Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10
FAMOUS PENSIONERS.


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-grandmother, the wife of
Col. Ephraim Blaine, of Revolutionary
fame. 1t is kept in cheap blue-paper
and it gives Mrs. Sarah E.
Blaine a pension of 5000 a year from
March 4, lS4S. Among the records con-
nected with it is an affidavit signed by
Juliana Watts, certifying that she wit
messed the marriage of Col. Ephraim and
Sarah E. Blaine on Sept. u, 1897, ''and
that they continued to cOhabit as man
and wife until the death of the aforesaid
Col. Ephraim Blaine.' Another paper
is q letter signed by Robert j. Walker,
Mrs. Blaine's lawyer, DR..
Chambers, and a certificate, signed by
Sarah E. Blaine in trembling hand,
stating that she is the widow of Col.
Blaine, who died on Feb. 16, 1904; that
she had remained a widow ever since the
death of her husband, and that she had
never before applied for a pension. The
letter is sworn to before John Gibson,
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
PENNSYLVANIA. Another letter gives a
transcript Of the several resolutions of
the Continental Congress, directing Col.
Ephraim Blaine, as COmmissary General,
to purchase shoes and blankets for the
Revolutionary soldiers, and giving him
two sums of $4,000 each and one of $4,000
TO paw for the same. The transcript from
volume 2 states that Ephraim Blaine,
Esq, was appointed COmmissary General
Aug. l, 1117, and that at about the same
time $3.50 was advanced to him; and
from volume several extracts
are given showing that Ephraim
Blaine was a leading figure in the
DAYS Of the Revolution, and closing
with a resolution that a copy of his letter
in 1856 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
a county clerk at Murphysboro, H., and
they are signed by Logan as such. Ac-
cOmpanying them IS certificate of his
honorable discharge at the close of the
Mexican war. 1t is dated Oct. Is, 1913,
and shows that he was Second Lieutenant
of Company ii Of the First Regiment of
Illinois Foot Volunteers, and that he was
enrolled on May %, 1S47. In this certii-
cate the date for his age and date of birth
Z
Congressional Record that Logan does
not cite the date of his birth. He is gen.
orally thought to be 56 years old, and GER
tain encyclopedias put him down as being
born in 1926. To-day, ON finding that his
birth was not given in this certificate, l
asked for the muster rolls of his company,
and here | find that he was q years old
when he enlisted 1S47, and consequently
must be at the present time 81, and the
instead of 1926.
1t Will be news to many that Abraham
Lincoln, Frank Pierce, Gen. Grant, VIM.
T. Sherman and JET. Davis have received
anything from the government in the way
of pensions, but their papers are all here,
filed away in the division allotted to the
Mexican war. They are done up in brown
paper covers, and filed away with about
a hundred thousand others, lining the
walls Of an immense Office hall. They are
curious papers, too; and. in view of the
history of the times since their applica-
ton, they read with interestnow. GRANTS
pension is a land warrant of 100 acres,
given to him in 1851 for his services as
Second Lieutenant and Regimental Quar-
termaster in the Mexican war. HIS letter
making the application is characteristic
of the man. 1t is dated at Detroit, 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. Fourth
Infantry.
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 his record in Mexico. The claim
is presented by Tom Ewing, Jr., his
brOther-in-law. Abe hincOln's claim was
presented in 1855 for his services in the
Black Hawk war, which, it cites, he en-
tered for an indefinite period and served
for 40 days. 1t is in Lincoln's handwrit-
ing, and was granted in 1855.
AT this same time Robert Z. Lee, then
employed at the United States Military
Academy at West Point, sent papers here,
for which he received 100 acres of land
for his services as Colonel in the Mexican
war.
Here are, too, the papers of Gen. 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 come 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 this time, while jeff. Davis was
Secretary of War 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 praise Of these two officers. Both are
Endorsed by Waldo as special cases, and
note inclOsed with each that they be
left with him to be sent to the pensioners,
and not to be mailed in the ordinary way.
There are now on the pension rolls 80
widows of Revolutionary soldiers, and As
of these come from the Southern States.
Nine are from Tennessee, 8 from Georgia,
I f--r,-, III.
and y from North Carolina. There is
only l Revolutionary widow from Missis-
sippi, l in Massachusetts, ia South
Carolina, 4 in Ohio and New York. 3 in
Maine and New Hampshire, 7 in Vermont
and IN Pennsylvania.
Among the pensioners are the wives of
three Presidents-Mrs. Polk, who is liv-
ing in Tennessee; Mrs. John Tyler, who
is living at Richmond, Va, and Mrs.
James A. Garfield. Each of these re-
celyes $4,000 a year, according to a spe-
cIaI act of Congress. Mrs. Abraham
Lincoln got from 1870 to 1882 pension of
$4,000. In 1882 it was increased to So, 900,
which it continued until her death. The
daughter of another President-ZacharY
receives a pension at this
time. 1t amounts to $50 month, and is
given TOR the services of Gen. Taylor in
the Mexican war.
The widows of Gems. Isaac Stevens. E.
D. Baker, Whipple, Sumner, Robert An
dersOn the hero of Fort SUMTER, James
B. Mcpherson, A. B. Dyer, George II.
Custer the Indian fighter), r. G.. Ram
sey, BufOrd, Blenkner, Daniel McCook,
John A. Rawlins, Frank p. Blair, George
H. Thomas, Surg. Gen. Woods and Rear
Admiral John Rogers receive from $50 to
$50 a month. The widow of Admiral
Farragut gets $4,000 year by a special
act, and Gen. Phil. Kearney's widow did
get $50 a month, but she has since mar
ried, and this sum now goes to her chill
dren.
A curious claim now pending before the
Office of the war of 1912 is one presented
by the widow Of Anthony CoslO, alias
Anthony Castle. 1t asks for an in
crease of pension, and cites that
Anthony Castle, who died in 1870
at Ann Harbor, Mich, joined the
British forces in Canada; that he
deserted in 1914, crossed on the ice to the
American side of the river and entered
the United States service. After serving
here six months, he was retaken by the |
British at point six miles below Niagara
Falls, cOurt-martialed and sentenced to |
death. His sentence was, however, COM |
muted to 800 lashes, from the result of |
which he never recovered, and 'for which |
a pension was granted him. This pension |
his widow asks to have increased.
Gen. West Reconsiders.