1794 Pennsylvania Bucks Counts Fox Bounty Order Signed By Thomas Long

1794 Bucks County, Pennsylvania bounty certificate/order for payment, signed by Thomas Long, relating to the destruction of a wolf. Long was an (1740–1814?) early Durham Township settler and progenitor of the Long family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Identification

The document reads approximately:

"To the Treasurer of Bucks County

Pay Michael Fraley two shillings for killing a red fox in Northampton Township, in said County of Bucks, he having given satisfactory proof thereof..."

Signed: Thomas Long

Durham, February 26, 1794

Reverse endorsement:

"May 5, 1795 Received the contents of the within order for Michael Fraley"

signed by Philip Frist (or similar)

This is a county-issued bounty order rewarding a resident for eliminating a predator/vermin animal. Such payments were common in late 18th-century Pennsylvania and provide a fascinating glimpse into frontier agricultural life.

Historical Interest

The document has several desirable features:

Dated 1794, during the Washington administration.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Durham and Northampton Township references.

Signed county official.

Named recipient (Michael Fraley).

Agricultural/frontier history subject.

Attractive, highly legible penmanship.

Complete payment endorsement on reverse.

Predator bounty documents are collected by those interested in:

Early American rural life

Pennsylvania history

Hunting and trapping history

Frontier economics

Bucks County genealogy

An excellent example of early American county government and predator bounty regulation, documenting the payment of a reward for destroying agricultural pests in post-Revolutionary Pennsylvania.

According to a Bucks County history account, Thomas Long was:

Born in Ireland in 1740

Immigrated to Pennsylvania and first settled in present-day Northampton County

Moved to the Durham area around 1775–1776

Established what became known as the Long homestead in Durham Township

Married Rachel Morgan around 1766

Became the progenitor of a long-established Bucks County family whose descendants remained prominent in the area for generations.

It is dated Durham, Bucks County, February 26, 1794

It concerns a county bounty payment for killing a fox

Thomas Long is issuing an order to the Bucks County Treasurer

Such certificates were commonly signed by township officials, assessors, or justices who certified the claim

The wording of the document suggests Long was acting in an official local capacity—possibly as a township officer, county-appointed certifier, or justice involved in administering bounty claims.

Condition: Folded as issued with expected age toning and minor wear. Reverse endorsement present. Please review all photographs carefully.