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Primary sourceDocument22 February 1831

Promissory Note Signed by John Tyler

22 February 1831

A signed promissory note from 1831 endorsed by John Tyler, held by the National Museum of American History, documenting his personal finances.

This note, endorsed by Tyler, is a personal financial record from years before his presidency.

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Front and back of a handwritten promissory note dated February 22, 1831, for $600 payable to John Tyler, signed by H. Davenport, with Tyler's endorsement on the back. Aged paper with brown staining on the left and right edges.
Promissory note endorsed by John Tyler, 22 February 1831. National Museum of American History.

About this source

What it is

This is a handwritten promissory note dated 22 February 1831, promising to pay John Tyler six hundred dollars, payable at the Bank of the United States in Washington. Tyler endorsed the note on its reverse side. It is held by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Why it matters

This small financial document, made years before Tyler became president, is a tangible everyday record of his personal life, showing him as an ordinary participant in the financial system of his time, lending and receiving money like any other citizen.

Look closer

  • What does a promissory note tell you that a political speech or law does not?
  • Why might a museum choose to preserve something as ordinary as a financial note?
  • What questions remain unanswered about why this loan was made?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Tyler on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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