Offered here is an original post-Revolutionary War financial order dated July 27, 1786, written in Alexandria, Virginia, directing payment of twenty-five pounds to merchant John Gibson. The document is signed twice by William Hunter Jr., once as the issuing signature and again as a docketed endorsement on the reverse.
Early Alexandria commercial manuscripts from the 1780s are scarce, and this example captures a moment in the regional merchant credit network linking Alexandria and the port of Dumfries, two of Northern Virginia’s most important trading centers in the years immediately following the American Revolution.
The order was later redeemed in Dumfries, noted on the document with the statement “Mrs Hues Recd 48 Dumfries.”
Alexandria 27th July 1786
“Please to pay Mr John Gibson
on order twenty five pounds, which please to enter …”
Signed
Willm Hunter Junr
Notation at lower left:
Mrs Hues Recd 48 Dumfries
Reverse docket:
Willm Hunter Junr / 27 July 1786
(Some minor fading and period spelling typical of eighteenth-century manuscripts.)
This document was created during the fragile economic recovery following the American Revolution. In the 1780s, merchants and printers frequently issued handwritten payment orders like this to settle accounts across nearby port towns. Alexandria and Dumfries formed a key trading corridor along the Potomac River, supporting tobacco exports and imported goods.
Documents from this early national period help illustrate how commerce functioned before standardized banking systems became widespread.
William Hunter Jr. was a prominent printer and civic figure in Alexandria, Virginia. He was the son of William Hunter Sr., Deputy Postmaster General of the American colonies and associate of Benjamin Franklin. Hunter Jr. continued the family’s printing tradition and was associated with the Virginia Gazette and Alexandria Advertiser, one of the region’s early newspapers. In 1789 he became postmaster of Alexandria, serving during the early years of the United States government. His autograph on early commercial documents is uncommon.
John Gibson was a merchant active in the Alexandria and Dumfries trade network during the late eighteenth century. Records from the period show merchants of this type regularly handling credit orders, shipping goods, and settling accounts between Potomac River port towns. His presence in this document reflects the commercial relationships that supported the regional economy after the Revolution.
The notation “Mrs Hues Recd 48 Dumfries” likely records the individual who received or recorded the payment when the order was presented in Dumfries, Virginia. Women frequently managed shop accounts, boarding houses, or family business records in port communities during this period.
Typical wear for an eighteenth-century manuscript including toning, staining, and small edge loss at the lower right corner. Ink remains legible and both Hunter signatures are visible. Overall a solid surviving example from the early national period.
Documents signed by William Hunter Jr., especially from the 1780s Alexandria merchant community, are uncommon. The presence of two signatures by Hunter on the same document adds further interest for collectors of early American manuscripts, Virginia history, and colonial printing families.