Tuesday, December 27, 2022

My 2022 Research Year in Review

  • January: Blogged about 5 of my ancestors:  John King(1770-1814) James Jakes(1857-1941) Telitha Ann Frizzell Jakes(1858-1920)  David Pittman(1838-1922)  James Polk Acuff(1872-1939)
  • February: Looked for my 3rd Gr Grandmother in the 1840 Census & found my 2nd Great Grandfather in the 1840(I'd given up hope of ever locating him)
  • March: Researched Wm C Cook's Dyer Co TN neighbors. Started mapping out my Tennie Ferguson Hill research
  • April: Found the majority of my folks in the 1950 census within the first week of its release.  Finished up my Jakes/Frizzell Article
  • May: Studied the disease outbreaks and mill workers/factory towns and the social aspect of it all in preparation for writing my Cook(e)/King article.
  • June: Started writing the Cook(e)/King article.
  • July: Finished up my Williamson Co TN--Dist 25 Blog series.  Made a discovery about Gr Uncle John L Cook's wife's ancestry.
  • August: Wrote a blog article comparing my siblings, myself and my paternal aunt to a set of 4 siblings(I love making charts)
  • September:  Wrote a blog article about DNA comparing myself and my siblings to Descendants of Jabel Putman(Did I mention I love making charts?)  Ordered a copy of the Henry F Hill investigation file from NARA.  Ordered some Union Civil War Pension Files.
  • October:  Studied the Hamer sisters and their ancestry--they married Cook brothers(my gr grandfather's brothers)  Worked on pulling information on Tennie, Henry F Hill and George Solifelt into a research notebook 
  • November:  Received the copy of the Henry Hill investigation file I ordered from NARA.  
  • December:  Finished the outline of the Henry F Hill File.  The George Solifelt Union Civil War Pension File arrived along with his service records and those of Henry F. Hill.  My Jakes/Frizzell Article was published in the TN Genealogical Society's Ansearchin' News Vol. 69 No. 4 Winter 2022.  Was finally able to get the documentation for Mary Ann "Polly", wife of Elisha Luna's surname which for years has been thought to be Lennox because of and index and poor penmanship.  It is Enoch, specifically the Caswell Co NC Enochs who were from Delaware prior to coming to NC.
Overall I feel like 2022 has been one of my better research years.  I look forward to 2023 and hope that it will bring many more research discoveries for us all.  




Monday, December 26, 2022

Mary Ann "Polly" Enoch Luna, daughter of Andrew Enoch(Caswell Co NC)

For any one who is a descendant of Peter Luna(d. 1851--Marshall Co. TN) thru his son Elisha Luna please note that the evidence to support the claim that Mary Ann "Polly",  Elisha's wife's surname of was Enoch and not Lenox/Lennox can be found in image 4 of the 62 images that are the contents of the Estate File of Andrew Enoch of Caswell County, North Carolina dated 1797. Andrew Enoch died about 1791 but the receipt is dated 7 Nov 1808 which is about 4 years after Elisha & Polly married.  The majority of these are receipt files.  I need to look further and see what is recorded in the books for this case. 
This had long been my hypothesis because I was continually seeing the Enoch named used by descendants of Elisha & Polly but never the Lenox/Lennox name.  I was not aware of, nor had I found any evidence to support that until seeing where another researcher had posted about it on the FamilySearch tree.  I began researching in 1990 and at that time there were transcriptions and indexing done that all had Elisha's wife's surname as Lenox or Lennox.  I believe that came from their Sumner Co TN marriage record and from there spread like wildfire. Now if only the correct surname with documentation would spread like wildfire.  

Below is my best shot at a transcription of the receipt from image 4

Rec'd 7th of November 1808 of John Yancy
Two Hundred and seventy seven dollars and
thirty cents It being in full of the legacy 
due from him to Elisha Loony in right
of his wife Polley one of the orphans of 
Andrew Enochs dec'd which I receive by virtue
of a power of attorney from said Loony
It being in full of the legacy due him
in right of his wife one of the heirs of
said dec'd
  
Samuel ( X )Coplinger
Test:
Alex Murphey

Source & Notes:
"North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V121-4Q6 : 8 March 2021), Andrew Enoch, 1797; citing Caswell, North Carolina, United States, State Archives, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 1,711,174. 

The surname of Peter Luna was originally Looney/Loony.  The majority of the Lunas who aren't of Mexican or Spanish descent in the SE USA are from the line of Peter Luna although there are a few who do use the old spelling.

FamilySearch links may require log in but registration is free.  




Friday, December 23, 2022

Examining Tennie's Claim That She Is George's Niece

I'm looking at Tennie Hill's claim that she is the niece of George Solifelt and gathering what evidence I have for analysis. Below is a "play by play" of Tennie's correspondence with the Veterans Administration who by 1935 was in charge of Union Pensions.

  • Tennie writes to the Veterans Admin to let them know George has died. Asks them to send forms so you can get any pension due him because she took care of his expenses.  Sends copy of his death notice with this and notarized statement that from the funeral home showing she paid.
  • Veterans Admin. writes back saying they need a certified Death cert.
  • Tennie sends one along with notarized statement from minister who preached George's funeral
  • Veterans Admin. sends letter to Notary in error.
  • Notary attaches a noted letter with explanation that the wife mention ed on George's death record is deceased and that Tennie is his sole surviving heir. (screenshot 305)




  • Veterans Admin sends letter to Tennie asking her to clarify what the death cert. of George says.  It said he was married and gave his wife's name.  If the wife is a survivor they need to know that as she would be the one who would qualify for any money due him.  If she is deceased they need to have a sworn statement of that with her date of death.
  • Tennie returns that letter with a notarized statement typed at the bottom.  (screenshot pg 307)



  • Veterans Admin sends letter to Tennie letting her know that accrued pension is not an asset of his estate and is not payable to heirs and is not liable for the payment of debts but may be paid to reimburse the person who bore the expenses of his last sickness and burial or who is held responsible for the payment thereof only in case he did not leave sufficient assets to meet such expenses or is not survived by widow or a minor child under the age of 16 yrs at the date of his death.  They enclose form for her to use if that is the case.
  • Tennie completes the file and sends it back.
KEY STATEMENT FROM Pg. 1 of Reimbursement Application


KEY STATEMENT FROM Pg. 2 of Reimbursement Application

  • She is awarded an accrued pension amount of $95 and they note that there is possible additional aid of $150 towards the remaining expenses.  She claimed  $3448 they approved only a certain amount for items of which the $150 possible deduction was subtracted leaving $753.60 I don't see anything on the document that give any indication that they paid anything other than the $95 amount to her and merely suggested she might be able to get $150.  
Let's look at what is being said and compare it to known information.

I tried to make a list of all the possible ways that Tennie might be George's niece but she seems to have explained it in the above snippets from the reimbursement application.....or does she?  Tennie's mother is Susan Carson of Williamson Co TN.  Susan's 1st husband John Ferguson was Tennie's father.  His family was also from Williamson Co TN  I am familiar with both families and that of Susan's 2nd husband(Tennie's step dad, James Polk Cook)  Tennie is on the census in the household of her Stepdad and her Mom in 1870 and 1880.  Susan Carson was not a sister of George.  If Susan Carson is not Tennie's Mom then the 1/2 sister that Tennie names in her will(and also listed as survivor in obituary) would not be her half sister.  That half sister's father is James Polk Cook.  What we know about George from his early life and that of his Mom, Eliza and his sister Wilhelmina is that they were all in Pennsylvania up until at least 1870 and that is documented.  It's  a case of Penn being mistake for Tenn(Which does happen in indexing a good bit)  Tennie consistently gives her state of birth 1862 in Tennessee.  George's only sister of record Wilhelmina married in 1870 and is living with her new husband, Henry Walters and her mom Eliza Solifelt(Saufeld in entry) in Lewiston, Dauphin Co PA.  There are no others in the household with them.

Tennie is the informant on George's death certificate yet she cannot name his parents.  That would be her maternal grandparents and you would have thought she would have at least attempted a guess at their place of birth.

All the evidence I have found, census records, kinships, death certificates, even her own will, provide clues which suggest that her statement about her being by birth the daughter of George's sister is false.  I believe she claimed to be his niece for several reasons.  There was money to be gained not only from the reimbursement but also she was still drawing her widow's pension and I don't know if she could have continued doing that after she and George left Arkansas and came to Kansas without having some backstory of why she was living with a man. The obituary that she included was one of two obituaries for George and I believe that it was written by Tennie.  I don't claim to know what, if any other relationship existed between George and Tennie, but I am 99.9% certain that they were not uncle and niece by blood.

Sources: 

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ57-SLQ : 29 May 2021), Willamina Walters in entry for Eliza Saufeld, 1870.

George Solifelt(Pvt., Co. E, 20th PA Cav., Civil War), pension application no. 580,089,
certificate no. 950,395, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil
War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National
Archives, Washington, D.C.

“Mrs. Tennessee Hill Funeral Tomorrow,” The Iola Register, 12 May 1946, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 Dec 2022).

"Will of Tennessee Hill," File #6782; Allen County Kansas Clerk's Office, Dated 14 Mar 1946. 

"George H Solifelt Standard Certificate of Death," State of Kansas, State Board of Health Division of Vital Statistics, Certificate #8581, DOD 30 Jan 1935, Filed 15 Feb 1935, informant Mrs. Tennie Hill.

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8F-ZLD : 25 October 2022), Tennessee Cook in entry for James Cook, 1870.[Tennie is listed under the Cook surname.  Her half sister Sofie who is listed in her will is also in this census]

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDQ2-DMM : 15 January 2022), District 10, Bedford Co., Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district 10 , sheet 12D, Household of James P. Cook.
[Tennie is again listed under her Stepdad's surname ]


Thursday, December 22, 2022

Finding George in the 1860 US Federal Census

Using George Solifelt's Military Service records(aliases included) I made a timeline of his military service and locations. (See Image below) I did this because it makes it easier to see the big picture and to get a better idea of where he might be around the time of the 1860 Census.   In addition to the information that he enrolled in St. Thomas(Franklin Co.) PA, information in his pension file in a statement from John P Wyant is also helpful.  Wyant says that he has known George since 1850 and that George's father(Ferdinand Solifelt) was in the Mexican-American War with Capt. Charles T Campbell.  After the elder Solifelt's death,  Capt. Campbell adopted George. George was led to believe his name was Sullivan and used that surname up until learning from his Mom his true surname of Solifelt.  


Armed with this information I went searching for a George Sullivan in 1860 Franklin Co PA in the St. Thomas area expanding the area of search outside of St. Thomas as needed.  I first searched for Capt Charles T. Campbell and found him enumerated in St. Thomas but George nor any of his aliases was listed in the household with Capt. Campbell. At this point, George would be around 16 years of age so that is likely not all that uncommon.  I tried searching for people with the given name of George and looking in the results for a surname somewhat close to Sullivan or Solifelt.  Nothing that fit so I did a search for persons with the given name of Theodore and found a Theodore Sallifat age 16.  This is likely George given the information known.  He is living with the Charles and Jane Gillian family as a farm hand and the listing is just 14 entries away from that of Capt. Campbell.

This makes me question what Wyant said about George's surname. However, if you pronounce the two surnames, Sullivan and Solifelt they really aren't that different sounding especially if accents come into play.

I haven't found him in the 1870 census yet but I did find the woman who I believe was his 1st wife with a school age male in her household--both bearing a creative spelling of George's surname.  George should be in the same area and may well be in jail as he had a hearing and was sentenced to a year and 6 months in Eastern State Penitentiary for highway robbery in 1870.  I have a copy of  some of the court documents that were at FamilySearch. .Ancestry has the Eastern State Penitentiary Convict Reception Registers.  The Eastern State inmate registry lists this as his first conviction and under marital status lists him as married with one child.  As complicated as George's story is, that of the first wife and her life is even more complicated and needs a good bit more research.  Her story is one for another day.

When I find his remaining census entries I'll post about them and how they were found. I've also been reading what I can find about Eastern State Penitentiary and Captain Charles Thomas Campbell.

Sources:

George Solifelt(Pvt., Co. E, 20th PA Cav., Civil War), pension application no. 580,089,
certificate no. 950,395, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil
War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National
Archives, Washington, D.C. [John P Wyant's statement to Hon. H Clay Evans Com. of Pensions is dated 15 Sep 1897 p 123 &124 in the PDF scans of the 359 page document  Wyant mentions that he has known George since 1850 and lived in the same neighborhood near Capt Campbell and is currently living in Ft Smith Arkansas.]

"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX5D-VFT : accessed 22 Dec 2022), St. Thomas Twp., Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, p. 57 family #407  line 1, Theodore Sallifat in entry for Chas Gillan, 1860. [Theodore is listed as a Farm Hand.  The Gillian family's entry begins at the bottom of p 56]
 
"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX5D-V6V : accessed 22 Dec 2022), St. Thomas Twp., Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, p. 55 family #393  line 13, C T Campbell, 1860.

Compiled service record, George H. Solifelt, Pvt, Co. C 1 PA Prov'l Cavalry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, George H. Solifelt, Pvt, Co. E 20 PA Cavalry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, George Sullivan, Pvt, Co. C 2 PA Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, Theodore Sullivan, Pvt, Co. N 126 PA Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Compiled service record, George Sullivan, Bookmark 1387-C-1885, Box No. 3190; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Record Group 94; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Pennsylvania, U.S., Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971" database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61173/ : accessed 22 Dec 2022) Eastern State Penitentiary > Convict Reception Registers > 1842 - 1929 > Image 918 of 4522, prisoner #6718, George Solifelt. 

Friday, December 16, 2022

George Solifelt's Pension File: observations from the first 100 pages.

The Union Pension file of George Solifelt that I had on order arrived this week. It is a 359 page PDF.  That is an incredibly large file and as I do for most larger files I will be making an outline/finding aid.  For this size file it is a MUST.  I am reading thru the file first to get an idea of the structure.  

One of the questions I've had in mind since I started researching Tennie, Henry and George was answered.  I'd wondered if Henry and George knew each other because I really had no evidence of overlap as each was a part of Tennie's life at different times given the documents I had.  That is up until page 82 of George's pension file, where Henry is the Notary Public on witnesses statements of George's identity.  In later pages, George also mentions giving a sworn statement which Henry wrote down as he spoke.(dated 14th Jan 1896)  The image below is from the last part of the papers with H F Hill.


George's statement contains a list of places of residence.

  1. Little Rock AR
  2. Ft Smith AR
  3. Lewiston, PA
  4. Ft. Smith AR (at present)
Earlier in the files(abt pg 32 of the PDF) He is making a statement which is notarized in Denison, Grayson Co TX dated 5th August 1886. His application for a pension started when he was living in the state of Texas though he didn't mention it in the above list.

Source:  
George Solifelt(Pvt., Co. E, 20th PA Cav., Civil War), pension application no. 580,089,
certificate no. 950,395, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil
War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National
Archives, Washington, D.C. [He used the aliases George Sullivan & Theodore Sullivan both of which are noted the Pension Index Cards. He also served in  Co. C 2nd PA Inf., Co. H 126th PA Inf., and Co. C 1st PA Prov. Cav.]  

Thursday, December 08, 2022

George Solifelt(Alias Theodore Sullivan)--Book Mark Document

Looked at the Book Mark documents referenced in George Solifelt's Compiled Military Service Record and wanted to understand more about exactly what it was and why it was created.  I found an excellent article at https://twelvekey.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/ngsmagazine2015-01.pdf    
George had two alias that he used.  The information in his Book Mark file contains statements by others who knew him, and who gave sworn statements that George Solifelt & Theodore Sullivan were the same man. He also used the alias George Sullivan. One affidavit in particular contained some really interesting details.  It is a statement given by George Woomer.  

George Woomer said the following:   

I knew George H. Solifelt from his early youth.  We were boys together drove boat together on the Penns. Canal in the year 1862 and before.  in August of 1862 we left our Boats and went to Camp Curtin at Harrisburg PA and enlisted.  I enlisted in Co K 131st P.V. and he enlisted in Co H 126th Rgt P V. I saw him once in the service only.  it was after we went to the front.  Don't know the date but I know he serves in that company and regiment.  I did not then know he enlisted under the name of Theodore Sullivan--I have known him ever since and I know he is the same man who served in that Co. and Rgt.  I did not know he had served as Theodore Sullivan until he told me he gave as a reason for changing his name that he had been bound out when a boy.  I don't know whether he really knew what his name was or not.  I know his mother was Eliza Solifelt but I don't know who his Father was.




I located the FindAGrave entry for George Woomer & his wife.  Their grave is marked with a stone in First Methodist Cemetery, Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, USA.

There are 15 other documents within this Book Mark file.  

Source: 

"General Affidavit on George H Solifelt & alias Theodore Sullivan" by George Woomer, 13 July 1896, witnessed by C M Shull, Justice of the Peace, File 1387-C-1885, Box 3190, Enlisted Branch Letters Received, NAID 607910, RG 94, National Archives, Washington DC.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52104825/george-woomer: accessed 08 December 2022), memorial page for Pvt George Woomer (10 Mar 1844–17 Nov 1924), Find a Grave Memorial ID 52104825, citing First Methodist Cemetery, Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by RN (contributor 50495725).

Tuesday, December 06, 2022

It was on the day the Ringling Bro's show was here

I posted this on my social media account but thought I should probably mention it in a blog post.  When I find mention of an event in court records I like to check the newspapers to see if there are additional details of the event.

From Samuel H Francis' statement (top of pg 72) of the Henry F Hill Investigation File  He is asked for the date that something occurred and he references the Ringling Bro's Show being in town(Ft. Smith, AR).  


I checked at Newspapers.com  and found that The Ringling Bros Show was there in late Sept 1902 setting up and specifically opening Oct 1st.




Thursday, December 01, 2022

Outline: Henry F Hill File

The following is copy of my working outline of the papers in the Henry F Hill Pension Agent File.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I do this as a Finding Aid of sorts for paper packets which are 10+ pages.  You should consider doing this with your larger document files.  The benefits are twofold:  you'll be able to find specific portions in a more timely manner, and gain insight into the events which led to the creation of the documents.  I store my outlines on Google Drive,  but you could store yours in whatever form is most convenient for you.  I don't always publish the outline, but will when I feel it may be of use to others researching people mentioned within the files.


Outline of Henry F Hill Pension Agent Investigation


  1. Outline of Henry F Hill Case File Attorneys  2373 Hill, Henry F  Attorney Residence Ft. Smith Ark. Disbarred 18 Aug 18 1898  Restored:  (blank)  Charges:  Making false jurats to vouchers in his capacity as a notary public.

  2. Pension Office Form dated 27 Mar 1883 requesting information from Henry F Hill

  3. US Pension Office Oath Form of H F Hill Huntsville Ark 2 Apr 1883 Filed 6 Apr 1883

  4. Wrapper of Oath of Hill Henry F  Huntsville Madison Ark Stamped by Pension office 6 Apr 1883

  5. Wrapper Dept. of Interior referred to Mr. Hinricks  Attorney Dist. Law Division

  6. Dept. of Interior Pension Office 27 Aug 1883 To BF Ruble Jasper Arkansas Stamped by pension office 12 Oct 1883 Answering about Ruble's refusal to affix cert. to one of the documents Hill submitted.

  7. Page 2 of above Doc from W W Dudley Commissioner

  8. Letter from B F Ruble  Letterhead of Newton Co Ark Circuit & Co. Court Clerk Jasper Ark 7 Oct 1883 to W W Dudley Washington DC

  9. Wrapper of Correspondence about H F Hill between office and B F Ruble Clerk of Jasper Ark

  10. Letter to Wm W Dudley Dated 3 Mar 1885 from W T Brooks(Storekeeper & Gauger) abt Hill’s practices. Stamped by Pension office 9 Mar 9 1885

  11. Page 2  of above letter

  12. Wrapper of Letter of W T Brooks of Logan Ark. 

  13. Letter from Pension Office to Henry F Hill requesting clarification of address from John C Black Commissioner. Dated 31 Oct 1885 (10 Nov 1885 Stamp from Pension Office)

  14. Henry’s Answer and wrapper  31 Oct - 6 Nov 1885 (stamped 10 Nov 1885)

  15. Letter from Franklin Co Ark (Ozark) T C Moore D.C. to Jno. C Black regarding a claim that they had refused to process submitted by Henry.

  16. Page 2 of Letter Moore to Black

  17. Page 3 of Letter Moore to Black

  18. Page 4 of Letter Moore to Black

  19. Page 5 of Letter Moore to Black

  20. Stamped Dec 20 1888 Handwritten Arrived Jan 21 1889

  21. 4–062 Blank Non-Mineral Affidavit Form which has text “marked” that is in reference to what an officer should do as far as advising someone about the Revised Statutes and oath

  22. Wrapper w/ note Letter of Dept. Clerk Cir Court Franklin Co Ark referring to his office refusal to work for an attorney in pension claims calls attention to the enclosed blank of Interior Dept. 

  23. Letter from the Bureau of Pensions  dated 20 May 1898 to Henry F Hill advising him they have evidence on file in their office that he is not following proper procedure.

  24. Page 2 of Letter Bureau of Pensions to Hill

  25. Page 3 of Letter Bureau of Pensions to Hill

  26. Back of Page 3 Wrapper 20 May 1898 Duplicate Letter to Attorney giving 30 days to show why he should not be disbarred for improper execution of pension vouchers in several cases.

  27. Dept. of Interior Washington 18 Aug 1898 from C N Bliss(Cornelius N Bliss)

  28. Page 2 of above letter

  29. Index to Special Examiner's Report Claim of John Craig No 743813 Summary, Claimant's Statement and Opinion & Recommendation.

  30. Letter from J A McAfee to H Clay Evans. Commissioner of Pensions regarding John Craig’s complainant on H F Hill 

  31. Page 2 McAfee to Evans by McAfee

  32. Page 3 McAfee to Evans by McAfee

  33. Deposition A Case of John Craig No 743813 4 May 1898

  34. Page 2 of Craig Depo by McAfee

  35. Page 3 of Craig Depo by McAfee

  36. Page 4 of Craig Depo by McAfee

  37. Deposition B Case of John Craig No 743813 4 May 1898 John Geyer Deponent 

  38. Page 2 of Geyer Depo 4 May 1898

  39. Deposition C Case of John Craig No 743813 5 May 1898 Moritz Kagin

  40. Page 3  of Kagin Depo 5 May 1898

  41. Deposition D Case of John Craig No 743813 5 May 1898 Henry F Hill

  42. Page 2 of Hill Depo 5 May 1898

  43. Wrapper Stamped 10 May 1898(by Pension Seal

  44. Index to Special Examiner's Report Claim of Moritz Kagin No 332869 Summary, Claimant's Statement and Opinion & Recommendation.

  45. Letter from J A McAfee to H Clay Evans. Commissioner of Pensions regarding Moritz Kagin’s complainant on H F Hill 

  46. Page 2 McAfee to Evans by McAfee

  47. Page 3 McAfee to Evans by McAfee

  48. Page 4 McAfee to Evans by McAfee

  49. Page 5 McAfee to Evans Draw attn to Following cases...

  50. Deposition A Case of Moritz Kagin No 332869 4 May 1898

  51. Page 2 of Kagin Depo by McAfee

  52. Deposition B Case of Moritz Kagin No 332869 5 May 1898 John Geyer Depo

  53. Page 2 Geyer Depo by McAfee

  54. Deposition C Case of Moritz Kagin No 332869 5 May 1898 John Craig Depo

  55. Deposition D Case of Moritz Kagin No 332869 5 May 1898 Henry F Hill Depo

  56. Page 2 Hill Depo  by McAfee

  57. Wrapper 10 May 1898 Refer case to Chief Law Div. by AB Cassellman

  58. Index to Special Examiner’s Report Claim of Benjamin Jones No 837551

  59. Letter from J A McAfee to H Clay Evans. Commissioner of Pensions regarding Benjamin Jones’ complainant on H F Hill 6 May 1898

  60. Page 2 McAfee to Evans

  61. Deposition A Case of Benjamin Jones 837551 4 May 1898 Ben Jones Depo

  62. Page 2 of Jones Depo by McAfee

  63. Page 3 of Jones Depo by McAfee

  64. Page 4 of Jones Depo includes Maggie & Hattie Hill signed as witnesses 4 May 1898

  65. Deposition B Case of Benjamin Jones 837551 5 May 1898 Henry F Hill

  66. Page 2 of Hill Depo by McAfee

  67. Wrapper Refer Case to  Chief Law Div. by A B Cassellman

  68. Index to Special Examiner's Report  Sam’l H Francis Guardian No 540336

  69. Letter from Leighton Hope abt Sam’l Francis Guardian of children of John Francis

  70. Page 2 of the above letter

  71. Deposition A Case Sam’l H Francis Guardian 540336 8 Dec 1902

  72. Page 2 of Francis Depo by Hope

  73. Page 3 of Francis Depo by Hope

  74. Deposition __ Case Sam’l H Francis Guardian 540336 8 Dec 1902 H F Hill

  75. Page 2 of Hill Depo by Hope

  76. Page 3 of Hill Depo by Hope

  77. Mr. Potts S E D form No 540336 15 Jan 1902  Recommendation

  78. Letter from Henry F Hill 25 Jan 1900

  79. Page 2 of Henry’s letter asking for reinstatement

  80. Letter to acknowledge letter from H F Hill

  81. Dept. of Interior Letter to Henry Hill notifying of disbarring

  82. Hill, Henry F Attorney, Residence Ozark to Ft Smith Ark Charges  As to execution of vouchers see report of Special Examiner McAfee  in Case of Geo. L Saxty, Guardian Minors of James W Searle Cert 409.022

  83. Miscellaneous Division Attorneys H F Hill Attorney Huntsville Arkansas

  84. Attorneys   Sleeve Hill, Henry F Attorney Ozark Ark

  85. Letter to Sec. of the Interior detailing H F Hill’s charges and evidence etc. 11 Aug 1898

  86. (cont.) advising Hill was cited to show why he should not be and failed to answer.  Recommending disbarment

  87. Letter to Hill from 31 Aug 1898 Notifying him he has been recommended for disbarment from further practice as a pension claim attorney.

  88. Dept. of Interior Bureau of Pensions letter to Chief of Special Division asking if James W Wilson No 655413 (Ava Douglas Co MO) requesting a deposition inquiring about whether he was sworn before George W Dansby as writing looks like all by H F Hill

  89. (Cont.) asking the papers be completed and returned to the law division.

  90. Papers Not Briefed Discharge Certificates, Powers of Attorney, and Contracts for Fees Not to Be Enclosed Examiners are required to keep the important papers in this wrapper.

  91. Envelopes Taylor &  Neal Van Buren Ark to John C Black and Jasper Ark(Newton Co Ark) clerk to W W Dudley

  92. Envelope 15 Sep 1888 Called in to see why he issued this card 12 Oct 1883

  93. Business Card or Ad of HF Hill Pension Agent

  94. Note on back of Card(cont. On front)

  95. Note Correspondence by Mr. Brooks Can be found 16 Nov 1883



Source:  Case File of Henry F. Hill(Archive Catalog https://catalog.archives.gov/id/147050790); Case Files of Attorneys, Agents, Pensioners, and Others Relating to the Prosecution of Pension Claims and the Investigation of Fraudulent Practices, ca. 1862-1933; Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs  Department of the Interior. Bureau of Pensions. 1849-1930 Record Group 15 (RG 15); National Archives Building, Washington, DC (NAB).



 

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Oh, Henry! What a mess!

Looks like Henry was already in trouble before he married Tennie Ferguson. The document below is a scan of a letter from the Dept. of the Interior asking Henry to verify his address.  He had written from Ozark, Arkansas which was not the address they had on file for him.  

From the 13th paper in the Henry F Hill Investigation Case File:




There are some pretty strong statements about Henry.  I've included a few below.

W T Brooks -Storekeeper-Gauger (Logan, AR) Mar 3 1885
To Hon. Wm W Dudley Comsr of Pensions Washington DC (Begins on Pg 10 of Case File)

I have just filled out blank for Mr. Samuel Highland, that he recd from the pension office.  I am no atty nor have I any interest in the claim more than that I think all disabled soldiers should be provided for and I am confident this is a deserving claimant and think he would long since have recd his pension if he had not fallen into the hand of one Hill that represented himself as a claim agent.  Hill I know to be utterly worthless as the Records of the U.S. Court at Ft. Smith this state will show.  It is a pity that such men are allowed to butcher up deserving men's claims.
Please give this matter attention until you find that I am mistaken in thinking Highland deserves a pension

T C Moore --Dept Clk Circuit Court Franklin Co(Ozark, AR) Dec 16 1888
To Hon Jno C Black Comsr of Pensions Washington DC(Begins on Pg 15 of Case File)

We would not have written upon this subject were it not for the fact that we wish to place ourselves right with you as far this man Hill we are more than willing that he should make any charge against which he deems proper for this acts are attributable more to his combined cupidity and ignorance than to other consideration and the record of the federal court at Ft Smith might throw some light upon his character.


J. A. McAfee- Special Examiner (Fort Smith, AR) May 6 1898
To Hon. H Clay Evans Commissioner of Pensions Washington DC (Begins on Pg 30 of Case File)

I have the honor to call attention to the irregular and illegal practice of one H. F. Hill an attorney and notary of this city, more particularly described in report in claim of Moritz Kagin No. 332.869 transmitted herewith in the above described claim.

The certificate held by this pensioner shows service in Co M 12 Regt KY Vol Cav but he denies such service and the above named attorney evidently found his name in the Adjutants Reports and claimed for all in sight. This book is his stock in trade and if a soldier does not know his service he selects one to fit the name. 

The pensioner states that H F Hill was more interested in the pension than the solder and induced him to apply and prosecuted the claim for a consideration.

(continuing on further down the page)

The attorney H F Hill is supported by the ignorant pension claimant who believes him to be versed in law and rules of practice when in fact , he is ignorant, careless and without principle or fear of law.
he admits that he regularly executes forty or more vouchers in this reckless manner notwithstanding the fact that he has been warned and instructed time and again and he has not yet awakened to the fact that he has violated any law and seems disposed to vary from the beaten path.


After he failed to answer to the charges against him, Henry was disbarred as a pension claim attorney on August 18, 1898. It appears he continued as a Notary Public. 

Source:  Case File of Henry F. Hill(Archive Catalog https://catalog.archives.gov/id/147050790); Case Files of Attorneys, Agents, Pensioners, and Others Relating to the Prosecution of Pension Claims and the Investigation of Fraudulent Practices, ca. 1862-1933;Veterans Administration. (7/21/1930 - 3/15/1989),(Most Recent) Department of the Interior. Bureau of Pensions. 1849-1930 (Predecessor) Veterans Administration. Bureau of Pensions. Law Division. (7/21/1930 - 7/1/1931) (Predecessor)Record Group 15 (RG 15); National Archives Building, Washington, DC (NAB).

Sunday, November 13, 2022

A few observations on the Henry F Hill Case File

In a previous blog post I mentioned that I would be ordering documents pertaining to Henry F Hill. Henry was the 2nd husband of Tennie Ferguson Hill. Tennie is the step daughter of my great granduncle James Polk Cook(1836-1888). The copy of the file detailing an investigation into the practices of Henry F Hill pension attorney/agent was ordered from NARA on September 8th and arrived yesterday(Nov 12th). It contains 95 pages. I read thru some of it last night and will be doing an outline of what is covered on each page hopefully this week. This is the same process I used with the copies of the TN Supreme Court Cases I'd ordered from TN State Library and Archives. My outline for the papers from Williams vs. Putman has been a great help when I need to find a specific item in the file. So yes...pretty much a finding aid. 😀

The dates on the papers cover the time period from 1883-1902 as given in the archives catalog entry.  The handwriting runs the gamut from beautiful penmanship to "chicken scratch" as shown in the images below.
 




While Henry F Hill's reputation was recorded as good here(Fort Smith?) it was noted as bad in Ozark.  This was repeated throughout the file.  I haven't yet received the pension file but I will post an update when it's received and I've had time to look over it.



Source:
Case File of Henry F. Hill(Archive Catalog https://catalog.archives.gov/id/147050790); Case Files of Attorneys, Agents, Pensioners, and Others Relating to the Prosecution of Pension Claims and the Investigation of Fraudulent Practices, ca. 1862-1933;Veterans Administration. (7/21/1930 - 3/15/1989),(Most Recent) Department of the Interior. Bureau of Pensions. 1849-1930 (Predecessor) Veterans Administration. Bureau of Pensions. Law Division. (7/21/1930 - 7/1/1931) (Predecessor)Record Group 15 (RG 15); National Archives Building, Washington, DC (NAB).

Monday, November 07, 2022

Updated Rules for Issuing TN Marriage License(1939)

In March of 1939, the spread of venereal disease was becoming a major health issue--especially syphilis and its side effects.  Tennessee passed requirements that must be met before a marriage license could be issued.  While searching for a marriage from a few years before that time period, I found that the paperwork explaining the requirements were microfilmed along with the marriage records.  This didn't go into effect until July of 1941.  The snippet below from the pages contains the dates.  More information on the requirements and exemptions can be found in the scans of the paper which was tucked in the Rutherford Co TN marriage books and can be read here(You'll need to log in to FamilySearch but registration is free.) 


I did a search of "syphilis outbreak" in the newspapers for Tennessee during the time period from 1930-1945 and found it mentioned many times.  One in particular, the 23 Sep 1941 edition of The Tennessean on page 4 gave some pretty alarming statistics.  Broadening the search to cover the country rather than just Tennessee showed this outbreak was happening all across the USA during that same time period.

Source:

"Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893X-18H5?cc=1619127 : accessed 7 Nov 2022), Rutherford > Marriage records, 1936-1939, vol 14-15 > image 311 of 665; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties.

“Mens Sana in Corpore Sano,” The Tennessean, 23 Sep 1941, p. 4, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Nov 2022).

Friday, October 28, 2022

Mrs. Ruth King Bond (1891-1914)--Dau of Richard Nance King and Parrie Cook

Mrs. Ruth King Bond (1891-1914)--Daughter of Richard Nance King and Parry Cook King

  • Age 23 
  • Born 16th May 1891 in Rover, Bedford Co., Tennessee
  • Died 30th Apr 1914 at Britton OK
  • Lived at Eagleville until age 9(1900)
  • Moved to Triune in 1900
  • Later to Murfreesboro.
  • Married Mr. Dan Bond 11 Dec 1909
  • Moved to OK in 1910.
  • Mr. Bond died in Jan 1914
  • She came to Britton after being widowed to live with her brother Mace King
  • Her health rapidly declined
  • Survivors:
    • 3 year old daughter, Maud
    • Sister--Eula King
    • Brothers, Mace King and Joe King
  • Converted and joined Missionary Baptist Church at Elmer OK in 1911
Source:  Above information from the obituary than ran in the Britton Weekly Sentinel(Britton, OK) 7th May 1914 which can be viewed in digital format at Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112143371/obituary-of-ruth-king/


Additional information:
Ruth's sister, Eula brought Maud back to Tennessee to live with Ella Cook Martin.  Ella was Parry Cook King's sister who had raised Ruth after Parry's death.  She also raised Maud.  Eula returned to OK and died a short time later.  Ruth, Eula and Dan all died of tuberculosis and are all buried somewhere in Britton OK.
Source Additional information from Charlotte Ralston whose source on this line was Maud Bond Hailey Thomas.

I did find Ruth's listed at FindAGrave in Britton Cemetery however it looks like it was added from her death notice and their is no picture of a stone.  I don't know who would have records of the cemetery.  There is a Stone monument that contains some history of the cemetery located here at FindAGrave.  

From the ok3explore.health.ok.gov website:
Earliest OK death record is 1908 however, vital records weren't required by law until 1917.


This is Ruth's pedigree She, her full siblings and her descendants are kin to me  thru the King line, Cook line with an additional line of the Putmans.  You can get a visual of it by looking at the Thruline icons(the gray ones)