1845 New Bedford MA Legal ALS Gov John Clifford, Dentist Probate Brigham Farwell For Sale

Original handwritten legal letter dated October 21, 1845, written in New Bedford, Massachusetts, concerning the probate and estate of a deceased local dentist. The letter features identified legal professionals, unusually candid character assessment of the decedent, and confirmed association with John H. Clifford, Esq., later Governor of Massachusetts.

This is a content-rich mid-19th-century legal manuscript, offering insight into probate practice, early American dentistry, and the professional networks of Massachusetts lawyers during the Whig era.

• Date: October 21, 1845

• Place: New Bedford, Massachusetts

• Format: Original folded letter with address panel

• Postal Context: Pre-stamp era; comparable in form and handling to stampless New Bedford letters of the 1840s, including known 1847 New Bedford stampless legal correspondence, reflecting consistent regional postal usage prior to U.S. adhesive stamps (1847).

Richard Farwell, Esq.
Harvard-educated attorney residing in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Farwell is documented in local histories as a lawyer of professional standing and civic involvement, including participation in regional infrastructure and transportation initiatives. The use of “Esq.” is fully consistent with his legal status in the 1840s.

Clifton Brigham
Signing on behalf of Colby & Clifton, a New Bedford legal partnership. Brigham writes in a professional capacity, having been asked to pursue inquiries after the retirement of a sitting judge.

John H. Clifford, Esq.
Prominent New Bedford attorney at the time, later serving as Attorney General of Massachusetts and Governor of Massachusetts (1853–1854). Clifford was a leading Whig legal figure, and his involvement places this document within elite Massachusetts legal circles.

• Francis L. Brigham – deceased dentist, subject of the estate

• Judge Colby – retired judge, Court of Common Pleas

• Edward Stetson – associate of Brigham, successor to dental practice

The letter contains exceptionally candid evaluations, uncommon in surviving legal correspondence:

• Brigham is described as

  “a man of somewhat dissipated habits, but of acknowledged skill as a dentist.”

• His professional success is emphasized:

  “While living he had the most respectable patronage of this town and must have earned a very considerable annual income.”

• Rumors of mental instability are explicitly dismissed:

  “We have heard nothing which leads us to believe that he was insane; at least such is not the popular opinion.”

• His associate Edward Stetson is portrayed as:

  “a man of gross habits, great mechanical ingenuity,”
  and is noted as having taken over Brigham’s rooms, tools, and apparatus.

• The letter estimates the estate value at approximately $1,000, while acknowledging reliance on public rumor.

• Brigham’s character is summarized with unusual frankness:

  “He might have become a rich man with his ingenuity, but we should think was improvident and profuse in his style of living.”

This letter is significant for several reasons:

• Documents probate inquiries and estate evaluation in pre-Civil War Massachusetts

• Provides insight into early professional dentistry, including succession of tools and practice

• Demonstrates how mental capacity and reputation were assessed informally in legal matters

• Connects multiple identified legal figures, including a future governor

• Fits squarely within the stampless postal era, comparable to New Bedford legal letters mailed in the 1840s, including 1847 examples

Very good for age. Expected folds, light toning, and minor handling wear consistent with mid-19th-century folded correspondence. Ink remains clear and legible throughout. Address panel and return docket intact.

Ideal for collectors of:

• Massachusetts legal history

• Political history (Governor John H. Clifford)

• Medical and dental history

• Probate and estate manuscripts

• Stampless and pre-stamp postal history