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Hello EE,
I have been studying and thinking through this document, found within a civil war pension file. I am trying to understand the date stamps and think through how this letter flowed through the pension system. I want to use this as evidence that Judia Holt died before 4 November 1897. Her name is mistakenly Julia here, but Judia in other documents in the file and from other sources.
This letter is from the US Pension Agency to the Commissioner of Pensions. I think the letter was created by the US Pension Agency at Knoxville (the purple stamp) then went to the US Pension Office (the blue stamp). But I am not sure of that. I have been reading my saved articles on the pension process, and I also plan to reach out to the Archives and inquire about the how to interpret the multiple stamps.
Here is my take on a citation for this document:
[Untitled letter from U.S. Pension Agency at Knoxville], 12 April 1898, filed with Judia Holt, widow’s pension application W.C. no. 360.445, certificate no. 406.674; service of Henry Holt (Private, Co. E., 55th U.S.C.T. infantry, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; National Archives, Washington, D.C. This letter records Judia’s name as Julia.
Or perhaps I need to cite the letter's author in this way:
J.T. Wilder [pension agent], [Untitled letter from U.S. Pension Agency at Knoxville], 12 April 1898, filed with Judia Holt, widow’s pension application W.C. no. 360.445, certificate no. 406.674; service of Henry Holt (Private, Co. E., 55th U.S.C.T. infantry, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; National Archives, Washington, D.C. This letter records Judia’s name as Julia.
Your thoughts on this would be much appreciated.
Robyn
Hello, Robyn. I interpret…
Hello, Robyn. From the record itself, my interpretation of the stamps is the same as yours. The Knoxville stamp was the first of the two. The man whose name appears in the signature, calling himself "pension agent," was indeed a resident of Knoxville at the time and had just recently been appointed pension agent. (https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/john-t-wilder-civil-war/).
However, that biography of Wilder at the link above presents a wrinkle for our analysis. According to that biography, "Direly in need of an income, in 1897, he gratefully accepted an appointment from President William McKinley as a federal pension agent. ... During the fall of 1897, Wilder made his annual trip to Florida to avoid the rigors of winter in Tennessee. He died in Jacksonville on October 20, 1897."
So how, then, did he create that form and post it on 12 April 1898? This question definitely affect your question as to when Judia died. If the biography is correct, then Wilder not only died before the form was posted, but also died before Judia picked up her last pension payment.
If Wilder died indeed die on October 20—after which his widow brought him back to Knoxville for burial—one possible explanation is that no replacement had been appointed for him by the time that Judia's family notified his office of her death. Thus, some assistant or acting replacement wrote that document. Under Wilder's signature we see a mark of some sort; but more often, when a deputy or assistant signed for an official appointee, the deputy's full name is written. Can you find an uncontested sample of Wilder's handwriting to compare to this form?
As for the citation: your second citation works best. Wilder, as the creator of that specific document, should be named. In lieu of the bracketed description "untitled letter from U.S. Pension Agency at Knoxville," you might say
J. T. Wilder (pension agent, Knoxville, Tenn.) to Commissioner of Pensions, 12 April 1898, "Form 3–405 (Pensioner Dropped)," filed with ....