Mint employees promise to return after Yellow Fever epidemic - 1803.

RWB

Epidemics of yellow fever were annual events in Philadelphia during the time of the first U.S. Mint. Here's one of several documents where employees promise to return when the annual epidemic has run its course.

Barry

Is that a stain on the paper or a map of the English coastline?

LanLord

<< <i>Is that a stain on the paper or a map of the English coastline? >>

Probably vomit from someone with yellow fever.

RWB

Water stain.

Broadstruck

<< <i>Water stain. >>



Did you scratch and sniff

GRANDAM

Well, did they return?

Mercury10c

<< <i>Well, did they return? >>


The ones that didn't die...
That handwriting is really difficult to read, and there are some words that I cannot make out.

RWB

Text of the agreement:

“We the Workmen and Laborers now employed in the Mint of the United States ––
Do agree to return to our different employments in said Mint after this present infectious Disease & the health of the City is returned, when the Mint shall open. Witness our hands this twenty-third day of September 1803.”

Barbercoin

Very interesting topic from a long-past era. We forget the day-to-day issues earlier Americans dealt with. Thanks for sharing.

MsMorrisine

<< <i>Very interesting topic from a long-past era. We forget the day-to-day issues earlier Americans dealt with. Thanks for sharing. >>




and how they dealt with them

GoldenEyeNumismatics

I want that handwriting.

Mark

Interesting document! I wonder who benefited most from this agreement--the workers, who presumably were promised their old jobs back when they returned, or the mint, which presumably knew that it would not be forced to hire a bunch of new people when the epidemic was over?

johnny9434

interesting paper. im glad its there lol