A book long owned by a Chattanooga family that once was in the library of George Washington at Mount Vernon and that was signed by him sold for $138,000 at a recent auction in Knoxville. Case Antiques had estimated that the book would fetch between $28,000 to $32,000.
A two-volume set from the same estate about Chief Justice John Marshall brought $21,600. Prior to the sale, its value was estimated between $5,000-$7,000.
A hand-written letter to Chief Justice Marshall from George Washington sold for $19,200 in the online auction, and a John Marshall four-volume set on Plutarch's Lives signed by Justice Marshall took in $18,600. The prior estimate was $4,000-$5,000.
The items are from the family of attorney Lewis Minor Coleman, who arrived in Chattanooga in the late 1880s from Virginia. His mother, Mary Ambler Marshall, was a granddaughter of Chief Justice Marshall. George Washington and John Marshall were close personal and political friends.
Attorney Coleman, after arriving in Chattanooga, married Julia Boyd, who was a direct descendant of General Henry Dearborn. A number of documents from the famed general were also in the Coleman collection.
Lewis Coleman was a classmate of John Thomas Lupton in Virginia. When Lupton was passing through Chattanooga on his way to Texas, Coleman convinced the future Coca Cola bottling magnate to go no further.
Attorney Coleman was also instrumental in recruiting Professor Roy Baylor to come to Chattanooga to set up a school. He helped line up many students for the Baylor School.
Charles Coleman, son of attorney Lewis Coleman, lived for many years at the family home just below Cravens House on the side of Lookout Mountain. His son, Boyd Coleman, was the last of this male Coleman line.
An oil portrait of Chief Justice Marshall, attributed to Wm. Hubard, sold at the auction for $16,640. The estimate had been $5,000-$7,000.
Very early photographs of the Coleman family, including Civil War images, sold for $10,240.
A letter from John Marshall to his son in 1832 sold for $4,560, and one he wrote to his wife in 1829 brought $4,320. Other John Marshall letters sold for $3,360. Another from President Martin Van Buren sold for $1,080.
A military commission signed both by President Thomas Jefferson and General Henry Dearborn brought $3,120 and another signed by General Dearborn and President Andrew Jackson sold for $2,176. Military appointments of General Dearborn signed by Presidents James Madison and James Monroe brought $1,792.
Here is the description given of the Washington book:
GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799). Washington was Founding Father, Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War and the first President of the United States of America. A volume signed by George Washington on the top of the title page. The book a bound copy of the first five issues of Volume One of "The Massachusetts Magazine: or Monthly Museum of Knowledge and Rational Entertainment", published by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews of Boston in 1789. The inside front cover has his armorial bookplate and this book was once in his Mount Vernon library. The front endpaper has an inscription reading "Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr./1911/ Presented by his grandmother M.A.MC. from the library of his great-great-grandfather Chief Justice John Marshall". The Massachusetts Magazine, founded in 1789 and published until 1796 by the famous printer Isaiah Thomas, advertised on its title page that it contains "poetry, music, biography, history, physics, geography, morality, criticism, philosophy, mathematics, agriculture, architecture, chemistry, novels, tales, romances, translations, news, marriages, deaths, eteorological observations, etc. etc.". It was founded at the same time as the nation to act as "a kind of thermometer, by which the genius, taste, literature, history, politics, arts, manners, amusements and improvements of the age and nation, may be ascertained". This particular book is important for Washington since it covers the events of 1789 that included his inauguration as the country's first President. For example, page 314 is entitled "Papers relative to the President of the United States" and includes a printing of his Inaugural Address that starts with "Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order…". It is then followed by "The Address of the Senate to the President of the United States In Answer to his Speech to Both Houses of Congress". On page 286 is a passage entitled "Memoirs of General Washington". In other words, Washington kept this book since it was a "clippings file" of his first year as President. An outstanding Washington signed book with a great association year and terrific content. Front endpaper with inscription reading: Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr./1911/ Presented by his grandmother M.A.M.C. (Mary Ambler Marshall Coleman) from the library of his great-great-grandfather Chief Justice John Marshall. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, by descent from Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was also related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother's side. Note: John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, serving for thirty-five years. He oversaw landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and the Dartmouth College case. His lifelong friendship with George Washington developed during their Revolutionary War service including the winter at Valley Forge and the battles at Brandywine and Monmouth; he went on to write one of the early biographies of America's first president (see related lots, #263, 264). Description courtesy of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. CONDITION: This volume has been rebacked and rebound in leather with new endpapers before 1911 and is in good condition. It appears that the original front cover has been incorporated into the binding and shows some wear. The bookplate has been preserved and is in good condition. The front cover is scuffed. There is a slight tear to the title page nowhere near the dark Washington autograph, and there is toning and spotting to the interior pages.
Here is the description of the two-volume Life of Washington owned by John Marshall:
Signed hardcover two volume set of John Marshall’s “The Life of George Washington”, published by Carey & Lea, Philadelphia, 1832. Second edition, “Revised & Corrected by the Author”. Stereotyped by J. Chrissy & G. Goodman. Volume I – 460 pages and 42 pages of notes. Volume II – 448 pages and 32 pages of notes. 8vo, calf leather cover, black leather spine labels, marbled endpapers and endpages. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Washington in Volume I. Errata Sheet with hand written notes included in Volume II. The first volume is inscribed “For Mr. James K. Marshall From his affectionate Father The Author”. The second volume is signed “J Marshall” on the title page. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, by descent from Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was also related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, serving for thirty-five years. He oversaw landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and the Dartmouth College case. His lifelong friendship with George Washington developed during their Revolutionary War service including the winter at Valley Forge and the battles at Brandywine and Monmouth. (See related lot #264). Description courtesy of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. CONDITION: Original cover with wear to the front boards and some wear to the spines. There is scattered foxing throughout but a fine association copy. Volume 1 with minor loss to lower back endpaper. Inscriptions and signatures clean and crisp.
This tells of the handwritten letter from George Washington to John Marshall:
George Washington handwritten letter to John Marshall, congratulating him on his first election to a Federal Office: “With Infinite Pleasure I Received The News Of Your Election…a Few Days Now, Will Give Us The Result Of All The Elections To Congress & The Legislature Of The State”. GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799). Washington was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, President of the Constitutional Convention, signer of the Constitution and First President of the United States. JOHN MARSHALL (1755-1835). Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice, serving for thirty-five years. He oversaw landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and the Dartmouth College case. ALS. 1pg. May 5th, 1799. Mount Vernon. An autograph letter signed “Go:Washington” and accompanied by a free franked address panel also signed “Go:Washington”. The former President wrote to John Marshall, congratulating Marshall on his election to the United States House of Representatives from the Richmond area. Washington hand wrote to the future Chief Justice (missing words are put in brackets): “With infinite pleasure I received the news of your Election. For the Honor of the District, I wish the Majority had been greater, but let us be content, and hope, as the tide is [turning, the current] will soon run strong on our favor. [I am] sorry to find that the publication [you allude to] should have given you a moments [disquiet] I can assure you, it made no im[pression on my] mind, of the tendency apprehend[ed by you]. [The] doubt you have expressed of Mr. [Hancock’s ele]ction, is unexpected as it is pain[ful in these] parts, we had set it down as cer[tain, and our] calculations went to eleven instead of nine. A few days now, will give us the result of all the Elections to Congress & the Legislature of the State; and as you are at the fountain of information respecting the politics of the members, give me, I pray you, the amount of the parties on each side, if you have the leisure & can ascertain them. With very sincere esteem & regards I am–Dear Sir–Yr Obedt & Affect Servt Go:Washington”. The address panel is in WashingtonÂ’s handwriting, and he sent it to “General Marshall in Richmond Go:Washington”; there is additional writing probably by a local postmaster. Includes dedication card reading “Presented to Louis Minor Coleman by his Aunt- Alice Marshall Coleman”, affixed to lower right corner of letter. Letter is mounted to grey card stock board. Letter – 9 3/4? H x 16 1/4? W. Board – 10? H x 16 1/4? W. Typed letter from Herbert A. Johnson, Associate Editor of “The Papers of John Marshall”, to Charles B. Coleman, Esq., dated February 26, 1968, included in lot. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, by descent from Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis M. Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. Note: This was not Marshall’s first political victory. In 1782, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, and remained there for seven years; he was again elected to the Virginia House from 1795 to 1796. In 1788, Marshall served as a delegate to the Virginia convention that ratified the new Federal constitution; Marshall was a staunch supporter of the new government. He declined Washington’s offer of Attorney General. During the Adams administration, he declined an appointment to the Supreme Court, but he represented the United States during the infamous XYZ Affair. His 1799 election to the House of Representatives was his first Federal victory; Marshall was helped because of his support from Patrick Henry. In 1800, President Adams named Marshall Secretary of State and the next year, Adams nominated him to become the fourth Chief Justice. The “Mr. Hancock” mentioned is most likely the Virginia Congressman George Hancock, who served in the House of Representatives from 1793 to 1797. The letter and attached address leaf are glued to a larger board and framed; paper loss affects about twenty words. The Library of Congress owns a letterbook copy of this letter and the missing words can be ascertained. According to The American Book Prices Current (a compendium of auction results), only three Washington to Marshall letters have sold in the past quarter century. A 1968 letter from Herbert Johnson, the Associate Editor of the Papers Of John Marshall, states “This is such an important letter that I know you value it highly. As you may know Washington was the most important influence that impelled Marshall to stand for election in the House of Representatives. This was his first domestic office with the national government and from it he moved to the State Department and then the Chief Justiceship…Washington’s request that Marshall provide him with the Virginia election returns–another indication of Marshall’s position in the Federalist party in Virginia…”. An additional letter included in this lot is dated June 1913 from United States senator/historian Albert J. Beveridge and reads, “Dear Mr. Coleman: Miss Lizzie Marshall of Leeds, VA informed me that you have some letters of Chief Justice Marshall – one of them from George Washington.” (Beveridge states he is gathering material to write the The Life of John Marshall and would like copies of the letters.). A great association between the first President and the great Chief Justice. Description courtesy of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. CONDITION: Overall good condition. Washington signature and writing in strong, clear condition. Areas of dampstaining, including faint 3/4? x 1 1/2? dampstaining over signature (does not affect overall quality). 3 3/8? x 2 1/4? area of text missing from left margin of letter (3 3/8? x 6 1/2? area missing in total extending from below address to left horizontal fold line). 1/2? x 3/8? area of lower right corner repaired (does not affect signature).
This tells of Dearborn documents:
Military appointment commission document signed by both President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of War Henry Dearborn (1751-1829), dated January 27, 1803, conferring the rank of Second Lieutenant to W. L. Graham. Housed in a black painted frame with gilt trim. Sight – 17 3/4" H x 14 1/2" W. Framed – 19 3/4" H x 16 3/8" W. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN. Descended in the family of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on the side of her mother, Pamela Augusta Gilman (1802-1880). Annette was married to Charles Harrod Boyd and had four children, including Julia Wingate Boyd (wife of Lewis M. Coleman, Jr.). Lewis M. Coleman, Jr. was the son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis M. Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Note: Henry Dearborn was a Revolutionary War General and Congressman and was Secretary of War under Thomas Jefferson. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, President Madison made Dearborn Commanding General of the U.S. Army. Fort Dearborn and Dearborn, Michigan were named in his honor. See multiple lots related to this family in this auction. CONDITION: Overall good condition. Jefferson signature visible but faded, slightly obscured by vertical fold line. Dearborn signature in clear, visible condition. Other writing in faded condition. Areas of toning, minute foxing spots, and surface scuffs to upper quadrant, to be expected from age.