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

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Tom Ewing, Jr., his brother-in-law.
Abe Lincoln's claim was presented IN
1855 FOR is.services in the Black Hawk
war, which it cites he entered for an
indefaite period and served for forty
days. 1t is In Lincoln's handwriting,
and was granted in 1855.
At this same time Robert e. 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 1912 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 We're 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. Pierces application
is made out in Waldo's hand writing.
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 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 pc. sion rolls
50 widows of revolutionary soldiers,
and As of these come from the south
ern states Nine are from Tennessee,
s from Georgia, IL from Virginia, 4
from West Virginia, and II from
North Carolina. There is only 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 la Tennessee, Mrs John
Tyler, who is living at Richmond,
Va, and Mrs. James A Garfield.
Each of these receive $4,000 year
according to Especial act of Congress.
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln got from 1870
to 1882 pension of 5000 In1SS2 it
was increased to S., 900, which it con-
tinued until her death. The daughter
of another president, Zachary Taylor,
also receives pension at this time.
1t amounts to $50 month, and is
given for the services Of Gen. Taylor
IA the Mexican war
The widows of Gems. Isaac Stevens,
E. D. Baker, Whipple, Sumner,
Robert Anderson (the hero of Fort
Sumter), James B. Mcpherson. A. B.
Dyer, George Ell. Custer, 0he Indian
fighter, R. G.. Ramsey, Buford,
Blenkner, Daniel McCook, John A.
Rawlins, Frank P. Blair, George II.
Thomas. Surgeon Gen. Wood, and
Rear Admiral John Rogers receive
from $50 to $50 month. The widow
of Admiral Farragut gets $4,000 a
year by special act, and General
Pail Kearney's widow $50 month,
but she has since married, and this
SUM now goes to her children. A
curious claim now pending before the
Office, of the war of 1912, is one present
ed by the widow of Anthony Coslo,
alias Anthony Castle. 1t asks for an
increase of pension, and cites that
Anthony Castle, who died in 1870 at
Ann Arbor, Mich, joined the British
forces in Canada, that he deserted in
1914, crossed on the ice to the Ameri-
can side of the river, and entered the
United States service After serving
here six months he was retaken by the
British at a point six miles below
Niagara Fails, court martialed, and
sentenced to death. His sentence
vas, however. committed to 800 lashes,
from the result of which be never re-
covered, and for which pension was
granted him This pension his widow
asks to have Increased.
Among the curiositles Of the pen
sion office which were, but are not,
are a great number of samplers,
pieces of canvas into which in Revol-
utionary days it was customary for
tie fair fingers of our grandmothers
to prick with g needle their family
history. Hundreds of these were sent
to the pension office as an evidence of
the identity Of the pensioner or his
descendants, and when Major Web
ster took charge of the ante civil war
department these were lying mixed up
with the other papers, which he has
since brought from chaos to order.
There were also shown five TO ten
bushels of bibles containing family
records, and these, together with the
samplers, have been returned to the
great granddaughter and great
grandsons OF their owners, wherever
they could be traced.
The office has now the great major
ity Of the rolls of the Revolution.
These contain pretty full history of
each COMPANY, and each man of the
company of the regiments which they
represent. There is a tradition in
most of the states that these rolls were
merely loaned to the government, and
there is a strong pressure from several
of the states to recover them. They
have, however, no certain evidence
that will enable them to attach them,
and the government Will hold on to
them until they are published, when
by an act of congress they will prob
ably be returned to the states from
which they came Such a publica-
ton is being actually prepared