Manuscript document signed by Stephen Crane (1709-1780), as judge of the court of common pleas of Essex County. [New Jersey], 1765. 1 page 3 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches.

An itemized list of court costs incurred by the prevailing party in an unidentified legal matter, featuring Crane's formal authorization for taxation: I tax this Bill of Costs at Two pounds Eleven shillings and Three pence proclamation money of New Jersey." The list provides rare insight into colonial legal fees, including entries for "Plea Rolls" (3:4), the "Court Cryer Term Fee" (0:2), "Bail" (1:6), and "Default & Judgment" (5:0).

Stephen Crane was a central figure in the political and judicial life of colonial New Jersey. His extensive career in public service began as the sheriff of Essex County, followed by his election to Elizabethtown's town committee in 1750. Throughout the mid-18th century, Crane presided as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and it is in this capacity that he signed the document offered here.

Crane’s influence expanded as the colonies moved toward revolution. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1766 to 1773, acting as Speaker in 1771, and held the office of Mayor of Elizabethtown. A staunch patriot, he was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774.

Though too advanced in age to participate in conflict, Crane still met a gruesome end during the Revolutionary War. In June 1780, while Hessian troops were advancing through Elizabethtown toward the Battle of Springfield, the statesman was intercepted and brutally bayoneted. He succumbed to his wounds on July 1, 1780, just days after the British retreat from the Jersey shore.

[Colonial America, 13 Colonies, Thirteen Colonies] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]