{"product_id":"baron-von-steuben-revolutionary-war-bounty-land-surveys-two-manuscript-plats-ohio-1795-1796","title":"Baron von Steuben Revolutionary War Bounty-Land Surveys — Two Manuscript Plats, Ohio, 1795–1796","description":"\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn appealing pair of late eighteenth-century manuscript land surveys naming Major General Friedrich Wilhelm, Baron von Steuben, the celebrated Continental Army officer associated with the training of Washington’s troops at Valley Forge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoth documents concern land claimed under military warrant No. 104 in the Virginia Military District of present-day Ohio, linking Revolutionary War compensation with the mapping and settlement of the early American West.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe first, Survey No. 810, describes 2,000 acres on the waters of Paint Creek and is dated March 20, 1795. Opening “Surveyed for Major General Steuben,” it records compass bearings, distances, neighboring claims, and tree boundary markers, accompanied by a small hand-drawn plat.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSteuben died on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNovember 28, 1794\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, so both stated survey dates fall after his death. They document land claims in his name, potentially being completed for his estate or successors; they do not establish that he personally commissioned these particular sheets.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn especially interesting supporting detail: a published study quotes Peter Muhlenberg’s 1784 letter identifying \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e663, 810, and 1037\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as Steuben’s land-lottery numbers. Your smaller survey is numbered \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e810\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and explicitly adjoins Steuben’s survey \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e663\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—a useful correspondence worth pursuing in the original records.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe second, Survey No. 2697, describes 1,050 acres on the waters of the Little Miami, northwest of the Ohio River. Its larger manuscript plat depicts the tract’s boundaries and a winding watercourse. Bearing dates of June 27 and July 6, 1796, it carries an apparent signature of deputy surveyor John O’Bannon. Extensive handwritten calculations occupy the reverse.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoth surveys postdate Steuben’s death in November 1794 and relate to the administration or completion of land claims in his name. Neither document is signed by Steuben.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition: Age toning, scattered spotting and staining, pronounced original folds, splits and small holes at fold intersections, minor edge tears and losses, and later docketing or annotations. The principal text and plats remain substantially legible. Two separate sheets, photographed front and back.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA compelling combination of Revolutionary War association, early Ohio history, and American manuscript cartography.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Archive Authority","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44751632040014,"sku":null,"price":1340.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0768\/8155\/9630\/files\/IMG_4040.jpg?v=1793484376","url":"https:\/\/thearchiveauthority.com\/products\/baron-von-steuben-revolutionary-war-bounty-land-surveys-two-manuscript-plats-ohio-1795-1796","provider":"The Archive Authority","version":"1.0","type":"link"}