Date: 1861
Description: This hand-written court case concerns one of the earliest property insurance cases in Sioux City. The plaintiff was one Theophilus Hebert, a blacksmith by trade who came to Sioux City originally from Montreal, crossing the plains to California before taking the long trip around Cape Horn to New Orleans and then to Sioux City by steamboat in 1857. He built up a lucrative business in the area and owned several properties around Sioux City. However, in the early 1860s many of his properties burned down. He petitioned Eli Bedard and several other members of his real estate business for insurance reimbursement, but he was refused. His losses were so great that he could not build up a business again and only owned one property on Pearl Street at his death in 1899. This paper simply lays out the respective teams for each side, which include Hebert, Bedard, and several representors of the case.
Donor: R. G. Banwart