{"product_id":"1815-kentucky-pioneer-benjamin-helm-signed-court-summons-early-elizabethtown-and-abraham-lincoln-association","title":"1815 Kentucky Pioneer Benjamin Helm Signed Court Summons — Early Elizabethtown and Abraham Lincoln Association","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eAn original early Kentucky legal manuscript signed by \u003cstrong\u003eBenjamin Helm (1767–1858)\u003c\/strong\u003e, distinguished pioneer, surveyor, state senator, War of 1812 officer, and clerk of the Hardin Circuit Court.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued April 6, 1815, the summons directs the sheriff of Bullitt County to bring John Reed and another named witness before the Hardin Circuit Court. They were ordered to testify for Thomas Rey in a pending lawsuit against Ezekiel Hart at the court’s June term. Failure to appear carried the substantial penalty of £100 for each witness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe document concludes with the official signature \u003cstrong\u003e“B. Helm.”\u003c\/strong\u003e The reverse retains its contemporary case docketing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBenjamin Helm was among the formative figures of early Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Born in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1767, he accompanied the westward movement of the Helm family and became an early surveyor, public official, merchant, and landowner. He served in the Kentucky Senate from 1796 to 1800, held the Hardin County clerkship, served as clerk of its Circuit Court, and attained the rank of major during the War of 1812.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelm also occupied the same close-knit Elizabethtown circle as the families connected with Abraham Lincoln’s Kentucky origins. He purchased property formerly owned by Christopher Bush, father of \u003cstrong\u003eSarah Bush Johnston Lincoln\u003c\/strong\u003e, who became Abraham Lincoln’s beloved stepmother. Helm also witnessed early property instruments associated with the Sinking Spring tract where Lincoln was born. Although the present document does not mention Lincoln or the Bush family, it was written and signed by a public official closely associated with their Kentucky community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA desirable signed document combining early Kentucky statehood, pioneer settlement, frontier jurisprudence, and an intriguing association with Abraham Lincoln’s family history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 6, 1815\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlace:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardin County, Kentucky\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSigned:\u003c\/strong\u003e “B. Helm”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSigner:\u003c\/strong\u003e Benjamin Helm, pioneer, surveyor, state senator, court clerk, and War of 1812 major\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubject:\u003c\/strong\u003e Witness summons in \u003cem\u003eThomas Rey v. Ezekiel Hart\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Original folds, scattered ink smears and offsets, light toning and minor marginal wear; signature and principal text remain strong.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52753310155034,"sku":null,"price":981.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_2649.jpg?v=1787947459","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/en-ca\/products\/1815-kentucky-pioneer-benjamin-helm-signed-court-summons-early-elizabethtown-and-abraham-lincoln-association","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}