Citing a pension document with 2 soldiers

By Anonymous on Sat, 03/14/2015 - 13:19

Forums

I have cited a lot of military pensions for soldiers, widows, and minors. However, this pension contained the widow's application under two different soldiers. The first died during the Civil War and she applied as his widow in 1865. She quickly remarried, and her second husband, also a Union veteran, applied for a pension on his own behalf, as an invalid. The second husband died in 1886 and the widow applied as his widow. She married a third time and applied on behalf of her minor child from the second marriage. Then one last version was her third husband's application, as appointed guardian of the minor child.

So there are two soldiers to be cited in the same file.

I've written a citation, but would like to hear how others have handled it.

Janis Walker Gilmore

Pawleys Island, SC

Submitted byEEon Sun, 03/15/2015 - 14:51

Janis, I'm assuming you've read p. 603 of the 2nd revised edition (EE 11.40), where this situation is discussed. The file that you would first identify in the citation is the file of the last pensioner, because that's the name under which one has to look to find all the preceding applications.

Am I correctly interpreting you to say

  • the last application was the minor's application, filed by the mother and approved, after which
  • she died and the stepfather notified the pension bureau that he was now the child's guardian, but
  • his action did not change the name of the pensioner—it still remained in the minor's name? 

If so, then

  • if your interest lies in the first husband, you would be citing the file that exists in the widow's name, followed by an identification of the pensioner under whom the widow first claimed (as per the Scoville example on p. 603. You would then need to add a notation that the widow's papers are filed under [Such and such a minor].
  • if your interest lies in the second husband, you would be citing the file that exists in the widow'/minor's name, followed by an identification of the pensioner under whom the widow or minor is claiming (the second husband). .

Within this basic framework, you will also be citing individual documents: the widow's affidavit, the stepfather's letter or affidavit, or appointment or whatever. The specific document and date should be cited before the identification of the file, as shown in that Scoville example.

Yes, my "book" (electronic) has been open to page 603-604 for a couple of days now. : ) 

I do know to cite the individual documents.

I feel like I should have a better handle on citing this pension doc, as many as I have used. 

Adeline's story:

  1. Married during the war and her first husband died in Union service.
  2. She applied for a widow's pension, and was approved. Widow's application #105,081, W.C. no. 75,428
  3. She remarried, to second veteran, with whom she had a child.
  4. The second veteran had his own invalid certificate. Application #550,441, certificate #827,388
  5. The second veteran died of the chronic diarrhea that had invalided him out
  6. Adeline applied under the second veteran's. Widow's application #340,064, certificate #354,530.
  7. She married a third time, to a non-veteran. The non-veteran/step-father became guardian for the minor child, and in 1891 they made application for the minor child under the Act of 1890. Minor application #515,405, certificate #400,532
  8. Adeline died, probably in 1894, prior to 8 December 1894, when a fourth person, relationship unknown, presented letters of guardianship of the minor child, who continued to receive benefits. The step-father evidently abandoned the child after Adeline's death (as he lived to 1905).

The file was originally located through the pension index, under the second veteran, John Blackmer, which gave the following:

  • Invalid's application #550,441, certificate #827,388
  • Widow's application #340,064, certificate #354,530
  • Minor application #515,405, certificate #400,532

However, when pulled (by Nicole LaRue--thank you, Nikki), the file had the name "Lafayette Stauffer" written across it. This proved to be a previously unknown first marriage. 

Adeline's application for her first Stauffer veteran was in the same file with the subsequent applications under Blackmer's service. So the number that I cite should be based on which original file the doc is from? If an affidavit from Adeline's widow's pension on the first vet, then cite those numbers, then append the Blackmer numbers? Etc.?

My favorite phrase in this very useful pension file was found in an affidavit attesting to the broken health of the second veteran: " . . . he was a small, scrawny, weakly man not able, nor did he ever to my knowledge pretend, to do a day's work."

 

 

Submitted byEEon Tue, 03/17/2015 - 09:09

Janis,

In the original file, each claim would have been bundled, with a wrapper holding that set of papers together. Then all three would have been put into a single jacket. Normally, the jacket name would be the name of the last pensioner, with the earlier pensions filed within.  But, of course, the file is likely to have been handled by many researchers down through the years and the arrangement is quite likely not to have be what it originally was.

Your record-puller, we assume, imaged everything. So: What does the jacket image say?