At 11:07 PM 2/3/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>I can't remember the names of the journals at the moment, but there are
>several references to dead persons belongings being auctioned off during the
>F&I wars esp. at Crown Point.  Mostly I remember Guns, Cartridge boxes, and
>clothing not buttons, but it might be worth a read.
>
More recently, Richard Henry Dana, "Two Years Before the Mast" reported the
 Captain of his ship selling off the effects of a sailor washed overboard
during a storm off South America.