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Original early nineteenth-century manuscript debt and interest calculation sheet, docketed on the reverse for Richard Manning versus William Jordan Junior and John Davis Junior. One sheet, with handwritten material on both sides, recording dates from 1815 through 1819.
The reverse reads “Richd. Manning vs Wm. Jordan Jun. and John Davis Jr.” The calculation side includes dates read as March 15, 1815; November 9 and November 15, 1816; and June 3, 1819.
A particularly interesting feature is the worked six-percent interest calculation: a balance of 80 produces 4.80 annual interest, with figures for two years, six months and eighteen days totaling 12.24. The sheet preserves the writer’s working arithmetic, adjustments and running figures associated with an apparent civil debt claim.
POSSIBLE ATTRIBUTION TO NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S MATERNAL UNCLE: The Richard Manning named here may be the Raymond, Maine land agent who was the brother of Hawthorne’s mother. Richard Manning, John Davis Jr. and a Will Jordan are recorded in Raymond in 1820, supporting a possible local association. However, this sheet names no town or court, and the attribution remains unconfirmed. The docketed names are not authenticated personal signatures, and the sheet is not represented as written or signed by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
An appealing original for collectors of early legal documents, financial manuscripts, practical arithmetic, and Manning, Jordan or Davis family history.
Condition: age toning, scattered spotting and soiling, old folds with wear and small openings, edge nicks/losses, ink smudging and corrections, writing show-through, and a later pencil notation on the reverse. The names and substantial portions of the calculations remain legible. Please examine all photographs for condition and the ruler photographs for scale.
Sale is for the single original manuscript sheet shown. Ruler is not included.
Type: Manuscript legal/accounting document
Date: Circa 1819; recorded dates 1815-1819
Format: One sheet; handwriting on both sides
Material: Paper
Language: English
Subject: Debt, interest calculations, legal history, genealogy
Names: Richard Manning; William Jordan Jr.; John Davis Jr.
Geographic Attribution: Possibly Raymond, Maine; unconfirmed
Possible Association: Richard Manning, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s maternal uncle; unconfirmed
Handwritten: Yes
Signed: No authenticated personal signatures
Condition: Antique; folds, toning, spotting, edge wear and small losses
Dimensions: See ruler photographs
