Following the civil war, many people faced economic hardships. During the war many loyal southerners had their property, supplies or animals taken by the union forces. As a result, the federal government established the Southern Claims Commission. This commission, founded on March 3, 1871, allowed individuals to file claims for their losses during the civil war. Each individual filing a claim had to prove their loyalty to the union and document their losses using testimony. Copies of the files may be obtained from the National Archives. Barred and disallowed claims are on microfiche at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The following is a list of those individuals in Bledsoe and Cumberland County, Tennessee who filed a claim:
CUMBERLAND COUNTY CLAIMS
| PERSON: | COMMISSION # | OFFICE # | REPORT # | STATUS: |
| Elizabeth J. Gibson | 8051-2 | Barred | ||
| John F. Greer | 8050 | 8 | Allowed | |
| Bazzel Hedgecoth | 6398 | 8 | Allowed | |
| Wm. Kearley | 8053 | Barred | ||
| James M. Miller | 8054 | 8 | Allowed | |
| Fielding M. Narramore | 6397 | 8 | Allowed | |
| William T. Orme | 8055 | 706 | 8 | Disallowed |
| Elizabeth Parham | 8056 | 8 | Allowed | |
| John Stephens | 8057 | Barred | ||
| Thomas Stevens | 6399 | Barred | ||
| James M. Tanner | 8058-9 | Barred |
BLEDSOE COUNTY CLAIMS
| PERSON: | COMMISSION # | OFFICE # | REPORT # | STATUS: |
| Stephen H. Alexander | 19712 | 3 | Allowed | |
| John C. Hinch | 14391 | 8 | Allowed | |
| Jasper L. Mayers | 17709 | 1345 | 9 | Disallowed |
| Abraham H. Nail | 18965 | 9 | Allowed | |
| Aaron Swafford | 22273 | 244 | 10 | Disallowed |