1833 Georgetown, D.C. Tobacco Inspector Bond – George B. Magruder – Original Municipal Manuscript – $3,000 Performance Bond
A rare original Georgetown municipal manuscript executed on February 14, 1833, appointing George B. Magruder as Inspector of Tobacco for the Corporation of Georgetown. The document is a formal $3,000 performance bond guaranteeing Magruder's faithful execution of one of Georgetown's most important commercial offices during the height of the town's tobacco trade. Joining him as sureties are Otto M. Linthicum and Peter W. Magruder, all binding themselves jointly and severally to the Corporation of Georgetown. The text describes the inspector's official duties, including careful examination of tobacco received at the Georgetown warehouses, ensuring that no inferior or improperly packed tobacco is passed for shipment, and faithfully executing the municipal ordinance regulating tobacco inspection. The reverse bears the sworn acknowledgment before the Mayor of Georgetown, witness signatures, and recording endorsements showing the bond was officially entered into the Washington County, District of Columbia records on February 14, 1833, Liber W.T.B. No. 45, Folios 103–104. George B. Magruder remained Georgetown's tobacco inspector during the final prosperous years of the town's tobacco commerce before the industry declined later in the decade. An outstanding document illustrating the regulation of the early American tobacco trade, Georgetown municipal government, and the influential Magruder family. Condition: Very good. Original manuscript on laid paper with paper seal remnants, recording endorsements, expected folds from filing, light toning, and strong dark handwriting throughout. An exceptional and highly displayable early District of Columbia municipal document relating to one of Georgetown's most important commercial institutions.