1805 Newburyport, Massachusetts Town Assessor’s Account—Signed by Stephen Howard
An original early Federal-period municipal account documenting the compensation of Stephen Howard for service as an assessor for the Town of Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Dated March 20, 1805, the document records Howard’s claim for “84 Days Service as an Assessor” during the year 1804. His compensation was calculated at one dollar per day, producing a total payment of $84. At the bottom, Howard acknowledges receipt of payment through an order drawn on the town treasurer and signs in an abbreviated form, “Step. Howard.” The reverse is docketed with his full name and the date.
Town assessors occupied an important position in early New England government. Their duties included valuing real and personal property, establishing taxable assessments and helping determine how the financial obligations of the community would be distributed among its residents.
Stephen Howard was an active member of the Newburyport community whose name appears in contemporary civic, commercial and institutional records. This account provides tangible evidence of his work in the town government during the Jeffersonian era.
A handsome and unusually detailed early Massachusetts municipal document with particular appeal for collectors of Newburyport, Essex County, taxation and American local-government history.
Date: March 20, 1805
Place: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Signed: “Step. Howard”
Subject: Payment for 84 days’ service as town assessor
Amount: $84
Format: One manuscript leaf, written on both sides
Condition: Original folds, age toning, scattered soiling and minor edge wear; writing remains strong and fully legible.
An original early Federal-period municipal account documenting the compensation of Stephen Howard for service as an assessor for the Town of Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Dated March 20, 1805, the document records Howard’s claim for “84 Days Service as an Assessor” during the year 1804. His compensation was calculated at one dollar per day, producing a total payment of $84. At the bottom, Howard acknowledges receipt of payment through an order drawn on the town treasurer and signs in an abbreviated form, “Step. Howard.” The reverse is docketed with his full name and the date.
Town assessors occupied an important position in early New England government. Their duties included valuing real and personal property, establishing taxable assessments and helping determine how the financial obligations of the community would be distributed among its residents.
Stephen Howard was an active member of the Newburyport community whose name appears in contemporary civic, commercial and institutional records. This account provides tangible evidence of his work in the town government during the Jeffersonian era.
A handsome and unusually detailed early Massachusetts municipal document with particular appeal for collectors of Newburyport, Essex County, taxation and American local-government history.
Date: March 20, 1805
Place: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Signed: “Step. Howard”
Subject: Payment for 84 days’ service as town assessor
Amount: $84
Format: One manuscript leaf, written on both sides
Condition: Original folds, age toning, scattered soiling and minor edge wear; writing remains strong and fully legible.
