Robert Morris Signed Promissory Note for $5,000, Philadelphia, July 18

A manuscript promissory note dated Philadelphia, July 18, 1795, reading: "Three years after date I promise to pay Robt. Morris Esqr. or order Five thousand Dollars for value received. 5000 Dollars. Signed Jno Nicholson. Indorsed Robt. Morris." Below is a formal notarial protest document signed by Peter Lohra, Notary Public for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, dated July 21, 1798, certifying that he attended the counting house of John Nicholson to demand payment, found it shut up with no person present to pay, and formally protested the note for non payment. Robert Morris (1734 to 1806), known as the "Financier of the Revolution," signed his endorsement on this note at a moment of personal financial crisis: by 1795 his vast land speculation schemes were collapsing, and the note's protest for non payment in 1798 reflects exactly the circumstances that led to his imprisonment for debt from 1798 to 1801. John Nicholson was Morris's partner in the North American Land Company and shared his financial ruin. A $5,000 promissory note bearing Morris's endorsement, with its dramatic notarial protest documenting the very bankruptcy that destroyed one of the Revolution's most important figures, is a document of genuine historical resonance. This item will be accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from One of a Kind Collectibles.

Condition
Manuscript promissory note with notarial protest, one page, approx. 8 x 13 inches, brown ink, dated Philadelphia July 18, 1795 and July 21, 1798; signed 'Jno Nicholson' as drawer and endorsed 'Robt. Morris'; notarial protest signed by Peter Lohra, N.P.; embossed notarial seal; fold lines and light toning, overall very good.