One wouldn’t think the old frame, with its cracked glass face and wrapping paper-esque backing, would protect a 250-year-old letter so well through the years.
The letter remained near pristine condition, its swirling “S” and curly “C” script now clearly discernible behind a new frame and glass.
Dated Feb. 23 of the revolutionary year, it grants power of attorney from John Eastman of Salisbury, Mass. to his son, Richard, a Blacksmith living in Concord. The wax seal, likely belonging to John, has chipped away.
It came to the Concord Historical Society this spring — happy timing, given that the city celebrates its tricentennial this summer. Both its date, 1776, and its correspondents — members of one of the city’s founding families — bear weight. John would have been in his mid-seventies at the time and his son his mid-thirties.
Ebenezer Eastman and his large family came up from Massachusetts and were among the first white settlers of the area around 1726, and the town was officially incorporated the following year.
John and Richard were cousins of Ebenezer, per an Eastman family genealogy: Their shared relation is Roger Eastman, credited as the first Eastman to settle in America. He was Ebenezer’s grandfather and John’s great-grandfather, making the two first cousins, one generation removed.
The letter is among a collection of art and documents from throughout Concord’s history on display in the carriage house at Kimball Jenkins for the Liberty and Legacy exhibit. Viewers can also catch historic maps, paintings and a first edition of the Concord Monitor.
The display is just part of local celebrations this summer of both the nation’s 250th anniversary and the city’s 300th.
On the back of the letter, the wrapping paper backing it arrived with has been preserved, too.
Liberty and Legacy will be open for public viewing through August 1. Kimball Jenkins requests that interested visitors contact the estate’s office at 603-225-3932.
