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Title David Cobb accounts, and correspondence regarding land matters
Archival Reference Ms. N-1000
Sub-collection David Cobb Papers  
Author Cobb, David  Cony, Daniel  
Date 2-28 Feb 1799
Document Type Business and financial document; Correspondence
Contents Includes:
Receipt from Benjamin Ruggles (Columbia, Me.) to Joseph Patten for payment of taxes, 2 Feb. 1799
Receipt from Joseph Patten (Columbia, Me.) to [David] Cobb and [John] Richards for payment of taxes, 6 Feb. 1799
Receipted bill from Paul Dudley Sargent to [David] Cobb and [John] Richards for enumerating the inhabitants of certain Maine lands, 6 Feb. 1799
Account of William Terry with Cobb and Richards for supplies purchased from them, 8 Feb. 1799
Letter from David Cobb (Gouldsboro, Me.) to Alexander Baring forwarding copies of Cobb's accounts and requesting funds for the development of the Maine lands under Cobb's supervision, 22 Feb. 1799
Letter from Daniel Cony (Augusta, Me.) to David Cobb informing him of interest in Kennebec lands and inquiring about terms, 26 Feb. 1799
Letter from [David Cobb] (Gouldsboro, Me.) to William Bingham about Bingham's "Kennebec purchase," John Richards's opinion of the land, and Cobb's plans for the "season," 28 Feb. 1799
Sub-collection Information This collection consists of the papers of David Cobb primarily documenting his position as land agent for William Bingham in Maine, including papers related to the settlement of Maine, logging and the lumber trade, roads, and other subjects. Also included are papers related to his service during the American Revolution and his career as a politician and judge.

David Cobb was a Revolutionary War soldier and aide-de-camp to General George Washington, speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and president of the Senate, physician, judge, member of Congress, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, and a founder of the Society of the Cincinnati and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The collection contains letters to Charles W. Hare, Bingham's Philadelphia agent, and Alexander Baring, the future Lord Ashburton and representative of London's House of Baring. Also included are legal actions, financial accounts, maps, and inventories related to land development, fishing, lumbering, census reports, lotteries, the laying out of streets, and the construction of wharves, warehouses, and sawmills in Gouldsboro, Maine, which Cobb tried to develop as a major commercial port.

The collection also contains eight fragmentary diaries kept by Cobb, 1781-1818; a manuscript notebook with sketches; lists of British ships of the line; instructions for naval officers; letters to various members of the Cobb family; and letters from William Eustis, Henry Knox, Timothy Pickering, and Israel Thorndike concerning foreign relations, state politics, and miscellaneous financial matters related to the firm of Cobb and Richards, in which Cobb was partner.
Region American East  
Subjects Taxation  Settlers and Settlement  Stores and Supplies  Commerce and Trade  Land Transaction and Property  
Places Columbia; Maine; Gouldsboro; Augusta; Massachusetts
People Cobb, David (1748-1830)  Bingham, William (1752-1804)  Baring, Alexander (1774-1848)  
Themes Business, Trade & Commerce; Land & Property
Library Massachusetts Historical Society  
Copyright Massachusetts Historical Society