Iredell County NcArchives Military Records.....Dickey, John Revwar - Pension ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joseph H. Howard jhhoward@comcast.net May 2, 2007, 3:59 pm Captain John Dickey Revolutionary War File Captain John Dickey Revolutionary War File U. S. National Archives W 3962 21. Letters concerning the family Bible [12 May 1931] Burton L. French Committee on Appropriations 1st Congressional District Idaho Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, D. C. 12 May 1931 Honorable E. W. Morgan, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D.C. Re: Captain John Dickey, Revolutionary War, Roan County, North Carolina. (engaged in King Mountain Battle) My dear Mr. Morgan: In connection with application for widow's pension in the above case yours ago, I understand that there was submitted a family Bible that was printed in Edinburgh more than 200 years ago. Also I understand that as part of the records in the case certain pages formerly in the Bible were stripped from the book, probably pages showing birth and marriage data, etc. I wonder if the Bible and also these particular pages that were at one time made part of the records are of any further value to the Bureau. If not, I shall be very glad if you will separate them from the records in the old case and send them to Justice T. Bailey Lee, Supreme Court, Boise, Idaho Probably I should say that Justice Lee who is a member of the State Supreme Court, is a lineal descendant of this old warrior and would take greatest pride in keeping as part of the family heirlooms the Bible together with the sheets that at one time were necessary in connection with certain pension proofs. Will you kindly let me know what can be done. Yours very truly, Burton L. French [25 May 1931] May 25, 1931 Rev. & 1812 Wars Section MMHF:MLB Hon. Burton L. French Member of Congress Moscow, Idaho My dear Mr. French: Reference is made to your letter of May 12, on behalf of Justice T. Bailey Lee, Supreme Court, Boise, Idaho, in regard to the Revolutionary War pension claim, W. 3962, based upon the service of Captain John Dickey, War of Revolution, and from which claim Justice Lee requests the withdrawal of certain documents submitted in support of the claim. The matter has been taken up for consideration and you will be advised further in regard thereto. Very truly yours, E. W. Morgan Acting Commissioner [29 June 1931] June 29, 1931 Rev. & 1812 Wars Section MMHF:MLB Hon. Burton L. French Member of Congress Moscow, Idaho My dear Mr. French: Reference is made to your letter of May 12, 1931, requesting, in behalf of Justice T. Bailey Lee, Supreme Court, Boise, Idaho, the withdrawal from the files of the Pension Bureau, certain Bible leaves, and the Bible from which they were taken by the family of Captain John Dickey, War of the Revolution, and submitted to this bureau as material evidence in support of the claim for pension of his widow, Elizabeth (W.3962). You were advised on May 25, 1931, that the matter had been taken up for consideration. The records of the Revolutionary War pensioners constitute an important and much consulted portion of the archives of the United States Government and it is not deemed advisable to impair their value by withdrawing documents, or any parts of the claim, thereby removing the record evidence upon which such claims were based, in addition to leaving the files incomplete. For many years the Pension Bureau has adhered consistently to this practice which is approved by the Veterans Administration. Many descendants of soldiers of the Revolutionary War are scattered throughout the country, unknown to each other, and it is now impossible to determine any particular descendant who would have the exclusive right to have such a document stripped from the files for his or her possession, even if the bureau were to establish a precedent for other such withdrawals. The greatest care is taken of the papers on file in Revolutionary War pension and bounty land claims and it is believed that the public good is considered in the largest sense by preserving these old records intact at the seat of government where they more accessible for historical research, therefore, it is regretted that the bureau cannot comply with the request to withdraw and forward to Judge Lee a part of the documents on file in the above noted pension claim. Very truly yours, E. W. Morgan Acting Commissioner [handwritten up the side of the letter "The decision of the Administrator, General Harris, locked in vault"] [30 July 1931] The State of Idaho Supreme Court Boise July 30th 1931 My Dear General:- I am presuming to write you direct upon a purely personal matter, as the only methods I understand are those of a soldier and lawyer. God save me from civilian bureaucrats! While in Washington, attending the Law Institute, I discovered by mere chance down in the Pension Office, dumped in an old box, the mutilated remains of a bible two hundred and nineteen years old, once the property of a forbear, Capt. John Dickey, of Rowan County, N. Car., who swung a "mean" sword at Ramsour's Mill, King's Mountain, etc. Some vandal had torn out the pages containing the marriage and birth entries, placed them in the original files, and tossed the wrecked volume into the scrap heap, instead of including it intact as an integral part of the record. I realize that original files are sacred, and I have no request to make as to the raped pages. But, I do want the rest of the volume. As it lies there in an isolated box, it's mere junk, proves nothing, can prove nothing, and is about as valuable to Uncle Sam as a copy of the Whizbang or an empty bottle of Lydia Pinkham's. There's no earthly reason for keeping it at all. My object is to have it chemically treated, cleaned up, rebound and placed on the ancestral shelves in North Carolina where, together with the old valiant's sword and will, the multitudinous kin can examine and gloat to their heart's content. For years, I have been recognized as the Historian and Curator of the clan, the only one apparently who has devoted his time and money to recovering the tracks of our colonial forbears. When any of the family dispersed through a dozen states wants to break into some patriotic society, I'm immediately bombarded for facts: they are all urging me to secure this bible, if humanly possible. As I told Secretary Wilbur: "If Uncle Sam can return captured battle flags to my rebel stock in Dixie, surely he can give a boy his grandad's old bible". The Secretary expressed the opinion that such a disposition might be consistently arranged. I trust I haven't bored you with my importuning. But, I had four granddads fighting Red Coats and Tories, and I want every blessed memento to 'em. Respectfully and sincerely, T. Bailey Lee N. Car. '94 Major Gen'l. Frank T. Hines., Director Veteran's Bureau, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. [15 Aug 1931] August 15 1931 Signed and mailed Aug 15, 1931, Administrator's Office Hon. T. Bailey Lee Chief Justice, Supreme Court Boise, Idaho My dear Mr. Chief Justice: Reference is made to your letter of July 30, 1931, in which you request, for your possession, the separation from the Revolutionary War pension claim, W. 3962, of Elizabeth Dickey, widow of Captain John Dickey, the Bible which, with the family record, was submitted in support of her claim for pension, and which is now in the custody of the Veterans Administration. May I first state that all documents in this particular claim, as in all others of like character, are preserved with the greatest care. To insure added protection to the Bible in question, as well as many more frail pieces, it was securely wrapped and tied in kraft paper, given the file number of the claim from which it was removed, and locked in a cabinet free from dust. All are now locked in a steel vault. By this method a minimum length of time is consumed when the request is made to see them, as in your case. Further, contrary to the inferences in your letter there are expressions in the papers on file in this pension claim which lead me to believe that the family of Captain Dickey removed the family record from the Bible. If the policy had been established to release parts of these old claims from the archives of the Government, the records would be most incomplete and the parts, this old Bible included, scattered throughout the United States. Descendants of the applicants for pension now dispersed through all of the states would seek in vain the whole record, which they can now examine intact in Washington, as many do. To withdraw, for the benefit of one individual or descendant, parts of these records from the government archives would destroy the value of the whole record at the expense of future research workers, and other descendants with equal right to make claim. I regret to advise you therefore, that after careful consideration, it is not deemed advisable as a matter of policy to establish the precedent which would result in granting your request. Very truly yours Frank T. Hines Administrator [illegible initials] all carbons should have had my initials typed on them [8 March 1932] Honorable Addison T. Smith, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. My dear Mr. Smith: Since your visit of recent date in furtherance of the request of the Honorable T. Bailey Lee, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Idaho, for the removal from the Administration files of certain papers, including the Bible which, with the family record, was submitted in support of the claim of his ancestor Elizabeth Dickey, widow of Captain John Dickey who served in the Revolutionary War, I have had occasion to thoroughly review all aspects of the policy which denies compliance with the request, both from the standpoint of this particular pension claim as well as others of the same character. In making this formal reply may I first report that, being part of the permanent records of the Government, it is the duty of the Administration to preserve them safely for the purpose of maintaining the authentic documentation of the claim upon which the pension was granted. It might be argued, or course, that the interest of the Government would be as well preserved by the retention of photostat copies thereof in the event we were to yield to the persuasions of any member or members of the family based on their readily understood sentiment and desire to supplement their genealogical history by the addition of these old papers to the private family archives. I am constrained to advise you, however, that despite the fact that Judge Lee has submitted sworn statements from several persons claiming to be descendants of this revolutionary soldier to the effect that he is the recognized historian of the Dickey family, I do not feel that there is sufficient reason for the release of these records to him. I do not imply that Judge Lee would intentionally do anything with these documents which could make them less available to all descendants of this Revolutionary hero, both present and future, than they would be while part of the government records. On the contrary he has indicated his intention to make them more readily available, but he is by the nature of things limited to a restricted group. I believe that a withdrawal for the benefit of one individual or group of descendants, or part of the Government archives would destroy the value of the whole record at the expense of other descendants who may not be associated or acquainted with the particular individual or group making the present request, and of all other descendants in the future who will have equal right and reason to desire and claim possession. This family tree has branched out in so many directions since the demise of the common ancestor as to preclude reliance in the lap of descent for a determination as to who might be entitled to take by inheritance, if we could agree on the Administration's right to release them. I feel safe in saying also, that it would not be long before other interested parties with just as good reason would ask for other papers, which although probably not so interesting to Judge Bailey from a sentimental standpoint as the Bible, would nevertheless, have a real appeal to others. Apart from and perhaps above the interest these papers and documents have for descendants of the soldier involved is their value to research workers and historians generally in the study of matters relating to revolutionary personalities and events in which all Americans take so much pride. Their preservation in the archives of the Government seems to me to be argued for from every side. As Judge Bailey has been advised, all documents in this claim, and in all others of like character, are preserved with the greatest care. To insure added protection to the Bible in question it was securely wrapped and tied in kraft paper, given the file number of the claim from which it was removed, and locked in a cabinet free from dust. It is now reposing in a steel vault. A request to examine it is easily and speedily complied with. I sincerely hope that you will appreciate the Administration's viewpoint on this matter as much as Judge Lee's sentiments in desiring to acquire these papers are appreciated by the Administration. Very truly yours, Frank T. Hines Administrator Signed and mailed March 8 1932 Administrator's Office [8 March 1932] Affidavits exhibited by Hon. Addison T. Smith and returned to him after letter of March 8, 1932 was sent him. T. Bailey Lee, Feb. 5, 1932, Boise Idaho Susie A. Blaylock, Jan. 12, 1932, Rabun Gap, Ga Thos. P. Johnston, Kingsport, Tenn, not dated nor sworn Miss Clara Knox, Salisbury, N.C., Jan. 30, 1932 Jos. B. Johnston, Barium Springs, N.C., Jan. 12, 1932 J. K. Hall, Belmont, N.C., not dated nor sworn Essie Stewart MacLean, Lumberton, N.C., not dated nor sworn John B. Johnston & E. L. Gaither, Mocksville, N.C. not dated nor sworn Thos. P. Johnston, Salisbury, N.C., not dated nor sworn File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/iredell/military/revwar/pensions/dickey531gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 14.8 Kb