GENERAL AFFIDAVIT

STATE OF Iowa
County of Keokuk} SS.
In the matter of the claim of Matilda J. widow of Frederick Sanchez Tereso 1st Lieut, Company F of the 33rd Regiment, Iowa Inft Vols. Personally came before me, a_____ in and for aforesaid County and State, Dr. J. D Henry Town and Citizens of Martinsburg County of Keokuk State of Iowa well known to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who being duly sworn, declare in relation to the aforesaid case as follows:

That he well knew the above named claimant her Husband the above named Soldier and that they had born unto them during wedlock the following named children to wit:
Theodore S. who was born on the 11th day of November 1872 and George O. who was born on the 1st day of July 1875.
That affients? knowledge of the above facts is from being the attending Physician their attended the above named claimant in her _______at the date of each of the above named Births and Personal Knowledge of the Same.

We further declare that we have no interest in said case and not concerned in its prosecution and not related to said applicant.
J.D. Henry, MD

{On the next page (not shown) the document is signed and dated 16 Aug 1882.}

John Edwards, Sr. was my 3rd great-grandfather.  He served for a short period during the Civil War, in Co. G 9th Michigan Infantry.

This letter was written to try and receive an increase to his pension.  It is transcribed under the images.

Gentlemen – About three (3) years ago, I made an application for $72.00 (seventy-two dollars) a month.  Under disability that I needed the aid of another person and it was granted.  Since that time my aflliction has crawled on.
I can neither dress or undress my self.  Keep to my bed and big chair all the time.
I surely think I am entitled to the ($90.00) ninty dollars a  month.
I have got a big rupture, aboe hte naval as big as a goose egg, which is very painful all the time. Costing me about $5.00 a month for medicine all the time.
My pension certificate no. is 749.884.
Yours Resp,
John Edwards, Sr.
Dow City, Ia

I had often wondered how exactly he had served.  He was born 11 September 1848, near London, Ontario, Canada.  That makes him pretty young for a soldier – about 12 at the start of the war.

I knew what unit he served in (Co. G. Michigan Infantry), but I didn’t have any dates and I was unable to get his pension records for a number of years.  I finally received them a couple of weeks ago and many of my questions are now answered.

First of all, he didn’t enlist until near the end of the war – 15 March 1865 at Pontiac, Michigan.  He would have been 16 years old at the time.  So, he wasn’t a 12 yr old drummer boy, he was close to being a man.

Second, he LIED about his age.  All of the documents pertaining to his pension state that he was born on 11 Sept 1846.

The only document in his pension file that has his correct birth date is what was listed on his death certificate.  A copy of the certificate was included in his file as his wife was trying to get back payments from a check that was returned.

The 1848 date is also what is listed in his obituary and it matches up with his age in census records.

These two years he added to his age, would have made him 18 at the time of his enlistment, instead of the 16 he really was.

He was the 10th of 11 children and I wonder if any of his older 3 brothers also served.  It’s something I haven’t looked into yet, but perhaps he was feeling left out – or maybe he was just very patriotic and wanted to serve his country.

Either way, I find it interesting that he would voluntarily join the Army and risk his life at such a young age.  Can you imagine many 16 year olds today doing the same?

Do you have any ancestors who lied about their age to join the Army?

Up until receiving this pension packet (a number of years ago), I had no idea that James Baker had a half brother.  I thought it was interesting that he called himself “brother of the half blood” – kind of a strange way to word it.

I have been forever grateful that both my husband and I had a number of ancestors who served on both sides of the Civil War.  The pension records have given me so many details into their lives at this time.  You truly never know what you’re going to find in those affadavits!!

This affadavit was written by John S. Baker, (James’ brother), who also served in the war.  We have a number of ancestors who suffered from “chronic diarrhea”.  What a horrible things to suffer!!

State of Missouri, County of Jackson.
In the matter of James Baker on this 12th day of February A.D., 1890 personally appeared before me, a Notary Public in and for the aforesaid County, duly authorized to administer oaths, John S Baker aged 57 years, a resident of Kansas City in the County of Jackson and state of Missouri whose postoffice address is 1431 Campbell St, well known to me to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who being duly sworn, declared in relation to the aforesaid case as follows:

I am the brother of the half blood of the above named James Baker, and have known him all my life;  When he enlisted in the army on or about March 1865 he was a sound man in bodily health and free from chronic diarrhea or any other disease or disability as far as I ever knew, and had he been a sufferer from said disease or any other disease or disability prior to and at the time of his enlistment I have every reason to believe and do believe that I should have known it.  I think it was the second day after his discharge from the Army that I saw him.  I know it was within two or three days, and I observed that he was then a sufferer from some disease which he then informed me was the chronic diarrhea, and that he had contracted the same in the Army.  I knew him each year for about four years after his said discharge from the Army when he moved to Tennessee.  He was ailing all the time from the chronic diarrhea each year, and was not able to do more than half the labor he would have done at manual labor had he been free from this disease.  I saw him again in Tennessee for four or five years from about 1871 to about 1876 or 1877 and he was sick the time each year more or less from the chronic diarrhea and he was disabled at least one half.  His disease went to his lungs.  He further declares that he has no interest in this case, and is not concerned with its prosecution.
John S. Baker

Lakewood, NJ, Nov 29th 1915

Hon Commissioner of Pensions

Washington DC    dear Sir

     I hereby make application for increase of Pension on age limit I was seventy five years old 18th of July last was born in 1840 my Pension certificate is 93-337

yours most respectfully

Ward Pierce

Receipt acknowledged by Mail & Supplies Division

]]> http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/2011/11/03/ward-pierces-plea-to-the-commissioner-of-pensions-29-nov-1915/feed/ 0 http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/2011/11/01/ward-pierces-plea-to-the-commissioner-of-pensions-16-jan-1912/ http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/2011/11/01/ward-pierces-plea-to-the-commissioner-of-pensions-16-jan-1912/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:00:53 +0000 Jenn http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/?p=4142 Ward Pierce (1840-1921) was my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather.  He served for the Union in the Civil War and was wounded in the left thigh at Cold Harbor.

This is a letter he wrote to the Commissioner of Pensions, asking for an increase of his pension.  It’s so sad to think that he couldn’t make ends meet.  I”m so thankful to have a copy of this letter, which he wrote in his own hand.

Lakewood, N.J.  Jan 16, 1912

Hon Commissioner of Pensions

Dear Sir,

        I am very sorry that you have rejected my claim for an increase as I believe that I’m justly entitled to it as I am not able to work and have only three and a half days to my credit for two years and $17 will not make ends meet as I have no income what ever Well I have done my duty as a soldier to help keep what all men now enjoy and wishing you and all mankind prosperous and happy new year is the sincere wish of yours most respectfully,

Ward Pierce

[stamped Jan 19 1912, U.S. Pension Office]

1. John Edwards: (my 3rd great-grandfather) He was born in Canada, but immigrated to the U.S. with his parents in 1851. He was born in 1848, so he must have been very young during the war. He served in Co. G of the 9th Michigan Infantry.  I am still waiting on his pension records, so I don’t have the full details on what his injuries were (if any).
2. John Henry Becker: (my 3rd great-grandfather) He was born in Germany, but immigrated to the U.S. in 1852. He enlisted as a private in Co. H of Cole Co. Reg’t of Missouri Home Guards in June of 1861. He was discharged in October of that same year.  He then enlisted again in July 1862, this time as a Second Lieutenant.  In October of 1864, he was commanding a company in a battle.  They were sustaining a  battery of artillery and this caused his deafness.  He was discharged in March 1865.
3. Jacob Frederick Sanchez-Tereso : (my 2nd great-grandfather) He was born in Germany, and immigrated to the U.S. in about 1849.  He enlisted in August of 1862 in Co. F of the 33rd Regiment of Iowa Infantry. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1863.   He was discharged in July of 1865.
4. Samuel Edward Lee: (my 3rd great-grandfather) He was born in abt. 1823 in Montgomery county, VA.  In 1863, he enlisted as a private in Co. A 37 Va Cavalry Battalion for the Confederacy.  He was wounded in the right arm on Christmas Day 1863 in a skirmish at Bunker Cove, Tennessee.  He was wounded by a ball which entered beneath middle of right clavicle on upper edge of right scapula.  It caused his arm to be paralyzed and atrophied and he could not use it in manual labor.  He died in Virginia in 1891.
5. Austin Agee: (my 3rd great-grandfather)  He was born in 1820 in Patrick County, VA.  According to his wife’s pension record, he was in Abe Reynold’s Company, which left Patrick County in 1864, and also with the Virginia militia.   The pension record does not state if he received any injuries.  He died after the war, in 1890.
   
6. Hugh M. Robertson: (my 3rd great-grandfather’s brother).  Hugh worked as a teacher before the war. He enlisted in August of 1862 in Washington, Iowa.  He was killed in action by the explosion of a shell while serving as  a Corporal in Co. A. , 25th Reg’t of Iowa Infantry at Jackson, Mississippi.  He died before marrying or having children.
   
7. Henry Pottgen: (my 3rd great-grandmother’s brother).  He was born in about 1843 in Illinois.  He was the only support for his mother, Sophia (Ross) Pottgen for five years before the war.  He enlisted in Co. C, 13th Regt. U.S. Infantry, 1st Batt. in March of 1862.  By October 1863, he had died of chronic diarrhea.  His mother, Sophia, received a mother’s pension.
8. George Turner Cavit: (my 3rd great-grandmother’s brother)  He died while on the floating hospital “Nashville” near Millikens Bend, Louisiana in May of 1863.
   
9. Adam Potter Cavit: (my 3rd great-grandmother’s brother). He was born in 1839 in PA and enlisted in in Co. D. 13th Iowa Vol. Inf. while living at Washington, IA in 1864.  His older brother George had already been killed in the war the previous year.  He lived until 1915, and for a number of years lived in a soldier’s home.

My husband also had ancestors who served during the Civil War:

1. Ward Pierce: (my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather)  He enlisted at Camden, NJ in August of 1861. He was in a hospital, ill with something in June of 1862 and was discharged that same month.  He enlisted again as a Private in Co. G, commanded by Capt Theo W Baker in the 6th Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers.  Later, the 6th and 8th Regiments were consolidated and he served in Co. E 8th Regiment NJ Vols.  He was wounded on June 8, 1864 at the Battle of Cold Harbor. He had been hit in the left thigh with a shell and ended up in the hospitals at Newark and Davids Island for 15 months, before he was discharged in August of 1865. In his pension records, he stated that the scar (which was 6 1/2 by 4 inches), ulcerated and pained him greatly, not allowing him to do hard labor.
2. Hedger Pierce: (my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather).  He was Ward Pierce’s father.He enlisted in January of 1864 and was a Private in Company “I” of the 10th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers.  He was wounded while at Laurel Hill, VA in May of 1864.  He was hit by a musket ball in the left shoulder. He appears to have been sent to a number of hospitals – in D.C., Philadelphia, Davids Island, and Newark. In later years, he became paralyzed and his son Ward had to take care of him, despite his own injuries.
3. George Spencer: (my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather). He was born in England in 1826 and immigrated to New York in 1851.  He enlisted on Christmas Eve of 1863 and mustered in on the 5th of January. He was sent to Baltimore, Maryland to join Company D. of the 8th New York Heavy Artillery. He participated in the Battle of Cold Harbor in June of 1864.  In August of 1864, he was captured and taken to Belle Isle prison. This was an open-air prison located on an island in the James River near Richmond, Virginia that provided no shelter.  There was poor sanitation, insufficient food supplies, and a lack of clothing and blankets for prisoners.  While being held captive here, George became very sick.  He developed a cold due to exposure. He was paroled in October.  He participated in the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.  On May 23, 1865, he and his unit traveled to Washington, D.C. to march with the Army of the Potomac in the Grand Review.  After the war, he still suffered from chronic diarrhea and problems with being much weaker than before the war. 
4. James Baker: (my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather).  He was born in PA in 1824 and enlisted in March of 1865 in Co. F. 74th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers.  When he came back from the war, he suffered horribly from chronic diarrhea.  (this seems to have been a very common complaint).  He moved his family to Tennessee and then on to Kansas in hopes of recovering.  He died in Kansas in 1885.
5. Peter Henry Weeks: (my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather).  He was born in New York in 1842, but moved with his family to Indiana and then on to Iowa and later Kansas.  He enlisted in April of 1862 in Co. I. 5th Missouri State Militia Cavalry.   He came down with the mumps while he was in service and was discharged in November of that same year.  He then enlisted again, this time in 1863 in Co. D. 8th Iowa Cavalry.  He was mustered out in August 1865 in Macon, Georgia – just down the road from where we live now.

Since I have been very lucky to have visited a number of Civil War battlefields this past year, I feel even more of a connection to these ancestors who served and suffered during this war.

Some of the places I was able to visit are: Gettysburg, Manassas, Chickamauga & Chatanooga, Appomattox Court House, Ft. Pulaski, Ft. McAllister, and Fort Scott.  I’ll be visiting Ft. Sumter in May.

After his death in 1890, his wife Eliza applied for and received a widow’s pension.

I was so excited to receive this packet a number of years ago. Up until that point, I had assumed that those who served under the Confederacy didn’t receive pensions.  This was only a few pages long, so nothing compared to the Union pension packets, but it is full of very helpful, important information.

Here are the scanned images of what I have.

General Affadavit

State of Kansas, County of Shawnee

In the matter of claim for Rebecca Baker, widow of James Baker late of Co. “F” 74″ PA.

Personally appeared before was an officer duly authorized to administer oaths within and for the county and State aforesaid, Joseph Campbell, Topeka Kan. 72 yrs old.

person of lawful age who being duly sworn declare in relation to the aforesaid case as follows:

I am a brother of Rebecca Baker and was present and know that she was married to James Baker March 4th 1846 in Indiana County, Pa.  Her maiden name was Rebecca White Campbell.  I also know that Rebecca Baker has never re-married since the death of her husband James Baker Nov. 9″ 1885

J. Campbell

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a reply from the VA today!!  They were quick, I have to say.  I thought that I was going to be waiting months upon months to even get a confirmation, but I was wrong.  I wrote to them right before Christmas, so that’s a pretty quick turnaround.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the records I was searching for.  They are (of course) housed in another facility (within the VA).  Thankfully, they forwarded my request and hopefully the next office will be as prompt as they were.

Am I beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel?  Do his records actually exist??  Are they sitting on some back shelf in a musty, dark basement somewhere, untouched by human hands for the past 80 years?  Probably.

I just hope that the VA can unearth them for me so that I can finally read them!  After all of this time and frustration, there had better be something good in this thing!

I posted about this in March and didn’t hear anything since then.

I decided to get aggressive and made some phone calls.  I’m finally figuring out that it is better to speak directly to people instead of sending an email.  I waited on hold to the National Archives for about 20 minutes, after the recording assured me every thirty seconds that the wait was 1 minute and 8 seconds.    Hmm.  Not sure who recorded that message.

I finally got through and then to my dismay was told that I needed to speak to someone else entirely.  Thankfully, it was a quick transfer and the next person picked the phone up immediately.  I don’t think I could have handled another wait on the phone. Especially since my kids seem to think that this is the time to make messes, loud noises, need immediate attention, or fight with each other.

The woman I spoke with was very helpful.  She explained to me the reason finding my ancestor’s pension record was so difficult.  He died in 1931 and the records were closed out in 1929.  That means that they definitely have everything from 1929 and before,but it gets tricky beyond that.  The VA had the records (and could possibly still have the records).  The problem is that the Civil War records weren’t put in a separate section to themselves.  They are mixed with other pensions (including WWI).  As they find these older records, they pile them up and send them to the National Archives.  But only as they find them.  They haven’t gone through them all specifically to pull the Civil War records out.  That means that my ancestor’s pension file could be in either place.

The reason I’ve had so much trouble in the past, is that the automated ordering system at the Archives immediately kicks a message back to me saying that they don’t have records for the date I’m searching.  I called the VA and they also told me the same thing. There is obviously some miscommunication between them.  I think that it would be wonderful if the VA would take the time to go through the files and forward all of the Civil War pensions to the NARA once and for all.  I don’t when this will happen.  I know that I’m not the only one that has had this problem though.

Anyway, back to my story.  The woman gave me the number to their resident pension expert and told me that he should be able to go and see if the record is there.  If not, he could walk me through the process of obtaining the record from the VA.

After a few days of phone tag, I emailed my ancestor’s information to him and he went and searched for it.  I now know that John Edwards’ pension is NOT at the National Archives.

Here is what he told me:

The way to access the file that you are requesting is via the Department of Veteran Affairs.  We recognize that we should have these files in the National Archives and we are working with the Department of Veteran Affairs to have them transferred to us.  You need to write a letter to the VA Freedom of Information Officer.  State that you are requesting access to the pension file under the Freedom of Information Act.  You must state your willingness to pay applicable fees or provide a justification to support a fee waiver.

The address to the VA FOIA/Privacy Act Officer is:

Department of Veteran Affairs

Veterans Benefits Administration (20M33)

810 Vermont Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20420

So, I now have another letter to write.

I’m hoping that it doesn’t take months upon months to hear back from the VA.  I guess I shouldn’t be too impatient though.  I’ve been waiting almost 8 years, what’s another 6 months?  I think that I may give them my parents’ address as a backup in case they take too long in getting back with me.  We will be moving next summer and then moving again the summer after that. (Gotta love the military!)  I would hate for them to finally send his packet and have it lost in the abyss of undeliverable mail. I just hope that they are able to give me some sort of confirmation, or that there is some way for me to verify that they have received my request and are processing it.  We’ll see.  I WILL get his pension packet someday in the near future….

Ancestry.com also has these records, but they are indexed differently.

I had the hardest time finding John Edwards’ pension card on Ancestry.  Do you know how many John Edwards served in the Civil War?  A lot.  Those common names get you every time.

I knew what unit he served in, because it was on his gravestone. 

The Footnote search was so easy, because I could choose his company (G) and then his regiment (9) and voila, there he was!

Now to finally get a hold of his pension record….

He enlisted on August 15, 1862 in Washington, Iowa and served in Co. A of the 25th Iowa Infantry.

He was killed by an explosion of a shell in July of 1863 in Jackson, Mississippi.

His gravestone is in Washington, Iowa, next to that of his father, John Robertson.

I have always thought it was tragic that he died so young. He never got married or had children of his own. He doesn’t have any descendants to carry on his name.  And so I honor him here on this Military Monday.

I don’t have a birth or death date for him. What I do have is census records and a very thick Civil War pension packet – which I am very grateful for.

I believe that his parents are William Pierce and Amy Sharp Wriggins, but I have yet to find definitive proof of this. There is male child living with their family in the 1830 census which would fit his age. William’s father was a Ward Pierce, which is what Hedger named his first child. I just have a gut feeling that this is the right family. I want a document that proves it though.

I have tried ordering Hedger’s death certificate, but have been unsuccessful so far.  Ordering stuff from New Jersey seems to take a long time.  I’m used to the speed of small Midwest towns and their quiet courthouses.

Here is a chronology of Hedger’s life, which I have copied and pasted from my genealogy program. It doesn’t show the details of each event (ie. transcriptions of the documents in his packet) but it does give a general overview of what I have on him.

Name: Hedger C. Pierce

AKA: Hedger Pearce, Hugo Pearce, Edgar C Pierce
Life Range: Abt 1818 – After 28 Nov 1892
Age:

Abt 1818 Birth: USA, New Jersey.
Abt 1818 Spouse (#1): USA, New Jersey, Atlantic, Egg Harbor. Phoebe Simpkins (Abt 1818-1872). born in Egg Harbor, Atlantic, New Jersey, USA. Died on 23 Dec 1872 in Gloucester City, Camden, New Jersey, USA.
12 1830 Census: USA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
19 1837 May 31 Marriage (1): USA, New Jersey, Atlantic. Phoebe Simpkins (Abt 1818-1872). in , Atlantic, New Jersey, USA.
22 1840 Census: USA, New Jersey, Atlantic, Mullica Twp.
22 1840 Jul 18 Son born (1-#1): USA, New Jersey, Gloucester. Ward Pierce (1840-1921). born in , Gloucester, New Jersey, USA. Died on 11 Nov 1921 in Lakewood, Ocean, New Jersey, USA.
25 Abt 1843 Daughter born (1-#2): USA, New Jersey. Deborah Pierce (Abt 1843- ). born in , , New Jersey, USA.
29 Abt 1847 Spouse (#2): USA, Pennsylvania. Margaret (Abt 1847- ). born in , , Pennsylvania, USA.
31 Abt 1849 Daughter born (1-#3): USA, New Jersey. Margaret Emaly Pierce (Abt 1849- ). born in , , New Jersey, USA.
Marriage (2): _______________. Margaret (Abt 1847- ).
32 1850 Aug 23 Census: USA, New Jersey, Camden, Washington Twp.
42 1860 Mar 15 Death of Father: USA, New Jersey, Gloucester, Clayton Twp. William Pierce (1794-1860).
42 1860 Jun 22 Census: USA, New Jersey, Camden, Gloucester Twp.
43 1861 Sep 23 Enlisted: _______________.
46 1864 Jan 1 Enlisted: USA, Pennsylvania, Carbon, Beaver Meadows.
46 1864 Jan 3 Mustered: USA, Pennsylvania, Carbon, Beaver Meadows.
46 1864 May Hospital: USA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Philadelphia.
46 1864 May Hospital: USA, D.C., , Washington.
46 1864 May 8 Wounded: USA, Virginia, Spotsylvania, Laurel Hill.
46 1864 Jun Hospital: USA, New York, New York, Davids’ Island.
46 1864 Jun 19 Hospital: USA, New Jersey, Essex, Newark.
47 1865 Jan 19 Transferred: _______________. to Co. G. 19th Regt. VRC.
47 1865 Aug 10 Honorable Discharge: USA, New York, Erie, Buffalo.
47 1865 Oct 23 Residence: USA, New Jersey, Camden.
47 1865 Oct 23 Affidavit: _______________.
50 1868 Sep 24 Increase in Pension Rejected: _______________.
52 1870 Jun 18 Census: USA, New Jersey, Camden, Gloucester City.
54 1872 Dec 23 Death of Spouse (#1): USA, New Jersey, Camden, Gloucester City. Phoebe Simpkins (Abt 1818-1872).
55 1873 Sep 6 Physical Description: USA, New Jersey, Camden. 5’4″ tall, 112 lbs. with a light complexion.
57 1875 Oct 1 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Camden.
58 1876 Sep 21 Increase in Pension Rejected: _______________.
59 1877 Feb 27 Death of Mother: USA, New Jersey, Gloucester, Clayton. Amy Sharp Wriggins (1795-1877).
60 1878 Oct 17 Residence: USA, New Jersey, Camden, Gloucester City. Jersey Avenue.
60 1878 Oct 17 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Camden.
60 1878 Dec 21 Increase in Pension Rejected: _______________.
62 1880 Jun 15 Census: USA, New Jersey, Camden, Gloucester City.
63 1881 Jun 2 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Camden.
63 1881 Sep 15 Pension Increase: _______________. from $4.00 to $8.00 monthly.
67 1885 Dec 31 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Salem.
67 1885 Dec 31 Residence: USA, New Jersey, Salem, Elmer.
68 1886 Mar 18 Pension Increase: _______________. from $8.00 to $10.00 monthly.
69 1887 Sep 13 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Salem.
69 1887 Dec 14 Residence: USA, New Jersey, Salem, Elmer.
70 1888 Feb 11 Residence: USA, New Jersey, Salem, Elmer.
70 1888 Mar 1 Increase in Pension Rejected: USA, New Jersey, Salem, Elmer.
72 1890 Census: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland, Bridgeton. veterans schedule.
72 1890 Jun 23 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland.
73 1891 Mar 3 Illness: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland, Bridgeton.
74 1892 Apr 20 Letter: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland, Bridgeton. from Ward Pierce to Hon. John R. McPherson.
74 1892 Jul 6 Affidavit: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland.
74 1892 Nov 16 Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland.
74 1892 Nov 16 Residence: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland, Bridgeton. 194 Broad Street.
74 1892 Nov 28 Physician’s Affidavit: USA, New Jersey, Cumberland, Bridgeton.
74 After 1892 Nov 28 Death: _______________.

The last physician’s affidavit, dated28 Nov 1892, stated “that he is bedridden with partial paralasys of speech, complete paralasys of right arm, and almost total paralasys of right leg.  Both feet are [?]  while the body is extremely emaciated.  He is unable to assist himself materially at any thing and requires constant attention from a nurse.”

An affidavit from earlier in the year said “we are personally acquainted with Hedger C Pirce and know that his son Ward Pirce can not do any work that it takes all his time with his Father as he is in a helpless condtion and if it was not for the charrity of the people he would be compelled to take him to the alms House”.  He was obviously not able to take care of himself.

I don’t think that he would have lived for too much longer after 1892, but I have yet to find his death certificate, gravestone, or obituary.  I think that I need to make a road trip to New Jersey!! 

George Spencer and his wife, Rosanna V. Leonard.

\\

I can’t be the only person that has ever run into this problem.

I have an ancestor that served in the Army during the Civil War.

According to his gravestone, he served in Co. G 9th Michigan Infantry:

He was born in 1848 in Canada.  He then lived in Michigan and finally in Crawford County, Iowa.  That is where he died and is buried.

I have no idea if he received a pension or not.  He was 82 when he died, so chances are he had something wrong with him that he tried to get  a pension for.

I have not found him in the Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. He has a pretty common name though, making it hard to tell if he is there or not.

I went to the National Archives website and attempted to order his pension record through their online service.

When I click “order”, I get a message stating that the NARA doesn’t have the records I’m looking for.  Civil War pension records were closed out in 1929 – and John Edwards died on 3 May 1931.

They directed me to the Department of Veterans Affairs website. (And if he died in 1931 and the above-mentioned index is dated 1934 – would he be in there or not?  They said that they didn’t have records past 1929.  I’m so confused!)

I proceeded to read through their information and tried to figure out how to order the records I was seeking.  I ended up just emailing them with my question, hoping that they could help me.

I got a very timely answer from them, but it wasn’t what I was hoping  for:

We thank you for your inquiry. We are uncertain as to why the National Archives referred you to the Department of Veterans Affairs as we do not keep military records or pension packets for deceased Veterans of the era you are referring. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not maintain records of Veterans’ military service, except as necessary for providing benefits from VA. We apologize for the inconvenience.

To obtain a copy of military service records and/or Official Military Personnel File (DD-214, OMPFs), please visit the web site for the Military Personnel Records Center (MPRC) in St. Louis, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

So, now I need to make a phone call (or email query) to the MPRC to see if they might have what I’m looking for.  After browsing their website though, I’m not very enthusiastic.  I don’t think that they have pension records – just military records.

Has anyone else ever run into this problem?  Did you ever find your ancestor’s records?  Is this a lost cause?

I’ll let you know what I find out from the Records Center in St. Louis.  Hopefully they’ve got some good news for me!

UPDATE:

I emailed the National Archives and they were quick with this response:

We apologize for the inconvenience and the confusion; however, the records you are looking for should be housed with the National Archives in Washington D.C. Therefore we are sending your request to them. Sincerely, Customer Service Center