Bruce Campbell Adamson PO Box 1003 Aptos, CA 95001-1003

 

FOR SALE -- Property Near 1st Post Office and St. Louis Arch - Third and Elm-- Sheriff's Sale

 

You are bidding on document pertaining to St. Louis and the City of Alton. Seller wrote a book For Which We Stand; The Life and Papers of Rufus Easton. Seller gathered the documents in the course of his research and family history.

Thomas Jefferson and his postmaster General Gideon Granger appointed Rufus Easton first postmaster of St. Louis. Easton built the very first post office West of the Mississippi in St. Louis at 3rd and Elm. Today this document "3rd and Church" would have been within the property which is now known as The Jefferson Memorial Park including the giant St. Louis Arch.

1). Sheriff Sale of Property owned by Rufus Easton at 3rd and Cross, where Rufus Easton lived and near where Easton ran the very first post office which he had built West of the Mississippi. One of Easton's letter carriers was Stephen Austin, the founder father of Austin and Texas. Document is five pages and has embossed seals. One photo above shows map of 3rd and Cross.

While this is a Sheriff's sale, one should keep in mind that Rufus Easton's law partner had been Missouri's first attorney general, yet gave up the position to Rufus Easton, for his brother Frederick Bates when he was thrown from a horse and killed as Governor of Missouri. All are worthy of a Wikipedia search.

You are bidding on two documents one as 12 by 7 1/2 inches a property description of property owned by Rufus Easton in 1820 and 1821:

"Sheriffs Sale. in the county of St. Louis Thomas Fletcher, Charles Hunter, William H. Pocoke against Rufus Easton. "called the Dillion house." Formerly owned by Thomas Hanly and the East of the Mississippi on the south by cross street which separates from a lot of Pierre Chouteau with all buildings thereon. also another lot containing about acre and other buildings lying in the town of St. Louis on Third Street....separating from a lot of Robert Simpson [(brother-in-law) of Rufus Easton-] On which said [Rufus] Easton now lives. founded on the south by a lot owned by Samuel Hammond....Madamn Loreen and Wilson P. Hunt....signed by Joseph C. Brown and Isaac McGirk. On the reverse side is a map of Lots on square block between Third Street and Cross."

Easton built the first post office at Third and Elm and this property "Cross Street" no longer is a part of St. Louis and must have been near the property of Third and Elm, in which a Church was built in 1834 and it is there in the parking today 2013 that Easton built the very first post office.

The Second document is much larger and is signed twice by Rufus Easton's son-in-law Archibald Gamble "Clerk" -- whose brother Hamilton Gamble was the Governor during the Civil War. Charles W. Hunter's judgment was 1792. against Rufus Easton. Sale is 13 inches by 16 inches which has been TAPED in the middle. Archibald Gamble has signed three other documents which are signed by Archibald Gamble -- one from Thomas Fletcher
--- Another by William H. Pocoke wit by A. Gamble -- & Charles Hunter. Joseph C. Brown
signed Sheriff's Deed.

 

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A Wikipedia search on Rufus Easton would be in order. He trained Edward Bates in his legal studies. Bates moved into Easton home and was like an uncle to Easton's sons, Alton and Langdon Easton. Langdon was chief Quartermaster of Wm. T. Sherman's 100,000 man army and his brother Alton was Inspector of Missouri's militia. Their sister founded Lindenwood College in St. Charges and married Archibald Gamble, the brother of Civil War general Hamilton Gamble. Archibald was also a postmaster of St. Louis. Hamilton Gamble was the brother-in-law to Lincoln's Attorney General Edward Bates.

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If you have any questions please email me

 Thank you - Bruce