1776 Thomas Lynch Jr.—The Rarest Signature of Any Declaration Signer—Extraordinary March 1776 Autograph Letter Signed
Thomas Lynch Jr. (1749–1779), signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina. Autograph letter signed “Thomas Lynch,” Charlestown, South Carolina, March 1, 1776. One page, approximately 8 × 10¼ inches, with integral address panel. Addressed entirely in Lynch’s hand to George Laurence Eaton, Esquire.
An extraordinary Declaration-era letter
Written during the opening months of the American Revolution—and only four months before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence—this complete letter bears what is arguably the rarest signature among all 56 signers.
Lynch writes:
“I am happy to extend to you the enclosed letter on his Excellys. account. I shall explain to my Father the visit and the reason. With great esteem I have the honor to be your friend.
Thomas Lynch”
The address panel is directed to:
“George Laurence Eaton Esquire, Charlestown”
It also bears the delivery notation:
“The politeness of James Coggeshall, Esq.”
The letter’s reference to “my Father” is particularly evocative. Thomas Lynch Sr. was himself a prominent Revolutionary statesman who had represented South Carolina in the Stamp Act Congress and the First and Second Continental Congresses. In February 1776, only weeks before this letter was written, the elder Lynch suffered a devastating stroke while serving in Philadelphia.
Thomas Lynch Jr. was subsequently chosen to join the South Carolina delegation. He presented his credentials in Philadelphia on April 24, 1776, voted for independence, and signed the engrossed Declaration on August 2. Although his father remained a congressional delegate, paralysis prevented the elder Lynch from adding his own signature. The Lynches were the only father and son to serve together in the Continental Congress.
Soldier, statesman and signer
Born at Hopsewee Plantation in South Carolina in 1749, Thomas Lynch Jr. received an unusually distinguished education at Eton College, Cambridge University and the Middle Temple in London. He returned to South Carolina in 1772 and soon entered public life.
As tensions with Britain developed into war, Lynch served in South Carolina’s Provincial Congresses and was commissioned a captain in the First South Carolina Regiment. While recruiting troops in North Carolina, he contracted a severe fever from which he never fully recovered. Nevertheless, he traveled to Philadelphia to care for his incapacitated father and represent South Carolina in the Continental Congress.
Lynch signed the Declaration before his twenty-seventh birthday. His congressional service was brief because of persistent illness. In December 1779, Lynch and his wife sailed from South Carolina aboard the Polly, intending to travel to France in search of a healthier climate. Their vessel disappeared at sea, and no trace of them was ever found. Lynch was only thirty—the youngest Declaration signer to die.
The rarest autograph among the signers
Thomas Lynch Jr.’s autograph is widely regarded as the rarest of all the Declaration signers when surviving substantive manuscripts are considered. Button Gwinnett has traditionally held that distinction among collectors, but most surviving Lynch autographs are ownership signatures clipped from books formerly in his library.
A scholarly census cited by Sotheby’s recorded only two autograph letters signed by Lynch, compared with numerous clipped book signatures. Nearly all surviving signed documents are held by institutions. Thus, a complete letter written and signed by Lynch is vastly more important and desirable than the small clipped signatures normally encountered.
This is not merely the signature of a Declaration signer. It is a war-dated letter written shortly before independence, mentioning Lynch’s father and bearing what is arguably the rarest signature among the 56 signers.
Condition
The letter is in fragile, heavily compromised but historically intact condition, entirely consistent with a manuscript approaching 250 years old:
- Overall age toning and discoloration, with darker staining along the original folds.
- Ink is substantially faded throughout, although much of the text, address and Lynch’s signature remain discernible under careful examination.
- Numerous horizontal and vertical folds, several of which have separated or are substantially weakened.
- Multiple edge losses, chips and irregularities, including losses at the right edge and lower corners.
- Several small holes and internal paper losses, including losses affecting portions of the text but apparently not removing Lynch’s full signature.
- Significant splitting and fragmentation at fold intersections.
- Evidence of extensive earlier stabilization or reinforcement, with narrow support strips or tissue visible along several folds and edges.
- Projecting tabs and reinforced areas are visible around the perimeter.
- The address panel and delivery notation remain present.
- Lynch’s signature is faded but identifiable and substantially complete.
The condition is undeniably fairr; however, the extreme rarity and historical significance of the manuscript outweigh its physical faults. For a Thomas Lynch Jr. autograph letter—one of only a tiny number believed to survive—preservation of the complete letter, date, place, address panel, historical content and signature is remarkable.
Thomas Lynch Jr. (1749–1779), signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina. Autograph letter signed “Thomas Lynch,” Charlestown, South Carolina, March 1, 1776. One page, approximately 8 × 10¼ inches, with integral address panel. Addressed entirely in Lynch’s hand to George Laurence Eaton, Esquire.
An extraordinary Declaration-era letter
Written during the opening months of the American Revolution—and only four months before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence—this complete letter bears what is arguably the rarest signature among all 56 signers.
Lynch writes:
“I am happy to extend to you the enclosed letter on his Excellys. account. I shall explain to my Father the visit and the reason. With great esteem I have the honor to be your friend.
Thomas Lynch”
The address panel is directed to:
“George Laurence Eaton Esquire, Charlestown”
It also bears the delivery notation:
“The politeness of James Coggeshall, Esq.”
The letter’s reference to “my Father” is particularly evocative. Thomas Lynch Sr. was himself a prominent Revolutionary statesman who had represented South Carolina in the Stamp Act Congress and the First and Second Continental Congresses. In February 1776, only weeks before this letter was written, the elder Lynch suffered a devastating stroke while serving in Philadelphia.
Thomas Lynch Jr. was subsequently chosen to join the South Carolina delegation. He presented his credentials in Philadelphia on April 24, 1776, voted for independence, and signed the engrossed Declaration on August 2. Although his father remained a congressional delegate, paralysis prevented the elder Lynch from adding his own signature. The Lynches were the only father and son to serve together in the Continental Congress.
Soldier, statesman and signer
Born at Hopsewee Plantation in South Carolina in 1749, Thomas Lynch Jr. received an unusually distinguished education at Eton College, Cambridge University and the Middle Temple in London. He returned to South Carolina in 1772 and soon entered public life.
As tensions with Britain developed into war, Lynch served in South Carolina’s Provincial Congresses and was commissioned a captain in the First South Carolina Regiment. While recruiting troops in North Carolina, he contracted a severe fever from which he never fully recovered. Nevertheless, he traveled to Philadelphia to care for his incapacitated father and represent South Carolina in the Continental Congress.
Lynch signed the Declaration before his twenty-seventh birthday. His congressional service was brief because of persistent illness. In December 1779, Lynch and his wife sailed from South Carolina aboard the Polly, intending to travel to France in search of a healthier climate. Their vessel disappeared at sea, and no trace of them was ever found. Lynch was only thirty—the youngest Declaration signer to die.
The rarest autograph among the signers
Thomas Lynch Jr.’s autograph is widely regarded as the rarest of all the Declaration signers when surviving substantive manuscripts are considered. Button Gwinnett has traditionally held that distinction among collectors, but most surviving Lynch autographs are ownership signatures clipped from books formerly in his library.
A scholarly census cited by Sotheby’s recorded only two autograph letters signed by Lynch, compared with numerous clipped book signatures. Nearly all surviving signed documents are held by institutions. Thus, a complete letter written and signed by Lynch is vastly more important and desirable than the small clipped signatures normally encountered.
This is not merely the signature of a Declaration signer. It is a war-dated letter written shortly before independence, mentioning Lynch’s father and bearing what is arguably the rarest signature among the 56 signers.
Condition
The letter is in fragile, heavily compromised but historically intact condition, entirely consistent with a manuscript approaching 250 years old:
- Overall age toning and discoloration, with darker staining along the original folds.
- Ink is substantially faded throughout, although much of the text, address and Lynch’s signature remain discernible under careful examination.
- Numerous horizontal and vertical folds, several of which have separated or are substantially weakened.
- Multiple edge losses, chips and irregularities, including losses at the right edge and lower corners.
- Several small holes and internal paper losses, including losses affecting portions of the text but apparently not removing Lynch’s full signature.
- Significant splitting and fragmentation at fold intersections.
- Evidence of extensive earlier stabilization or reinforcement, with narrow support strips or tissue visible along several folds and edges.
- Projecting tabs and reinforced areas are visible around the perimeter.
- The address panel and delivery notation remain present.
- Lynch’s signature is faded but identifiable and substantially complete.
The condition is undeniably fairr; however, the extreme rarity and historical significance of the manuscript outweigh its physical faults. For a Thomas Lynch Jr. autograph letter—one of only a tiny number believed to survive—preservation of the complete letter, date, place, address panel, historical content and signature is remarkable.
