1782 Revolutionary War Pay Order to Lexington Alarm Minuteman Captain Matthew Smith—Signed by Oliver Wolcott Jr.
An original State of Connecticut Pay Table order, dated April 4, 1782, authorizing the payment of eighteen pounds to Captain Matthew Smith of East Haddam, a documented participant in the Lexington Alarm of April 1775.
The partially printed order directs Connecticut State Treasurer John Lawrence to:
“Pay Capt. Matthew Smith Eighteen Pounds out of the Tax of Two Shillings and Six Pence on the Pound, granted in May last, exclusive of that Part payable in State Bills, and charge the State.”
The document is signed by Connecticut Pay Table Committee members William Moseley and Oliver Wolcott Jr. Moseley subsequently wrote across the committee signatures to cancel the instrument after payment—an original wartime accounting procedure. Contemporary endorsements on the reverse record its settlement on October 31, 1782.
A Patriot of the Lexington Alarm
Matthew Smith (1740–1824) was born and died in East Haddam, Connecticut. Published Revolutionary War and genealogical records identify him as a private in Captain John Willey’s company, which responded to the Lexington Alarm following the fighting at Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
The Lexington Alarm transformed the conflict in Massachusetts into a broader New England military mobilization. Connecticut militia companies hurried toward Boston in response, forming part of the first organized American reaction to the opening battles of the Revolution. By the date of this document, Smith was recognized as a captain.
Signed by a Future Secretary of the Treasury
Oliver Wolcott Jr. (1760–1833) was the son of Connecticut governor and Declaration of Independence signer Oliver Wolcott Sr. The younger Wolcott served on Connecticut’s Pay Table during the Revolution and later became:
- Comptroller of the United States Treasury
- Secretary of the Treasury, succeeding Alexander Hamilton
- Governor of Connecticut
The Pay Table administered Connecticut’s military accounts, soldiers’ compensation, supply claims, and wartime expenditures. This order illustrates how Connecticut financed the Revolution through specially authorized taxation and state credit.
Printed and manuscript on period laid paper. Original folds, moderate toning, scattered staining and handling wear, minor edge irregularities, and contemporary pen cancellation through the committee signatures. Numerous original accounting endorsements appear on the reverse. Complete and readily legible.
The document is unquestionably issued to Captain Matthew Smith. Although an earlier catalog description identifies it as signed by Smith on the reverse, the endorsement has not been independently authenticated as his autograph and is therefore not represented as such here.
An original State of Connecticut Pay Table order, dated April 4, 1782, authorizing the payment of eighteen pounds to Captain Matthew Smith of East Haddam, a documented participant in the Lexington Alarm of April 1775.
The partially printed order directs Connecticut State Treasurer John Lawrence to:
“Pay Capt. Matthew Smith Eighteen Pounds out of the Tax of Two Shillings and Six Pence on the Pound, granted in May last, exclusive of that Part payable in State Bills, and charge the State.”
The document is signed by Connecticut Pay Table Committee members William Moseley and Oliver Wolcott Jr. Moseley subsequently wrote across the committee signatures to cancel the instrument after payment—an original wartime accounting procedure. Contemporary endorsements on the reverse record its settlement on October 31, 1782.
A Patriot of the Lexington Alarm
Matthew Smith (1740–1824) was born and died in East Haddam, Connecticut. Published Revolutionary War and genealogical records identify him as a private in Captain John Willey’s company, which responded to the Lexington Alarm following the fighting at Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
The Lexington Alarm transformed the conflict in Massachusetts into a broader New England military mobilization. Connecticut militia companies hurried toward Boston in response, forming part of the first organized American reaction to the opening battles of the Revolution. By the date of this document, Smith was recognized as a captain.
Signed by a Future Secretary of the Treasury
Oliver Wolcott Jr. (1760–1833) was the son of Connecticut governor and Declaration of Independence signer Oliver Wolcott Sr. The younger Wolcott served on Connecticut’s Pay Table during the Revolution and later became:
- Comptroller of the United States Treasury
- Secretary of the Treasury, succeeding Alexander Hamilton
- Governor of Connecticut
The Pay Table administered Connecticut’s military accounts, soldiers’ compensation, supply claims, and wartime expenditures. This order illustrates how Connecticut financed the Revolution through specially authorized taxation and state credit.
Printed and manuscript on period laid paper. Original folds, moderate toning, scattered staining and handling wear, minor edge irregularities, and contemporary pen cancellation through the committee signatures. Numerous original accounting endorsements appear on the reverse. Complete and readily legible.
The document is unquestionably issued to Captain Matthew Smith. Although an earlier catalog description identifies it as signed by Smith on the reverse, the endorsement has not been independently authenticated as his autograph and is therefore not represented as such here.
