Mr. Bisbee Has Completed His Contract For Reducing The Hills & Forming The 14th Partition Of The Albany & Schnectady Turnpike

JOHN LANSING, JR. (1754-1829). Lansing was an Albany area lawyer and politician. He was mayor of Albany and a justice of the New York State Supreme Court.DS. 2pg. Albany. August 18, 1804. A document signed Elisha Putnam addressed to John Lansing. The top of the first page states: Mr. Bisbee has completed his Contract for Reducing the hills & forming the 14th partition of the Albany & Schnectady Turnpiketo the plan of the Eight Foot bands. He has also performed work to the amount of Twenty Eight Dollars in Sawing the Stone. At the bottom of the first page, Lansing penned: Sir Please to pay Mr. Bisbee the sum of one hundred & thirty Dollars on the above Account John Lansing Junr Prez August 18 1804. Lansing wrote a similar note on the verso about paying Brisbee, and Luther Bisbee signed at the conclusion. The document has folds and dark ink. The idea of reducing the hills in the pre-machine age sounds painful! (Inventory #: 6318)