John Brown Autograph Letter Signed. One page, 7.75" x 9.75" (sight), Springfield, Massachusetts; June 27, 1846. Addressed to a General Samuel Patterson on lined paper. It reads in part: "...All we seem to have occasion to regret is; that when we might be selling fine wool as well as we sold our own clip last season, we have not a pound in hand. There are now a number of manufacturers anxiously waiting the arival [sic] of some of our wool. Coarse wool must I think go a little lower than last season, but I think, I can cure Washington Co of any skepticism about the measure of sending here; as soon as I get a little good wool on to sell." Signed, "John Brown." Matted and framed to an overall size of 14.75" x 17". Not examined outside of the frame. John Brown moved his family to Springfield in 1846 to engage in the wool trade there. His aim was to advocate for the Ohio wool growers, but this business lasted only three years before closing. However, the years spent in the liberal-minded Springfield proved transformative for Brown. While there he lived side by side with the black community, attending church at the Sanford Street Free Church and hiring its members for his business. The Free Church was actively involved in the abolitionist movement, acting as a stop on the Underground Railroad and hosting anti-slavery lecturers, such as Frederick Douglass, who met with Brown during his stay in Springfield in 1847. Condition: Section of paper loss at bottom of letter has been repaired and affects only a few words. Some toning from age with two areas where ghosting has occurred, one of which is just touching the first name of the signature. Smoothed folds. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved