Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington

Claim of William Cate of Bradley county, Tennessee no. 15.774 and 20702

Deposition of Joseph R. Taylor

Age 42 years, residence Cleveland, Tennessee. I am a farmer and brick mason. I am not related to the claimant and have no interest in his claim.

I have known the claimant at least 20 years, and for several years lived on an adjoining farm to the claimant, knew him and his farm intimately for the last 20 years. His farm is one of the best farms in Bradley county specially adapted to wheat, corn, clover, and grass. I have worked much on his farm.

Question by claimant – How much wheat and hay or clover will those fields raise that I was running in wheat and clover and timothy during the war. What per acre would these fields average?

Answer – The fields he was running in wheat would average fifteen bushels per acres. I am satisfied that the most of the land in clover would have averaged about two tons per acre.

Question – Please state what you know of me as a farmer and what amount of supplies farm products I raise each year?

Answer – He is considered one of the best farmers in our county and I am satisfied that he ought to raise two thousand dollars worth of supplies/farm products a year and I know that he does raise large quantities of farm products and I recollect that the crop years of 1862-3 and 4 were all good crop years.

Question – Please state who was the Confederate Tax Collector for 1862 and perhaps for 1863 in Bradley county.

Answer – William L. Brown.

Question – State what you know about the intimacy between me and Capt. A.E. Blount at the close of the war?

Answer – For several years I thought they were on excellent terms. And I only know the rumor that when Blount got the appointment of Postmaster in the spring of 1869 that the claimant refused to go on his bond and that from that refusal some hardship grew up.

I also know that one of my near neighbors William W. Wood, a rebel, went on a note for Capt. A.E. Blount’s benefit in bank for as he thought for two hundred dollars but it turned out to be for two thousand dollars and that Wood had to pay if off by mortgaging his property and a nephew of the claimant, T.L. Cate took an active part in making Blount secure said Wood and ultimately paying him. I also heard of the said T.L. Cate losing a registered letter that created hard feelings through the office under Capt. Blount. I never heard of his discharging any of his clerks on account of the loss of the money. This was about the time of the protest of said banknote.

I also heard of another registered letter going to G.D. (Oniall?), now dead, being lost about the same time.

Question – Please state what Mr. James H. Norman’s land or estate was worth at anytime? and about my intimacy with him.

Answer – I know that claimant and Norman were intimate neighbors. I don’t think the said Norman’s property at anytime was worth more that $2,500 and part of this consisted of a negro woman and some then small children. I never knew Norman to be a lender of money but I knew him as a borrower. He was always considered an honest upright man though considered comparatively a poor man. Mr. Norman was the guardian of myself and brothers and sisters and when I called on him he could not meet it and it was paid me by his son after his death.

Question – State what you know about my being enthralled at anytime.

Answer – I never at anytime knew of the claimant being enthralled.

Question – State what you know about my loyalty.

Answer – I know that he was a strong Union man, and that he reputed to be a strong Union man. I was a rebel and knew who was rebel and who was not all around Cleveland and I never heard the claimant’s loyalty to the United States questioned till the last few weeks.

Question – Do you know how John N. Cowan stood as to loyalty and how he considered claimant?

Answer – Mr. John N. Cowan was a rebel and considered the claimant a Union man. I have heard him speak of him as a Lincolnite. I have heard him call the claimant a Lincolnite to his face, but jocularly.

signed,
J.R. Taylor
before, John W. Ramsey – Spec. Comm. 

 

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Links to each section of the transcribed file:

• Introduction & Part VIII — Conclusion
• Part I — William Cate’s Claimed Losses
• Part II — Notes from the Office of the Commissioners of Claims
• Part III — Depositions Taken in 1875 Regarding Claimant’s (Cate) Loyalty
• Part IV — Opinion Submitted by John B. Brownlow, U. S. Special Commission
• Part V — Additional Testimony for the Commissioners of Claims at Washington
  • Depositions:
    William Cate ~ Joseph H. Davis ~ Leonard Carrouth ~ Capt. A. E. Blount ~ John A. Steed ~ J. F. Larrison ~ Mrs. Sidney Henderson ~ Col. D. M. Nelson ~ Samuel Grigsby ~ Andrew J. Maples ~ John A. Hague ~ Herman Foster ~ Thomas L. Cate ~ James McGhee ~ Thomas Rains ~ D. B. Oneal ~ Thomas A. Cowan ~ C. L. Hardwick ~ Joseph Calloway ~ J. C. Steed ~ Joseph R. Taylor ~ William W. Wood(s) ~ James H. Brown ~ James S. Robertson ~ John H. Craigmiles ~ John H. Parker ~ John McReynolds ~ John W. Witcher
• Part VI — Summary of All Evidence for and Against Cate’s Loyalty
• Part VII — Opinion of Witnesses by John W. Ramsey
• Part VIII — William Cate’s Letter to Judge A. O. Alder

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The information in these articles was formerly linked from Bradley County TNGenWeb to a site owned by Danny Roy Williams at Geocities.  The site was last available in 2009.  It is available through the Internet Archive here.  No copyright infringement is intended.