1778 Pennsylvania Assembly Pay Order Signed by James McLene — Lancaster, Revolutionary War

Original partly printed document completed in manuscript, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, January 2, 1778. Signed by James McLene as Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, with a receipt acknowledgment apparently signed by Assemblyman William McFarran.

Issued “By Order of the House,” the document directs State Treasurer David Rittenhouse to pay McFarran £62 10s for fifty days’ service in the Assembly, together with £7 16s 8d for mileage—a total of £70 6s 8d.

McLene held the Speakership during the difficult winter of 1777–78 and subsequently served in the Continental Congress. McFarran represented Northampton County. Dated at Lancaster during the British occupation of Philadelphia, this pay order offers a tangible record of Pennsylvania’s revolutionary government continuing its legislative business amid war.

David Rittenhouse’s name and office are printed at the foot; the document does not bear his signature.

Condition: Age toning, scattered foxing and staining, intersecting folds with splits, edge tears, and irregular losses around the margins and corners. The principal text, payment amounts, and Speaker’s signature remain clearly readable. Reverse with pencil notation and light show-through.