2509

San Francisco,CA - April 9, 1856 - Bourn(e) Deed of Sale :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 600.00 USD
San Francisco,CA - April 9, 1856 - Bourn(e) Deed of Sale :
Legal letter-sized, grey with red ink markings around border and lining out unused spaces; page three contains an round orange wax seal ¾ inches across with no readable details; while page four has a 2 ½" red seal which reads partially “San Francisco.” This appears to be the seal of the notary, William A. Higgins; four folds crosswise with some discoloration along edges. Also handwritten crosswise on the deed is the recording information: April 14, 1856 at “3 2/4 o’clock” in Liber 60 of Deeds page 211.

This Indenture was executed on April 9, 1865 to satisfy a judgment against William B. “Bourne” (likely “Bourn”), Zephariah (sp?) Wood, William H. Piper and E.J. Ide in order to satisfy a debt owed. The auction took place September 18, 1865 with high bidders being Abel Guy and Bernard Auger, as tenants in common, who paid $44, 300. The property description includes references to Pike Street, Clay Street, and Sacramento Street, among others. The measurements are in yards and feet. The document is “Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of William R. Gorham, “Late Sheriff.” The witness is William L. Higgins, Notary Public.

William Bowers Bourn I, (1813-1874 ) a wealthy merchant born in Massachusetts, came to San Francisco in 1850 with his new bride, Sarah Esther Bourn(1829-1919). Bourn founded the Empire Mine in Grass Valley, California, which was in financial straits at the time of his death on July 24, 1874. In 1854, a recession hit San Francisco, causing Bourn and his associates to liquidate some of their holdings. Mr. Bourn died of an accidental gunshot wound while cleaning his gun in his bathroom [Ref: www.oac.cdlib.org/view]. Abel Guy was a Frenchman living in San Francisco at this time. There are two sources that indicate that he became wealthy. A “treasure list” for the steamer “Uncle Sam” indicates that $85,000 of his money was aboard when the ship sailed on November 3, 1860. In 1862, Abel Guy was a first class passenger aboard the SS Golden Gate, bound for New York, which caught fire off Manzanillo, Mexico on July 27. He survived the disaster and was back in San Francisco by 1867 [Ref: query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html].