John Henry Belter Bill of Sale Update

A quick update on the Belter Bill of Sale that was in the previous post. The December 1998 issue of Magazine Antiques has an exhaustive article on this particular bill of sale, documenting the history of the furniture purchased with this receipt. It was originally purchased by "Col. B. S. Jordan Gorgia " on behalf of his sister, Elizabeth Taylor Sanford whose husband had just died. Col. Jordan bought an identical set for he and his wife, Emily Epps Sanford at the same time (separate bill). Yes, the brothers married two sisters. Thanks to Tex MacRae for spotting the article and giving us a heads up. Here's a link to the online version which is worth the read. Secondly, the name "Arabasket" that Belter used for the set is what we refer to today as the "Fountain Elms" pattern. "Victorian Details", and "American Furniture of the 19th Century" both attest to this.