Recently, the Historical Society of Montgomery County had the honor of receiving a document signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. The document was donated by Christopher Geers in honor of E. L. Geers of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Here it is:
And here’s a close-up of the presidential signature:
If you’d like to check it’s authenticity, you’ll find another example of Grant’s signature on his Wikipedia page.
The document appoints Robert Iredell Deputy Postmaster of Norristown for a four year term. Iredell was a prominent Norristonian. He was the publisher of the Norristown Free Press, later the Free Press and Herald (after Iredell purchased the Norristown Herald in 1837). Iredell was active in politics and attended the Whig Party’s national convention in 1848. There he met Abraham Lincoln for the first time. According to his biography in Biographical Annals of Montgomery County by Ellwood Roberts, he met Lincoln several times, and it was he who first appointed Iredell postmaster. He served as postmaster for 22 years and was, according Roberts, “courteous, obliging, and attentive to the interests of the public.” Iredell died at the age of 95 in 1904.
It’s always exciting to add something presidential to our collection, but even more exciting when it also concerns a prominent citizen.