Antique 19thCentury Poster for a Sherrif’s Sale of Real Estate in Bucks County, PA
The framed document isan antique 19th-century broadside poster for a Sheriff's Sale of Real Estatein Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dated Saturday, December 3rd, 1881,under Sheriff Samuel L. Ely.
PictureFraming: archivalpreservation frameequipped with UV-filtering glass andacid-free materialsare used to protect delicate historical prints fromfading and chemical damage. Leather framing. Cost was $525.
Provenance: I purchased this piece of art when I was inLambertville, NJ about 10 years ago from the nephew of the attorney who handledthe case.
According to the textprinted at the bottom of the broadside poster, Magdalena Frantz (alongwith Josiah Frantz) was the owner of the seized property beingsaleed.
The poster notes thatthe real estate was "Seized and taken in execution as the property ofMAGDALENA FRANTZ and JOSIAH FRANTZ" to satisfy a legal debt orjudgment through a writ directed to the Bucks County Sheriff.
Whatthe Poster Reveals About Her Property:
- The Location: She owned a "certain Messuage, Lot of Land and licensed HOTEL PROPERTY" situated at the corner of Bridge Street and the River road in the Borough of New Hope, Bucks County, PA.
- The Hotel Structure: The main building was a substantial three-story brick Hotel and Dwelling House, measuring 41 by 42 feet, attached to a two-story brick kitchen.
- Amenities: The property was highly developed for the 1880s, featuring a frame washhouse, a frame stable and carriage house, a hay scale, and a large pump with a continuous supply of well water.
Magdalena Frantz
According to the textprinted at the bottom of the broadside poster, Magdalena Frantz (alongwith Josiah Frantz) was the owner of the seized property beingsaleed.
The poster notes thatthe real estate was "Seized and taken in execution as the property ofMAGDALENA FRANTZ and JOSIAH FRANTZ" to satisfy a legal debt orjudgment through a writ directed to the Bucks County Sheriff.
Whatthe Poster Reveals About Her Property:
- The Location: She owned a "certain Messuage, Lot of Land and licensed HOTEL PROPERTY" situated at the corner of Bridge Street and the River road in the Borough of New Hope, Bucks County, PA
- The Hotel Structure: The main building was a substantial three-story brick Hotel and Dwelling House, measuring 41 by 42 feet, attached to a two-story brick kitchen.
- Amenities: The property was highly developed for the 1880s, featuring a frame washhouse, a frame stable and carriage house, a hay scale, and a large pump with a continuous supply of well water.
Samuel L. Ely was a prominent local official in Bucks County,Pennsylvania, who served as the High Sheriff of Bucks County.
Historical recordsand documents highlight several key details about his life and tenure:
- Election and Term: Samuel L. Ely was elected to the office of High Sheriff in 1878. His term covered the late 1870s and early 1880s, which aligns perfectly with the November and December 1881 dates printed on your broadside poster.
- Prominent Local Family: The Ely family was highly influential in Bucks County during the 19th century. Samuel was not the first in his family to hold this position; his relative, Joseph S. Ely, was elected as the county's High Sheriff a few decades earlier in 1857.
- Role and Reputation: As Sheriff, his primary duties involved executing court orders, handling foreclosures, managing the county jail, and conducting public sales—like the one for Magdalena Frantz's hotel property. Historical family accounts describe him as a man of "fine personal appearance and genial, kindly and gentlemanly manners," earning widespread respect in the Doylestown and broader Bucks County communities.
- Family Legacy: He was married to Mary Comly Knight. One of his sons, Moses K. Ely, went on to become a well-known engineer for the Pennsylvania Public Service Commission.
Historical archivesand databases show several other surviving 19th-century broadside posters bearingSheriff Samuel L. Ely's name, confirming he was highly active in executing landsales throughout the county during his tenure
Dimensions
Weight 2.50 lbs. H 24.25”W 17.375” D1.25”
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