Antique Real Photo Postcard, circa Pre-1920. A monument erected to the memory of John Ledyard. There exists more than one monument to John Ledyard. The location of this particular one is uncertain. Divided back, half-penny stamp box. Condition: Very good to excellent condition. Comments: John Ledyard (November 1751 - 10 January 1789) was an American explorer and adventurer. He was one of the most adventurous figures in Connecticuts long history, would have made a great fictional character had he not been real. Born a ship captains son in Groton in 1751, Ledyard, when just a young man, canoed solo down the Connecticut River from Dartmouth College to Hartford. He sailed uncharted waters with Captain James Cook and wrote a best-selling journal about the navigators fatal third voyage. He trekked across Siberia and was arrested as a spy. And, living on the edge until the very end, he died in an Egyptian hovel in January 1789 while preparing to explore the African continent. Ledyards passing saddened his many friends and admirers who included such luminaries as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, the Marquis de Lafayette, and John Paul Jones.