Chronology

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1. Antebellum and Civil War · 1800–1865

2. about 1813
   Construction or physical change · Sans Souci William Cain builds Sans Souci

   William Cain probably built Sans Souci, his Hillsborough town house, about 1813, soon after he bought the thirty-acre tract in 1812; a 1953 plate caption had dated it about 1760. It was the home of S. T. Latta Jr. in 1953.

3. about 1857
   Construction or physical change · Sans Souci, 235 East Corbin Street, Hillsborough Pride Jones has John Berry enlarge Sans Souci

   After inheriting Sans Souci from Dr. William Cain in 1857, Dr. Pride Jones has builder John Berry renovate the house, adding the rear dining room and stair, the full-width front porch and the one-story wings.

4. September 27, 1857
   Property or economic transaction · Sans Souci, East Corbin Street, Hillsborough William Cain dies and leaves Sans Souci to his son-in-law Pride Jones

   William Cain, who built Sans Souci as his town house and was married to a sister of Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin, died and willed the house he had formerly lived in to his son-in-law, Pride Jones.

5. Reconstruction and the New South · 1866–1899

6. June 3, 1889
   Property or economic transaction · Sans Souci, East Corbin Street, Hillsborough Sans Souci is sold at auction and passes to Episcopal Bishop Lyman

   Sans Souci was sold at public auction to a bidder named Parrish, who at once assigned his bid to the Episcopal bishop of North Carolina, Bishop Lyman of Raleigh.

7. 1893
   Property or economic transaction · Sans Souci, East Corbin Street, Hillsborough Bishop Lyman and his wife sell Sans Souci to Miss Ruffin

   Bishop Lyman and his wife sold Sans Souci to a Miss Ruffin, who kept it until her death in the 1930s.

8. Early twentieth century · 1900–1944

9. 1930s
   Property or economic transaction · Sans Souci, East Corbin Street, Hillsborough Miss Ruffin's will leaves Sans Souci to Samuel T. Latta

   Under the will of Miss Ruffin, proved on March 16 of a year in the 1930s, Sans Souci and her other property went to Samuel T. Latta, who was living there in 1971.

10. Civil rights era · 1945–1975

11. August 26, 1971
    Naming or commemoration · Sans Souci, Hillsborough Sans Souci is listed in the National Register

    On August 26, 1971 the National Park Service listed Sans Souci in Hillsborough in the National Register of Historic Places.

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Compiled and maintained by the Friends of the Orange County Public Library from county records, the sources named on each card, and the index’s event pages. Last updated October 1, 2026.