HENDERSON COUNTY'S CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE VETERAN PENSIONERS

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

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  It was in 1891 that the Tennessee legislature provided pensions for its older citizens who were Confederate veterans, those persons among them who were indigent, i.e. financially needy and who had served honorably in the armed forces of the Confederacy. (Their Federal counterparts were also eligible under the same guidelines but these men chose a more bountiful federal pension. One could not draw both.)

  The southern states were uniformly providing such pensions for their veterans so that there was an understanding among them that they would grant pensions to all eligible veterans in their individual borders regardless of where they had actually served back in the Sixties.

  In their applications for pensions, those persons claiming to be veterans answered a barrage of questions as to their birthplace, birthdate, date of enlistment in the service, unit in which one had served, wounds/injuries sustained as a result of service, particular engagements in which one had fought, marital status, number of children and the values of their real and personal properties. Sometimes veterans submitted depositions or letters from fellow veterans/friends to bolster the validity of their claim and/or from doctors about health concerns.

  A pension board evaluated each pension application and if its members were satisfied that the applicant met the state guidelines he was approved for a modest pension. If there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claimed service or if a man had been a deserter or if he were not indigent enough, his application would be rejected.

  The pension board was sometimes remiss by present standards, accepting the barest of information, often only the initials of the applicants given names, almost informal designations of units in which one had served. In order to avoid a certain kind of fraud, an applicant had to have been a legal resident of Tennessee at least a year before applying for a pension.

  In this publication, the writer has attempted to locate each applicant who lived in Henderson County when he applied for a pension. The NAME OF THE SUPPOSED VETERAN, APPLICATION NUMBER, THE DATE OF FILING FOR A PENSION, THE MILITARY UNIT IN WHICH ONE HAD SERVED, WHETHER THE APPLICATION WAS ACCEPTED OR REJECTED, ADDRESS, AND HIS PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH ARE GIVEN. The writer personally took this information directly from the microfilmed copies of the applications. Persons who wish to have a copy of an entire application may obtain such a copy for a fee from the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville or from the genealogy department of the main library of the Memphis Public Library and Information Center.

613. R. A. WHITE. Filed November 24, 1899. Accepted. Company H, 31 Tenn. Inf.; born Decatur County, Tennessee, September 22, 1834. Scotts Hill.

773. JOHN R. THOMAS. Filed November 24, 1891. Accepted. Company B, 17 South Carolina Inf.; born Chester County, South Carolina, April 4, 1844. Middle Fork.

871. W. T. GRIFFIN. Filed February 3, 1892. Rejected. Company I, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Anson County, North Carolina, 1838. Juno.

882. A. R. JOWERS. Filed February 10, 1892. Accepted. Company H, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Anson County, North Carolina, 1818. Alberton.

907. E. A. REED. Filed February 23, 1892. Accepted. Company C, 21 Tenn. Cav.; born Randolph County, North Carolina, 1824. Middle Fork.

1213. W. T. GRIFFIN. Filed February 18, 1892. Accepted. Company I, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Anson County, North Carolina, 1838. Juno. /This was a second, accepted application for him./

1373. JOHN LEWIS. Filed October 23, 1893. Accepted. Company A, 116 Georgia Inf.; born Robertson County, North Carolina, October 1830. Darden.

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2538. R. H. SMITH. Filed December 15, 1902. Accepted. Company I, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., September 18, 1836. Marginally noted he died February 22, 1918.

2574. L. W. JONES. Filed March 9, 1900. Accepted. Company H, 21 Tenn. Cav.; born Henderson County, January 27, 1841. Lived in Henderson County.

2770. J. M. ABERNATHY. Filed May 17, 1901. Accepted. Company K, 21 Kentucky Cav.; born Giles County, Tenn., December 1, 1831. Scotts Hill.

3120. T. L. GRIGGS. Filed December 27, 1900. Accepted. 51 Tenn. Inf.; born Williamson Co., Tenn., October 3, 1827. Alberton.

3162. M. M. MULLINS. Filed January 26, 1901. Accepted. Company A, 55 Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., June 24, 1839.

3210. W. C. MILLER. Filed March 8, 1901. Accepted. Company I, 7 Tenn. Cav.; born Roane Co., Tenn., July 18, 1840. Lived in Henderson County.

4111. JAMES MORSE. Filed April 2, 1902. Rejected. Company I, North Carolina Reg.; born Person County, North Carolina, November 20, 1824. Law.

4249. WILLIAM H. WHITE. Filed May 8, 1902. Rejected. Company B, 53 Tenn. Vols.; born Marshall Co., Tenn., 1838. Reagan.

4488. JAMES A. MITCHELL. Filed September 18, 1902. Accepted. Company I, 13 Tenn. Inf.; born Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1825. Middle Fork.

4638. J. W. SWIFT. Filed January 15, 1903. Accepted. Company I, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Dyer County, Tenn., 1844. Scotts Hill.

4876. A. J. WHEATLEY. Filed April 15, 1903. Accepted. Company A, 22 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn. (no date given). Lexington.

5518. S. M. KING. Filed November 4, 1905. Rejected. Company H, 21 Tenn. Cav.; born Lauderdale County, Alabama, June 23, 1829. Mifflin.

5759. JOE JOYNER. Filed May 23, 1905. Accepted. Company G, 2 Consolidated Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn. (no date given). Huron.

5812. J. W. ALEXANDER. Filed November 5, 1903. Accepted. Company D, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Perry County, Tenn., November 13, 1839. Lexington.

6l62. J. D. HORTON. Filed April 19, 1904. Accepted. Company I, 13 Tenn. Inf.; born Stewart County, Georgia, 1838. Reagan.

6l63. S. C. JOHNS0N. Filed April 19, 1904. Rejected. 10 Tenn. Cav.; born Tippah County, Mississippi, 1840. Long.

7205. J. W. SPARKMAN. Filed July 14, 1905. Accepted. 48 Tenn. Inf.; born Maury Co., Tenn., February 3, 1835. Luray.

7216. C. M. DAVIS. Filed July 19, 1905. Accepted. Company K, 43 North Carolina Inf.; born Anson County, North Carolina, 1836. Reagan.

7286. JOE H. RYALS. Filed July 31, 1905. Accepted. Company I, 1 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., 1848. Luray.

7312. W. A. BROWER. Filed August 5, 1905. Accepted. Company A, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., April 7, 1845. Lexington.

7718. JOHN D. ANDERSON. Filed December 1, 1905. Accepted. 19 Tenn. Cav.; born Henderson County, Tenn., January 1, 1846. Huron.

7742. T. P. BIRD. Filed April 7, 1906. Accepted. Company F, 55 Tenn. Inf.; born Halifax County, Virginia, October 21, 1815. Shady Hill.

8222. DAVID CAREY. Filed May 22, 1906. Accepted. Wilson' s Tenn. Cav.; born Wayne Co., Tenn., July 21, 1829. Juno.

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8242. JAMES H. LONG. Filed June 5, 1906. Rejected. H. Clay King's Regiment; born McCracken County, Kentucky, 1848. Lived in Henderson County.

8509. GEORGE H. GRIGGS. Filed October 29, 1906. Accepted. 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., 18 40. Lexington.

8659. JOEL E. WILSON. Filed January 9, 1907. Accepted. Company F, "under Colonel Browder"; born Henderson County, Tenn., July 3, 1838. Lexington.

8660. GEORGE H. MORGAN. Filed January 9, 1907. Accepted. Company F, 51 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., 1840. Juno.

8873. NICHOLAS KIZER. Filed March 19, 1907. Accepted. Company D, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., 1841. Lexington. (Spelled his name Nicolas)

9013. J. C. RHODES. Filed April 22, 1907. Accepted. 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Franklin Co., Tenn., 1836. Huron.

9270. JOHN MEADOWS. Filed July 1, 1907. Accepted. Company A, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., 1844. Luray.

9573. W. W. HANCOCK. Filed October 12, 1907. Accepted. 1 Tenn. Cav.; born near Bath Sprs., Decatur County, Tenn., August 29, 1837. Darden.

9781. J. D. STANFIELD. Filed January 2, 1908. Rejected. Company G, 16 Tenn. Cav.; born Henderson County, Tenn., July 12, 1829. Sardis.

9979. W. WHITE. Filed March 23, 1908. Accepted. Company D, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., 1837. Lexington.

10381. C. S. BACHELOR. Filed August 4, 1908. Rejected. Company K, 6 Tenn. Inf.; born Haywood County, Tenn., 1842. Luray.

10440. JAMES R. MEDLIN. Filed August 29, 1908. Accepted. Company D, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson Co., Tenn., 1836. Sardis.

10488. ALVIN BURKETT. Filed September 16, 1908. Accepted. Company H, 5 Tenn. Inf.; born Benton Co., Tenn., 1845. Lexington.

11465. A. J. MITCHELL. Filed August 18, 1909. Accepted. 5 Provisional Regiment; born Warren Co., Tenn., November 2, 1835. Scotts Hill.

12208. A. J. OWEN. Filed October 18, 1910. Accepted. Colonel Jack Biffle' s Regiment; born Hickman Co., Tenn., 1847. Lexington.

12754. S. E. McCOY. Filed May 1, 1911. Accepted. 7 Alabama Cav.; born Tishomingo County, Mississippi, September 9, 1841. Lexington. (Marginally noted he died Jan. 25, 1934)

13643. GEORGE B. WALLACE. Filed July 19, 1912. Rejected. Company I, 27 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson Co., Tenn., February 7, 1843. Huron.

14496. J. H. GILLIAM. Filed September 1, 1914. Accepted. Company F, 51 Tenn. Inf.; born Henderson County, Tenn., June 4, 1837. Lexington.

15327. G. F. McHANEY. Filed January 23, 1918. Accepted. Company I, 13 Tennessee Infantry; born Henderson County, Tennessee, 1841. Lexington. (At the time of his death his estate was declared to be insolvent.)

15723. JOHN C. MARTIN. Filed September 22, 1922. Rejected. Company D, 9 Tennessee Cavalry; born in Tennessee, August 7, 1846. Lexington.

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.