History

In 1911, George H. Minor, Assistant General Solicitor of the Erie Railroad, compiled a complete corporate history of the Erie Railroad and all it's predecessors and subsidiaries. It is a very straightforward legal text with no descriptive language, but is a great source of "official" information about the company. Reprinted below is the information on the Buffalo & Jamestown Railroad.

"THE BUFFALO AND JAMESTOWN RAILROAD COMPANY, before mentioned, was incorporated in the State of New York under the general act to authorize the formation of railroad corporations and to regulate the same, passed April 2, 1850, and the acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof for the purpose of constructing and operating a railroad from a point within the City of Buffalo, Erie County, New York, to a point on the State line between the States of New York and Pennsylvania on the southerly boundary of the County of Chautauqua, a distance of about seventy miles through the Counties of Erie, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua.

Capital stock authorized, $2,000,000.

Term of corporate existence 100 years from March 4, 1872.

Certificate of incorporation acknowledged March 21, 1872, and filed and recorded in the office of the Secretary of State on March 23, 1872.

Mortgage dated October 1, 1873, and given by The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad Company to The Farmers Loan and Trust Company as trustee to secure an issue of $2,500,000 of 6 per cent. bonds, payable October 1, 1893, covers the railroad of The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad Company, beginning at the City of Buffalo and running southeasterly a distance of about 87 miles through a portion of the city of Buffalo and the towns of West Seneca, Hamburg, Eden, North Collins and Collins in Erie County, and through the towns of Persia, Perrysburg, Dayton, Leon and Conewango in the County of Cattaraugus, and the towns of Cherry Creek, Ellington, Poland, Ellicott, Busti and Harmony in the County of Chautauqua, and all lands, tracks, real estate, bridges, buildings, etc., now owned or hereafter to be owned or possessed by said railroad company.

The above mentioned mortgage, dated October 1, 1873, was foreclosed by an action brought in the Supreme Court for Erie County, wherein The Farmers Loan and Trust Company as trustee was plaintiff and The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad Company et al. were defendants.

Action commenced and lis pendens filed on September 19, 1876.

Judgment of foreclosure and sale and appointing George S. Wardwell, referee, to sell was entered on, February 3, 1877.

Sale on September 11, 1877, pursuant to the above judgment of all the railroad, property and franchises of The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad Company for $1,000,000 to Abraham Altman, Jewett M. Richmond, William H. H. Newman, John F. Moulton and Wilson X. Bissell, as a committee of bondholders.

Referee's report of sale dated November 26, 1877.

Order confirming referee's report of sale made at a special term of the Supreme Court held at Buffalo on November 26, 1877.

Referee's deed dated November 27, 1877, and given by George S. Wardwell, referee, to Abraham Altman, Jewett M. Richmond, William H. H. Newman, John F. Moulton and Wilson S. Bissell as a committee of bondholders pursuant to the above foreclosure and sale conveys for $1,000,000 all the railroad, property rights and franchises formerly of The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad Company.

Deed dated December 12, 1877, from Jewett M. Richmond and wife, William H.. H. Newman and wife, John P. Moulton and wife, and Wilson S. Bissell, unmarried, as a committee of bondholders, etc., conveys the railroad, property and franchises acquired as aforesaid through the above mentioned foreclosure and deed to The Buffalo and Southwestern Railroad Company."

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Reference