Military Monday: Benjamin Ishmael's Revolutionary War Pension Application

I love researching my Revolutionary War patriots and learning about their lives during that important period of our history. Each of my patriots had different experiences. Some served for a short time, while others served for several years, even after the end of the war. Some didn't live long to see much action, while others fought in, and survived, many important battles. Fortunately, most of the patriots in my lineage lived through the Revolutionary War and were able to go home to their families. Each soldier has his own story to tell, and I'm proud to be able to share their experiences with you here.

Here's a small part of the Revolutionary War pension application for my paternal 6th great grandfather, Benjamin Ishmael (July 1736 - July 10, 1822). He served in Pennsylvania, but eventually migrated west to Kentucky, which is where he applied for his pension.

Here's the transcript (exactly as written, including grammar and run-on sentences) of the second document, which details Benjamin Ishmael's service in the Revolutionary War:

District of Kentucky (??)
On this 1st day of October 1818, before me the undersigned, one of the circuit judges for the Commonwealth aforesaid, personally appeared Benjamin Ishmael aged 82 years resident of Nicholas County, in the said District, who being by first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the provision made by the late act of Congress entitled, "An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the Land and Naval Service of the United States in the Revolutionary War" that he the said Benjamin Ishmael in the year 1776 enlisted Canegagig Settlement in the State of Pennsylvania in The Company Commanded by Captain Abraham Smith of the 6th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line Commanded by Colonel Irwin a continental Establishment for one year and that he continued in the service for the term of one year in the Company Regiment and line aforesaid when he was discharged from service in Albany in the State of New York and that he again enlisted about a year afterwards at the place aforesaid under (??) Blueford [note: I think this may be Colonel Bluford] of the Cavalry and was transferred to Gen'l Count Pulaski's Independent Legion and continued to serve therin for more than one year that he belonged to his first troop under Captain Peter Bentlow when he was discharged at Williamsburg in Virginia and that he was in several skirmishes one at Eggharbour and he is in reduced circumstances and stands in need of the assistance of his country for his support and that he has no other Evidence now in his power of said services.

(??) to before (??)
sworn and declared before me the day and year aforesaid

                                                                                         John Trimble

After the Revolutionary War, Benjamin went back to being a farmer in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and was found on the 1780 tax records in that area. It is written that Benjamin Ishmael also received a land grant of 160 acres from Virginia for services rendered in the Revolution. By the 1810 US Census, Benjamin and his family appeared in Fleming, Kentucky. They were in Nicholas County, Kentucky, by the 1820 Census, which is where he died on July 10, 1822. 

Benjamin initially applied for his pension in 1818, but was not officially awarded it until January 15, 1823 -- about six months after he had died. Benjamin died in relative poverty, and wasn't able to enjoy the assistance of his country that was finally awarded to him. According to a transcription of his will, he left what very little he had to his wife, Jenny (I had always thought he was married to a different woman and will be researching this more!) and his many children. What he was owed for his pension was prorated to his date of application in 1818 and finally paid to his family.

While digging through Benjamin's Revolutionary War records, I found some other intriguing stories about this man and his descendants. One other researcher noted that he'd been sued for "Bastardy" and that the the document is on file in Nicholas County (yes, I'll be looking that!). A book has also been written about some of Benjamin's descendants who "were discovered in the slums of Indianapolis in the 1870s and became a symbol for all that was wrong with the urban poor." Yep, it's on my summer reading list!

Military Monday: Bible Record of Revolutionary War Patriot, Jesse Bentley

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! In honor of our nation's Independence Day, I'd like to share with you part of the widow's pension application of my 6th great grandmother, Mary Scott Bentley. Mary was the wife of Revolutionary War Patriot (and my 6th great grandfather), Jesse Bentley (1748-1836). Jesse was a Private in Captain Gray's Company, 11th Virginia Regiment. He entered the Continental army in about 1767. He was present at the siege of Savannah and Augusta, and served throughout the war. Jesse died on May 23, 1836.

According to Mary's pension application, Jesse and Mary's house burned down in 1805, and everything was lost. They were, however, able to save one incredible genealogical treasure: the family bible. Mary tore out the family record pages from the bible and sent them in with her pension application. The entire application, along with the bible pages, lives at the National Archives and has been scanned and made available on the internet (I found this file at both Ancestry.com and Footnote.com). 

The top left record on this page shows the birth of
my 5th great grandfather, John T. Bentley

The top left record shows the marriage of my 5th great grandparents,
John T. Bentley and Mary "Polly" Maxey (m. October 23, 1807)

I love discovering documents that detail my family's part in the early history of our nation. It's even more fun when they offer information detailing important family details and relationships. I'm learning a lot about my 6th great grandparents, Jesse and Mary Bentley, and will share more with you all in future posts.

Meanwhile, have a great Fourth of July!

Military Monday: Remembering our Patriots on Memorial Day

While i know that Memorial Day is traditionally a time to honor our war dead, this Memorial Day, I'd like to take a moment to remember all of the brave patriots in my family. Some actually saw battle, and all served well. Some died while in service, and some were fortunate to live long, happy lives once their service was completed. I thank them all for their service and sacrifices.

Here are just a few of the men in my family who have served in the military:

Top (L-R): My dad, William Lee Brittain (1942-2003); my grandfather, Woodie Leroy Brittain (living), with Grandma Edith and Dad; the grave of my 4th great grandfather and Confederate soldier, James Monroe Purser (1843-1914).

Middle (L-R): My great uncle Edgar "Bud" Hunt (1922-2004); my great grandfather, Andrew Lee Brittain (1888-1954), in WWI France; the Revolutionary War record of my 5th great grandfather, Nathaniel Brittain (1734-1776).

Bottom (L-R): The grave of my 4th great grandfather and Confederate soldier, Benjamin Franklin Jaggers (1832-1862); the Revolutionary War grave of my 5th great grandfather, Ambrose Garriott (1760-1834); my cousin, Stanley Christensen (living).

And, a big THANK YOU to all of the men and women who have served in all branches of the US military, both past and present!

Military Monday: James Carr Veale's Revolutionary War Pension Application

I love American history, and am fascinated by both the Civil War and the American Revolutionary War. Having ancestors who fought in both wars, and helped shape our country, makes it all even more exciting. When I first discovered that I could find actual Revolutionary War pension applications and documents for my very own ancestors, I was beyond thrilled! This means that I get to read my own patriots' history and accounts of their activity and participation in the birth of our nation.

Here's part of the Revolutionary War pension application that my 5th great grandfather, James Carr Veale, submitted in 1832.  Several acts allowed veterans and widows of the Revolutionary War to apply for pensions. The act of 1832 stated that every officer or enlisted man who had served two years in the war was eligible for a pension. If the veteran died after being granted a pension, his widow or children could apply to collect any money due from the date of his last payment until his death. I've found several comprehensive records of Revolutionary War pension applications via my Ancestry.com and Footnote subscriptions, and I love it when they help me follow the footsteps of my patriots as they fought the war.

The actual file from James Carr Veale is pretty large (over 60 pages), so I will transcribe some of it in parts. These three pages are James' own sworn account of his service in the war. I've transcribed them exactly as they are written, including any spelling or grammatical errors.

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832

State of Indiana} JS
County of Daviess}

On this 18th day of September 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Honbl Amory Kinney President Judge of the circuit court of said county James Carr Veale, aged Sixty nine years and an old inhabitant of said County and State, who being duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath, make the following declaration: That [???] to a family register he was born in March Seventeen hundred and sixty three, in Loudon County, Virginia; That in his youth his Father removed to what was called Chester district, South Carolina, and in the year Seventeen hundred and eighty, he volunteered in a company of Militia, in said county, under Captain Hollingsworth, of Col Brandon's Regt which was attached to Col Picken's command, and he marched with said troops, to obstruct and harras the english and tories under Tarlton; then retreated, with Genl Morgan's troops, towards the Cow pens, the Regt then turned, and joined the Genl Sumpters command, at Granby, where the British surrendered; That he was detailed in a company sent to Buckhead, to aid Col Lee to reduce that fort, which after a smart engagement they affected; that he then marched under Sumpter to Orangeburgh which place after its defeat Genl Sumpter took possession of, and he with the Regt under Colonel Hampton were ordered to proceed to Dorchester where after some fighting the American's retreated; That he then joined the army at Ninety-Six, under Genl Green. After retreating from Ninety-Six he became afflicted with Small Pox, and was unfit for duty for six weeks, when he again joined his company at Orangeburg from whence the Regt was ordered by Col Pickens to march to wards Charleston to Bacons Bridge, and he then remained on duty some months; That he was afterwards kept in motion serving the Country against tories, when the said Regt in company with Col Picken's troop and joined by others from Georgia proceeded to break up the towns of the hostile Indians in the Cherokee Country. Which object they effectually accomplished and drove the tories from their refuge. That shortly after this exploit, peace was declared, and he received a written discharge from his Lt. Col William Farr. That he was in actual service from the time he volunteered in 1780 up to the proclamation of peace except during a short sickness, That he believes his name may be found in the proper office of South Carolina in the certificate issued for his pay, on receiving which he thinks he delivered up his discharge; That in the year Eighteen hundred & Seven he removed from the Union district of South Carolina to the Indiana territory, where he has ever since resided in what is now Daviess County. that he has no documentary testimony but he trusts the evidence hereunto answered will be deemed sufficient to secure the remuneration he now seeks. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or [???] except the present, and declares that his name is not on the Pension roll of the agency of any state.
                                                                       James C. Veale

As you can see, I've linked to a few websites that detail some of the battles that James Carr Veale bravely fought. This man saw quite a bit of action, and even jumped back into the war after suffering a bout with smallpox, a disease which killed many of his fellow soldiers. James and his family moved to Daviess County, Indiana, in 1806. James died on January 14, 1839, in Veale Township, the town named after his family.

Here's how I'm descended from James Carr Veale:

James Carr Veale (1763-1839) m. Lavina Townsend (1764-1846) in 1873 >
Daniel Veale (1784-1864) m. Mary Polly Coleman (1792-?) in 1813 >
Andrew Jackson Veale (1828-1904) m. Elizabeth Miller (1928-1908) in 1849 >
George Elmer Veale (1850-1928) m. Margaret Harriman (1850-1932) in 1872 >
Alice A. Veale (1872-1954) m. Joseph Bartram (1860-1930) in 1891 >
John Bartram (1911-1987) m. Donna Madsen (1919-1966) in 1938 >
Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram (living) m. William Lee Brittain (1942-2003) in 1964 >
Me!

Military Monday: Honoring My Civil War Ancestors

Battle of Missionary Ridge, where my 3rd Great Grandfather,
James Monroe Purser, was captured by the Union Army

Tomorrow, April 12, marks the 150th anniversary of the start of America's Civil War. Hostilities officially began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumpter, South Carolina. The war lasted for four years, and claimed the lives of an estimated 620,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilian casualties.

Studying the Civil War in school, I'd always identified as a Northerner, and cheered that President Lincoln's Union Army defeated the secessionist, slavery-supporting Confederate Army. I still feel that way, of course, but as I've learned more about my own family involvement in the Civil War, I've learned about good men on both sides who fought for their beliefs. 

Here are three of my known Civil War ancestors, both Union and Confederate:

James M. Purser
1843-1914

• James Monroe Purser (1843-1914), Confederate, 3rd Great Grandfather. On February 4, 1862, at at Murphee's Crossroads in Blount County, Alabama, Jim enlisted in the Confederate army. His brothers, Richard and Moses, also enlisted and fought in the war. Jim was promoted from Private to 2nd Corporal in the 28th Alabama Infantry, Company B, but his service in the Confederate army wasn't without its trials and tribulations. Jim became ill within just a couple of months of enlisting, and ended up in the hospital at Shelby Springs, Alabama, for a time. Shortly after that, he somehow managed to lose his "gun and accoutrements" somewhere near Tupelo, Mississippi. However, the worst was yet to come.
  
  On November 25, Union soldiers assaulted and captured the Confederate position on Missionary Ridge. Jim and his brother, Richard, were both captured during the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge in November 1863. They were confined at Rock Island Prison, Illinois, on December 5, 1863. During the Civil War, more than 12,000 men were imprisoned at Rock Island, and nearly 2,000 prisoners died there. Both Jim and Richard Purser lived through their imprisonment, and were released in March 1865 as part of a P.O.W. exchange program with the Union army.
  

Benjamin F. Jaggers
1832-1862

• Benjamin Franklin Jaggers (1832-1862), Confederate, 4th Great Grandfather. Benjamin joined the Confederate Army, enlisting on July 21, 1862, and mustering in at Huntsville, Alabama, on August 18, 1962. He was 30 years old and a Private in the 1st Alabama Cavalry. Benjamin would not get to see much, if any, action during the Civil War. Less than two months after he joined up, he died on October 16, 1862, of measles in Hospital #14 at Nashville, Tennessee. He is buried at the Nashville National Cemetery in Section A, plot 4518.

• Solomon Ishmael (1817-1894), Union, 4th Great Grandfather. Solomon was a Private in the Missouri 23rd Regiment Infantry Volunteers, Company B, under Captain Nash. He enlisted on July 25, 1862, in Trenton, Missouri, and mustered in at Hudson, Missouri, on August 31, 1862. He was 44 1/2 years old (no spring chicken). Solomon contracted small pox in around February 1864, and was in the hospital in McMinnville, Tennessee, until at least after the muster roll dated January 14, 1865. He was mustered out on May 18, 1865, near Washington, D.C.

Solomon Ishmael's examination report

I'm still researching a couple more great grandfathers who I believe fought in the Civil War. I also have several uncles and distant cousins who fought for both sides. 

While I'm proud of my Union soldiers for helping to protect and preserve our country, I've also grown surprisingly fond of my Confederate soldier ancestors. I might not believe in the same causes that they fought for, but I'm proud of their bravery. They also fought for their own beliefs and to preserve what they felt was important to their way of living. I'm glad the Union army prevailed, and my heart goes out to all of the soldiers on both sides -- as well as their parents, wives and children -- who endured, in many cases, four years of hell. Some gave their lives, and all gave their hearts and souls, for what they believed. These soldiers, both Union and Confederate, helped to shape our United States of America.

Military Monday: Bill Brittain in the US Navy

William Lee Brittain, 1942-2003

My dad, William Lee Brittain, was in the United States Navy from 1960-1966 (the last couple of years were as a reservist). He was proud of his service and, from some of the pictures we've seen, he had a pretty good time, too.

He served aboard the USS Pictor, where he was a machinist and traveled to Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, The Phillipines and Hawaii. He also served aboard the USS Scamp, a nuclear-powered submarine. For at least part of that time, he was based at Hunters Point Naval Station in San Francisco. Here are some photos and documents that tell about Dad's time in the Navy.

Dad's Armed Forced ID card. I think he looks a little like
Elvis in that picture.

Bill Brittain, the guy in the middle with the black eye...

This is my favorite picture from Dad's Navy days. From what I recall of  Dad's stories, they were in some port in the Pacific and, apparently, they'd had a pretty rough night. Note the black eye on Dad. The other guys weren't looking too spiffy, either. 



Dad didn't talk all that much about his time in the Navy, but when he did tell stories, they were usually about his good times. He and I were both a little tickled to find out that one of his Bay Area haunts when he was stationed at Hunters Point was also a bar I liked to frequent in my younger days. Like father, like daughter!

Those Navy boys sure knew how to have fun! This was taken during
his time on the USS Pictor, and was likely somewhere in the Far East.

The USS Scamp is the submarine that Dad was stationed aboard

Some of the crew of the USS Pictor. This was the "M" division.
Dad is standing behind the guy in front who is second from the left. 

Some of Dad's memorabilia from his Navy days: the yearbook
from his time on the USS Pictor, and a statue of the USS Scamp

Dad's Honorable Discharge certificate

Military Monday: Benjamin Franklin Jaggers in the Civil War

B F Jaggers grave at Nashville National Cemetery

Genealogists can be so nice and helpful! About a week ago, I was searching Find-A-Grave for information on where my 4th great grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Jaggers, was buried. I knew that he had died in Tennessee in Civil War and found that he was buried in the National Cemetery at Nashville. However, I was sad to see that nobody had posted a picture of his grave. I figured it wouldn't hurt to post a request for a Find-A-Grave volunteer to take a photo, but wasn't really expecting anything. Lo and behold, a very helpful volunteer named Florence Keels  trekked out into the snow and snapped a photo of the gravestone for me! It's now up on his Find-A-Grave memorial page, and I've included it here, too. Thanks, Florence!

Benjamin Franklin Jaggers was born on June 30, 1832, in Morgan County, Alabama, to Thomas Garrison Jaggers and Martha Vest. He was one of nine children, and grew up a farmer in Alabama. He married Nancy Catherine Sandlin on February 15, 1852, and they had three children, including my GGG grandfather, Jesse James Jaggers.

As many young Alabama men did, Benjamin joined the Confederate Army, enlisting on July 21, 1862, and mustering in at Huntsville, Alabama, on August 18, 1962. He was 30 years old and a Private in the 1st Alabama Cavalry. Benjamin would not get to see much, if any, action during the Civil War. Less than two months after he joined up, he died on October 16, 1862, of measles (also known as "Rubeola") in Hospital #14 at Nashville, Tennessee. He is buried at the Nashville National Cemetery in Section A, plot 4518.

Here are some of Benjamin Franklin Jaggers' Civil War records. My favorite is the one that tells us a little bit about him, including:

• He was 5'10 1/2" 
• He had a dark complexion (there's legend of Cherokee genes on that side of the family, but I've yet to prove it)
• He had light hair and blue eyes
• He was 30 years old at enlistment
• He had enlisted for a term of  three years

Military Monday: Andrew Lee Brittain in WWI

Andrew Lee Brittain, wagoner, in WWI France, c. 1918

Yesterday, I posted an obituary for my Great Grandma Brittain. Today, for Military Monday, I honor her husband, my great grandfather, Andrew Lee Brittain. Andrew was born to Frederick Harmon Brittain and Mary Jane Rooks on February 26, 1888, in Omaha, Boone County, Arkansas. Shortly after that, the family moved to Indian Territory (what is now Oklahoma).

On June 5, 1917, at the ripe age of 29, Andrew registered for the draft, and reported for duty on February 25, 1918. He was a wagoner in Company C, 110th Infantry, 28th Division, which fought in Vichy, France, for nearly a year, returning to Philadelphia in May 1919. He was presented with the Croix de Guerre, which was issued to military commands who performed heroic deeds in combat during WWI. Andrew Lee Brittain was honorably discharged from military service upon his return on May 11, 1919.

I don't know much about my great grandfather's tour of duty in France, other than he was a wagoner. From his military papers, however, I was able to glean a few personal tidbits about him, including:

• He had gray eyes and brown hair
• He was a farmer
• He had pin-up girl tattoos on his arms (now we know where I got my penchant for ink!)
• His character was listed as "Excellent"
• He had a $10,000 life insurance policy

 
Another relic of his time in the war, however, showed that he was also a bit of a poet, and quite in love with a girl back home: Jessie Luetta Halstead, who would become his wife shortly after his return from France. Here's the poem that he wrote for my Great Grandma Brittain while he was pining for her overseas. It tells of the brutal hardships he faced as a soldier, and how her love kept him strong through his ordeals:

There is a little girl I am loving,
in the land across the sea,
through the softness of the twighlight
she comes creeping close to me.

I can almost feel her handclasp,
I can see her tender eyes,
As they glow across the darkness
with a light that never dies.

Yes a hard day lies behind me,
there is a bitter dawn ahead,
the man next to me is moaning,
and my bunkmate is dead.

But she is coming through the darkness
and her glance is misty bright
and I know her love is near me,
through the horror of the night.

Yes she gave me to our country
when she might have made me stay
and she kissed me, smiling bravely
as I brushed the tears away.

And her voice rings past the moaning,
past the battle raging near
And she says be true and fearless
just because I love you dear.

And I made myself a promise
that I will justify her plan,
the ideal that she set me
of a soldier, and a man.

Andrew and Jessie raised four children (Woodie, Audrie, Pauline and Evelyn). The family moved to California in 1940, and Andrew died on January 22, 1954, in Hayward, California.

You can read more about the 110th Infantry here.

Military Monday: James Monroe Purser, Civil War Confederate Soldier

The first couple of episodes of PBS's new season of "American Experience" have focused on the Civil War (I'm watching the one on Robert E. Lee right now). That has me thinking of my own Civil War ancestors and how they contributed to both sides of that defining event in our country's history.

The soldier that fascinates me lately is one James Monroe Purser. Known as "Jim," he was born in Georgia on June 10, 1843, to Richard William Purser, of North Carolina, and Elizabeth Scott Bentley Purser, of Tallapoosa, Georgia. He had four brothers and one sister. When Jim was a child, his family moved to Alabama, where they farmed. His father died sometime between the 1850 and 1860 US censuses.

On February 4, 1862, at at Murphee's Crossroads in Blount County, Alabama, Jim enlisted in the Confederate army to fight the Union in the Civil War. His brothers, Richard and Moses, also enlisted and fought in the war. Jim was promoted from Private to 2nd Corporal in the 28th Alabama Infantry, Company B, but his service in the Confederate army wasn't without its trials and tribulations. As you can see in the army documents, below, Jim became ill within just a couple of months of enlisting, and ended up in the hospital at Shelby Springs, Alabama, for a time. Shortly after that, he somehow managed to lose his "gun and accoutrements" somewhere near Tupelo, Mississippi.  

Jim's most serious trial, however, came during a defining battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Chattanooga in Tennessee. From the end of September through October 1863, General Braxton Bragg’s focus was on cutting off supplies to the Union army. On October 17, Major General Ulysses S. Grant took over the Western armies and moved to reinforce Chattanooga and establish a new supply line for the Union. When Major General William Tecumseh Sherman arrived with his divisions in mid-November, the Union began its offensive at Chattanooga.

Battle of Chattanooga as reported in Harper's Weekly

On November 23 and November 24, Union forces captured Orchard Knob and Lookout Mountain. On November 25, Union soldiers assaulted and captured the Confederate position on Missionary Ridge. Thousands of men were captured or died on both sides during these three bloody days, but the Union army held Chattanooga, which became the supply and logistics base for Sherman’s 1864 Atlanta Campaign.

A scene at Rock Island, painted by fellow prisoner, John F. Gisch

Jim and his brother, Richard, were both captured during the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge in November 1863. They were confined at Rock Island Prison, Illinois, on December 5, 1863.

Rock Island hadn't even been completed when it started taking in more than 5,000 Confederate prisoners that December. The water supply and drainage were sub par, creating a sanitation problem; the temperature was well below zero degrees; and a smallpox epidemic sickened thousands and killed more than 600 within three months. During the Civil War, more than 12,000 men were imprisoned at Rock Island, and nearly 2,000 prisoners died there.

Both Jim and Richard Purser lived through their imprisonment, and were released in March 1865 as part of a P.O.W. exchange program with the Union army. All three Purser brothers who fought in the war lived for several decades after the war, raising families and, hopefully, enjoying their lives.

Inscription reads: "Beloved One, Farewell"

James Monroe Purser returned to Alabama and married Nancy Susan Hodge in 1866. They had eight children (including my great great grandmother, Francis Georgia Ann Purser), most of whom lived to adulthood. They moved to Texas sometime between 1870 and 1880, and Nancy died there in 1883. Jim married Sarah Jane Sykes in 1886 and had five more children with her. They moved from Texas to Indian Territory (what is now Oklahoma) sometime after 1900, and Jim died in Non, Hughes County, Oklahoma on January 29, 1914, at the age of 70.

James Monroe Purser was buried at Non Cemetery in Non, Oklahoma.