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Handwritten Letter to Alden Bradford, 1820 Regarding the Poor of Holland, Massachusetts

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:30.00 USD Estimated At:50.00 - 80.00 USD
Handwritten Letter to Alden Bradford, 1820 Regarding the Poor of Holland, Massachusetts
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Holland, Massachusetts, 1820. Handwritten letter from the Overseers of the Poor of Holland, addressed to Alden Bradford, Secretary of the Commonwealth (of Massachusetts), likely for compensation from the state. Outlines the number and ages of all the "paupers" that have been "maintained in and by the District of Holland" for the last five years, as well as the total average expense for their care. All indigents listed were cared for in the Poor House in Holland, Massachusetts. Dark brown handwriting on off-white paper, remains of a red seal at center right, Fine condition for its age. Caring for the poor and dependent was considered a public duty in early New England. They were often situated on the grounds of a poor farm on which able-bodied residents were required to work. Alden Bradford (17 November 1765 - 26 October 1843) was an American politician, clergyman and author who served as the 5th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard in 1786 and received a degree of LL.D. there. He was then ordained as a Congregational church pastor, serving in Wiscasset, Maine. After moving to Boston he served from 1812 to 1824 as secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.