Deed of Property Transfer from Vaseli Kashoff to Benjamin Levy, Sitka, Alaska, 1867-1868

Manuscript deed detailing the transfer of property from Russian subject Vaseli Kashoff to American citizen Benjamin Levy in Sitka, Alaska, between October 17, 1867, and October 23, 1868. The 8" x 27" document is signed twice by William Dodge, Sitka's first mayor. It mentions Prince Dimitry Maksontoff (last Governor of Russian Colonies in America and Russian consul in Alaska) and Andrew Ziazeff (listed as a Russian property owner in Sitka). The deed was executed on May 20, 1868, and recorded in Sitka's town offices on October 23, 1868. The document reflects the transfer of property following the Alaska Purchase and the commercial ties between Russian Jewish fur traders and the Jewish community in San Francisco during the Russian America colony period (1850s-1860s). Benjamin Levy's role in the formal transfer of sovereignty in Sitka, lowering the Russian flag and raising the United States flag, is also noted.

Associated People/Businesses

• Levy, Benjamin

Geography

No geographic information available.

Subjects

• Real estate business
• Fur trade

Physical Location

Arc.MS.56, Box 15, Folder 3