{"product_id":"1766-colonial-massachusetts-document-fragment-signed-by-john-sale-chelsea-town-clerk-future-provincial-congress-representative","title":"1766 Colonial Massachusetts Document Fragment Signed by John Sale — Chelsea Town Clerk \u0026 Future Provincial Congress Representative","description":"\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChelsea, Massachusetts; 1766.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn original manuscript document fragment bearing the signature “John Sale Town Clerk,” preserving the concluding portion of an official colonial town document issued “By order of the Selectmen.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe surviving text dates the document to 1766 and the sixth year of His Majesty’s reign, referring to King George III. A later pencil annotation on the backing sheet identifies the place and full date as “Chelsea Mch 26th 1766.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJohn Sale served as Chelsea’s town clerk and subsequently represented the community in the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1775 and the General Court in 1776. This earlier example of his signature connects routine colonial town administration with a local official who would later participate in Massachusetts’s Revolutionary government.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWritten in brown ink on laid paper, the fragment retains an attractive, boldly penned signature and official designation. The principal body of the original document is absent, and its specific business cannot be determined from the surviving portion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Trimmed document fragment mounted on a larger backing sheet, with toning, scattered foxing and staining, creases, a horizontal split or tear, and minor edge losses. The signature remains clearly legible. The precise March 26 date is supplied by the later mount annotation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn appealing collectible for those interested in colonial Massachusetts, Chelsea history, early American local government, and Revolutionary-era personalities.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Archive Authority","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44678202261582,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0768\/8155\/9630\/files\/IMG_3819.jpg?v=1793021053","url":"https:\/\/thearchiveauthority.com\/products\/1766-colonial-massachusetts-document-fragment-signed-by-john-sale-chelsea-town-clerk-future-provincial-congress-representative","provider":"The Archive Authority","version":"1.0","type":"link"}