[Bowie, James]

Manuscript document signed by William Oldham and others, 1 page (13 1/2 x 8 3/8 in.; 343 x 214), "Department of Brazos," 18 April 1836, being court authorization for William Oldham "to take into possession all the Estates of James Bowie Deceased," docketed on the verso "Authorization Wm. Oldham To take The Estate of James Bouey"; soiled, chipped at horizontal folds with miniscule loss and small repairs.

Manuscript document signed by William Oldham and others, 1 page (13 1/2 x 8 3/8 in.; 343 x 214), "Department of Brazos," 18 April 1836, being court authorization for William Oldham "to take into possession all the Estates of James Bowie Deceased," docketed on the verso "Authorization Wm. Oldham To take The Estate of James Bouey"; soiled, chipped at horizontal folds with miniscule loss and small repairs.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Attempting to settle the estate of James Bowie, six weeks after the fall of the Alamo. "Personally Appeared William Oldham and Samuel Seward [ruled through and replaced by "Harold McErarry"] & acknowledged themselves Jointly and Severally Bound unto James Hall &c., Judge of the Said Jurisdiction or his Sucessers in Office in the ... Sum of two thousand Dollars Conditioned as Viz.

"Whereas the said William Oldham hath this day been Authorised to take into possession all the Estate of James Bowie Deceased

"Now therefore if the said William Oldham Shall take into Poessesion the said Estate and Render a Just account of the saim as the law may direct before such tribunal as may have Recognizance of the said C[h]arge confided in the Said William Oldham then the above Bond to be Real and vow otherwise to remain in full force and virtue in Law."

It is not clear what prompted this court action in the matter of the estate of James Bowie, who had been killed, confined to his cot with a broken hip, when Santa Anna's Mexican regulars overran the ALamo. Most likely it was the result of the general uncertainty and chaos during the "Runaway Scrape," that period between the fall of the Alamo, 6 March 1836, and the Sam Houston's victory at San Jacinto, 21 April 1836, when rumors of Santa Anna's advance caused thousands of Anglo-Mexicans to abandon their homes.

William Oldham, who served in both the Texas Infantry and Cavalry, was a savvy land speculator and businessman who became one of the wealthiest men in the Brazos. But whatever its genesis, the present bond was evenidently never executed. Bowie's property was eventually distributed as directed by his will, with the bulk going to Josefa Ruiz Navarro, the grandmother of Bowie's Tejana bride, Ursala de Veramendi (cf. Clifford Hopewell, James Bowie, Texas FIghting Man: A Biography, 1994, pp. 128–29).