INDIAN AGENT GEORGE CROGHAN HAS PROBLEMS WITH LAND SPECULATION, 1769

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/7/2018

1) George Croghan to Thomas Wharton, autograph letter signed (ALS), "Geo: Croghan" to Philadelphia merchant and land speculator Thomas Wharton, np., dated 30 May 1769, 3 pages, quarto, docketed, two small chips in margins, not affecting text, otherwise very fine. Croghan writes "the Last Packette has Nott brought Sir William [Johnson] or Myself a Single Line from any person in England tho' I am Impatient to hear from you, as I understand Mr. [Samuel] Wharton has Wrote to you & his friends". Thomas's brother Samuel was then in London attempting to negotiate ratification of the purchases of Ohio Valley lands purchased by Croghan, the Whartons and others at the close of the French & Indian War. In the interim, Croghan, property-addicted, bought large tracts of Indian land in western New York for William Franklin, Joseph Galloway, Thomas Wharton, and other speculators, as well 127,000 acres near Lake Otsego for himself in 1768. Croghan updates Thomas Wharton on the progress of the land surveys on their purchases and offers to purchase him "Ten thousand acres in the harpers purchase....[for] L 200 york Money...if you approve of the price...." Croghan confesses that he must sell to "Some New England Gentlemen...two Tracts of Six Miles Squar[e] Each, the Land is very fine and Worth Much More Could I keep it, Butt I must Sell to Disintangle Myself from g[enera]l. Ingagem[en]ts. I am under", revealing that Croghan is already feeling the squeeze from his reckless purchasing without sufficient capital. 2) George Croghan to Thomas Wharton, ALS, np. (but probably the 'six chimney cabin" he built in "Croghan's Forest near Lake Otsego, as above), dated 21 August 1769, 3 pages, quarto, docketed, some marginal chips and numerous small burn holes scattered throughout the letter due to theiron-gall ink, otherwise very good. Croghan acknowledges Wharton's letter of July 9th and "am Sorry [surveyor] Mr. Wells had So Dismal an Account to Give of the Cuntry Tis True there is Hills and the Tops of those Hills is very good Land...there is Butt one Barren Hill in the whole Tract." He discusses other lands for sale "& were I able I would purchass itt Myself Butt you know I want to Sell if I Could for Money Butt that is not to be hand in this quarter of the World tho there is buyers A Nouff[.] I have had some Leters from yr. Brother Samuel & Doctor [Benjamin] Franklin" in London, by which he learns that there is objection to "four articles of the Treaty at Fort Stanwix...." Provenance: a small collection of land records purchased by Mr. O'Connor from a Wharton descendant. From the Walter O'Connor collection.