Tuesday, June 30, 2020

January 1904 Receipt

This receipt is found in the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  He was charged $12, which would be about $345 today, for some heater work that was done at his home at 1416 South 15th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This work was done by H.J. Shannon, who worked out of 1710 and 1719 Federal Street.  It leaves me to wonder if one of those addresses was his home and the other his business.


Monday, June 29, 2020

December 1, 1903 Receipt

This receipt is found in the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  He was billed $2.05, which would be about $59 today, for repairs to a tin roof at 813 Tasker Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Payment was made in full on January 4, 1904 to H.J. Shannon. who worked out of 1710 and 1719 Federal Street.  According to this receipt, all roofs repairs were guaranteed.


Tuesday, June 16, 2020

General Affidavit of July 14, 1904

This General Affidavit is found in the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  He had earned a pension by serving in the Union Army in Company I of the 215 Regiment of the Pennsylvania Infantry Volunteers.  

This form was filed over two months after he had died as my third great-grandmother was trying to receive a Widow's Pension.  She was unable to provide a marriage certificate as proof of her marriage, so she needed to provide other evidence.

This evidence is provided by Margaret Stewart, a 69 year old acquaintance of my third great-grandparents.  She was a resident of Collingdale, Delaware County in Pennsylvania.

She testified that she knew my third great-grandmother for 50 years and my third great-grandfather for 51 years.  She also declared that neither one of them had been married before their marriage to each other and that they had cohabitated as husband and wife from December 1854 until his death.  She also said that my third great-grandmother had not remarried.



Monday, June 15, 2020

May 9, 1903 Receipt

This receipt is found in the Civil War Pension file of my third great-grandfather.  It is dated May 9, 1903 and is for some work that was done at a couple different addresses, neither of which was his home at 1416 South 15th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .

On January 15 there is a $1.25 charge for thawing of pipes and repairing leaks in the cellar of 1445 South 16th Street.  On February 14 there was some clearing of a pipe done at his home at the cost of 50 cents.  The last charge was for $4.32 for work done on 1532 South 8th Street.  It was for repairing a fire plate and a front grate and for setting fire bricks.  The total on the account was $6.07, which would be about $175 today.

There were two payments made on the account - $1 on March 19 and $2 on May 7th.  This left a balance of $3.07.

This receipt leaves me really curious as to what my third great-grandfather's connection was to the other two addresses.  I guess I will have to dig a little deeper into this one.




Sunday, June 14, 2020

U.S. Pension Office September 15, 1904

This paper is from the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  It is dated over four months after his death.  He had qualified for a Civil War Pension by serving in the Union Army in Company I of the 215 Pennsylvania Infantry for a short time at the end of the war.

Following his death, my third great-grandmother had to legally file to receive his pension.  Her attorney was W. V. Sickel, an attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who specialized in pensions.


Saturday, June 13, 2020

General Affidavit of July 18, 1904

This General Affidavit is found in the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  It was filed over two months after his death as my third great-grandmother was trying to file for a Widow's Pension.  He had qualified for the pension because he had served as a Union Soldier in Company I of the 215 Regiment of the Pennsylvania Infantry of Volunteers for a short time at the end of the war.

To receive a Widow's Pension, she had to prove that she actually had been married.  As she was unable to provide a marriage certificate, she needed to provide other means of proof.  This General Affidavit from Thomas S. White tries to do that.

Mr. White was 87 years old and a resident of Ocean City, New Jersey.  He testified that he had known my third great-grandparents since they were youths.  He said that they had gotten married in December 1854 and it was the only marriage for either of them.





Friday, June 12, 2020

Deposition of Rowland C. Evans July 10, 1904

This deposition is found in the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  He had qualified for a pension by serving in the Union Army for a short time at the end of the Civil War.  This deposition was taken over two months after his death, when my third great-grandmother was filing to get a Widow's Pension.

She had hired an attorney, Rowland C. Evans, to search public and church records for proof of her marriage.  He had an office at 14 South Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He first requested the marriage record from the Registration Bureau for Births and Marriages of the Bureau of Heath.  He was informed that the bureau began in 1862.  That was no help since my third great-grandparents had been married in 1854.

He then reached out to Jacob J. Hatcher, the clerk of the North Tenth Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.  This church was the successor of the Penn Presbyterian Church, where my third great-grandparents had been married.  According to Mr. Hatcher, the church kept no record of marriages.  Another dead end.

Mr. Evans testified that he believed that my third great-grandparents were married on December 31, 1854  by the pastor of the Penn Presbyterian Church, Francis D. Ladd.  Unfortunately, the pastor could not verify this since he had died on July 7, 1862.

After a careful search, Mr. Evans was unable to find any record of marriage, nor could he find anyone who was present at the time of the marriage ceremony.



Thursday, June 11, 2020

Deposition of Robert E. Henderson July 7, 1904

This deposition is found in the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  It was taken over two months after his death when my third great-grandmother was trying to receive a Widow's Pension.  My third great-grandfather qualified for the pension by serving as a Union Soldier for a short time at the end of the Civil War.

My third great-grandmother was unable to provide a marriage certificate, so she had to provide other proof that she had a valid marriage and was qualified to receive the pension as a widow of a Union Soldier.

Robert E. Henderson of 1428 South Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was an acquaintance of my third great-grandparents.  He stated he had lived with them from about 1866 to 1876.  When I looked at the 1870 census, there was no mention of him living with them, so maybe his timing is a little off.

He testified that as far as he knew, they were married on December 31, 1854 and had cohabited as husband and wife until December 31, 1903, when my third great-grandfather was committed to the State Hospital for the Insane at Norristown, Pennsylvania by order of the Court of Common Pleas for the County of Philadelphia.


Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Deposition of Thomas S. White June 21, 1904

This deposition is found in the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  It was taken nearly two months after his death.  Without a marriage certificate, my third great-grandmother had to find other proof of their marriage so that she could continue to receive his pension.  A pension he had earned by serving in the Union Army for a short time at the end of the war.

Thomas S. White was 87 years old and lived at 14th and Pine Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He testified that he knew my third great-grandparents and other people in their neighborhood that knew the couple.  It was his knowledge that the two were married on or about December 31, 1854 and it was the only marriage for both of them.


Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Deposition of Margaret Stewart June 21, 1904

This deposition is found in the Civil War Pension File of my third great-grandfather.  He had earned the pension by serving as a Union soldier for a short time at the end of the war.  After his death, my third great-grandmother had to legally file to continue getting his pension.

Since she was unable to provide a marriage certificate, she had to find other ways of proving her marriage.  This deposition from Margaret Stewart was an attempt at doing just that.

Ms. Stewart was 70 years old and lived at Andrews and Clifton Avenues in Collingdale, Pennsylvania.  She was an acquaintance of my third great-grandparents and testified that she believed that they had been married on December 31, 1854 and it was the only marriage for the both of them.


Monday, June 8, 2020

Department of the Interior May 4, 1898

This document is from the Civil War Pension file of my third great-grandfather.  It has an amazing amount of family tree information on it.

My third great-grandparents were married on December 31, 1854 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It was the first marriage for both of them.

I would be happy with that information, but the names and dates of birth for all of their children are also listed.  Now that's like winning the family historian jackpot!


Thursday, June 4, 2020

Widow's Pension of September 13, 1909

These Widow's Pension forms are from the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  It was filed by my third great-grandmother over five years after his death.  Both forms contain the same information, but one has a crossed out note on it.  Maybe that is why they rewrote the form.

At the time of this filing, she was living at 1201 East Chelton Avenue in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This address is different than the one she shared with my third great-grandfather.  I believe she went to live with one of her daughters after the death of her husband.

My third great-grandfather qualified for a Civil War Pension because he served in the Union Army for a short time at the end of the war.  He enlisted, at age 33, as a private in Company I of the 215 Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on April 8, 1865 and was honorably discharged on July 31, 1865.

He first applied for his pension on September 2, 1890.  At the time of his death in 1904, he was receiving $12 a month.  My third great-grandmother had to file papers to continue getting the pension as his widow.

My third great-grandparents were married on December 31, 1854, the only marriage for both, and had been married for over 51 years at the time of my third great-grandfather's death.

The recognized attorney on this form is a W.V. Sickel, the same attorney that represented my third great-grandfather in many of his Civil War Pension legal filings.





Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Declaration for Widow's Pension on April 24, 1908

This Declaration for Widow's Pension is found in the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  It was filed on April 24, 1908 by my third great-grandmother in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  At the time of the filing, she was 74 years old and living at 1201 East Chelton Avenue in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

In the years prior to his death, my third great-grandfather was receiving a Civil War Pension from the United States Government.  He qualified for the pension by serving in Company I in the 215 Regiment of the Pennsylvania Infantry Volunteers of the Union Army for a short time at the end of the Civil War.  He was honorably discharged on July 31, 1865.

After my third great-grandfather's death on April 30, 1904, my third great-grandmother had to file to continue to receive his pension.  The two had been married for over 51 years.

This form contains great information for family history research.  First, my third great-grandmother's maiden name, Alexander.  And second, a wedding date and place - December 31, 1854 in Philadelphia.  It even lists the name of the reverend who married them, Reverend Francis.

My third great-grandmother used the same lawyer that her husband used numerous times in the legal filings of his Civil War Pension, a W.V. Sickel of Philadelphia.

The address of 1416 South 15th Street has been crossed out.  That is the home that my third great-grandparents shared.  In its place is 1201 East Chelton Avenue.  At some point after her husband's death, she moved in with one of her daughters.

The two witnesses for this form are two of her daughters, Lovey M. Henderson and Anna L. Odgers.




Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Index Sheet #3

This index sheet is found in the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  It contains one item - the declaration for a Widow's Pension by my third great-grandmother.  It was filed on April 25, 1908.

My third great-grandfather qualified for a Civil War Pension because he served in the Union Army in company I of the 215 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry for a short time at the end of the war.


Monday, June 1, 2020

Certificate of Death

This Death Certificate is found in the Civil War Pension file of my paternal third great-grandfather.  He died on April 30, 1904 at the age of 77 in the State Hospital in Norristown, Pennsylvania, where he had been a patient since December 8, 1903.

His cause of death is listed as ill health and a hernia.  He had been sick for more than five months.

It describes him as a married white male, but it does not list my third great-grandmother's name.  Both of his parents' names are also left blank.  His birth place is listed, Ireland, and it states that he was a machinist.  He was buried in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the undertaker was an R. P. Morton.


Bills of Repairs September 24,1904

 This cover sheet is found in the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  The bills were submitted by a pension atto...