{"product_id":"robert-morris-signed-1795-land-company-certificate-issued-to-benjamin-franklin-s-grandson","title":"Robert Morris–Signed 1795 Land Company Certificate Issued to Benjamin Franklin’s Grandson","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eAn exceptional Founding-era financial document connecting \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Morris, Financier of the American Revolution and Signer of the Declaration of Independence\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Temple Franklin, grandson and secretary of Benjamin Franklin\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued in Philadelphia, this original North American Land Company certificate, No. 963, records William Temple Franklin’s ownership of five shares—numbered 14,023 through 14,027—in the company’s vast American landholdings. The certificate is dated February 20, 1795, and was formally executed on April 18, 1795.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is boldly signed \u003cstrong\u003e“Rob’t Morris”\u003c\/strong\u003e as company president and countersigned by \u003cstrong\u003eJames Markham Marshall\u003c\/strong\u003e, the brother of future Chief Justice John Marshall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobert Morris was among the most consequential figures of the American founding. He signed the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and United States Constitution; served as Superintendent of Finance during the Revolution; and helped establish the Bank of North America. His personal credit and financial organization proved indispensable to the American war effort.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe recipient, William Temple Franklin, served as Benjamin Franklin’s secretary during the diplomatic negotiations that concluded the Revolutionary War. He subsequently became his grandfather’s literary executor and participated in major American land transactions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFounded by Morris, John Nicholson, and James Greenleaf, the North American Land Company attempted to transform approximately six million acres across several states into 30,000 transferable shares. Its failure helped destroy Morris’s fortune and eventually sent the celebrated financier to debtors’ prison.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA compelling association document joining Robert Morris with the immediate family of Benjamin Franklin and illustrating both the ambitions and hazards of speculation in the early republic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Substantial overall toning; old folds and creases; scattered small punctures; marginal chipping and losses, particularly along the lower and right edges; and evidence of long-term mounting. Portions of the manuscript are faded, but the principal text remains legible. Robert Morris’s signature is unusually dark and prominent; James Marshall’s signature is lighter but visible. Framed with a portrait and descriptive presentation panel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52748325978394,"sku":null,"price":4073.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_2602.jpg?v=1787833687","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/en-ca\/products\/robert-morris-signed-1795-land-company-certificate-issued-to-benjamin-franklin-s-grandson","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}