Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-08-01
FAMOUS PENSIONERS.
Land Warrants of Logan. Grant, Lin
coin, sherman, Pierce, Lee, and
JEFF Davis-Blafne,s Great-Gfa nd-
mothers Pension - Revolutionary
Widnrrs


Widows.
The pension office is full of curiosi-
ties, and numerous facts of history
are hidden away in 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 Blaine's great grand
mother, the wife of Col. Ephraim
Blaine, of Revolutionary fame. 1t is
kept in a cheap blue-paper wrapper,
and it gives Mrs. Sarah E. Blaine
pension of 5000 year from the 4th of
March, 1913. Among the records con-
nected with it is an affidavit signed
by Juliapa Watts certifying that she
witnessed the marriage of Col.
Ephraim and Sarah e. Blaine on the
21st of September, 1897, land that
they continued 10 cohabit as man and
wife until the death of the aforesaid
Col. Ephraim Blaine" Another pa
per is a letter, signed by Robert J.
Walker, introducing Mrs. Blaines
lawyer, DR.. Chambers, and certid-
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 never before applied for a
pension. The letter is sworn to be-
fore John Gibson. chief Justice of the
supreme court of Pennsylvania. An
other letter gives transcript of the
several resolutions of the continental
congress directing Col. Ephraim
Blaine, as coaamissary general, to pur-
chase shoes and blankets for the
Revolutionary soldiers, and giving
him two sums of 81 900 each and one
of s., coo to pay for the same. The
transcript from volume states that
Ephraim Blaine, Esq, was appointed
commissary general Aug l, 1777, and
that at about the same time SIS. 900
was advanced to him, and from vols
ume 3 several extracts are given
showing that Ephraim Blaine was
leading figure in the days of the
Revolution, and closing with a resolu
tion that a copy of his letter in 1850
as to the state of the army be sent to
the several states.
Another document interesting this
year is Gen. Logan's land warrant. l
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 certificate of his honorable
| discharge at the close of the Mexican
war; 1t is dated Oct. 16, 1913, and
shows that he was second lieutenant
of company Fl of the 1st regiment of
Illinois foot volunteers, and that he
was enrolled on the goth day of May,
1917 In this certificate the place for
his age and date of birth is not filled
out. and | notice in The COMPRESSION
al Record that Logan does not cite the
date of his birth He is generally
thought to be IS years old, and GER
tain encyclopedias put him down as
being born in 1926. To-day on find
ing that his birth was not gwen IN
this certificate | asked for the muster
rolls of his company, and here | find
that he was "a years old when he en-
listed in 1S47, and consequently must
be at the present time 81, and the year
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 inn
mense office hall. They are curious
papers, too, and in view of the his
tory Of the times sine their applica
ton they read with interest now.
Grants pension is land grant of 100
acres, given to hun in 1851 for his
services as second Lieutenant and regi
mental quartermaster in the Mexican
war. His letter making the applica-
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 U. S. Grant,
first lieutenant and r. g. NJ. 4th in
fantry.
Capt. VIM. 7. Sherman's claim
comes from st. Louis, dated about the
same time. 1t asks for two quarter
sections of land, one for his Florida
services, and the other for lis record
in Mexico. The claim is presented by
Tom Ewing, Jr., his brother-ln-law.
Abe Lincoln's claim was presented IN
1865 for his'services in the Black Hawk
war, which it cites he entered for an
indefinite period and served for forty
days. it is in Lincoln's handwriting,
and was granted in 1855.
At this same time Robert &. Lee,
then employed at the United States
military academy, at West Point, sent
papers here for which lie received 100
acres of land for his services as colonel
in the Mexican war.
Here are, too, the papers of General
Scott asking for bounty land for his
services in the war of 1872 They are
signed by Scott, and were granted to
him. while he was general of the army
here Shortly after this came the
papers by which jeff Davis and Frank
Pierce were allowed their land claims
for services in the Mexican war. l..
Waldo was the commissioner of pen
sions at that time, while JEFF Davis
was secretary of state, and Frank
Pierce president. Pierce's application
is made out in Waldo's handwriting,
as is also that of JEFF Davis, and they
both abound in fulsome praise of these
two officers Both are Endorsed by
Waldo as special cases, and a note in
closed with each that they be left with
him to he sent to the pensioners, and
not be mailed in the ordinary way.
There are now on the pe.sion rolls
So widows of revolutionary soldiers,
and As of these come from the south
ern states Nine are from Tennessee.
from Georgia, II from Virginia, 4
from West Virginia, and - from
North Carolina There is only l rev
dictionary widow from Mississippi, 1
in Massachusetts,, 8 in South Carolina
in Ohio and New York, in Maine
and New Hampshire, : in Vermont,
and IN Pennsylvania.
Among the pensioners are the wives
Of three presidents, Mrs. Polk, who
is now living in Tennessee. Mrs. John
TYLER, who is living at Richmond,
Va. and Mrs James A Garfield.
Each of these receive $1,000 year
according TO Especial act of Congress.
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln got from 1870
| to 1882 a pension OF s., 600. In 1882 it