Philip Philip Livingston — Son of Declaration Signer Philip Livingston — 1764 Jamaica Lette, Captain Kidd connection
Rare 1764 Original Manuscript from Kingston, Jamaica — Colonial Sugar Trade — Livingston Family of New York
Exceptional original **1764 manuscript letter written from Kingston, Jamaica, by Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787), son of Declaration of Independence signer Philip Livingston (1716–1778), to the prominent Philadelphia merchants Baynton & Wharton.
Dated June 26, 1764, with a substantial subsequent communication dated July 26, 1764, this remarkable document provides an intimate first-hand account of the commercial operations connecting Jamaica's sugar plantations with the Philadelphia mercantile trade.
Livingston discusses an enclosed invoice and the shipment of ten hogsheads of sugar aboard the ship Adventure, instructing his Philadelphia correspondents to sell the sugar to the best advantage and credit the proceeds to his account. He also discusses bills of exchange, outstanding accounts, remittances and other commercial transactions.
The manuscript is particularly significant because Philip Philip Livingston was a Jamaican plantation owner and member of the Jamaican House of Assembly. He was the son of Philip Livingston, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
The identification is independently supported by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission's catalog of the Baynton, Wharton & Morgan papers, which specifically records “Livingston, Ph: Ph:, Kingston, Jamaica, 1764” in this correspondence.
The Baynton & Wharton firm was one of colonial Philadelphia's important mercantile houses, conducting trade throughout North America, the West Indies, and Europe.
Historical Significance
This is much more than an autograph letter. It documents the Atlantic commercial network of the British colonies immediately before the American Revolution, linking a member of the prominent Livingston family, Jamaica's sugar economy, and a major Philadelphia trading house.
It also provides contemporary documentary evidence of Jamaican sugar production and export, with Livingston specifically discussing the shipment of ten hogsheads of sugar.
CAPTAIN KIDD / LIVINGSTON FAMILY CONNECTION: The author, Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787), belonged to the prominent Livingston family of New York. An earlier generation of the Livingston family, led by Robert Livingston (1654–1725), was directly involved in the financing and organization of Captain William Kidd's famous anti-piracy expedition and the outfitting of Kidd's vessel, the Adventure Galley, in the 1690s. While the present 1764 manuscript is not itself a Captain Kidd document, it represents a later generation of the same prominent Livingston family and carries an intriguing connection to one of the most famous maritime episodes of colonial America.
Author: Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787)
Date: June 26, 1764, with July 26, 1764 continuation
Place: Kingston, Jamaica
Recipient: Baynton & Wharton, Philadelphia
Subject: Sugar shipment, bills of exchange, accounts and colonial commerce
Family association: Son of Declaration of Independence signer Philip Livingston
Medium: Original manuscript letter
Condition: Historically significant original document with extensive old fold repairs/tape, toning, staining, edge losses and other evidence of age and use. The manuscript remains highly legible and retains its original historical content and endorsements.
Rare 1764 Original Manuscript from Kingston, Jamaica — Colonial Sugar Trade — Livingston Family of New York
Exceptional original **1764 manuscript letter written from Kingston, Jamaica, by Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787), son of Declaration of Independence signer Philip Livingston (1716–1778), to the prominent Philadelphia merchants Baynton & Wharton.
Dated June 26, 1764, with a substantial subsequent communication dated July 26, 1764, this remarkable document provides an intimate first-hand account of the commercial operations connecting Jamaica's sugar plantations with the Philadelphia mercantile trade.
Livingston discusses an enclosed invoice and the shipment of ten hogsheads of sugar aboard the ship Adventure, instructing his Philadelphia correspondents to sell the sugar to the best advantage and credit the proceeds to his account. He also discusses bills of exchange, outstanding accounts, remittances and other commercial transactions.
The manuscript is particularly significant because Philip Philip Livingston was a Jamaican plantation owner and member of the Jamaican House of Assembly. He was the son of Philip Livingston, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
The identification is independently supported by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission's catalog of the Baynton, Wharton & Morgan papers, which specifically records “Livingston, Ph: Ph:, Kingston, Jamaica, 1764” in this correspondence.
The Baynton & Wharton firm was one of colonial Philadelphia's important mercantile houses, conducting trade throughout North America, the West Indies, and Europe.
Historical Significance
This is much more than an autograph letter. It documents the Atlantic commercial network of the British colonies immediately before the American Revolution, linking a member of the prominent Livingston family, Jamaica's sugar economy, and a major Philadelphia trading house.
It also provides contemporary documentary evidence of Jamaican sugar production and export, with Livingston specifically discussing the shipment of ten hogsheads of sugar.
CAPTAIN KIDD / LIVINGSTON FAMILY CONNECTION: The author, Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787), belonged to the prominent Livingston family of New York. An earlier generation of the Livingston family, led by Robert Livingston (1654–1725), was directly involved in the financing and organization of Captain William Kidd's famous anti-piracy expedition and the outfitting of Kidd's vessel, the Adventure Galley, in the 1690s. While the present 1764 manuscript is not itself a Captain Kidd document, it represents a later generation of the same prominent Livingston family and carries an intriguing connection to one of the most famous maritime episodes of colonial America.
Author: Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787)
Date: June 26, 1764, with July 26, 1764 continuation
Place: Kingston, Jamaica
Recipient: Baynton & Wharton, Philadelphia
Subject: Sugar shipment, bills of exchange, accounts and colonial commerce
Family association: Son of Declaration of Independence signer Philip Livingston
Medium: Original manuscript letter
Condition: Historically significant original document with extensive old fold repairs/tape, toning, staining, edge losses and other evidence of age and use. The manuscript remains highly legible and retains its original historical content and endorsements.
