FIVE COURT DOCUMENTS: SUPREME COURT...CITY OF ALBANY, SS: JOHN TOWNSEND, ERASTUS CORNING, JARED L. RATHBONE, SAMUEL STEVENS, JAMES STEVENSON, GEORGE W. STANTON AND SAMUEL M. WOODRUFF, PLAINTIFFS IN THIS CAUSE, BY SAMUEL M. WOODRUFF THEIR ATTORNEY, COMPLAIN OF JACOB DOWNING, DEFENDANT, IN THIS CAUSE...FOR THAT WHEREAS HERETOFORE, TO WIT, ON THE TWENTY FOURTH DAY OF MAY, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX, AT THE CITY OF ALBANY AFORESAID THE SAID DEFENDANT AND CERTAIN OTHER PERSONS WERE DESIROUS OF ASSOCIATING THEMSELVES TOGETHER FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROCURING A CERTAIN BLOCK OF GROUND IN THE CITY OF ALBANY, AND OF ERECTING A CERTAIN BUILDING THEREON, FOR THE ORNAMENT OF THE SAID CITY, AND THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO SHOULD BECOME MEMBERS OF THE SAID ASSOCIATION...HE THE SAID DEFENDANT MADE AND SUBSCRIBED HIS CERTAIN AGREEMENT IN WRITING, AS FOLLOWS, TO WIT: "ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF THE ALBANY EXCHANGE COMPANY...YET THE SAID PLAINTIFFS IN FACT SAY, THAT THE SAID DEFENDANT WHOLLY NEGLECTED AND REFUSED TO PAY THE SAID SUM OF FIVE DOLLARS UPON EACH SHARE SUBSCRIBED BY HIM AS AFORESAID, ACCORDING TO THE FORM AND EFFECT OF THE SAID AGREEMENT, AND OF THIS SAID PROMISE AND UNDERTAKING, TO WIT, AT ALBANY AFORESAID.
Albany: 1837. [offered with] JOHN TOWNSEND, ET AL. VERSUS JOEL B. NOTT. [offered with] JOHN TOWNSEND, ET AL. VERSUS JOEL R. DICKERMAN. [offered with] JOHN TOWNSEND, ET AL. VERSUS SAMUEL CHEEVER. Each of the foregoing documents folio, tied with ribbon at head of document, 5-6pp. Preprinted on rectos only with blanks completed in manuscript, court notations on verso of final leaf. All with manuscript signature of Samuel M. Woodruff. Very Good to Near Fine. [offered with] JOHN TOWNSEND, ET AL. VERSUS OLIVER G. DE GRAFF. 6pp. First leaf is 4.5" x 8", lined paper with case caption in manuscript. Remaining five leaves as with the previous Complaints.
The Act to Incorporate the Albany Exchange Company was passed February 21, 1837. In these suits the trustees of the Albany Exchange Company seek damages against shareholders for failure to fulfill their obligations under its Articles of Association, which are printed in the Complaints. In particular, the defendants failed to pay for the stock in the Company for which they had subscribed. The complaints against Downing, Nott, Dickerson and Cheever were filed with the Supreme Court on July 22, 1837; the complaint against De Graff was filed on Dec. 22, 1837.
Several trustees of the Albany Exchange Company were Mayors of that City [Townsend, Corning, Rathbone, and Stevenson]. Stanton ran for mayor in 1844 but lost to the incumbent. Stevens and Woodruff were both prominent attorneys. Cheever was a judge and member of the New York State Agricultural Society. Dickerman was alderman of the 4th Ward; Downing was alderman of the 8th Ward. Nott was a member of the New York State Assembly and president of the New York State Agricultural Society. De Graff was an assistant to the alderman of the 2nd Ward. Item #25227
Price: $250.00