James Asheton Bayard receipts

The James Asheton Bayard, Jr., receipts contains thirty-nine autograph receipts and a few letters related to James Asheton Bayard, Jr., between 1823 and 1843. The papers reflect business ventures, travel within the United States, and his career as a lawyer and United States attorney. The collection came to the University of Delaware through a 1960 gift of Mrs. W.W. Harrington.

The receipts relate to a variety of transactions. As a lawyer of the nineteenth century, Bayard needed important documents to be written and copied with precision, and three receipts record the services of J.P. Fairlamb for the writing of deeds. Fairlamb’s signature includes an elaborate flourish. Shipping receipts list the items Bayard received as well as the name of the sloop or steamboat in question. The name of Wilmington resident Thomas Garrett appears on several receipts in relation to his coal business, but Garrett is better known as an abolitionist and for his activities for the Underground Railroad. Bayard’s travel is reflected in receipts for a room rental, the hiring of horses and carriages, and commutation for the Wilmington Bridge. One receipt also refers to writing a deed in which one party was the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company. One letter from the Solicitor of the Treasury, addressed to Bayard, discusses the duty bond of David C. Wilson, who was the president of the Wilmington Whaling Company. The surname Grubb appears twice in the collection – once for a post office receipt and the other in a request for entering a bond in Supreme Court. The Grubb family was prominent in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Two receipts record transactions for Henry M. Bayard, who is identified as ward to James A. Bayard, Jr. Of further interest are embellished signatures and embossed paper seals, and receipts for large quantities of bread.