New Hampshire Wolf Bounty Receipt, 12 December 1778

Title
New Hampshire Wolf Bounty Receipt, 12 December 1778
Caption
"March 13, 1779 - Receiv'd of Nicholas Gilman Ten pounds, being the Sum allowed by an act of the General Court for killing a grown wolfe £10.00 and for Abner Ally…This may certify that on the 12 day of December 1778, Abner Ally of Chesterfield killed + brought in to me one grown Woolf which I have taken there + disfiggered it for me"
Wolf bounties paid to Gilman and Ally were worth a considerable sum; £10 in 1800 had the purchasing power of £816.00 in 2018. The hole punched in this document indicates the bounty was paid and cancelled to assure it was not cashed twice. Colonial and federal governments encouraged the extermination of wolves in the U.S. for over 300 years, as Europeans viewed them as bloodthirsty killers and threats to livestock.
Creator
Hastings Andrew Hastings, Ally Abner, and Nicholas Gilman
Date Created
1778
Place of Publication
Chesterfield, Massachusetts
Rights
No Known Copyright
Bibliographic Citation
Hastings Andrew Hastings, Ally Abner, and Nicholas Gilman. New Hampshire Wolf Bounty Receipt, 12 December 1778. Manuscript Mss 778662
Filename
exh-vanishing_WolfBounty_001.pdf
Case Number
Extinction - What can we do about it?
Item Number
4