Description:

Civil War Charleston
Charleston, SC, ca. 1863
War-Date Confederate Tax Documents
DS
An interesting pair of Confederate war-date documents, each a bill of sale executed in 1863 for property in downtown Charleston, and each bearing unusual federal blind-embossed tax stamps. In very good overall condition – please see details below.

The first document is a partly-printed legal document, three pages, 8" x 14", Charleston, March 25, 1863, in which George W. Williams purchases for $7,250.00 "…a parcel of land with the Birch Buildings thereon situate lying and being on the West Side of East Bay Street in the City of Charleston…". On the second page, a blind-embossed Federal Tax stamp on a small sheet is affixed at bottom left, and reads: "The Stamp duty on this instrument is estimated on the value of the normal amount of lawful money of the United States and nominal amount having been proved to have been in so-called ‘Confederate Treasury Notes." Lightly toned folds, otherwise in very good condition.

Offered with a similar partly-printed document, two pages, 14" x 18", Charleston, April 13, 1863, concerning the sale of #97 King Street in Charleston by George W. Williams from Anthony J. Salinas, for the sum of $4,500.00. At bottom of the first page, a blind-embossed Federal Tax stamp on a small sheet is affixed at bottom left, and reads: "The Stamp duty on this instrument is estimated on the value of the normal amount of lawful money of the United States and nominal amount having been proved to have been in so-called ‘Confederate Treasury Notes." Offsetting to top portion of page, expected folds, overall very good condition.

George W. Williams – an exemplar of a Southern businessman who prospered during the War -- began his professional career as a protégé and later partner of transplanted New Yorker Daniel Hand in Augusta, Georgia. The "Hand and Williams Company" was very successful and, in 1852, Williams started a wholesale grocery company in Charleston, using Hand's capital. The "George W. Williams & Company" was involved in importing sugar and Molasses from the West Indies. By 1860, Williams had amassed stores, warehouses and industrial complexes on the peninsula. He added to his fortune by participating in blockade-running ventures during the Civil War. When the Union Army entered Charleston on February 18, 1865, Williams presented Union Lieutenant Colonel August B. Bennett notification from Mayor Charles McBeth that the Confederate Army had evacuated the city. In June, 1865, Williams traveled with a delegation to Washington to ask President Andrew Johnson to restore civil government in Charleston. Williams' company bought sterling in 1861 and $1.03 per share in Confederate currency, and sold it for $2.25 per share in Federal currency in 1865. With part of those funds, Williams started the First National Bank of Charleston on November 21, 1865, and acted as Director of the bank, as well as the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, and as President of the Charleston Merchant Exchange.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8" x 14"
  • Medium: DS

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August 7, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000