Tombstone Tuesday--Where's Waldo

"Tombstone Tuesday" is a daily blogging prompt from Geneabloggers

We Found Waldo

Edgar Allen Poe

Grave of a traveling salesman

So many have this ending to life

Brickyard at Sherwood Corners

In between posting these letters, it seems there are other parts of Stephen Sherwood's life to include as well.  I never know where this blog is going and admit it is far too easy to be distracted.  Following Stephen Sherwood is like going on an adventure of my own.

There are brick walls to climb over when we do family history, and I highlighted this in a recent post (Friday Funny).  Shortly after that post, I learned Stephen Sherwood actually sold bricks from his brickyard  to build brick walls.  

The old Sherwood house, Lake Villa Ill.

Stephen Sherwood started his brickyard to build his own 

 brick house in about 1850.  There is a school there now.

  Bricks from that brickyard were used in the following structures as well

The original bill of sale dated November 1856 says that Jake Strang purchased a total of 75,000 bricks for $4.50/thousand bricks.  About half of the bricks were used for his brother, Robert Strang's store.  These structures are located in Millburn, Illinois about six miles from "Sherwood Corners" where the brickyard was located.

Robert Strang store (right hand side) built 1856

John "Jake" Strang house built 1856-1857

The top enclosed area is where  the Strang brothers owned property in Millford

The lower enclosed area is "Sherwood Corners" (now in Lake Villa)

Source:  "Mixed Brick Construction:  A Case Study in Millburn, Illinois," by Sarah E. Polster.

Friday Funny--Whiskers

"Funny Friday" is a Prompt Theme from Geneabloggers-a genealogy blogging community

WHISKERS WAS FOUND

This book can help you climb over your own brick walls.

REMEMBER

Tech Tuesday--Blogging

If you are interested in reading this article CLICK HERE.  Then, find the pin and click.  Then click again when the larger picture appears.   Please comment if this doesn't work for you.  This blog is a work in progress.  :-)

(Tech Tuesday is part of Geneabloggers Daily Prompts)

From Rags to Riches

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I am part of "Workday Wednesday" at Geneabloggers today.  They also posted about this blog on their Geneabloggers board at pinterest.

From Rags to Riches, it would appear was the direction Stephen was heading.  At least it looked possible after literally sleeping on the ground and in his clothes for months, he would better his lot in life.
This is the report of the investors named in The Articles of Agreement.  Stephen Sherwood probably was not personally acquainted with most of the investors, but it was interesting to find out about them.  I tried to make the resumes on the investors as brief as possible.  Additional information can be obtained by clicking the orange words.  Twenty-four people were listed as investors in the Article of Agreement.  They invested a total of $20000 in 1867.

OFFICERS

If I had to answer to the Chief Executive Officers of the Sherwood Silver Mining Company, I would have looked more for pictures--especially of the President, Marcus Davis Gilman ($1500).  (the amount invested in the company is in parenthesis for each investor)  He was a very successful businessman in Chicago for 23 years.  In 1855 his residence was described as the most costly and in many respects the most elegant in Chicago.  M D Gilman was also  a Director. He retired in 1868, and moved to Massachusetts so he probably was not  the President for long.  He eventually returned to Vermont where he was born and worked on compiling The Bibliography of Vermont.

On a research note, many of the investors just included their initials. Some of the full names were discovered during the research, but many were not, and some investors could not be located partly because full names were not used.  The initial MD (medical doctor) was particularly troublesome.    Fortunately M D was found to stand for Marcus Davis, and the President of the Company was identified.

George A Wheeler (& Co.) ($1000) was Vice-President.  He was in the 1870 Census (his wife was worth $15000)  In the 1880 Census George Wheeler  had his occupation as Board of Trade.  George and his son George Jr. were listed in 1893 with a Membership in the Board of Trade of Chicago with a commission and brokerage.  George A Wheeler was also a Director.  Possibly he became President when Marcus Davis Gilman left.  He may have been the person who originally sold shares in the company.

 S A Walker ($1000),  the Secretary, was not found in the research.

E G Hall ($1000), the Treasurer, was listed In 1867 as being a "prominent   Chicagoan" (top of page) who owned part of Hall, Kimbark, and Company.  This  Chicago Company (go back to page 321) was the most extensive heavy hardware house in the West (listed under S.D. Kimbark).  Their building  burned in the Chicago fire of 1871.  

Nothing was found on L F Coe ($3000), the Superintendent and largest investor,  or D A Coe who invested the money "Per D A Coe."

DIRECTORS

Two of the officers, Marcus Davis Gilman and George A Wheeler, were  Directors as well.  The Attorney, Bernard G Caulfied, was also a Director.

Bernard G Caulfield ($500) was a Democratic Representative to Congress for Chicago.  He served from 1875-1877 at the same time Carter H Harrison was also  a Representative to Congress. Bernard moved to Dakota Territory in 1878 so he was not the company attorney for  long.  He was listed in  The Congressional Record (as was Carter H. Harrison (next page).   He is in the Articles of Agreement as investing in the company "For Moore and Caufield." 

Attorney Bernard G Caulfield

J E Chapman ($1000) may have been the J E Chapman who did a paper on "Mine Accounting."

W Frank Richie ($250) was an Attorney.  He also invested for Judge Charles Kellum ($1000). 

E C Murray ($?) may have been a tobacco dealer in 1870 Census (ancestry.com).  He was probably part of Murray and Mason who invested $1500 in the company, and that helps explain why he was a Director.

John Mason Loomis ($1000) was in the lumber business and a real estate owner.  He was a Civil War Veteran, and listed in the the 1880 Census  as a speculator and  contractor.

John Mason Loomis

Home of John Mason Loomis

TRUSTEES

Marvin A Lawrence ($800) was a real estate agent.

Belden F Culver ($1000) had  an impressive business and service record. He was listed with the Belden F Culver Real Estate Agency,  No 59 Dearborne Street (near front of document J4 after first indexed names).  He was identified with the development of Chicago, and advertised Lake Shore residence property. He was a  member of the Lincoln Park Commission.   He was member of the Humane Society for 1869-1902, serving as a director or officer at some point, and  an officer in the Chicago Historical Society. His Father-in-Law, Reverend Barry, started the Chicago Historical Society.  He was a member of the Academy of Sciences, and  a member of the Board of Trade.

Joseph A Griswold ($1000) was  in Kenosha County, Wisconsin in 1875.  In the 1880 Census he was  a retired merchant in Wisconsin.  He was not found in the 1870 Census.  Stephen Sherwood had land in Kenosha County  at one time.  Perhaps Stephen was personally acquainted with Joseph Griswold

INVESTORS NOT HOLDING A POSITION

Charles Kellum ($1000) was a Judge.  He lived in Sycamore, Illinois.  His investment was done "By W Frank Richie his Attorney in fact."  Stephen Sherwood resided in the Sycamore  area in 1838. 

Is W Northrup Jr. ($500) George W Northrup?  His son George W Northrup Jr. was not born until 1861.  The Reverend Northrup could have made the investment, but he is not listed as Jr.

Wm Charnley ($500) married Amy Morton.  He invested "For Judge Morton" (Marcus Morton) of Andover Massachusetts, probably her father.  Wm Charnley was a lumber merchant in Chicago.

Christian Wahl ($500),  was possibly the co-owner of a Chicago investment firm with Lewis Wahl.  Apparently he had mining interests in Idaho.   He was an Officer in the Illinois Humane Society. He was from Milwaukee, and a member of the Board of Park Commissioners. He may have also invested in a  Georgia mine.

Carter H Harrison ($500) served as a Mayor of Chicago and in the United States House of Representatives. He served at the same time as B.G. Caulfield.  He  was in the  Congressional Record (just below Caulfield) He was known as the people's Mayor.  He was assassinated.

Carter H Harrison

Dr. Emanuel Honsinger ($500) was an inventor who has an "entertaining narrative of mental progress and useful success."  He was a dentist in Chicago and made several inventions which were used in Dentist's offices of the next century.

Dr. Emanuel Honsinger

Benjamin L Honore ($250) may have owned part of a hardware store in Chicago (listed next to him is Emanuel Honsinger).

Grave of Benjamin L Honore

J.J Richards (Agt.) ($200) was  a broker

No information on Joseph Park ($500), E H Johnson ($500), or Murray and Mason ($1500).  E C Murray and John Mason Loomis who were both Directors may have been part of Murray and Mason.

Also no information was found on two of the Officers; S A Walker,  and L F Coe.  I haven't given up on looking for them.

STATISTICS

The Officers invested between $1000 and $3000 in the company.

The Investors put between $200 and $3000 into the company.

The average amount invested was about $833.   A $1000 investment would be worth about $15700 in 2011 dollars.  The article, "Measuring Worth", gives a  a better idea of the validity of that number (enter the years first).

There were twenty four investors in the company.  Thirteen held the sixteen positions (three were also Directors).  Eleven of the investors did not hold a position.   Some information was found on all but five of the twenty four investors.  I did my best to correctly identify those I found.

BALANCE SHEET

Amount Received from 24 Subscribers           $20000

Received by Stephen Sherwood* Oct. 1867       4000

Appropriated for Claim Development                 6000

To be Appropriated if Prospects Favorable       10000 

                                                                      $20000  

*Stephen Sherwood agree to repair to the locality for one year and to develop the claim gratuitously. 
**Summarized from Articles of Agreement of the Sherwood Silver Mining Company of Nevada

CONCLUSION

Not all the investors were found in the records, but those who were read like a list of Who's Who in Chicago and nearby communities.  They were from many professions including businessmen, brokers, attorneys, politicians (even a future mayor), a judge, real estate people, investors, and a dentist who was also an inventor. They saw possibilities in  silver mining in Nevada and had the means to invest in it. They had confidence in the Stephen Sherwood Silver Mining Company as shown by the sizable investments they made. I don't know the connections that Stephen had to them, but I would assume Stephen contacted a couple of them (possibly including George A Wheeler) and they solicited others to invest. I hope the Sherwood Letters will shed a little more light on some of the investors, and the Sherwood Silver Mining Company.

THE NEXT BLOG

In two weeks,  the blog will get back to the letters.  The next letter was written in 1864, three years before his  company was started.   Stephen Sherwood is ready to start on another adventure.  He will move from Oregon.  Where will his next letter be written?  Where do you think?  Please comment.

Name Dropping I

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We've all dropped names -mentioned someone famous or popular.  They might even be related to us.  There are some people who can't stop talking about their royal line.  I suppose that's ok if it makes them feel better.  I've stopped dropping names personally with one exception.  I  have a Brother whose name I drop occasionally.  I just can't help myself.

I'm going to drop some names so be prepared.  Not for me, but for my Great great grandfather (of course I'm related to him :-).  I have to make up to him  for telling the blogging public about his spelling, and even making a point of it.  One of my readers stuck up for him though when she said:  "And in defense of your grandfather, no less a personage than a former President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, once is reported to have said "It is a damn poor mind indeed which can't think of at least two ways to spell any word."  I have to agree with HIM in this case.  Stephen Sherwood had a very good mind.  Now I'M going to make up to him by dropping names.

The Articles of Agreement of the Sherwood Silver Mining Company of  Nevada named the investors who were in many cases also the Officers, Directors, and Trustees of HIS company.  In 1862  nobody could have imagined that Officers, Directors, and Trustees would be part of his life.  Before we become acquainted with some of the 24 investors let's go back to 1862, just five years earlier.

Remember in the letter to his children in 1862 when Stephen Sherwood said: "I have not had my close (clothes) of for 7 months to sleepe.  Slep on the ground roled up in a blanket." He mentioned earlier that the weather was "A bout the same Winter weather as is in Illinois."  Is this going to be literally a rags to riches story?

My spell check does not want me to misspell all those words ( sleepe, slep, roled).  In fact in some cases it almost won't let me misspell them,  but President Andrew Jackson set me straight so I can ignore Mr. Spell Checker.  He knows only one way to spell a word.  No creativity at all.  Nobody should be concerned about Stephen's spelling after they read more in his letter.

Just before the previous comment,  Stephen is lamenting that he had not been able to care for his family in Illinois.  He said:  "I expect you have had very hard times and my hart has bled for you many a time but that can't help you.  I hope you have not had to under go the real hardships that we have."  Reading this letter one can tell, Stephen is disappointed.  He is appealing to his family for more  support.  He wants to hear from them.  This has to be a low point in his life, but he never fails to be optimism.  (Letter of December 14, 1862).  Click the letter is you want to read it all.

Well I've already made a mess of this blog by posting it before it was ready, and now I have to say that  I'm' not even going to drop the names until next blog.  I could have renamed it, if I hadn't published part of it before it was ready.  Anyway you're seeing it now.  One minor change was made--Name Dropping I.  Name Dropping II will follow.  Sorry I'm guilty of dropping names  before I drop them, and dropping the ball as well.  I know bad joke.  This has been a flu week.

This post (in fact the one previous to this) was suppose to post the next letter of Stephen Sherwood.  I even asked for comments as to where you thought he would write his next letter.  Well it's been two and soon will be three posts (and I hope not more) before that letter is posted.

I have to confess I get easily distracted when I do family history.  Sometime it is more about the history  than the family.  Sometimes a family member takes you in another direction, or you find someone new 

you have to chase down.  The thrill of the hunt is real!  You go where the scent is.  And then there is the need to share where the information came from or how it was found.  My last post "An Early Christmas Gift" shared the story of finding The Article of Agreement.  That find led to this post and  the next one which will introduce the investors.  There is a lot more information on them and on more of them than I expected.  It is taking some time to do the research.

I hope you stop by to meet them when I finish their resumes, and I'm not saying that because I want to drop names.

An Early Christmas Gift

My great grandfather Stephen Sherwood got even with me the day after my "Carpuss" (see below) post made light of his spelling and grammar.    That post was to be my last for the year until I received an early Christmas present.

This  gift wasn't one I asked for or ever expected, and yet  a more timely or appreciated gift couldn't  have come my way.  I'm up to 1863 in the letters and The Articles of Agreement were written in 1867.  It was as if Stephen wanted The Articles  to tie into the letters that would be posted shortly.  Allow me to explain.

I entered the phrase "Stephen Sherwood mining" in google books (try it by clicking google books, put in the phrase Stephen Sherwood mining, and then go down the page) and a book I hadn't seen before was on the screen,  Articles of Agreement of the Sherwood Silver Mining Company of Nevada. This fifteen page booklet had twenty-three articles of agreement, and the names of the officers, directors, trustees, and attorney of the Sherwood Silver Mining Company. Twenty-four investors were mentioned. Names are worth  more than silver to a  genealogist, and this certainly is a treasure I will be mining for a long time.  These  individuals  had put trust in Stephen Sherwood and his company.  A quick search through google books of  the investors revealed  some were men of influence in Chicago. Carter H Harrison became the Mayor of Chicago.  Yes, there are names to be mined.

So I must say that in his case spelling and grammar didn't mean much in the scheme of things.  It didn't really matter how he spelled Corpus.  Carpuss was just fine.  Everybody knew what he meant.  Stephen would get the final word.  He could say:  "You don't have to be a good speller to have your own company."

The recipient of a gift should always give sincere thanks to the giver.  It isn't exactly clear who I should thank, but let me start with three.  Without the google books search engine which found the document, and I might add the digitizing technology which copied it,  this document would never have been found. The John Crerar Library  had stored the book for nearly 150 years, and last but not least, I should thank John Crerar,  who left 2.6 million in his estate as an endowment for a free public library.

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The bibliographic information said the book was digitized on February 24, 2012.    It was as if

Articles of Agreement of the Sherwood Silver Mining Company of Nevada
(click above to open)

was gift wrapped and placed under the tree in February to find and open just before Christmas.

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When we do family history, we all have something that somebody else needs.  This post would not be complete if I did not SHOW my thanks.  I've started by posting the book on my blog.  I already recognize names in the Articles of Agreement.  The name Walker  was in a letter I posted, and Coe will be in a future one.  The Articles of Agreement will help build more history around the names in The Sherwood Letters.  Perhaps, even some of their descendants will find their names here.

I'm grateful  I can keep this gift and give it away at the same time.  It's a gift that keeps on giving.  Family history can do that.  This blog has been an attempt to start the process.

Thanks for allowing me to show you what I got for Christmas.

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google books