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Primary sourceDocument19 June 1837

Receipt from Garrison to Henry Grafton Chapman, June 1837

William Lloyd Garrison · 19 June 1837

A torn handwritten receipt signed by Garrison acknowledging $50 received from Henry Grafton Chapman.

Another receipt signed by Garrison, part of his ongoing financial dealings with the anti-slavery society.

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Handwritten receipt in brown ink on cream paper, dated Boston, June 19, 1837. Text reads: Received of Henry G. Chapman, Treasurer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, the sum of Fifty Dollars on account, signed Wm. Lloyd Garrison. Torn edges at the bottom and left.
William Lloyd Garrison, autograph receipt to Henry Grafton Chapman, 19 June 1837. Boston Public Library, Rare Books.

About this source

What it is

This is the first page of an autograph receipt written and signed by William Lloyd Garrison in Boston on 19 June 1837. It records fifty dollars received on account from Henry G. Chapman, treasurer of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. The paper has torn edges and is held in the Rare Books department of the Boston Public Library.

Why it matters

Even small, damaged papers like this one are valuable evidence. They show the ongoing financial relationship between Garrison and the society's supporters, and how closely the movement's leaders tracked every dollar spent on the fight against slavery.

Look closer

  • What does the physical condition of the paper tell you about how it was stored or used?
  • Why might historians value even a simple receipt like this?
  • What is missing from this record that would help you understand the bigger picture?

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

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