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Lot 2

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND REVOLUTION
Autograph letter signed by James Aitken, an immigrant from Scotland newly arrived at Wilmington, North Carolina, to his parents in Scotland, Wilmington, 5 January 1775

24 June 2015, 11:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £1,125 inc. premium

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AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND REVOLUTION

Autograph letter signed by James Aitken, an immigrant from Scotland newly arrived at Wilmington, North Carolina, to his parents in Scotland, describing his life and prospects, and the new country in which he finds himself ("...This Town where I settle is but in its infancy but situate along side of a fine River navigable for small Craft and is expected to be place of considerable trade in a short time, we have no manses or glebes as at home so that it will be very hard for me this year haveing a house to build & furnish a plantation and negroes to buy or hire but I hope in a short time to have sufficient competency for my support..."); he also sends home news of unrest in Boston ("...if these unhappy differences were once settled 'twixt Britain and the Colonies we'll live very happily the inhabitants are once a week under arms and have learned the military Exercise equally well with any of his majesty's at home and several skirmishes has been at Boston all america are ready to appear under arms for the defence of there rights and libertys in opposition to the proceedings of the Parliament of Britain..."); with autograph address panel ("To/ Mr John Aitken of Rashiehill/ Denny/ To the Care of Mr Jas: Adam Baker on Falkirk/ by Glasgow/ Nth Britain"), 3 pages, seal, some dust-staining, especially where folded for filing and exposed, minor wear at folds, passe-partout frame (unexamined out of frame), folio, Wilmington, 5 January 1775

Footnotes

'THE DEFENCE OF THERE RIGHTS AND LIBERTYS IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PARLIAMENT OF BRITAIN' – a young immigrant writes home at the beginning of the War of Independence. The author of this letter was a Presbyterian minister and school teacher who had settled in North Carolina; the Siege of Boston, to which he refers, having begun on 19 April. A copy of this letter is deposited at the London School of Economics, British Library of Political and Economic Science, Emigrants' Letters, PA11273 (where the address is incorrectly given as Wilmington, Delaware). Included in the lot is a Disposition and Assignation made by Aitken's father in favour of his son in 1793 (PA11274).

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