Christmas In October, WooHoo! Augustus Whitney's Civil War Pension File--Part One.

On September 7th, I put in an email request with the National Archives for Augustus Whitney's Civil War Pension file. I was so delighted to receive the file ahead of expectation on Thursday of this week. So WooHoo! Here we go. The file is 125 pages long and filled with lots of leads for me for finding out additional information about my ancestors. Also, it has included some answers to when family members died. It has portions that are out of order but as I have been reading it, I have found that it follows a reverse chronology from shortly after his death to when he first applied for his pension. Some of the pages and testimonies are repetitive and due to the size of the file, I have decided I will share select portions.

The name of the document is a Drop Order and Report from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions.
Pensioner:  Augustus Whitney
Certificate Number:  322907
Class:  Invalid
Service:  Co. D 35 USC Inf
U.S. Pension Agent, Knoxville
Sir:  You are hereby directed to drop from the roll the name of the above-described pensioner who died unknown, 190_
Commisioner:  V. Warner

Report
Commisioner of Pensions. 
Sir:  The name of the above-described pensioner, who was last paid at $12 per month to 4 Nov, 1907, has this day been dropped from the roll of this agency. 
U.S. Pension Agent:  ???? Rule
February 12, 1908

So from the information provided here I now know that Augustus died before Feb. 12, 1908. Prior to his death he was paid a pension of $12 per month.


You know they need to bring back using artwork at the top of letterheads. I mean, look at that letterhead. That says a statement right? This page shows that Augustus was entitled to a pension under the provisions of the Act of June 27, 1890 at the rate of $12 per month and it was to commence on Jan. 8, 1902.  On the left side of the page it says "Former payments covering any portion of the same time to be deducted. "

This pension being for "Inability to earn a support by manual labor. "
Given at the Department of the Interior this Twenty-sixth day of August one thousand and nine hundred and three and of the Independence of the the United States of America the one hundred and twenty-eighth

Ethan A. Hitchcock--Secretary of the Interior.
Countersigned ????--Acting Commisioner of Pensions


Act of June 27, 1890, as amended by act of May 9, 1900
Declaration For Widow's Pension.

State of North Carolina
County of Hyde

     On this 18th day of Feb, A.D. one thousand nine hundred and eight personally appeared before me a Clerk of the Superior Court within and for the county and State aforesaid, Emeline Whitney, aged 55 years a resident of Swan Quarter, County of Hyde, State of North Carolina, who, being duly sworn according to law makes the following declaration in order to obtain pension under the provisions of the act of Congress approved June 27, 1890, as amended by the act of May 9, 1900.
     That she is the widow of Augustus Whitney, who was invalid under the name of Augustus Whitney at Charleston SC on the _____day of _____, 18___as a private in Co. D 35 Col Regiment, and honorably discharged June 1st, 1866, having served ninety days or more during the late war of the rebellion.  That the soldier was not in the military or naval service of the United States except as stated above. 
     That she was married under the name of Emeline Turner to said soldier at Lake Landing, NC on the 9th day of January, 1898, by Samuel Spencer; that there was no legal barrier to the marriage that she had _____been previously married; that the soldier had_____been previously married. Augustus Whitney's first wife died Apr. 1895 & Emeline Turner's first husband died Sept. 1896, 
     That the said soldier died January 19th, 1908 at Swan Quarter that she was not divorced from him; that she has not remarried since his death; and that she is without other means of support than her daily labor and an actual net income not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars per year.
     That the said soldier left the following named children who are now living and under sixteen years of age, to wit:

(section left blank)

That she has not heretofore applied for pension. 

     That she hereby appoints George H Whitney of Swan Quarter, NC, her true and lawful attorney, to prosecute this claim. 
     That her post-office address is Swan Quarter, County of Hyde, State, of NC.

Attest: (1) E H Jones                                                                Emeline Whitney
           (2) John M Roper                                                          her X mark     

So there you have it folks. Augustus died January 19th 1908. I knew that he was dead by 1910 since he was not listed with the rest of the family in the 1910 census. It is nice to now have the specific date. That date is backed up by other testimonies that I have come across so far in my reading of his file. George H Whitney who acted as her true and lawful attorney, I believe was a cousin of Augustus's but I have to double check that. More tomorrow. Happy Blogging, Everybody!





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