modest property taxation. “Dr.” here is the accounting abbreviation for “Debtor,” common on 19th-century financial and tax documents. The use of “Estate of S. C. Archer” indicates the property owner had died prior to the assessment, with C. C. Betts acting as executor of the estate. The Archer name appears repeatedly in Jamaica, Queens probate and tax records of the mid-to-late 19th century and was associated with local landholding families during the period when Jamaica was evolving from a rural Long Island village into a more developed suburban center. The folded endorsement on the reverse (“Taxes 1857 / Jamaica Village / $2.94”) functioned as a filing notation so the receipt could be easily identified when stored among estate papers. ================================================================ Jamaica in the 1850s through the 1860s was still a semi-rural Long Island village, though it was rapidly transforming into one of the most important transportation and commercial centers in Queens County. Originally settled by the Dutch and English during the 17th century, Jamaica had become the county seat of Queens by the 19th century and served as a hub for courts, trade, inns, churches, and local government. During the 1850s the village economy centered around farming, livestock, carriage traffic, blacksmithing, and small mercantile businesses. Stagecoach routes and turnpikes connected Jamaica with Brooklyn, Flushing, Hempstead, and eastern Long Island communities. The village was especially important because of the Long Island Rail Road, which had reached Jamaica in the 1830s and by the 1850s had made the community a major rail junction. Railroad growth increased commerce and encouraged boarding houses, hotels, taverns, and service trades. The Civil War era brought additional economic activity. Many residents served in New York regiments during the war, while local farms and merchants supplied food, horses, and materials to nearby urban markets. Jamaica’s population remained relatively modest compared to Brooklyn or Manhattan, but the village was steadily becoming more urbanized. Architecturally, mid-19th century Jamaica still retained many wooden homes, Dutch-influenced farmhouses, barns, and small commercial buildings lining unpaved or partially improved roads. Large estates owned by old Long Island families—including descendants of early Dutch settlers such as the Bergen, Remsen, and Van Wyck families—were still prominent in the surrounding countryside. By the late 1860s Jamaica was increasingly tied economically and socially to New York City. Improved transportation and rising land values gradually shifted the village from an agricultural community into a suburban commercial center, setting the stage for the explosive growth that Queens would experience later in the 19th and early 20th centuries. **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. 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