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A fascinating piece of Massachusetts social, governmental and postal history dating from the final days of the Civil War.
Offered here is an original April 7, 1865 letter from the Massachusetts Board of State Charities, Secretary\'s Office, 12 State House, Boston, together with its original official envelope addressed to Varnum Taylor, Esq., for Overseers of Poor, Boxborough, Massachusetts.
The letter concerns Boxborough\'s official pauper returns. The Board had received returns purporting to cover the year ending March 1, 1865, but advised Taylor that they should have been prepared for only the five months ending on that date. The writer asks to be informed if the returns actually covered more than five months.
The letter is written on handsome official stationery headed:
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES
Secretary\'s Office, 12, State House, Boston
It concludes:
“Yours truly
F. B. Sanborn
Sec. B.S.C.
per H. C. Prentiss Clerk”
Franklin Benjamin Sanborn (1831–1917) was a prominent Massachusetts social reformer, writer and abolitionist closely associated with the circle supporting John Brown. The letter bears the signature “F. B. Sanborn,” Secretary of the Board of State Charities, followed by “per H. C. Prentiss Clerk.” The Sanborn signature appears consistent with known examples of Franklin B. Sanborn\'s autograph; buyers are encouraged to examine the detailed photographs and make their own assessment.
The original orange/buff envelope is especially attractive. At upper left is an embossed official marking reading “BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES / MASSACHUSETTS / 1863.” It is franked with a 3-cent rose Washington stamp bearing a striking bold geometric segmented circular cancellation. A faint red Boston circular date stamp is also present.
The Massachusetts State Library identifies the Board of State Charities in the state\'s Public Document series beginning in 1864, making this an early surviving example of correspondence from this pioneering state agency.
The date provides an extraordinary historical context: April 7, 1865, just two days before Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. While the Civil War was reaching its conclusion, the everyday work of Massachusetts state and town government continued—as demonstrated by this correspondence concerning the administration of poor relief in the small town of Boxborough.
The letter and envelope have remained together and provide an unusually complete piece of mid-19th-century Massachusetts governmental history: the official communication, its original mailing envelope, embossed agency marking, postage stamp, cancellation and postal marking.
The letter and cover show age, folds, toning, staining and other handling/storage wear consistent with material approximately 160 years old. Please examine all photographs carefully, including the detailed scans of the letter, envelope, embossed marking, stamp and postal markings.
From the collection of Dr. Allan C. “Doc” Johnson (1889-1941) of Clinton, Massachusetts, an active stamp collector during the early 20th century. Doc\'s collection has remained with his family for more than eight decades.
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