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THE MACK FAMILY ESTATE OF LONDONDERRY, NH, PART II: HISTORIC AMERICANA, BOOKS, EPHEMERA, ANTIQUES

online estate sale | 7 day sale | 6 days remaining

Location

Milford, NH 03055

Dates

Sale Starts

Wed

Sep 30

12am

Sale Ends

Tue

Oct 6

7pm

*****TERMS AND CONDITIONS*****

All items in the auction are offered as is, with all faults, no guarantees, and no refunds for any reason. While every reasonable effort has been made to provide accurate descriptions and to document major/significant condition issues, many of the items in the auction are quite old and may have additional faults and flaws not specifically mentioned. Please ask any questions prior to bidding.

*****PICKUP AND PARKING*****

Pickup will be in MILFORD, NH—not Londonderry—from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. You may angle park along the side of the driveway, or in the backyard, but do not block entrance to or exit from the driveway. There are also children in the building, so please drive and park with care.

While the scheduled date and time is much preferred, I am willing to make reasonable accommodations as far as I am able, particularly for long-distance travel; however, this should be confirmed well in advance, as I cannot guarantee other availability.

Please be courteous and patient; I will do my best to serve you as quickly as possible, but it is difficult to predict the busiest times.

Successful bidders should bring their own boxes and packing supplies.

Items not picked up on October 10 with no other arrangements in place will be considered forfeit/abandoned, and no refunds will be given.

* * * * *SHIPPING—READ CAREFULLY!* * * * *

IN-PERSON PICKUP IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED for ease, speed, and safety.

By requesting shipment of your item(s), you agree to ALL of the following terms and conditions:

—U.S. SHIPPING ONLY, with no exceptions

—There is NO shipping available for any item marked "THERE IS NO SHIPPING FOR THIS ITEM" at the top of the description. If you bid on and win such items with the expectation of shipping, there will be no refund. If you have any questions or doubt about shippability, please contact me before bidding.

—I will personally handle all shipping myself. With this you get not only my extensive experience and care, but substantial savings over UPS and similar shipping centers.

—Shipping will be via USPS Ground or Media Mail, depending on the item. I WILL NOT SHIP INELIGIBLE ITEMS VIA MEDIA MAIL. I will gladly combine shipping for multiple lots wherever possible, depending on the size, similarity of items, and safety. All shipments will be insured/charged for their full value.

—There will be a FLAT $15 HANDLING/MATERIALS FEE FOR ALL SHIPMENTS of up to three lots, with an additional $1 for each lot beyond that number. THIS FEE IS IN ADDITION TO THE ACTUAL COST OF POSTAGE. (This is substantially less than comparable pack-and-ship service.)

—Postage fees, including the handling charge, will be assessed at the time of packaging and will be billed separately from the payment for your items. No item will be shipped until postage fees have been paid.

—If you want your purchase(s) shipped, you must contact me IN WRITING via AuctionNinja messages. Include address, all contact information, and any special instructions with your request. I will not ship any item for which there is no written request, including any changes.

—I will ship permissible items as quickly as possible, but times will vary according to demand. There are no schedules or guarantees of shipping times.

—By requesting to have your item(s) shipped, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Michael Rodman/Ancient and Modern for any shipping-related issues, including but not limited to change of mind, expense, delivery errors, loss, or breakage. There will be NO refunds on purchased items for any shipping-related issues. All items will be insured/charged at their full value.

Ancient And Modern

Company Website

Ever since John Mack emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland to Londonderry, New Hampshire in 1732, the Mack Family has been an essential part of the history and culture of the town—most famously as proprietors of Moose Hill Orchards, aka Mack's Apples. Long the oldest continuously family-run farm in New Hampshire—eight generations—the farm was sold in 2021 and continues to operate under new ownership.

Even with the sale of the orchard, the sprawling white farmhouse on Mammoth Road remained in the family until 2025. In the wake of last year's auction of the homestead's contents, we now present a singular, never-before-offered trove of long-unseen historic treasures from the Mack home—an unparalleled written and printed record of the histories of Londonderry, the State of New Hampshire, and the United States, including documents, books, ephemera, and more.

A collective time capsule on paper, the nearly 200 offerings range from a rare 15th-century book produced by Martin Luther's own printer to a voucher for a delegate's travel to the convention at which New Hampshire ratified the U.S. Constitution. Items of note include documents signed by Matthew Thornton, who later signed the Declaration of Independence; Nicholas Gilman, who signed the U.S. Constitution; and Thomas Melvill, who participated in the Boston Tea Party. Hometown hero George Reid, who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill and later reached the rank of brigadier general, is represented by hundreds of documents (offered in lots) he signed as a town official.

Londonderry looms large throughout the entire auction, including documents directly related to the founding of Pinkerton Academy and Adams Female Academy. A lesser-known aspect of Londonderry history—households with slaves—is revealed in rare early manuscript tax rolls, while one document plays an important part in the extraordinary story of Pompey Sherburne, a black man in Londonderry hired as a substitute soldier in the Revolutionary War. Love is in the air with an early-18th-century devotional book signed by a very special pair: John and Annis Wallis, original Londonderry settlers and the first couple married in the town.

Everyday life in Londonderry in the 18th and early 19th century colorfully comes into view with an extensive trove of documents that provide one snapshot after another of the town's culture and customs—including a little-remembered social "safety net" through which individual residents directly took care of the town's poor. Early ledgers document the tradition of blacksmithing in the Mack family, whose customers for horse-shoeing and hardware included Matthew Thornton (see above).

Greater New Hampshire is represented with very early documents from New Castle and Portsmouth; a letter written by Jonathan Moulton, the "Yankee Faust" and founder of Moultonborough; and signed items from a number of other important and familiar names in colonial New Hampshire, including Wentworth, Waldron, Gilman, and Weare.

Other highlights include items related to the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and World Wars I and II; for those with a sweet tooth for oddities, a preserved piece of wedding cake from 1910; an inscribed copy of Robert Frost's New Hampshire poems; a one-of-a-kind archive of financial documents tracing the progress of the 1929 stock market crash; books and documents items from World War II hero Rear Admiral Andrew R. Mack; photos and postcards; and a wide range of other ephemera and collectibles.