Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-08-07
FAMOUS PENSIONERS.

"A M
Land Warrants of Logan, Grant, Lin
colin, Sherman, Pierce, Lee, and
Jeff Davis-BIaine's Great-G rand
mothers Pension Revolutionary
Widows.
The peusion office is full Of curiosi-
ties, and numerous facts Of history
are hidden away III its millions OF
moldy files, writes Carp" to The
Cleveland Leader.
One of the most curious relics now
is the file relating TO the pension
granted to Rlaine's great grand
mother, the wife of Col. Ephraim
Blaine, of Revolutionary fame. 1t is
kept in cheap blue-pa wrapper,
and it gives Mrs. Sarah E. Blaine a
pension of 5000 a year from the 4th of
March, 1S4S Among the records con-
nected with it is an affidavit signed
by Juliana Watts certifying that she
witnessed the marriage of Col.
Epkraim and Sarah e. Blaine on the
21st Of September, 1897, land that
they continued to cohabit as man and
wife until the death of the aforesaid
Col. Eparaim Blaine" Another pa
per is a letter, signed by Robert J.
Walker, introducing Mrs. Blaine's
lawyer, DR.. Chambers, and a certifi-
cate, signed by Sarah E. Blaine i'll a
trembling hand, stating that she is
the widow of Col. Blaine, who died
on the 10th of February, 1904; that
she had remained widow ever since
the death Of her husband, and that
she had pever before applied for a
pension. The letter is sworn to be-
fore John Gibson. chief J ustice of the
supreme court of Pennsylvania. An
other letter gives a transcript OF the
several resolutions of tho continental
congress directing Col. Ep.raim
Blaine, as coEamissary ge. eral, to pur-
chase shoes and blankets for the
Revolutionary soldiers, and giving
him two sums of 50, 900 each and one
of 5000 to pay for the same. The
transcript from volume 2 states that
Ephraim Blaine, Esq, was appointed
commissary general Aug. 1, 1717, and
that at about the same time SIS, 600
was advanced to him, and from vol
ume 3 several extracts are given
showing that Ephraim Blaine was a
leading figure in the days of the
Revolution, and closing with a resolu-
tion that copy of his letter in 1880
as to the state Of the army be sent to
the several states.
Another document interesting this
year is Gen. Logan's land warrant. |
find that John A. Logan got 100 acres
of land for his services IN the
Mexican war. The papers were drawn
up while Logan was county clerk at
Murphysboro, ILL.,, and they are sign
ed by Logan. as such. Accompanying
| them is a cert lfcate of his honorable
discharge at the close of the Mexican
war. 1t is dated Oct Is, 1S40, and
shows that he was second lieutenant
OF company II Of the 1st regiment OF
Illinois foot volunteers, and that he
was enrolled Oh the goth day of May,
1917. In this certificate the place for
his age and date of birth is not filled
out, and l notice in The Compression
al Record that Logan does not cite the
date Of his birth. He is generally
thought to be Sc years old, and GER
lain encyclopedias put him down as
being born in 1926 To-day on find
ing that his birth was not given IN
this certificate | asked for the muster
rolls of his company, and here L lind
that he was "a sears old when he en-
listed in 1S47, and consequently must
be at thc present time GIL, and the year
of his birth must have beer. 1923 in
stead of 1926.
1t will be news to many that Abra-
ham Lincoln, Frank Pierce, Gen.
Grant, William T. Sherman, and jeff
Davis have received anything from
the government in the way of pen
sions, but their papers are all here,
filed away with about hundred thou
and others, lining the walls of an i'm
mense office hall They are curious
papers, too, and in view of the his
tory of the times since their applica-
ton they read with interest now.
Grants pension is land grant of 100
acres, given to him In 1851 for his
services as second lieutenant and regl-
mental quarternaster in the Mexican
war. His letter making the appllca-
ton is Characteristic of the man. 1t
is dated atDetroit, Mich, Nov. 6, 1850,
IS abominably written in Grants
own hand. and put in the fewest words
possible, being signed .. S. Grant,
first lieutenant and r. q. NJ. 4th IN
fantry
Capt. VIM. T. Sherman's claim
comes from st. Louis, dated about the
same time. 1t asks for two quarter