Who probably engrossed the parchment copy of the United States Declaration of Independence?

Timothy Matlack probably engrossed the parchment copy of the United States Declaration of Independence.

To engross a document meant to copy it carefully in a formal hand, usually on parchment. Matlack, a Pennsylvania clerk known for his penmanship, was chosen in 1776 to inscribe the copy that members of Congress signed. The document is often called the Matlack Declaration because of this association.

Matlack was not the principal author of the text. Thomas Jefferson wrote the main draft, Congress edited it, and John Dunlap printed the first widely distributed broadsides. Matlack's role was producing the polished manuscript for signatures.

The parchment copy later traveled through several custodians, including the State Department and Library of Congress. Since 1952, it has been displayed at the National Archives in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. Its faded ink and carefully formed lettering make preservation a continuing concern.