1781 Revolutionary War Connecticut Pay Order to Captain Wait Goodrich — Signed by Eleazer Wales & William Moseley

An original manuscript payment order issued by Connecticut’s Pay-Table Office on October 2, 1781, directing State Treasurer John Lawrence to pay Captain Wait Goodrich six pounds in lawful silver money.

The payment was to come from the state tax of two shillings and sixpence on the pound, payable the following December. Signed by Pay-Table committee members Eleazer Wales and William Moseley, the document also bears an overlapping administrative endorsement and manuscript docketing on the reverse.

Goodrich served as a Revolutionary War commissary at Woodbury, Connecticut, helping procure provisions for the army. He also held appointments inspecting gunpowder and saltpetre. Although this order does not identify the specific expense being paid, it provides a direct connection to an officer involved in Connecticut’s wartime supply system.

Dated during the final weeks of the Yorktown campaign, the order illustrates how state taxation and treasury payments supported the Revolutionary War effort.

Condition: Age toning, original folds, scattered staining, small edge tears and nicks, and some ink fading. Most writing remains legible. The overlapping endorsement crosses portions of the principal signatures.