Autograph letter signed by Thomas Crandon (1728–1821), as master of the schooner Recovery. Boston, Massachusetts, 23 December 1761. 1 page, quarto. Fine condition with expected light toning and fold lines.

An exceptional primary source document bridging the commercial and military worlds of Colonial Boston. This letter formally confirms receipt of payment from Captain David Price, Royal Navy, facilitated through "the Hon'ble Thomas Hancock Esqr." The transaction involves a "set of Certificates signed by Sir Jeffery Amherst" dated 20 September 1761, directed to the "Principal Officers & Commissioners of [His] Majesty’s Navy." The payment pertains specifically to the hire of the schooner Recovery, a vessel likely pressed into service during the final stages of the Seven Years' War.

Thomas Hancock (1703–1764), uncle and benefactor of Founding Father John Hancock, was a merchant in colonial Boston, born to Elizabeth Clark and the Reverend John Hancock. His career began in the book trade and soon expanded into importing and exporting throughout the British Empire. Eventually, Hancock built a sprawling commercial empire through a shrewd mixture of legitimate trade and illicit smuggling, frequently bypassing the restrictive British Navigation Acts by trading directly with Holland.

One key aspect of his financial success was cemented through lucrative military contracts, serving as the chief logistics provider for the British Crown in New England. Sir Jeffery Amherst (1717–1797), 1st Baron Amherst, was the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America during the French and Indian War. Renowned as a master tactician, he was the architect of the British conquest of Canada. As Amherst directed the movement of thousands of troops across the wilderness, Hancock managed the complex logistics of shipping and supply. This document represents the intersection of British military authority and the elite colonial mercantile class who shaped pre-Revolutionary North America. 

[Colonial America, 13 Colonies, Thirteen Colonies][Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs][American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe, John Hancock]