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REVOLUTIONARY AMERICANA
FROM THE ALLYN KELLOGG FORD COLLECTION
These important Revolutionary War letters were gathered by Allyn Kellogg
Ford (1878-1964), a Minnesota manufacturer. Ford later recalled the prize
acquisition of his autograph collection, made in 1927: “I learned that a
Minneapolis man had over 100 letters written to General Weedon during
the Revolution, which had come down to him through his family. They had
apparently been kept by Weedon as souvenirs of his service, for each was
numbered by him.”
Brigadier General George Weedon (1734-1793) of the Continental Army
was best known for his important role in the Yorktown Campaign in 1781,
helping to defend Virginia against Benedict Arnold’s raiding parties in the
early part of the year, and then commanding troops in Gloucester in the
Siege of Yorktown. The British surrendered at Yorktown on 19 October,
effectively bringing the American Revolution to a close. During this cam-
paign, Weedon corresponded with many of the leading figures in the strug-
gle for American independence.
After acquiring the Weedon papers, Ford further developed his collection at
auctions and through dealer catalogues, mostly from the late 1920s through
early 1950s. Most of the auction houses are long gone, though at least two of
the letters were acquired from an upstart called Swann Galleries in the
1940s. 26 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence are repre-
sented here with their signatures. In 1948, Ford became a founder and direc-
tor of the National Society of Autograph Collectors, now the Manuscript
Society.