William Harrison's Conflicting Month of Death

The reprint of the Pension Roll of 1835(available on Ancestry.com) contains an error in the entry for Lt. William Harrison, a Bedford County, Tennessee pensioner. The same mistake appears in the original 1835 publication, which can be viewed on Google Books. Both sources incorrectly state that William Harrison died on 22 June 1833. However, in his widow Elvira’s pension application, she provides a sworn statement that William died on 22 January 1833. This date is supported by additional statements in the pension file.

It's unclear what caused the original error. Perhaps someone compiling information for the 1835 publication abbreviated the month of January, and it was later misread as June. We may never know for sure.

To further complicate matters, the summaries prepared by the pension office in response to requests for copies of William Harrison’s pension file also reflect this mistake. Several of these summaries, sent to different researchers over the years, repeat the incorrect date of 22 June 1833. In at least one response, the summary includes both dates, several paragraphs apart.

Another valuable detail found in Elvira’s sworn statement is her mention of a family record. She explains that the list of family births was copied from an original list kept in an old dictionary that had contained the family's records. That dictionary was later purchased by Stephen Lynch and ultimately destroyed.  😢

Sources:

Revolutionary War Pension Application File W463, Elvira Harrison, widow of William Harrison (NC service); imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9XY-YY8Q : accessed 20 April 2025), IGN 7584164, image 404 of 1123.

Ancestry.com, U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60514/images/pensionroll1835iii-004091 : accessed 20 April 2025), image 37 of 118; citing The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. 3, p. 557, entry for William Harrison, Lieutenant; reprint of U.S. Senate publication (1835), 1968 reprint with index (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company).

Cluster Research in the Revolutionary War Pension Files

I've been digging in the Revolutionary Pension files at Fold3 lately and reading some of the files of the FAN club of my ancestors.  There is much information in those files about when the soldier and his family moved on to other areas.  Kimbrough Ogilvie's(my 4th great granduncle) file contains details of his move from Granville Co NC to Bedford Co TN and then on to Kentucky.

Source: https://www.fold3.com/file/25355335/kimbrough-ogilvie-page-1-revolutionary-war-pensions
Veteran: Ogilvie, Kimbrough  Service: N.C.  Pension Number: S. 14050
Record Group 15: NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files.

Blackwell researchers might be interested in the Revolutionary Pension file of John Blackwell. I'm interested in his file because Blackwells married into the Shem Cook(e) YDNA line and that line is the one our Cooke YDNA most closely matches. According to John Blackwell's statement he was born abt 1755 in Culpepper Co VA.  When he went into service during the Revolutionary War, he was living in Burk Co NC.  He moved from Burk Co NC to Abbeville Co SC in 1784 and from there in 1797 or 1798 to Franklin Co GA.  John's statement which was given in 1836 says that he removed from Franklin Co GA to Hickman Co TN about 18 years ago which would make the move about 1818.

Source:  https://www.fold3.com/image/12026579/john-blackwell-page-1-us-revolutionary-war-pensions-1800-1900

Veteran: Blackwell, John   Service: N.C.  Pension Number: S. 2083

Record Group 15: NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files.

Check out the Revolutionary War page of the FamilySearch wiki.  The time period prior to 1850 Census records can be difficult to research but finding where your family was in the early 1800s can help you to locate more records and further your research.  

US Veterans Administration Payment Cards

If your ancestor served in the US Army or Navy, while you are gathering service and pension records, don't forget to look for a US Veterans Administration Pension Payment Card(s) if he or his spouse(or dependants) were receiving a pension payment between the years 1907 and 1933. See the article at Fold3.com(in link below)to learn more about the information which is included on the card. While I've gotten several Union Civil War Pension files, I've not found these payment cards as part of the pension file though ordinarily, the information contained on them will be on a number of the documents within the Pension packet.  The card provides a nice running list of the rate of the pension as well as the main pension agency responsible for the area in which the pensioner lived.  The images below are snippets of the ones US Veteran's Administration Pension Payment Cards of Army Widow Tennessee Hill(Widow of Henry F Hill).

Sources:  

Fold3, (https://www.fold3.com/publication/964/us-veterans-administration-pension-payment-cards : accessed May 13, 2023), 

"United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-X76D-M?cc=1832324&wc=M6RT-2NP%3A162330801 : 22 May 2014), Hill, Robert - Hill, Zubia L. > image 352 of 760; citing NARA microfilm publication M850 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

"United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-X7DX-F?cc=1832324&wc=M6RT-2NP%3A162330801 : 22 May 2014), Hill, Robert - Hill, Zubia L. > image 350 of 760; citing NARA microfilm publication M850 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/military/army/dc/m850.pdf

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. She asks them to send forms so you can get any pension due to him because she took care of his expenses.  Also included in her correspondence with the VA is a copy of his death notice and a notarized statement from the funeral home showing that she was the one who paid for his funeral expenses..
• Veterans Admin. writes back saying they need a certified Death cert.
• Tennie sends one along with a notarized statement from the minister who preached at George's funeral
• Veterans Admin. sends letter to Notary in error.
• The notary attaches a noted letter explaining that the wife mentioned that George's death record is deceased and that Tennie is his sole surviving heir. (screenshot below)

• 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 a 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 stepdad, 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 a 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. While Penn is sometimes mistaken for  Tenn(Which does happen in indexing a good bit)that is not what is happening here. Tennie consistently gives her state of birth as 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, and even her own will, provide clues that 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 ]

Durham--Texas Confederate Pension file Abstracts

Abstracts of information from Confederate pension applications of soldiers or widows. These applications were viewed from the microfilm collection of Wallace State College's Genealogy Collection (located on the 5th floor)at the campus in Hanceville, Alabama. I previously had these files on my Freepages Genealogy Website that was hosted at Rootsweb. You can now access some Confederate Pension index and in some cases, files at Familysearch.org (Log on required for some portions of the site but it is free) This post should give you an idea of the type of information found in those files. Please check out the digital images of the originals at FamilySearch for these and other pension applications.

Confederate Pensions were paid by the States not the Federal Government. Also, keep in mind that they were filed in the state of residence which may or may not be the state in which they served. Eligibility requirements vary from state to state. The states which paid Confederate Pensions were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The Texas Confederate Pension Index is online for free.  Ancestry has the Texas Confederate Applications available to subscribers in the Alabama, Texas, and Virginia, Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958 database.  Check with your local library.  If they have an Ancestry subscription you should be able to access it while visiting your local library.

Louisa York Durham--Bell Co. TX Widow's Pension # 8219

Confederate Pension Application
Louisa Durham
Bell Co. TX
Post Office Belton Texas
Comptroller's File # 8219

I have carefully examined the within application for pension, 
together with the proof in support thereof, and I recommend that the application be approved this 
18th of September A. D. 1901  E. A. Bolmes Pension Clerk

I hereby Approve the within application for pension 
this Sep 18 1901(stamped date) R. M. Love Comptroller

The State of Texas
Co. of Bell
To the Honorable County Judge of Bell Co. TX.

Your Petitioner, Mrs. Louisa Durham, respectfully 
represents that she is a resident citizen of Bell Co. in the State of TX, that she is the widow of W. G. Durham 
deceased, who was a Confederate soldier, and that she makes this application for the purpose of obtaining a 
pension as the widow of said W. G. Durham deceased, under the act passed by the Twenty-sixth Legislature 
of the State of Texas and approved May 12 A. D. 1899, the same being an act entitled "An act to carry into 
effect the amendment to the Constitution of the State of Texas, providing that aid may be granted to disabled 
and dependent Confederate soldiers, sailors and their widows under certain conditions, and to make an 
appropriation therefor." and I do solemnly swear that the answers I have given to the following questions are 
true.  (Numbers were added for clarity--orig. doc. shows  
Q. and then Answer before each)
1.  What is your name?  Louisa Durham
2.  What is your age? Sixty Eight Years
3.  In what County do you reside? Bell Co. Texas
4.  How long have you resided in said County and what is your 
post office address?  
Lived in Bell Co. 28 yrs--Post Office is Belton
5.  Have you applied for a pension under the Confederate 
Pension Law Heretofore, and been rejected? 
If so state when and where. I have not.
6.  What is your Occupation if able to engage in one?  House Keeping
7.  What is your physical condition?  Worn out with age and have rhemutism
8.  What was the name of your deceased husband? W. G. Durham
9.  Are you unmarried, and have you so remained unmarried since the death of 
your said husband for whose services you claim a pension?  I have not remarried.
10.  State in what company and regiment your deceased husband for whose services 
you claim a pension enlisted in the Confederate Army, and the time of his service 
therein?  Think it was Dibrell Co. Wheeler? Corps Sparta Tenn Served about 3 yrs.
11.  If your deceased husband served in the Confederate navy, state when and where, 
and the time of such service?  Did not serve in Navy
12.  State whether or not you have received any pension or veteran donation land 
certificate under any previous law, and if you answer in the affirmative state 
what pension or veteran donation land certificate you have so received.  Have 
received none.
13.  What real and personal property do you now own, and what is the present value 
of such property?  Give list of such property and value.   I have no property.
14.  What property, and what was the value thereof have you sold or conveyed within 
two years prior to the date of this application?  Have sold no property
15.  What income if any do you receive? None whatever
16.  Have you transferred circumstands; that is, are you in actual want, and 
destitute of property and means of subsistence?  I am
17.  Are you unable by your labor to earn a support?  I am
18.  Have you transferred to others any property of value of any kind for the 
purpose of becoming a beneficiary under this law? I have not
19.  Did your deceased husband for whose services you claim a pension, ever 
desert the Confederacy? No
20.  Have you be continiously since the first day of March, 1880, a bona fide 
resident citizen of this State?  I have

Wherefore your petitioner prays that her application for pension be approved 
and that such other preceedings be had in the premises as are required by the 
law.  (Signature of Applicant) Louisa Durham Sworn to and subscribed before 
me this 13th day of June A. D. 1901  G. M. Felts County Judge Bell Co. TX

Affadavit of Witness
State of Texas County of Bell
Before me G. M. Felts County Judge of Bell Co., State of Texas, on this day 
personally appeared A. M. Montieth and R. L. Gully who are personally known 
to me to be credible citizens, who being by me duly sworn on oath, state that 
they personally know the Mrs. Louisa Durham, widow of the said W. G. Durham, 
deceased, and that they further know that Mrs. Louis Durham, widow of the 
said W. G. Durham is unable to support herself by labor of any sort.

Signature of Witness A. M. Monteith
Signature of Witness R. L. Gully
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 13th day of June A. D. 1901
G. M. Felts County Judge of Bell County, TX

Certificate of County Judge
The State of Texas County of Bell 

I G. M. Felts county judge of Bell County, State of Texas, do hereby certify 
that on the 15 day of June A. D. 1901, before me came on to be heard the 
application of Mrs. Louisa Durham, widow of W. G. Durham, deceased, for a 
pension under the Confederate Pension Law of this State, approved May 12 
A. D. 1899; that the answers of said applicant to the questions propounded 
were made under oath as the same appear in writing in the foregoing application; 
that the affidavits of the witnesses who are credible citizens were made before 
me as the same herinbefore appear.  I also certify that the said 
applicant Louisa Durham is not disqualified under any of the provisions of 
Section 12, of the Confederate Pension law.  I further certify that after 
considering all of the proceedings had before me relative to the said application 
for the pension by the said Mrs. Louisa Durham, as widow of W. G. Durham 
deceased, I find the said applicant is lawfully entitled to the pension provided 
for by the Confederate Pension Law of this State, and I hereby approve said application.

Witness my hand and seal of office at Belton this 28th day of August A. D. 1901
G. M. Felts
County Judge Bell County State of Texas

Certificate of County Commisioner
The State of Texas, County of Bell  We, the undersigned members of the 
Commisioners Court of Bell Co. Texas, hereby certify that the foregoing 
application of Mrs. Louisa Durham widow of W. G. Durham deceased, for 
a pension together with the proof in support thereof, was duly submitted 
by Hon. G. M. Felts County Judge of this Bell County, to the Commissioners 
court of this Bell County, at a regular term thereof on the 15 day of June 
A.D. 1901, after a careful consideration of the same we find the 
said applicant is lawfully entitled to the pension provided for by the 
Confederate Pension Law of this state, and we hereby approve said application.
Witness our hands and seal of office at Belton this 28th day of August A. D. 1901.

N. B. Vernon
M. H. Franklin
G. W. Walton Jr.
H. N. Banks

Comptrollers Department State of Texas Austin  August 2nd 1901

I, R. M. Love, Comptroller of Public Aaccounts of the State of Texas, 
do hereby certify that the records of this office show the following facts:

1st  The application of W. G. Durham for Confederate pension(see file 269) 
was duly approved September 21st, 1899 by J. R. Curl Acting Comptroller.

2nd  The proof on file with said application shows that said W. G. Durham 
served in Company "A", 8th Tennessee Calvary, serving about ten months, 
being conscripting officer prior to his regular service in the army.

In Testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand and caused the seal of 
said office to be affixed on this 2nd day of August A. D. 1901.

Signature of R. M. Love
Comptroller.

For Mrs. W. G. Durham

W. G. Durham Bell Co. TX Soldier's Confederate Pension Application #269

W. G. Durham Bell Co. TX 
Post Office Belton TX
Comptroller's File # 269
Approved 22nd Day of Sept A. D. 1899
Wm. J. Swain Pension Clerk(signature)

I hereby approve the within application for 
pension, this 21 da yof Sept A. D. 1899 
J. R. Curl(signature)
Acting Comptroller

The state of Texas
County of Bell

To the Honorable county Judge of Bell County, Texas
Your petitioner, W. G. Durham respectfully represents that he is 
a resident citizen of Bell County, in the state of Texas, and that
he makes this application for the purpose of obtaining a pension 
under the act passed by the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State
of Texas and approved May 12, A. D. 1899, the same being an act
entitled "An act to carry into effect the amendment to the Constitution
of the State of Texas, providing that aid may be granted to disabled
and dependant Confederate soldiers, sailors, and their widows, under 
certain conditions, and to make an appropriation therefor." and I do 
solemnly swear that the answers I have given to the following questions 
are true.

1.  What is your Name?  "W. G. Durham"
2.  What is your Age?  "Seventy one(71)"
3.  In what County do you reside?  "Bell"
4.  How long have you resided in said County and what is your post 
office address?  "since 1873 Belton Bell County"
5.  Have you applied for a pension under the Confederate Pension Law 
heretofore, and been rejected?  "If so state when and Where. I have not."
6.  What is your occupation if able to engage in one? "Not able to engage in any"
7.  What is your physical condition?  "Very low"
8.  If you physical condition is such that you are unable by your own
labor to earn a support, state what caused such disability.  
"a cancerous offection(sic)"
9.  State in what company and regiment you enlisted in the Confederate Army, 
and the time of your service.  "Company A 8th Tennessee Cavalry.  About 
July 1864.  Previously was conscripting officer & served about 10 months"
10.  If you served in the Confederate Navy state when and where and the 
time of your service.  "Did not serve in Navy"
11.  State whether or not you have received any pension or veteran donation 
land certificate under any previous law and if you answer in the affirmative 
state what pension or veteran donation land certificate you received.  "None"
12.  What real estate and personal property do you now own, and what is the
present value of such property? Give list of such property and value. "Own 
two mules worth about $75 One Cow worth $20 Farming Tools $10  Household 
furniture $25"
13.  What Property and what was the value thereof have you sold or conveyed within
two years prior to the day of this application?  "None"
14.  What income, if any, do you receive? "none"
15.  Are you in indigent circumstances that is, are you in actual want, 
and destitute of property and means of subsistence?  "yes"
16.  Are you unable by your labor to earn a support? "yes"
17.  Have you transferred to others any property of value of any kind 
for the purpose of becoming a beneficiary under this law? "None"
18.  Did you ever desert the Confederacy?  "No"
19.  Have you been continously since the first day of January 1880 a 
bona fide citizen of this State?  "Yes"
Wherefore your petitioner prays that his application for pension be approved 
and that such other Proceedings be had in the premises as are required by law.
(signature of applicant)   W. G. Durham
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 14th day of June A. D. 1899
D. R. Pendleton County Judge Bell Co. Texas

============Affidavit of Witnesses==========

The State of Texas, 
County of Bell
Before me D. R. Pendleton County Judge of Bell County, State of Texas on 
this day personally appeared W. C. Durham and W. W. Drake who are personally 
known to me to be credible citizens, who being by me duly sworn on oath, 
state that they personally know W. G. Durham the above named applicant for 
a pension, and that they personally know that the said W. G. Durham 
enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, and performed the duties of 
a soldier as claimed by him in the above foregoing application and that 
they further know that he, the said applicant, is unable to support himself
by labor of any sort.
(Signature of Witness)W. C. Durham
(Signature of Witness)W. W. Drake
Sworn and subscribed before me this 13th day of July A. D. 1899
D. R. Pendleton 
County Judge Bell County, Texas

===========Affidavit of Physician=========
The state of Texas,
County of Bell
Before me, D. R. Pendleton County Judge of Bell County, State of Texas on 
this day personally appeared J. G Adams, who is a reputable practicing 
physician of this County, who being by me duly sworn on oath, states that 
he has carefully and thoroughly examined W. G. Durham applicant for a 
pension, and finds him laboring under the following disabilities which 
render him unable to labor at any work or calling sufficient to earn a 
support for himself  "_____ ulcer of the eye face one eye ____ destroyed"
(signature of physician) J. G. Adams M. D.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 27th day of June A. D. 1899
D.R. Pendleton
County Judge Bell County, State of Texas

===========Certificate of County Judge=======
The state of Texas,
County of Bell
I D. R. Pendleton county Judge of Bell County, State of Texas, 
do hereby certify that on the 13 day of July A. D. 1899, before 
me came on to be heard the application of W. G. Durham for a 
pension under the Confederate Pension Law of this State, approved 
May 12, A. D. 1899, that the answers of said applicant to the 
questions propounded were made under oath as the same appear in 
writing in the foregoing application; that the affidavits of the 
witnesses who are credible citizens were made before me as the 
same hereinbefore appear, and that the foregoing affidavit of 
Doctor J. G. Adams who is a reputable practicing physician of 
this County, was made before me.  I also certify that the said 
applicant W. G. Durham, is not an inmate of the Texas Confederate 
Home, nor otherwise disqualified under the provision of Section 
12, of the COnfederate Pension Law.  I further certify that after 
considering all the prooceedings had before me relative to the 
said application for a pension by the said W. G. Durham I find 
the said applicant is lawfully entitled to the pension provided 
by the Confederate Pension Law of this State, and I hereby approve 
said application.

Witness my hand and seal of office at Belton this 19 day of 
August A. D. 1899.
D. R. Pendleton
County Judge Bell County, state of Texas


===========Certificate of County Commisioners=======
The state of Texas,
County of Bell
We the undersigned members of the Commissioners Court of Bell County 
Texas, hereby certify that the foregoing application of W. G. Durham
for a pension, together with the proof in support thereof, was duly 
submitted by Hon. D. R. Pendleton county judge of this Bell County, 
to the Commisssioners Court of this Bell County, at a regular term 
thereof on the 14th day of August A.D. 1899 and after careful 
consideration of the same we find the said applicant is lawfully 
entitled to the pension provided for by the Confederate Pension Law of
of this State, and we hereby approve said application.

Witness our hands and seal of office at Belton this 14th day of August
A. D. 1899
(Signatures of Commisioners)
M. H. Shanklin
N. B. Vernon
F. N. Lancaster
T. C. Stinson

Reading thru some Cook(e) Confederate Pensions filed in Louisiana

In my efforts to find more on my Cook cousins I've started reading thru the Confederate Pension applications to see if I could locate any cousins from the lines of those that my brother most closely matches thru YDNA.  I started with Louisiana though I don't know if any of the Shem Cooke lines ended up there or were in the area for a time.  FamilySearch has the Louisiana Confederate Pension Applications at their site.  While they aren't searchable in the normal fashion they are listed alphabetically in groups and you can navigate to the surname of your choice within the group.  The Cook pension applications start on image 544 of 1454 in the section that covers
Como, Angie-Desire ------ Corley, Jackson S

Confederate Pensions Applications were State pensions and there are differences in the pension applications for each state that paid these as well as within each state over time.  Confederate pensions were applied for within the state of residence which many times wasn't the state where they had been living at the time of service or where they had enlisted.  Requirements for drawing a pension varied as well.

In the Louisiana Confederate Pension Applications, there were files for 26 Cook/Cooke soldiers.  Of those 26, 14 were filed by the widow.  If you are searching for the place of birth and birthdate for a soldier, and the soldier as applied you will likely find that info in his application along with the name of his wife and children if he married and had a family.  While widow's applications aren't as great for finding the place of birth or birthdate for the soldier, they do contain the marriage date and death date.
Less than half of the Cook/Cooke soldiers who applied in Louisiana were born there,   The image below is a list of the Places of Birth given for the files I read in which the POB was not in Louisiana.

The most interesting application was a widow's application where the soldier had begun filing for a divorce but had died before it was finalized.  The widow got her pension.  This file was full of information about the filing of the divorce and also many letters detailing a change of address for the widow after she had begun drawing the pension.

Correspondence in Pension file of James Blackwell

On August 28, 1930, Dr. Blackwell Markham of Durham NC wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Pensions in Washington, D.C. asking for information on the following Revolutionary Pensioners of North Carolina.

• James Blackwell, 10th Regiment, Bradley's Co. enlisted July 20, 1778.
• Thomas Marcum, private.
• Thomas Blackwell, private.

The information provided in the response gives a bit of insight into the Blackwell, Pope, Cook, Clopton and Nall families of the Granville County, North Carolina area.

The digital images of the original file including the correspondence can be found at Fold3.com in the Pension file  of James Blackwell(North Carolina) which include his widow's pension W. 18613 .  Below is the information(typed by me) which was included in the 2 page letter from E.W. Morgan in response to Dr. Markham's inquiry. 

Rev. & 1812 Wars Section

October 30, 1930

Dr. Blackwell Markham

First National Bank Building

Durham, North Carolina

Dear Sir:

You are advised that it appears from the papers

in the Revolutionary War Pension claims, W. 18613, that

James Blackwell of Granville County, North Carolina

enlisted and served twelve months and twenty-two days

as a private in Captain John Dickerson's Company of

North Carolina Light Horse and was discharged May 10,

1777.

He served three months as captain in the Granville

County North Carolina Cavalry and was discharged

November 17, 1781.

He was allowed pension on his application executed

November 8, 1819 while a resident of Granville County, 

North Carolina, aged about eighty-eight years.

He died April 1, 1823 or in 1824.

Solder married July 17, 1767 Elizabeth Clopton,

who died in 1768.  He married April 2, 1773 in Granville

County, North Carolina, Temperance Pope, who died

February 14, 1840.

Digital Images from Fold3 located at :
https://www.fold3.com/image/11705429
https://www.fold3.com/image/11705430

Digital scans of original info from The National Archives (http://www.archives.gov)
NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application
Files. Roll 0256.  James Blackwell (North Carolina)

Researching Confederate Records of the Civil War.

If you have family who was in the United States during the Civil War Period(1861-1865) you need to at least find out if they served on either side.  Even if you do not have a direct line who served you may be able to find out more about your lines by researching a sibling of your direct line who did serve.  With southern research finding pension records may be the only way which you will find some of your ancestors maiden names and date of birth or date of death recorded.  During the war between the states many courthouses were burned and/or records destroyed.  Confederate Soldiers Pension applications were handled on a state level and were filed in the state of residence at the time of application.  While your ancestor may have enlisted and fought in an AL unit however, if he was living in the state of Texas when that state began processing confederate pension applications then his application will be found in Texas states records. There is not ONE exact date in which all states board of pension began processing the applications.  The dates and eligibility requirements varied from state to state.   NARA's Confederate Pension Applications site.  has more info on that.  The states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia had pension boards which processed these Confederate Pension Applications.

The Confederate Soldier's Pension Applications tend to contain information about the soldiers unit:

• When and where he enlisted
• Did he sustain any injuries?
• Was he injured during service?
• Family size & dependents
• His means of support

If he preceded his wife in death, be sure to check to see if she applied for a Widow's pension. Widow's pension files normally contain copies of information pertaining to the marriage of the soldier.  You may find a copy of their marriage certificate or sworn statements from person(s) who witnessed their marriage.   To get an idea of what can be found you might want to check out my confederate pensions page which contains information abstracted from some of the Confederate Pension Applications of persons who are in my family(direct or indirect) or who lived in the same area as my direct lines.

FamilySearch has a great deal of Confederate info scanned and on line.  Most of it is not indexed.
Below is a list of what I have noticed was available.  Mainly Pension Applications and POW/Prison records from the different Civil War camps that housed captured Confederates.  While there is no index for the Pension Applications many of the southern states who paid out Confederate pensions have an index online and you can consult the index and then find the application by navigating to the appropriate section and number at the FamilySearch site.

To find the Confederate Pension Applications you will need to look for the applicants state of residence. You can find the US Military  files that are available at this part of FamilySearch
Be aware that this will include files from any of the wars that are available thru FamilySearch.  To narrow it down to confederate records you will need to use CONFEDERATE  as your search term in the Filter By Collection section located in the upper left panel of the page.


United States Records of Confederate Prisoners of War 1861-1865
Below is a basic outline of what is available at the above link at FamilySearch

• AIDE: Index to Volumes
• AK, Little Rock, Military Prison
• DC, Washington, Old Capitol Prison
• DE, Ft. Delaware, Military Prison
• Department of Missouri
• Department of the Gulf
• Department of the Ohio
• District of West Tennessee, Provost Marshal's Office
• Division of West Mississippi
• IL, Alton, Military Prison
• IL, Camp Butler, Military Prison
• IL, Camp Douglas, Military Prison
• IL, Rock Island Barracks, Military Prison
• IN, Camp Morton, Military Prison
• KY, Louisville, Military Prison
• LA, New Orleans
• MA, Ft. Warren, Military Prison
• MD, Ft. McHenry, Military Prison
• MD, Point Lookout, Military Prison
• MO, St. Louis, Gratiot & Myrtle Streets Prisons
• MS, Ship Island
• NY, Elmira, Military Prison
• NY, Ft. Columbus, Military Prison
• NY, Ft. Lafayette, Military Prison
• NY, Hart Island, Prison Camp
• OH, Camp Chase, Military Prison
• OH, Cincinnati, McLean Barracks
• OH, Johnson's Island, Military Prison
• SC, Hilton Head, Prison Camp
• TN, Knoxville
• TN, Memphis, Military Prison
• TN, Nashville, Department of the Cumberland
• VA, Bowling Green, Provost Marshal's Office
• VA, Newport News, Military Prison
• VA, Richmond

Records Relating to All Prisoners

• Applications for release & decisions, 1863-1865, v. 7-9
• Confederate prisoners and deserters released, 1861-1865, v. 10-13
• Prisoner deaths, 1862-1865, v. 5
• Prisoner deaths, 1862-1865, v. 6
• Prisoner deaths in AL, GA, SC, 1862-1865, v. 21
• Prisoner deaths in AR, MS, TN, 1862-1865, v. 17-18
• Prisoner deaths in FL, KY, LA, MD, MO, NC, TX, VA, 1862-1865, v. 19-20
• Prisoner financial records, prisoner lists, supplies, 1862-1865, v. 14-16
• Prisoner registers, 1863-1865, v. 1
• Prisoner registers, 1863-1865, v. 2
• Prisoner registers, 1863-1865, v. 3
• Prisoner registers, 1863-1865, v. 4

Prisoner registers of various locations
DE, Ft. Delaware,  MD, Ft. McHenry, NY, Ft. Lafayette, 1863-1864, v. 424
Prisoner registers of various locations in DE, FL, IL, IN, KY, MD, MO, NY & OH, 1861-1865, v. 425-427

Your ancestor may have lived in the south....but did he fight in the Confederate Army or the Union Army?  Be sure to check both.  Occassionally I have found where a soldier has fought on both sides.  Cyndi Howell has a page with info on how to go about ordering Military & Pension Records for the Union Civil War Veterans from the National Archives

Hope this has given you some new ideas for your research.

Confederate Widow Pension Application #2074 --S. R. James(Widow of T. H. James)

While working through the Descendants of my King/Manire 2nd Great Grandparents I found that their oldest daughter Susannah Rebecca King who married Thomas H. James had filed a Widow's claim on Thomas' Confederate Service.  I had the date of their marriage but I didn't know that they were married by Rev. Jessie C Lamb.  This tells me they likely attended Cumberland Presbyterian church.  They were married in 1862 but didn't have children until 1866(after he was home from the war)  The application mentions that Thomas was captured with his company(Company F 17th TN Regiment) at Chickamauga and was in Camp Chase(Ohio) or Camp Douglas(Illinois)

Also among the info in the Pension Application was a listing by age and gender of their 10 children.
6 sons(ages:  24, 10, 8, 7, 5, 3) and 4 daughters(ages"  25, 22, 20, 18)  I just imagine the oldest son was more than ready to have a brother by the time it actually occurred.

The ages of the children do not match what they should be for the time of the application.
The question is phased as follows and is asked immediately after the question asking the for the husband's time of death.

"13.  How many children did you have by your said husband?  Give sex and age at this time?"

I believe she took that to mean at the time of his death( which was 17 yrs prior to her application.  If you add 17 yrs to the ages she lists it will be the ages each of her children should be in 1908 when the application was filed.

When you find a document read through it and see if the information "jives"  Record what info is given but you should also note when the information given doesn't match with known info.  If you can come up with an explanation write that up in your notes but identify it as your explanation...not that of the person who created the document.

  Tennessee established it's Pension board to handle Confederate Solder Pension Applications in 1891.  They did not begin accepting Confederate Widows Pension Applications until 1905.  Complete requirements for each of these as well as an example of each form can be found at the Tennessee State Library and Archives website.