1785 PHILADELPHIA SHIPPING RECEIPT — SLOOP HOPE — 24 BARRELS OF FLOUR — SIGNED BY RICH CALLEY

Offered here is an original June 3, 1785 handwritten shipping receipt from Philadelphia, documenting the loading of 24 barrels of flour aboard the sloop Hope after passing inspection at the port.

The document reads:

> “Philadelphia, June the 3d 1785

Received of Mr. Jacob Stonsmith on Board

the Sloop Hope that has pass’d

for inspection 24 Barrels —

Rich Calley”

(Spelling and punctuation as written; “pass’d” = passed)

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Historical Context

This receipt dates to the post-Revolutionary, Articles of Confederation era, only two years after the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution and four years before the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1785, Philadelphia was the largest port and flour-exporting center in North America. Flour shipments were strictly inspected prior to export, and receipts like this formed part of the official workflow of early American maritime commerce.

The sloop Hope is explicitly named. Sloops were the backbone of Philadelphia’s coastal and river trade in the 1780s, favored for their speed and efficiency. A cargo of 24 barrels of flour is entirely consistent with sloop-based export traffic to nearby ports and overseas markets.

Documents that both name the vessel and reference inspection are notably scarcer than ordinary merchant receipts.

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People Mentioned

Jacob Stonsmith

Listed here as the source of the flour. The surname Stonsmith appears to be an occupational name (stone-smith), consistent with Pennsylvania German trade families involved in milling, quarrying, or hauling. No well-documented individual by this name survives in period records, making this receipt a rare primary trace of a working-class participant in the early American supply chain.

Rich Calley

Signer and recipient. The name appears in Philadelphia maritime contexts in the late 18th century and is consistent with a dock worker, agent, or ship-associated tradesman responsible for receiving and documenting inspected cargo.

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Condition

Original hand-cut rag paper

Strong, legible iron-gall ink

Honest period wear consistent with port use

No repairs or modern alterations

Approximate size: 9.5 x 3 inches.

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Why This Piece Matters

Dated 1785, a prime early-U.S. period

Philadelphia maritime commerce

Named vessel (Sloop Hope)

Flour inspection and export process

Working-class commercial documentation rarely preserved

A scarce survivor of early American port commerce and an excellent addition to any collection of 18th-century manuscripts, maritime history, or Philadelphia ephemera.

Ships securely with archival backing.

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