Brazos County, TX - R. H. Godwin Civil War Pension application Submitter: Cheryl White To: Kay - TxGenWeb Archives Subject: R. H. Godwin (Right Handy) Conf. Pen. App. #4771 Date: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 7:19 PM Confederate Pension Application Name of Applicant, R. H. Godwin Brazos County, Post Office Bryan Comptroller's File No. 4771 I have carefully examined the within application for pension, together with the proof in support thereof, and I recommend that the application be approved this 24 day of November A.D. 1899 Wm. J. Sevaier, Pension Clerk I hereby approve the within application for pension, this 24 day of November A.D. 1899 R. M. ****, Comptroller ----------------------------------------------------- Application of Indigent Soldier or Sailor of the late Confederacy for pension under the Act of May 12, 1899. ----------------------------------------------------- The State of Texas County of Brazos To the Honorabel County Judge of Brazos County, Texas. Your petitioner R. H. Godwin respectfully represents that he is a resident citizen Brazos County, in the State of Texas, and that he makes this application for the purpose of obtaining a pension under the act passed by the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Texas, and approved May 12, A.D. 1899, the same being an act entitled "An act to carry into effect the amendment to the Constitution of the State of Texas, providing that aid may be granted to disabled and dependent Confederate soldiers, sailors, and their widows under certain conditions, and to make an appropriation therefor," and I do solemnly swear that the answers I have given to the following questions are true. ---------------------------------------------- Note--Applicant must make answer to all of the following questions, and such answers must be written out plainly in ink. ---------------------------------------------- Q. What is your name? Answer: R. H. Godwin Q. What is your age? Answer: Sixty three Q. In what County do you reside? Answer: Brazos Q. How long have you resided in said County and what is your post office address? Answer: 26 years, Bryan, Brazos County, Texas Q. Have you applied for a pension under the Confederate Pension Law heretofore, and been rejected? If so state when and where. Answer: Have not Q. What is your occupation if able to engage in one? Answer: Laborer Q. What is your physical condition? Answer: not good, feeble, also wound in left shoulder, rendering left arm useless, also lung dicease(?) Q. If your physical condition is such that you are unable by your own labor to earn a support, state what caused such disability. Answer: Was wounded in left shoulder at the battle of Atlanta GA and lung trouble was the result of measles contracted during ___ services in the confederate army Q. State in what company and regiment you enlisted in the Confederate army, and the time of your service? Answer: Co. A, 14 Miss. Regt. from May '61 to Aug. '64 Q. State whether or not you have received any pension or veteran donation land certificate under any previous law, and if you answer in the affirmative state what pension or veteran donation land certificate you have received. Answer: None Q. What real and personal property do you now own, and what is the present value of such property? Give list of such property and value. Answer: I own a small homestead in the city of Bryan upon which I now live with my family, it is valued at $500 this is the only property I own except one cow & calf, one pony & delivery wagon Q. What property, and what was the value thereof have you sold or conveyed within two years prior to the date of this application? Answer: None except one yearling of the value of $10 Q. What income, if any, do you receive? Answer: None Q. Are you in indigent circumstances; that is, are you in actual want, and destitute of property and means of subsistence? Answer: yes Q. Are you unable, by your labor to earn a support? Answer: I am Q. Have you transferred to others any property of value of any kind for the purpose of becoming a beneficiary under this law? Answer: Have not Q. Did you ever desert the Confederacy? Answer: No Q. Have you been continuously since the first day of January, 1880, a bona fide resident citizen of this State? Answer: I have Wherefore your petitioner prays that his application for pension be approved and that such other proceedings be had in the premises as are required by law. (Signature of Applicant) R. H. Godwin Sworn to and subscribed before me this 8th day of August A.D. 1899 A. G. Board [seal] County Judge Brazos County, Texas ---------------------------------------------------- Affidavit of Witnesses (Note--There must be at least two credible witnesses) The State of Texas County of Brazos Before me, A. G. Board County Judge of Brazos County, State of Texas, on this day personally appeared T. J. Gray who is personally known to me to be credible citizen who being by me duly sworn on oath, state that he personally knows R. H. Godwin the above named applicant for a pension, and that he personally knows that the said R. H. Godwin enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, and performed the duties of a soldier (or sailor) as claimed by him in the above and foregoing application, and that they further know that he, the said applicant, is unable to support himself by labor of any sort. (Signature of Witness) T. J. Gray Sworn to and subscribed before me this 8th day of August A.D. 1899 A. G. Board [seal] County Judge Brazos County, Texas ------------------------------------------------------ The State of Texas County of Brazos Before me A. G. Board County Judge of Brazos County State of Texas, on this day personally appeared O. L. Miller and H. N. Hall who are personally known to me to be credible citizens who being by me duly sworn on oath and that they personally know R. H. Godwin the said applicant and that he is unable to support himself by labor of any sort. (signature of witness) O. L. Miller (signature of witness) H. N. Hall Sworn to and subscribed before me this 16th day of October 1899 A. G. Board County Judge Brazos Co. Texas ------------------------------------------------- EX PARTE R. H. Godwin Applicant for Confederate Pension Pending in the Honorable Commissioners Court of Brazos County, Texas, before the Honorable County Judge of said County. The Honorable County Judge of Brazos County, Texas, will please take notice that five days after the service hereof, applicant herein will apply to the Clerk of the County Court of said County and State, for a commission to take the depositions of Polk Godwin who resides in the County of Van Zandt in the State of Texas in answer to the following interrogatories and such cross-interrogatories as may be propounded by the Count Judge of said County, which will be read in evidence upon the hearing of applicant's claim for pension in behalf of applicant; said testimony is material and indispensable to applicant in furnishing the required proof to his claim for a pension under the Act of May 12, 1899, the application for which is now pending before the Honorable County Judge, and the facts necessary and required to be proven under the provisions of said act, applicant believes can not be proven by any witness......residing in the County of Brazos and State of Texas, of which he is a bona fide resident, except one. Hudson Hall (Applicant) Attorney...for Applicant ------------------------------------------------- Direct Interrogatories to be Propounded to the Witness Polk Godwin [this is R.H.'s brother, the answers to answers are different papers but will combine the tw -- CKW] Int. 1. What is your name? Age? Present place of residence and postoffice address? Answer: My name is Polk Godwin my age is 54 years my residence is near Grand Saline Van Zandt Co. Tex Int. 2. Do you personally know, or did you at any time know R. H. Godwin who is an applicant for pension under Act of May 12, 1899? Answer: Yes I do Int. 3. How long have you known the said R. H. Godwin applicant for pension, and when and where did you first kow him? Answer: Knew him first in Georgia in about the year 1850 Int. 4. Do you personally know that the said R. H. Godwin applicant for pension, enlisted in the service of the Confederacy, and performed the duties of a soldier or sailor? Answer: Yes I do Int. 5. Do you personally know in what company and regiment the said R. H. Godwin applicant, enlisted and served in the Confederate army? When? Where? And the time of service? If you personally knew and so have stated that he enlisted and served in the Confederate navy, then state: When? Where? And how long he served? Answer: In Co. A 14th Missippi Infantry regiment in 1861 he served from 1861 to August 1864 in the Army of Tenn. Int. 6. Do you further know that R. H. Godwin the said applicant for pension, is unable to support himself by labor of any sort? Answer: Yes I know it through letters -------------------------------------------------- Cross Interrogatories To be propounded to Polk Godwin Cross Int. 1. If, in answer to the foregoing direct interrogatories, you have stated that you personally know or did know said applicant, and that you know that he enlisted in the service of the Confederacy and performed the duties of a soldier or sailor, and having named the company and regiment in which applicant so enlisted and served, then please state fully what is your source of such knowledge? And state whether or not you know or at any time you knew of any other soldier or sailor by the name of R. H. Godwin serving in the same company or regiment in which you say the said applicant, R. H. Godwin, enlisted? or if you have stated that said applicant enlisted and served in the navy of the Confederacy, then state wheter or not you know any other sailor of the same name as said R. H. Godwin, applicant, serving in the same command? If you say that you so knew other soldiers or sailrs of the same name as applicant's then you can you and how do you identify and locate the one from the other or others? Answer: I saw R. H. Godwin serving in the army. I knew no other R. H. Godwin in the Confederate service. Cross Int. 2. Are you positively certain that said R. H. Godwin applicant for pension, is the identical person serving as testified by you? Answer: Yes I am Cross Int. 3. If you have answered Direct Interrogatory No. 6 in the affirmative, then please state your source of knowledge or information? Is not this your answer based upon conjecture? Answer: My information on this is through letters from R. H. Godwin and from information from others through other parties all of which I beleave to be correct Cross Int. 4. Do know whether or not the said R. H. Godwin applicant for pension, ever deserted the service in the Confederate army or navy? Answer: I knw he never deserted the Service of the Confederacy Polk Godwin Subscribed and Sworn to before me this 18th day of August 1899 T. J. McKain Notary Public Van Zandt Co., Tex ------------------------------------------------- The State of Texas County of Brazos I, A. G. Board, County Judge of said County, in said State, do hereby waive copy of interrogatories, notice, time and issuance of commission, and it is hereby agreed that the answers to the hereinabove direct and cross interrogatories of the said herein name witness may be attached hereto. A. G. Board County Judge Brazos County, Texas Hudson hall (Applicant) Attorney for Applicant ------------------------------------------------- Affidavit of Physician The State of Texas County of Brazos Before me A. G. Board County Judge of Brazos County, State of Texas, on this day personally appeared Dr. R. H. Harrison, who is a reputable practicing physician of this County, who being by me duly sworn on oath, states that he has carefully and thoroughly examined R. H. Godwin applicant for a pension, and finds him laboring under the following disabilities which render him unable to labor at any work or calling sufficient to earn a support for himself: Upper two thirds of _____ in his left arm, was lost in war & old age. (signature of physician) R. H. Harrison Swornt to and subscribed before me this 15th day of August A.D. 1899 A. G. Board [seal] County Judge Brazos County, State of Texas ----------------------------------------------------- Certificate of County Judge The State of Texas County of Brazos I, A. G. Board County Judge of Brazos County, State of Texas, do hereby certify that on the 15 day of Oct. A.D. 1899, before me came on to be heard the application of R. H. Godwin for a pension under the Confederate Pension Law of this State, approved May 12, A.D. 1899; that the answers of said applicant to the questions propounded were made under the oath as the same appear in writing in the foregoing application; that the affidavits of the witnesses who are credible citizens were made before me as the same hereinbefore appear, and that the foregoing affidavit of Doctor R. H. Harrison who is a reputable practicing physician of this County, was made before me. I also certify that the said applicant R. H. Godwin, is not an inmate of the Texas Confederate Home, nor otherwise disqualified under the provision of Section 12, of the Confederate Pension Law. I further certify that after considering all the proceedings had before me relative to the said application for a pension by the said R. H. Godwin I fid the said applicant is lawfully entitled to the pension provided by the Confederate Pension Law of this State, and I hereby approve said application. Witness my hand and seal of office at Bryan this 15 day of Oct. A.D. 1899. A. G. Board [seal] County Judge Brazos County, State of Texas ------------------------------------------------------------ Certificate of County Commissioners The State of Texas County of Brazos We, the undersigned members of the Commissioners Court of Brazos County Texas, hereby certify that the foregoing application of R. H. Godwin for a pension, together with the proof in support thereof, was duly submitted by Hon. A. G. Board County Judge of this Brazos County to the Commissioners Court of this Brazos County, at a regular term thereof on the 16 day of Nov. A.D. 1899, and after careful consideration of the same we find the said applicant is lawfully entitled to the pension provided for by the Confederate Pension Law of this Sate, and we hereby approve said application. Witness our hands and seal of office at Bryan this 16 day of Nov. A.D. 1899. (signature of Commissioners) Fr__ Phillips P. Harrington R. J. 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