City of Albany Bond 1842 - signed by mayor and Nathaniel L. Griswold

Beautifully engraved certificate from the City of Albany, New York mayorissued in 1842. This historic document has an ornate border around it with a vignette of pilgrim and an indian sitting by the state's coat of arms. This item is hand signed by the Mayor of Albany and is over 161 years old.












Certificate Vignette



The Certificate was issued to Nathaniel L. Griswold and signed by him on the verso. Nathaniel L. Griswold was the elder of two brothers who came to New York from Lyme, Connecticut and formed the merchant house N.L.& G. Griswold & Co. Their firm soon became one of the foremost China trading houses in New York, importing tea in large quantities from Canton, using the trademark of their ship, the “Panama”. Three successive ships with the name “Panama” sailed for the Griswolds for over thirty years. Unlike his younger brother who pursued many interests, Nathaniel Griswold was a solid conservative merchant, who probably preserved the firm more than once, from speculative setbacks which broke so many mercantile enterprises at the time. Nathaniel L. Griswold had two sons who formed a partnership trading domestic goods in New York and Louisiana. He also had several daughters who married well in New York.