"made of money": 1781, not 1786

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Fri Sep 19 17:00:00 UTC 2008


At 4/16/2008 06:25 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>[yada, yada, yada]
>   Breaking News: Jeez!  OED has just added an entry for "made of
> money," going back to 1786.  So forget this message.

Belatedly cleaning up my old email, I found this comment from Jon and
went to EAN.  Lo, 1781.

Pennsylvania Packet, published as The Pennsylvania Packet or the
General Advertiser; Date: 09-27-1781; Volume: X; Issue: 787; Page: [2]

"New-York, June 18, 1781.
"Dear Ned,
"I with you would endeavor and bring our gentlemen to establish a
fund for the recruiting service: inform them, that if they do not,
the battalion will be no more, for it will be impossible for any two
officers to keep it up, unless they are made of money."

Signed "Joseph Lee", addressed to "Lient. Edward Stelle [?], 3rd
battalion Skinner's, Ninety-Six, South Carolina."

(I believe Joseph Lee was a Loyalist.  See "The Siege of Ninety-Six",
around the same date --
http://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/revolution_battle_of_ninety_six.html )

Joel

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