CIVIL WAR PENSION APP. - Henry James Coleman, Gilchrist Co., FL File contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Janet Steadham, (steaddanjan@earthlink.net) ******************************************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or publication by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ******************************************************************************************* CONTRIBUTOR'S NOTE: I have no relationship to anyone mentioned in the below file. ******************************************************************************************* Application No. D24102 Soldier's Pension Claim Under General Pension Law of Florida as Amended by Acts of 1925 (FORM A) STATE OF FLORIDA,} County of Gilchrist} On this 31st day of July, A. D. One Thousand Nine Hundred and thirty-five, personally appeared before me, the County Judge in and for the county and State aforesaid Henry James Coleman, who being duly sworn according to law, declares that he is 83 years of age, having been born on the 27th day of October 1851, in the county of Cumberland, in the State of N.C. That he is a bona fide citizen of the county of Gilchrist, State of Florida. That he has resided in the State of Florida continuously since the 15th day of March, 1892. That he is the identical person who enlisted at Fayetteville, under the name of Henry James Coleman, on the 17th day of December, 1864, in Company of Capt. Duncan James McCalister of the State of N. C. in the service of the Home Guards and who was HONORABLY DISCHARGED at Fayetteville, in the State of N. C., at the close of the war, 1865 on account of close of the war. That I served faithfully until HONORABLY DISCHARGED from the service of the Home Guards in the year 1865, and did not desert the service of the Confederacy nor take the oath of allegiance to the United States until after the surrender of the Confederate Armies. (Here state whereabouts at close of Civil War.) That I was at Fayetteville, N. C. That I have not heretofore applied for a pension from the State of Florida and refer to Claim No. ____ for the proof contained therein. (Here state any disabilities, physical or mental.) Has cancer on the lower lip, and other infirmities caused by old age That my postoffice address is Trenton, County of Gilchrist, State of Florida. His X mark: Henry James Coleman Attest: (1) Annie Lou Lindsey (2) ? Akins Sworn and subscribed before me this 31st day of July A. D. 1935; and I hereby certify that the above declaration, etc., were fully made known and explained to the applicant before swearing; and that I have no interest, direct or indirect, in the prosecution of this claim. M. G. Akins County Judge Gilchrist County, Florida ****************************************************************************************** Report of County Commissioners We, the undersigned, County Commissioners in and for the County of Gilchrist, Florida, do hereby report that at a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners held this day, the foregoing application of Henry James Coleman for a pension under the Laws of Florida, was investigated by us, and we are satisfied that the representation made in the petition and affidavits are true, and that a pension should be granted to the applicant. Witness our hands this 6th day of August, A. D. 1935. (1) S. B. Hardee, Chairman (2) R. F. Pridgeon (3) W. Z. Bryant (4) Ira J. Philman (5) Dewey J. Sta? By the County Commissioners. Attest: H. E. Harlee Clerk Circuit Court ****************************************************************************************** At the Residence of Mrs. E. A. Fowler, Gainesville, Florida This is to certify that I am personally aquainted [sic] with, Mr. Henry James Coleman a resident of Trenton, Gilchrist County Florida, That I knew him during and at the close of the Confederate War, that the said Henry James Coleman was at the close of said war around fourteen or fisteen [sic] years of age. I also rember [sic] that there was at Fayetteville N. C. a training or drill camp known as the Home Guards, that all the boys of around the age of Mr. Coleman was enlisted in the said drill camp. I further certify that I was around seven years old at the beginning of said war and around eleven or twelve years when it closed, that I lived in Fayetteville N. C. until I was fifteen years when I moved from Fayetteville N. C. to Florida leaving Mr. Coleman in N. C. later years Mr. Coleman moved to Florida, and has resided in this state every since. Although I can't remember specifficaly [sic] that Mr. Coleman or any other of the boys that served, I am satisfied that they all served as Home Guards in this camp that is to say Fayettville [sic] Camp of the Home Guards. I futher [sic] certify that I have herd [sic] read the above statement and that the statement made is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. His X mark: E. A. Fowler Susie May} M. G. Akins} Sworn to and subscribed before me this 31st day of July A. D. 1935. M. G. Akins County Judge Gilchrist County, Florida ****************************************************************************************** 8-14-1935 Mr. Newell, please file with Miss Bowen Pension Board Secretary. Department of the State Auditor Raleigh, North Carolina To enable this office to identify the record of the person referred to in the attached communication if he was in the military service, the following questions should be answered, as fully as practicable, and the papers returned to this office when a further search of the records will be made. 1. Name under which he enlisted: Henry James Coleman 2. Full name: Henry James Coleman 3. Residence at enlistment: Cumberland County (Fayetteville my P. O.), North Carolina 4. Place of enlistment: Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina 5. Date of enlistment: the last part of 1864. Date of discharge: at end of war 6. Nature of duties performed: Infantry 7. Company and Regiment in which served: Duncan James McCallister 8. Name some of the Company Officers: McCallister, Williamson 9. Name some of the enlisted men in Company: my brother, William Coleman - we were only boys 10. Purpose for which it is desired to use the information if furnished: to verify claim of having performed period 11. Did he draw a pension? no. He died ? 30 years Date of death: about 30 years ago Place: ? County, N. C., 22 mi. from Fayetteville 12. If soldier dead, has widow drawn a pension? soldier is living from what County? none or State: none 13. Give full name of widow: applicant still living 14. Name and address of person desiring record: Miss Roumelle Bowen, Pension Secretary, Tallahassee, Florida Date: Aug 28th 1935 ****************************************************************************************** Department of the State Auditor Raleigh, N. C. August 14, 1935 Mr. Roumelle Bowen, Secretary, Pension Department, Tallahassee, Fla. Dear Sir: Replying to your letter of August 12th, I beg to state that we have no records of the Home Guard. If Mr. Henry James Coleman was attached to any command of the regular service and does not recall the names of any of his immediate officers, if you will let us have the name of the County from which he enlisted in the Confederate Army and any other information he may be able to furnish as to the branch of service he was in, we will be glad to make further search. I do not find the name of Capt. Duncan James McCallister. I do find a Henry Coleman, who was a second Lieut. in Company C.. 20th Regiment, but as he was commissioned in 1861 he evidently is not the party referred to in your letter. I am enclosing a blank form of Questionnaire, so that you can have the interested party give as much information as he may be able to furnish. Yours very truly, Baxter Durham, State Auditor, E. H. Baker Chief Clerk Pension Bureau B/n ****************************************************************************************** Pension Department State of Florida Tallahassee August 17th, 1935 Mr. Henry James Coleman Trenton Florida Dear Sir: With further reference to your claim for pension, I wish to advise that I wrote to the Pension Department of North Carolina in an effort to obtain record of your service, however, the State Auditor advised that there are no records of the home guard companies. If you rendered any service to the Confederacy I will be glad to make another inquiry to North Carolina Pension Department, but if the Company you served in was just a home guard organization during the War between the States, then you would not be eligible to pension under the present Pension Law. Yours very truly, Roumelle Bowen Secretary, Pension Board Trenton, Fla. August 21st, 1935 Dear Miss Bowen: I want to handle this Application. Would you please determine if they knew of the company shown on application of Henry James Coleman in any manner, whether by records or simply in name? Also, please give me your version of the law, citing same, that prevents Home Guards from States other than Florida's drawing a pension in Florida. For this I shall thank you. I want to appear before the Board as soon as possible after the Governor returns to his Office. But please not let me bother you too much. Please advise me what you learn further from North Carolina. Very Sincerely, O. Lamar Crocker ****************************************************************************************** August 26th, 1935 Hon. O. Lamar Crocker Trenton Florida Dear Mr. Crocker: I wish to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the twenty-first and I will be glad to present it to the Pension Board for attention and advise you the date that you can appear before the Board to present Mr. Coleman's application. If you will have Mr. Coleman to fill in the enclosed questionnaire I will be glad to mail it to Hon. Baxter Durham, State Auditor, N. C., in an effort to obtain record of his service, however, I am informed that the State of North Carolina does not have any records of the home guard companies. I am enclosing herewith copy of the present Pension Law and wish to call your attention to Section 1444, which reads in part as follows: "Provided further, that the provisions of this Act shall apply to those who were members of the militia of any of the Confederate States, who saw actual service in the Confederate Service for a least one years, and nothing has been furnished to prove that Mr. Coleman saw actual service but he states he was a home guard. Yours very truly Secretary, Pension Board /B ****************************************************************************************** State of Florida Executive Department Tallahassee David Sholtz, Governor J. P. Newell, Executive Secretary September 16th, 1935 Honorable O. Lamar Crocker Trenton, Florida Dear Mr. Crocker: Your letter to Governor Sholtz requesting information with reference to right of the County Pensioners to participate in the Federal Old Pension Fund was received and he has instructed me to obtain the information requested and forward same to you. The law enacted during the last Legislature providing for the Old Age Pension contemplated that the State Pension Board should administer the Social Security Act passed in the closing days of Congress, but does not specifically indicate whether it is to be handled through the State Pension or the Board of Public Welfare. Miss Bowen, Secretary of the Pension Board has made every effort to obtain information as to the method of administering the Old Age Pension when it is put in force and I am calling her attention to your interest in the matter and asking her to write you. I feel sure you will hear from her in the very near future. I understand the other maters mentioned in your letter were discussed with Mr. Newell during your recent visit to Tallahassee. With best wishes, Sincerely yours, W. R. Smith, Assistant Secretary to the Governor WRS:r CC: Miss Bowen, Capitol ****************************************************************************************** Sept. 18th, 1935 Mr. E. H. Baker Chief Clerk Pension Bureau Raleigh North Carolina Dear Sir: With further reference to my letter addressed to you on August twelfth relative to the war service of Mr. Henry James Coleman, I mailed him the questionnaire you furnished this Department but it appears to have been misplaced but if you will furnish me another one I will be glad to mail it to him and have him fill it in so that a record of his service might be located if possible. Please also state in your letter if you have any records whatever of the home guard companies of North Carolina. We do not have any official records of home guard companies in the State, and I understood from your letter of the 14th that you have no records of the home guard and so advised Mr. Coleman but he doesn't seem to understand and request ed that I write for another questionnaire. Assuring you of my appreciation for the prompt attention you have always given this Department, I am, Yours very truly Secretary, Pension Board /B CC to: Hon. O. Lamar Crocker ****************************************************************************************** Department of the State Auditor Raleigh, N. C. Sept. 21, 1935 Baxter Durham State Auditor Mr. Roumelle Bowen, Secretary, Pension Board, Tallahassee, Fla. Dear Sir: As requested in your letter of September 18, I am enclosing blank form of Questionnaire to be used in the case of Mr. Henry James Coleman. We do not have any records of any Home Guard Organizations. Members of the Home Guard are not recognized as Confederate Soldiers, and therefore, are not entitled to pensions in this State, unless it can be shown that they previously enlisted in the regular service and were later detailed for special Home Guard duties. Yours very truly, Baxter Durham, State Auditor, E. H. Baker Chief Clerk Pension Bureau B/n ****************************************************************************************** Sept. 25th, 1935 Honorable O. Lamar Crocker Trenton Florida Dear Mr. Crocker: That part of your letter addressed to Hon. David Sholtz, Governor, relating to old-age pensions has been referred to this Department for attention and I am enclosing herewith copy of a letter from the Social Security Board in Washington, D. C., stating that there are no funds available to the present from which this pension can be paid. It is my understanding that this matter will be taken up by Congress early in January and I will be glad to write you when this Department is advised that an appropriation has been made and blanks have been prepared upon which to make application. The questionnaire filled out by Mr. Henry James Coleman has just been transmitted to this office from the Governor's office and has been filed with his application for pension as I am just in receipt of a letter from the Pension Department of North Carolina, a copy of which is enclosed herewith, saying that they have no record of the home guard companies, unless the soldier previously enlisted in the regular service. If Mr. Coleman rendered any service what ever to the regular Confederate Army, an detailed for special Home Guard duties kindly advise and I will be glad to forward the questionnaire on to North Carolina, however, in the one already filled out there is nothing to indicate he rendered Confederate service. Yours very truly, Secretary, Pension Board /B ****************************************************************************************** Application No. 24102 Claim For Pension By Henry James Coleman Of Trenton, Fla. Postoffice Gilchrist County Late Of Capt. McCalister Co. Of Home Guards Fayetteville, N.C. Regiment Filed In Pension Department Aug 10, 1935 Denied By Pension Board Jan 22, 1926