Revolutionary War
Norwalk, CT, October 10, 1775
Start of Revolutionary War 1775 Pay Order for Regiment Training
MDS

Manuscript pay order by Joseph Platt and Thomas Belden as Justices of the Peace, 1p, 7.75" x 4", Norwalk, October 10, 1775. Endorsed and docketed at verso. Flattened folds and creases with a tiny bit of isolated loss at central horizontal fold. Uneven edges. Ink show through and minor ink splatter. In near fine condition.

To John Lawrence Esq., treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, in full:

"Please to pay out of the Colony Treasury unto Stephen St. John sd Capt. of a Company in the Ninth Regiment ye sum of Twenty Seven pounds four Shillings & Six pence which Sum we find Due to the Military Company or Train band under his Command by Virtue of one Statute Law of sd Colony made and pass'd at the General Assembly in October Domini 1774.

Norwalk Octo'r: 10th 1775

Joseph Platt
Thos: Belden
Justices of the Peace."

At verso:

"Hartford 3d Novem'r 1775
Rec'd of Treasurer Lawrence Twenty Seven pounds four Shillings & six pence being the Contents for Capt. Stephen St. John
per John Benedict."

"Train band" is a contraction of "Trained Band," a colonial term used in the 16th to 18th centuries for local groups of men who got together on a regular basis to train in military skills. These compulsory militia units were kept in a state of readiness in each community, were organized and trained locally, and were independent of official control when not actually called up for service.

Stephen St. John (1735-1785) was a prominent officer in the Connecticut Militia during the American Revolution. Operating primarily in Fairfield County, he helped lead the 9th Regiment in defense of the coast and played a vital role in regional civil affairs. He was initially commissioned as Captain of the 1st Company in Norwalk, Connecticut, in May 1761. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in May 1775, he was appointed Major of the 9th Regiment of the Connecticut Militia. By May 1777, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Beyond the battlefield, St. John served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, assisted on the Committee of Articles of Confederation, and served on the Committee of Inspection. St. John was eventually captured by British Loyalists during the war. According to local oral histories, they landed at Raymond's Point in South Norwalk, ate supper at a local home, and took him prisoner before subsequently burning much of Norwalk.

Thomas Belden (1731-1806), before 1793 "Thomas Belding," was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk for twelve years. He was the grandson of John Belding, early settler, and state representative of Norwalk. Belden Hill near the Norwalk River in Wilton, Connecticut, was named for Thomas Belden.

Joseph Platt Cooke (1730-1816) was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War, a Connecticut politician, and twice a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation. He graduated from Yale College in 1750. He died in Danbury, Connecticut. His grandfather Joseph Platt, also served in the Connecticut House of Representatives for many years. In 1771, he was appointed colonel of the Sixteenth Regiment of the Connecticut militia, and during the Revolutionary War he accompanied General Wolcott's forces to New York in 1776. He was in command of the state forces when the British burned Danbury on April 26 and April 27, 1777. In 1781, his home served as a meeting place for George Washington and the French military leaders, the Comte de Rochambeau and the Marquis de Lafayette.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.75" x 4"
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