Two-page autograph manuscript to Ezekel Upton, Constable of Reading, Massachusetts per order of the selectmen
Reading: 1713. On recto and verso of a slip of paper approx. 4" x 6¼"; previous folds, very good. Constable Upton is directed by Town Clerk Francis Smith, on behalf of the Town Selectmen, to "warn" Nicholas Deuring and his wife out of town. "In His Majesties Name you are Required forthwith to warn Nicholas Deuring with his wife to Depart and Leave this Town..." This chain of command (Selectmen, Clerk, Constable) follows exactly the standard procedure for "warning out," a widespread method for New England communities to pressure or coerce outsiders to settle elsewhere. It consisted of a notice ordered by the Board of Selectmen of a town, and served by the constable upon any newcomer who might become a town charge or nuisance. The verso of this document indicates that Upton succeeded in warning Deuring and his wife out. It also spells out some of Upton's financial dealings on behalf of the town, including payment to him of a shilling for warning Deuring out. Item #59044
Price: $400.00
