They took my chain!

[hellsangle]

County Surveyor Wood.jpg

Have a nice weekend, all . . .

Phil - Sonoma

[Peter Ehlert]

423 ND
PAGE 237

State of California
County of Sonoma

Personally appeared before me John B Wood County Surveyor of Sonoma County who being duly sworn on oath deposes and says that on the 19th day of November AD 1860 the Common Council of the city of Sonoma contracted with deponent to make a survey of the town, or Pueblo of Sonoma. that on the 20th day of November AD 1860 said deponent repaired with his assistants to a point designated in the grant to said Town of Sonoma. And that about the time he was ready to proceed with said Survey a Company of men assembled and forbid the making of said survey, and by force and violence arrested the chain from the hands of the chain carriers, stating at the same time that the Survey should not be made, and using other threatening and menacing language.

Sworn to and subscribed before me
this 20th day of November AD 1860

Wm Ellis Justice
of the peace of Sonoma Township

John B Wood
County Surveyor of Sonoma County.

[Peter Ehlert]

The header makes sense once **“423 ND”** is understood as a land-claim case number, not a county-record book number.

**423 ND = U.S. Land Case No. ND-423**, concerning the **Pueblo Lands of Sonoma**.

The case was before the **U.S. Board of Land Commissioners**, the federal body established after California became part of the United States to adjudicate Spanish and Mexican land claims. The claim was for the **Pueblo of Sonoma**, with the City of Sonoma ultimately being the claimant. The grant was eventually confirmed and patented in 1880. ([Ranchos of California][1])

The source identifies the surviving **ND 423 land-case file as being held by the Bancroft Library**, in its digital collections. ([Ranchos of California][1])

So the notation at the upper left:

> **423 ND**
> **PAGE 237**

means essentially:

> **Land Case ND-423, page 237**

That also explains why this document is in the federal land-claim file even though the affidavit itself was made before **William Ellis, Justice of the Peace of Sonoma Township**.

The document is therefore part of the evidence accumulated in the **Pueblo Lands of Sonoma federal land case**, rather than simply a Sonoma County court or recorder filing.

[1]: https://ranchos.archivesofcalifornia.co ... hatgpt.com "Pueblo Lands Of Sonoma (1835) | Ranchos of California"
===
AI assisted

[Peter Ehlert]

ultra cool Phil
thanks

[jrbouldin]

Allexey von Schmidt had an encounter along these lines and strangely, it wasn't while he was surveying--it was on land he claimed to own in San Francisco. I wonder if the Baker gang even knew who they were dealing with. These were rough times.