The 1629 Charter of Massachusetts Bay for sale?

News of the possible sale of an original copy of the 1629 Charter of Massachusetts Bay has many concerned. The document may possibly be sold to raise revenue by The Salem Athenaeum the legal owners.

I would hope that the $10 million dollar projected price tag would not scare away the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the Smithsonian from buying it. Obviously the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Smithsonian Institute have other financial concerns, but losing a valuable piece of local history would be a tragedy. I think many genealogists and historians would be happy to see this document remain stateside. You do never know what private collector could obtain this piece of history.

If there was an effort to raise money to purchase it, as a tax payer I would be happy to do so. My ancestor Richard Ingersoll from Sutton, Bedfordshire settled in Salem in 1629. It would be very sad to see this piece of Salem’s past get sold to the highest bidder.

To see a small image of the copy of the charter owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts click here.

Genealogically yours,

David Allen Lambert