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Province of Maine

Lottery Ticket 1758, Signed by William Pepperell

Maine was not one of the original thirteen colonies, in fact, until 1820 Maine was the northern part of the State of Massachusetts. Some of the earliest colonial settlements in North America were actually in Maine, the Popham Colony was founded in 1607 by the Plymouth company but would fail with the colonists returning to England in 1608. In contrast to the colonial settlement in Jamestown Virginia in 1607, there was only one recorded death of a colonist. In 1652 Maine was created as a province of the Massachusetts-Bay colony and was finally settled permanently.

As Maine was then a part of Massachusetts-Bay, no paper money was issued specifically for the province. But in a similar fashion for what necessitated many colonial paper money issues that were issued specifically to raise funds for public works projects, so too lottery tickets were a fixture of colonial life in America during the 18th century. Sometimes as in this case they were issued over a long period of time to raise funds for projects - in this case the project was the erection and maintenance of bridges over the Saco and Pesumscot rivers in York County. York County is one of the oldest counties in Maine, and is situated at the very southern tip of the state.

This authorisation was passed by the general court of Massachusetts-Bay in January 1758 with the prize being decided in November 1760. I find it fascinating that lotteries were not only tolerated, but they thrived during this time, with religious fervor predicating all other forms of gambling. One could imagine that given that it was for the public good that lotteries were permitted during the time.

Lottery tickets from this era were at one time really not researched well, and collectors were few. Mercifully for myself I purchased this when I was a sprite with a determination to expend my extra dosh on sundry numismatic treasures rather than Pac-Man and music etc. I was always fascinated with the signers of paper money and lottery tickets, this particular lottery ticket being no small exception. For indeed, it was signed by William Pepperell (1696-1759), a notable from Maine history and even colonial American history. William Pepperell was a commander of the militia early in his career and would thence become Chief Justice of Massachusetts-Bay in 1730. He became the first native born American to become a Baronet in 1746, and was received by George II in 1749. He earned this distinguished honour in his military exploits during "King George's War" of 1744-48 where he commanded troops that besieged Ft. Louisbourg in French Canada and forced the French to surrender. During the French and Indian War he became a major general and for a short time governor of Massachusetts-Bay. He must have signed this ticket in 1758, as he took seriously ill in early 1759 and would die mid the following summer. His home in Kittery was built in 1682 and still stands and is entered in the National Historic Register.

Whilst it would appear unduly economical to us in the 21st century, paper was quite dearly expensive during the 18th century - for that reason the lottery tickets were printed on the unprinted side of an older document, notice the signature of Rishworth Jordan on the reverse of the ticket. He was a prominent jurist from Winter Harbour in what is now Maine. During the American revolution he was appointed Chief Justice in the Massachusetts-Bay colony. He lived a very long life for the time, having been born in 1719, he would live until 1808.

Of the 23 known lotteries that were operating in Massachusetts-Bay during the time, this particular is the only one that was located in the Maine Province. This piece seemed otherwise insignificant in how I purchased it when I was a teenager, now it is appreciated as a rare relic from an uncommon place to find 18th century fiscal documents from.

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