1786 Alexandria, Virginia handwritten payment order signed twice by William Hunter Jr, early American printer, publisher, and future Alexandria postmaster. A scarce post-Revolution financial document with strong regional associations.
---
Item Summary
Dated 27 July 1786, this is a handwritten order drawn at Alexandria, Virginia, instructing payment of twenty-five pounds to Mr. John Gibson, a merchant active in the Alexandria and Dumfries trade corridor. The document bears two signatures of William Hunter Jr, one on the front and a second docketed signature on the reverse. The order was later redeemed at Dumfries, noted by “Mrs Hues Recd 48 Dumfries” on the lower left.
This period is part of the fragile post-Revolution economy in Northern Virginia, only three years before the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
A scarce Alexandria merchant document with an uncommon double signature from a notable early American figure.
---
Full Transcription (best reading)
Alexandria 27th July 1786
“Please to pay Mr. John Gibson
on order twenty five pounds, which please to enter …”
Signed at bottom right:
Willm Hunter Junr
Lower left notation:
Mrs Hues Recd 48 Dumfries
Verso docketing:
Willm Hunter Junr / 27 July 1786
(Some words are faded but above is the clearest, modern reading.)
---
Biographies of All Individuals Mentioned
William Hunter Jr. (1755–1812)
William Hunter Jr. was a central figure in early Alexandria’s civic and printing life. He was the son of William Hunter Sr., who served as Deputy Postmaster General of the American Colonies alongside Benjamin Franklin, one of the most important positions in the pre-Revolution British colonial administration.
Hunter Jr. continued the family’s printing and publishing operations and became an influential early printer in Northern Virginia. He published the Virginia Gazette and Alexandria Advertiser, managed commercial printing for merchants and courts, and in 1789 became the Alexandria Postmaster, serving during the first years of the new federal period.
Hunter Jr.’s autograph is scarce, especially on pre-Constitution financial documents and doubly so when signed twice on the same piece.
---
John Gibson (active 1770s–1790s)
John Gibson was a merchant and factor in Alexandria and Dumfries, appearing frequently in Fairfax and Prince William County records as a dealer in imported goods, credit notes, and store accounts. Several 1780s Alexandria Gazette notices list shipments consigned to Gibson, placing him within the regional Potomac River trading network.
His business dealings brought him into contact with the most active commercial families of the era, including the Hunters, Scotts, and Fitzhughs. The presence of his name on this 1786 order reflects the post-Revolution commercial rebuilding of Alexandria and its surrounding ports.
---
Mrs. Hues (or Hughes) of Dumfries
The notation “Mrs Hues Recd 48 Dumfries” identifies the individual who redeemed the order at Dumfries, Virginia, then a major Prince William County port and customs point. Women often managed shop credit books and household accounts in this era, and the notation likely reflects her role in receiving and recording the payment for a Dumfries merchant establishment.
---
Historical Significance
This document sits at the intersection of early American postal history, Alexandria merchant activity, and the immediate post-Revolution transition from British colonial accounting to independent American commerce. The double Hunter Jr. signature adds strong value, and Alexandria material from the 1780s is highly collectible.
---
Condition
Moderate toning, foxing, and edge wear consistent with 18th-century paper. Ink remains legible. A small loss at lower right corner does not affect the signature. Overall a solid and attractive example for display.