MILITARY MONDAY~Civil War Pension File of Wilson Bowen Boggs 1819-1900

 

Page 1 of the pension file

Wilson Bowen BOGGS is my maternal 3^rd great granduncle.  He is the son of Andrew Elliot BOGGS and Hannah Jane BOWEN.

Born about 1819 in Gallia County, Ohio, he was the youngest of 9 children born to Andrew & Hannah.  Six boys and three girls, who all lived to adulthood.

Wilson’s older brother, William Allen BOGGS, is my 3^rd great grandfather.

Wilson went by his middle name of Bowen, according to nearly all records I’ve located.  I’ll refer to him by that name for the rest of this narrative.

I don’t find any of Bowen’s brothers serving during the Civil War.  And, in fact, Bowen would have been about 42 yrs old when he enlisted. 

He served in the Indiana Volunteers, as a Private in the 85^th Regiment, Company B.  Here is his Pension Card.

(Click on any image to enlarge it)

The pension file card for Bowen Boggs #125,177

When I review a pension file, I like to use a spreadsheet to keep track of the pages of the file that I think are important.  And, I take screen shots of those pages to add to my blog posts.  This helps when you go back to look at that pension file again at a later time.

My Excel spreadsheet for the pension file - please click on it to enlarge it, if you need to

As you can see we have uncovered quite a bit of good information about this ancestor/soldier. Here are some of those facts:

·       His address, the dates he applied for the pension and later the increase of pension, his physical description

·       A list of his injuries and various physician’s certificates

·       His children’s names and dates of birth

·       The date of his death

Below are the images of some of the pages described above.  I have made no improvements to these images so you can see what they look like after nearly 150 years in storage.  

How fortunate are we that these records have been saved?

 

On the left - a letter from Bowen Boggs to the Secretary of the Interior, dated 25 Sep 1899 and on the right, page 18 - a Physician's certificate outlining Bowen's health issues

On the left - page 72, with children's names & dates of birth and on the right page 114 the original invalid pension request May 1871

I collect signatures of my ancestors from any source I can find them - left is Bowen's son, John A. Boggs and on the right of course Bowen Boggs himself

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

MILITARY MONDAY ~ Sgt. Presley Lunsford - Killed in Action during the Civil War - 1864

Who was Presley Lunsford, this young man who gave his life in service to his country for a cause he believed in?

He was the second child of eight, born to Andrew Lunsford and Jane Gillialan/Gilliland.  An exact date for his birth cannot be determined, but it was about 1841 in Ohio. Presley Lunsford is my 1st cousin 4 times removed.

We first find Presley in the 1850 census living with his parents four siblings in Elizabeth, Lawrence Co., Ohio.  The surname Lunsford is often spelled Lunceford and varies from family to family and document to document.  Presley’s father is working as a Laborer.

Elizabeth Township is a small rural community.  In the 2000 census there were only 2,914 people living in Elizabeth.  I suspect it was much smaller back in the 1860’s.

In 1860, just a year prior to the beginning of the Civil War, Presley is single, 19 years old and living with his parents and all 7 of his siblings, still in Elizabeth, Lawrence Co., Ohio.  Both Presley and his father are working as Farm Hands.

On 12 Apr 1861 the War of the Rebellion as it was called then, the Civil War, as we call it now began.
 
Presley enlisted at Ironton, Ohio as a private on 28 Aug 1861, just four months after the war began.  Term of enlistment was 3 years.  He was in Company G, 2nd Regiment West Virginia Cavalry.  His description is given on this page in his muster roll.  He was 20 yrs. old, 5’ 7 1/2” tall, light complected, brown eyes, dark hair, born in Lawrence County, Ohio and his occupation was Farmer.  This same muster roll page states he was promoted to Sergeant on 31 Dec. 1862.  He just have been doing a good job for him to be promoted.

Here’s the image of that page along with the battles & commanders of the unit Presley Lunsford belonged to.  You may read more about this unit here 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry 

Click on any image in this post to enlarge it.

       

   
Presley got married during his time of service for the Union army.  On 12 Mar 1863 he married Martha Campbell at Kanawha, Cabell, West Virginia.  I wonder if they knew one another from his childhood or did they meet during his service?  There were no children born to this couple.  From statements in the file it appears that Martha was 18 years old when they married.

Here is a copy of a certified statement of the marriage, found inside the pension file.  This is just the kind of record you hope to find when you order pension files.  It may be the only evidence you find for marriages, especially during the turbulent times of the Civil War.

Sgt.Presley Lunsford was Killed in Action at Winchester, Virginia on 24 Jul 1864.  He was about 23 years old at the time of his death.  Here is the Casualty Sheet from his pension file.

 
Martha applied for and received a monthly pension of $8, in his name.  I expect it was difficult for a young woman to support herself in those days and even if she lived with family, every little bit would help.

Martha remarried to Thomas Saunders on 20 Oct 1865 and the pension payments were terminated.

Here are the notes I recorded as I read and re read this pension file.

                                CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE REVIEW
                                                   Presley Lunsford

Page                              Item of interest

3	Claim filed 10 Dec 1864 at Ironton, Lawrence, Ohio
4	Shows that Martha Lunsford is now Martha Saunders
6	Surgeon general’s report dated Jan 1868 verifying death of soldier
7	Widow’s Pension stating Presley Lunsford was a Private in Co G, 2nd W.VA Cavalry. Rate of pension is $8 a month commencing 25 Jul 1864, the date after the soldier’s death. List all dates pertinent such as enlistment, marriage and date of his death
8	Summary of Proof – states he was killed in action at Winchester, VA on 24 Jul 1864
11	Gives the date and place the soldier mustered into service – 28 Aug 1861 at Ironton, OH for a period of 3 years or during the war
14	Statement by Kanawha County Recorder in the state of West Virginia on 25 Nov 1864. States that he certifies to the marriage of Presley Lunsford and Martha Campbell on 12 Mar 1863 in said county by James Atkinson . License for the marriage was issued by said office on 9 Mar 1863.
15	Widow’s Claim for Pension – Martha Lunsford appeared before Court of Common Pleas and states she is 18 yrs. old and a resident of Aid Township in Lawrence County, Ohio. She is the widow of Presley Lunsford who was a Sergeant in Company G, commanded by Capt. Ankram in the 2nd Regiment of West Virginia Voluntary Cavalry commanded by Col. William Powell. That Presley Lunsford was killed near Winchester in the State of Virginia on 24 Jul 1864 in a fight with the Rebels. She also claims that she married Presley Lunsford in Kanawha Co, W. VA and that her name before marriage was Martha Campbell. And that no children were born to this couple. Her post office address is Ironton, Lawrence Co., Ohio.
16	Witnesses to Martha Lunsford’s statement were John McMahan and Henry Lunsford residents of Lawrence Co., Ohio. State that since the death of her husband Martha Lunsford has not remarried as of 17 Sep 1864.
18	Letter dated 14 Jun 1876 in Ironton, OH to Honorable J.A. ______, Commissioner of Pensions. This letter states that Martha Lunsford married Thomas Saunders 20 Oct 1865 and that her attorney Stephen P. Calvin died some six or seven years ago.
21	Letter from probate Judge Geo. W. Thompson of Lawrence Co., Ohio, dated 14 Jun 1876 stating that Martha Lunsford and Thomas Saunders were issued a marriage license on 19 Oct 1865 in said county. And, that they were united in marriage on 20 Oct 1865 by Jeptha Clark, Justice of the Peace.
25	Claimant’s answer to letter asking why she long neglected to prosecute her claim. States she lives far from town at Vernon Furnace in Lawrence Co., OH and has been married a second time for ten years and her name is now Sanders (note difference spelling here).

NOTE:  My system for reviewing these files has always been to record each page number and what I found on that page. I also extract that particular page from the PDF pension file and save it separately.

Some of these files can be over 200 pages long.  To think I will remember which page number contains which piece of information would be pointless.

I don’t have any idea where Presley’s final resting place is.  However, I have created a memorial for him on FindAGrave so that he is never forgotten. You may visit his memorial here.

While researching this family, I learned that Presley’s older brother, William H. Lunsford also served in the Union Army and survived the war.  I obtained an image of William from some of his descendants and use it here with their permission.  He too had dark hair and I wonder how much Presley may have looked like his older brother.

Photo of William H. Lunsford

If you have any additional information regarding this post, or are related to this family, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE FOR WILLIAM LUNSFORD - Presley's Uncle

My source for obtaining Civil War Pension Files is Twisted Twigs Genealogy.  There is a link to their home page in the right column of this blog.
 
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SIBLING SATURDAY ~ Corp. John E. Hunter and his brother Isaac C. Hunter–Union and Confederate soldiers

I have come across the first instance in my family where brother opposed brother in the Civil War.  Much has been written in recent months about this subject.  But, I’ll stay out of the political debate and just report history as it related to my own family.

It all began when I requested and received the Civil War Pension File for my 2nd great granduncle John E. Hunter.  Until a few weeks ago I knew only an approximate birth year and place for John E. Hunter.  After contact with a cousin, via DNA, I have begun to fill out his life.  Please refer to my blog post here if you’d like to read about that cousin connection.

Another brother in that same family has been a mystery to me too.  All I had on Isaac C. Hunter was an approximate year of birth and place.

After receiving the pension file for Corp. John E. Hunter I learned the following.  That he had served with Company H, 6th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry from Oct 1861 until the end of his term of service in 1864.  During that time he had been taken prisoner of war for a short time and also sustained a gun shot wound to his left shoulder.

After his discharge from the service he married and had a son, but his shoulder continued to cause him pain and an inability to do any hard labor.  To try and improve his health he went to Shreveport, Louisiana where his brother Isaac C. Hunter was a River Boat Pilot.  John Hunter was, according to his brother’s deposition, able to work with him for a while on the river boat.  However, John became ill and ended up being treated by a physician while at Isaac’s home.
 
In reading Isaac’s deposition (see image below – click on it to enlarge it) I learned that they didn’t agree about the war and had “very little to say about it.”  That, of course, makes me want to know more.



Here is a close up of the section of the page outlined in red above.



Transcription from excerpt above – “He told me he was wounded in the U.S. Army, but said very little about it, we did not agree about the war, and had very little to say about it, I don’t know on what part of his person the wound was."

As I was able to conduct further research (and thanks to my cousin Amy) Isaac C. Hunter’s FindAGrave memorial was located. Memorial #7425900.  On the memorial you will see that Isaac aka Ike was a Private in the 1st Btn Co E Trans-Mississippi Confederate Cavalry C.S.A.  Isaac Hunter was also a member of Benevolent Association of Confederate Veterans.

NOTE:  I have no experience in looking for or finding Confederate records.  Now I get to learn something new.

It was quite obvious that these two brothers fought on opposite sides during the war.  I am still trying to find military records that would tell me more about Isaac Hunter’s service for the Confederate Army.

This is the first time I have found a member of my family who served in the Confederate Army.  It seems the majority of both mine and my husband’s family came to and stayed in the northern states.  You always read about brothers fighting against brothers, but I’d never heard of my own family on opposite sides. 

I have more information to share about these Hunter brothers, but I’ll save that for another post.

If you believe you are connected to this family, I’d love to hear from you.  Please get in touch with me.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE ~ Cora E. Hall widow of Thomas C. Hall ~ What gems does it contain?

This pension file was the fourth one I’ve received in the past 6 months.  It contains fewer pieces of family information than any of the other three.  And, being only 30 pages, is certainly the smallest of all four.  However, there are still genealogical gems to be found within the file.

Cora E. Brown Hall was the widow of Thomas Cornelius Hall.  They are my husband’s great grandparents.  Prior to receiving this pension file I did not have an exact date for their marriage.

However, on the very first page of this pension file I find not only the exact marriage date, but two other dates of interest.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IS FOR EASIER VIEWING)



The red arrow indicates the “Clt’s (claimant’s) marriage to soldier” as February 5, 1877.  The two green arrows give us the date of Thomas’ death and the date of birth for Cora.  Those are two dates I already had, but another piece of evidence to document them is always welcome.

Now that I have the exact date of Thomas & Cora’s marriage, I’m hoping to find the official document for that marriage.

What else was of note in this pension file?

Page 2

A statement that the pensioner, Cora E. Hall, is dropped from the roll because of death on Sept. 9, 1933.

Page 6

A letter, in Cora’s own hand, to the Bureau of Pension, dated Sept. 5th 1929.

Page 8

Another letter from Cora to the Commissioner of Pensions dated Aug. 3rd.  This letter, in her own hand, gives the dates of her birth and the date of her marriage and also states that the pension is her only income.

Page 11

A notarized statement from Cora that neither she nor her husband were divorced and that she has $1500 from a life insurance policy on Thomas.

Page 17

A deposition by Emma S. Burt who states she has known Cora for all of her life.  She also states that she was present at her marriage to Thomas and gives the date of marriage, name of the Pastor who performed the ceremony and the church where the marriage took place.  These are wonderful pieces of information to have for further research.

Page 23 & 24

A transcript from the Registrar of Saratoga Springs, New York, Bureau of Vital Statistics regarding the death of Thomas C. Hall.  This gives a wealth of information about Thomas.  I already had a transcript of his death, obtained several years ago, but had I not, this would have been a gold mine.  It contains his parent’s names and places of birth.

Page 26

A deposition from Pastor Joseph Carey, who married Thomas & Cora.  More evidence for their date & place of marriage.

Page 28

Application for Transfer stating that Cora moved to San Diego, California at the end of the year 1911.  This statement gives her address in San Diego and is signed by her son, Charles, daughter-in-law Daisy and by Cora herself.

Page 30

A letter to the Bureau of Pension, dated Sept. 12th, 1933, from Cora’s son, Charles Hall.  This letter is to inform them that Cora died on Sept. 9th, 1933.  The letter gives Charles’ address and is signed by him.

Here are a few samples of the pages referenced above.

This is Page 6 – the letter from Cora to the Pension Bureau

Page 24 – Thomas’ death record – I’ve cropped & rotated the bottom portion with his parent’s names so you can see them

Page 30 – the letter from Cora’s son, Charles stating she has died

This document and it’s 30 pages, while not huge, does contain important information about Cora, her deceased husband, Thomas and her life.

Cora and Thomas only had one child that we know of and that is Charles Schuyler Hall (my husband’s grandfather), born 5 Mar 1878 in Saratoga Springs, New York; married Daisy Fern Bright on 15 Oct 1903 in Tarentum, Allegheny, Pennsylvania and died on 25 Mar 1953 in San Diego, California. 

I do have one photo of Cora E. Brown Hall, obtained from my husband’s cousin.

I’ve just ordered two more pension files.  One for my side of the family and the other from my husband’s side.  I find that these files are well worth the cost and can't wait to explore them.

I recently wrote a post about Cora’s father, Charles Henry K. Brown, who was a Cigar Maker in New York.  You can read that post here 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week #5 – Charles Henry Brown.

What gems have you found in pension files?

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

MILITARY MONDAY – Civil War Pension File – Private John Gillen – Killed in Action

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ONE SINGLE PAGE OF A CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE – 1864

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MILTARY MONDAY ~ Civil War Pension File–Private John Gillen–Killed in Action 31 Dec 1862 at the Battle of Stones River

Today’s post is about Private John Gillen, age 21, who was killed in action on 31 Dec 1862 at Stones River, Tennessee.  He was a Union soldier.

John is the son of John Gillen (about 1804-1880) and Nancy Miller (1815-1913).  He was the 4th child born to this couple.  

Here is the family group sheet.



Private Gillen was the second oldest son.  He was one of three sons to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War.  Both his brothers, Isaac and Martin also served. Those brothers survived the war. However, neither lived past their early 40’s.

Private Gillen was born about 1841 in Ohio.  His family was farming in Union, Lawrence, Ohio in the 1850 census.  By the 1860 census the family had moved to Champaign, Illinois and his father was farming and had real estate worth $600. The family is found in Champaign in the 1870 and 1880 census.  John Gillen (Sr) dies in November 1880.  By the time of the 1900 census Private Gillen’s mother Nancy is living in a home at 420 E. Clark St., in Champaign.  Her daughter, Ella is living with her.  The home is owned and free of a mortgage.

Here is a map and a current street view of E. Clark St. today.


John’s mother, Nancy Miller Gillen, applied for his pension on 22 Apr 1882, as indicated on this pension index card.



I ordered the pension file, my first for a soldier killed in action.  This was the third Civil War pension file I have received, and all of them are full of wonderful genealogical information.

NOTE:  Rather than going directly through NARA for my orders, I use the services of Deidre Denton.  You may access her services via http://twistedtwigsgenealogy.com/ 

I have no affiliation nor do I receive any remuneration from any referrals.  Just letting you know how I got copies of the pension files.

Through the various statements in this pension file I learned that the young John Gillen was responsible for helping to support his family, including sending a large portion of his soldier pay home.  It seems his father, the older John Gillen, was in feeble health and not able to earn a good enough living to support his family.  Once the older John died in 1880, Nancy had no means of support and applied for the pension from her son’s service and death in the war.

Here is her application.  The Green arrow gives Private Gillen’s cause of death.  The Blue arrow gives the date of his father, John Gillen’s death.  And the Red arrow gives the name & exact dates of birth of his three siblings who were under age 16 at the time of Private Gillen’s death.
 


I would certainly say that on that one page alone we have some wonderful genealogical information.  (The entire pension file is 63 pages) The form is signed by Nancy Gillen so we can surmise she is the one who provided the information.  Do we still need to verify those dates?  Yes.

Two of the surprises contained in this pension file are letters written by Private John Gillen to his sister, Ella (Louella Gillen 1848-1942).  I will be transcribing those letters in another post so as not to make this post exorbitantly long.

Private John Gillen is buried at Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Rutherford, Tennesse.  There are more than 6,000 Union soldiers buried at this cemetery.  His FindAGrave memorial is #68723997.

There is quite a lot written about the Battle at Stones River, which took place from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863.  The casualty percentage at this battle was second only to Gettysburg in all major engagements during the Civil War.

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/Tennessee/Stones_River_National_Cemetery.html

http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-stones-river

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/stonesriver/stones-river-history/10-facts-about-stones-river.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

I hope one day I will find a photo of young Private Gillen, as he talks about family photos in his letters to his sister.  In the meantime, I hope that I’ve honored his memory and his service to our country.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST 

What I Learned from One Single Page of a Civil War Pension File - 1864 - Edith E. Thorp

The Civil War - How our Country Dealt with the Aftermath - Creation of our National Cemeteries

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this post, please contact me.  I’d love to hear from you.  We might be cousins.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ONE SINGLE PAGE OF A CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE–1864 –Edith E. Thorp widow of Walter B. Thorp

I just received my 2nd Civil War Pension file.  This one is for Edith Eliza Thorp Surdam, daughter of Monson Thorp, Sr. and Lany Cooper.  Edith was born Jan 1843 in Skaneateles, Onondaga, New York.
  
Edith is my 2nd great grandaunt.

NOTE:  As with so many of the names of our ancestors the spelling can vary.  Sometimes there is an “e” at the end of Thorp and sometimes not.

In my research I had learned that Edith was married to Walter B. Thorp (yes, same last name) sometime in the early 1860’s.  Were the two cousins?  If so, how close was that cousin relationship?

I did not have an exact marriage date, however, I had located two Civil War Pension index cards several years ago.
 
One index was dated 6 Apr 1864 and was a widow claim for Edith E. Thorpe.
 

Another index from 7 Feb 1869 was for a minor (probably her child, Marian).  By then she had remarried and her name was E. E. Surdam.



Now that I’ve received this Civil War Pension file I find that on page 5 of 110 pages in the file, there is a Claim for Bounty and Pay for Edith E. Thorpe, aged twenty years and a resident of Oswego, New York.

Page 5 of the pension file

Page 6 of the pension file which shows signatures and the cover page

Here are other important items on this one page:

• Edith is the widow of Walter B. Thorpe
• Walter was a 1st Sergeant in Company A, commanded by Captain McKinlock (sp?) in the 147th Regiment of New York volunteers, commanded by Colonel Warner in the Rebellion of 1861.
• Walter B. Thorpe enlisted in the service of the United States at Oswego in the County of Oswego, August 18, 1862 and was killed July 1, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysberg.
• Edith states she was married to her said husband January 19, 1862 by Rev. Mr. Plaink (sp?) at Oswego Centre
• And that said Walter B. Thorpe left only one child home surviving, her name is Marrion E. W. Thorpe who was born October 29th 1862 & lives with applicant & her Post Office address is Minetto Oswego Co. NY.
• Deponent makes application to obtain the pension under Act of July 14, 1862, the arrears of pay and allowances for clothing due according to the foregoing declaration.

We see a signature, not a mark, by Edith E. Thorp. 

Also noted are the two sworn witnesses, Walter Thorpe and Jane Thorp, residents of Oswego.  Who are Walter & Jane Thorp?  Could this Walter Thorp be the father of our Walter B. who died?  I have Walter B's father as Walter Thorp born about 1800 and died in 1867, so he would have still be living at the time of the deposition.  I don't have a Jane in that family though.

From this one page I have certainly gained a lot of information about Walter B. & Edith Thorp.  They were very young and only married a short time.  Walter is the only known ancestor that I have to die at the Battle of Gettysberg.
 
I have 104 more pages to read in this Civil War Pension file.  Most of the rest of the file concerns Edith’s second husband, George B. Surdam, who also served in the Civil War.  Can’t wait to find out what else I will learn.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
TUESDAY'S TIP - How to Determine Which War Your Ancestor May Have Participated In

MYSTERY MONDAY - Where Is the Wreck of this Civil War Era Paddle Steamer?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

CIVIL WAR PENSION RECORD FOR WILLIAM LUNSFORD ~ How I began my review and some of what I found

OK, so you’ve received the pension record for your ancestor.  It might be 25 pages or 225 pages.  Now what?

You can read my post here that tells you how I ordered this record.

Since I’d never done this before, the first thing I did was read through all 174 pages.  As I did, I wrote down a couple of notes of import. One was a deposition by a woman saying she was Nancy Massie Lunsford’s sister.

I have yet to prove who Nancy Massie Lunsford’s parents are, so finding a sister’s name would be a great clue.

I also noted, during that first read through, a deposition from a man who states that he married William Lunsford’s sister in about 1870.  Another great clue.

TIP:  If you’re anything like me, you are going to be so excited to have this record that you’re first read through will be done too quickly to catch all references to family and/or events.  Don’t worry about it, just enjoy it.  You have plenty of time to go back & “really” read those pages.

It’s day two now and time to begin going through this record, again, slowly.  The documents are NOT in chronological order.  One thing I generally don’t do is create any paper for my research.  In other words, I keep records digitally.  That was true here too.  I sit at my desk where I have two monitors and do my research from there.  The nice thing about reading any document on your monitor is the ability to enlarge it.
 
I sat here with my notepad and as I came to something important in the document I wrote down the page number and what the item referred to.

Here are a few examples of what I found.  There are many more.  Remember, you can click on any image to enlarge it.

Page 14 – Nancy’s declaration that she married William under the name Nancy Massie, and that they married on 17 Sept 1836. (I don’t have a marriage record for this couple, but found a reference to them being married Sep 1836, in Ohio, on someone’s tree on Ancestry.  I made a note of that in Legacy)  Also on this page was the name of the person who married them, Jesse Corn and the location Greasy Ridge. I know of the Corn family from Lawrence County, Ohio and also the location Greasy Ridge, from the same county.

Page 14

Page 45 – A declaration by Joseph Massie, who states that he is a cousin of Nancy Massie Lunsford.  Good to know, as it may lead me to her parents & family.

Page 45

Page 59 – Declaration by Isaac Darling who is not related to either William or Nancy Lunsford.  He claims that the children of the “old woman” all testified against their father and that Bazell (son Basil Lunsford) got judgement.  The “old man” anticipated the judgement and sold off property and stock.  Also on this page this person claims that the claimant (Nancy Lunsford) is living with her sister Rebecca Ferril, until a month ago when the sister died.  Now the claimant (Nancy) lives with her son, Basil Lunsford.

Page 59

Two more pages I’ll share with you today.  These give the details of William’s death on 20 May 1887 at the Central Branch, National Home for Disabled Soldiers in Dayton, Ohio.


There is so much more in this 174 page file.  But, I think you have the general idea of the value of these pension files.  Do they all have this much information?  I expect it varies from file to file.  However, I’ve heard nothing but good things about the content of these pension files.

Have you received Civil War pension files for your ancestors?

If so, how did you record what you found in the file?  What was your step by step procedure?  Please leave your comments here on the blog or write your own blog post and leave the link to it in a comment.  I’d love to hear from you.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MY FIRST CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE ~ William Lunsford & his widow Nancy–Lawrence Co., Ohio–What now?

In the 13+ years I’ve been researching, I’ve never ordered or even seen a Civil War Pension File.  Well, I’ve seen images of some of them on various websites, but never seen one in it’s entirety.  And, certainly not for one of my ancestors.  So, this was an exciting moment for me.

I know that they can be full of family connections, history and other important information.
 
In this case it was the Civil War pension file for my 3rd great granduncle, William Lunsford, born 16 Mar 1816 in Mason, Warren, Ohio.  He married Nancy Massie in Sep 1836 in Ohio.  They had 12 known children.  William served in the Civil War from 1861-1864 in Company H, 9th West Virginia Infantry.  William Lunsford died at the National Home for Disabled Soldiers  in Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio on 20 May 1887.  Cause of death – Softening of the brain.

I had located a Pension Index cards several years ago for both William, who applied before his death, and Nancy, who applied after his death.

You can locate indexes to the Civil War Pension files at several websites.  However, the records themselves are not yet scanned and available.

General Index to Pension Files 1861-1934: NARA TO288

United States Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files, 1861-1934

                                                         Here are the two pension index cards I located:

Because I belong to a Facebook page called The Lawrence Register, I have met many descendants of my ancestors.  It’s an extremely active group.  I’ve been back to Lawrence County, Ohio and met some of those Facebook friends in person.
 
One “cousin” I met was Randy.  We believed we might be related via our Lunsford line.  However, during the many years we have communicated we have pondered an additional marriage for William Lunsford, prior to Nancy Massie.  A recent DNA test by Randy has proven that we have no actual blood connection.  This is the beauty of DNA testing.  It can really assist you in your research, but that’s a discussion for another post.
 
P.S.  Randy and I have decided to remain virtual cousins anyway.

I was more anxious than ever to get the pension file for William Lunsford and discover what it would say about marriages, children etc.

One of my contacts from another Facebook group Detroit Genealogy, has been so busy pulling documents from the National Archives that she has moved from Detroit to Maryland.  She is now closer than ever to the archives.  Her name is Deidre Erin Denton and she can be found at Twisted Twigs on Gnarled Branches Genealogy.  By ordering your pension file from Deidre you save money and time.

The website for ordering pension files directly from the National Archives is Veteran Service Records

I ordered the file through Deidre’s service and was not disappointed.  In fact, I was so happy that I’ve ordered a second file for another ancestor.

This file for William contains 174 pages!!!

What will it tell me?  I can’t wait to find out.
 
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT POST ABOUT THE PENSION FILE AND WHAT I LEARNED FROM IT

DISLCAIMER – I make no money nor benefit in any way from the work that Deidre Denton does regarding pulling files at the National Archives.  I make no guarantee about her work. The opinons expressed here are strictly my own.

Do you have any pension files for your ancestors?
 
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Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

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