Related...Links Page
Linda and John,
My cousin in Alabama sent me some info she found at the library in
Birmingham, AL and it includes a Widow's Civil War pension for a Jane
Ashley, wife of Samuel Ashley, who lived in Talladega and Calhoun
Counties in Alabama.
The pension record says that Samuel Ashley was on the Civil War pension
rolls when he died on April 28, 1891.
Jane Ashley was getting the pension in 1902 also and that is the last
date it has about her, does not say what her maiden name was, or much
of anything else.
In 1891 there was an affadavit signed by S.P. McClurinn ? (hard to read
the writing on it) who stated that he was acquainted with Samuel Ashley
and knew that he died on April 28, 1891.
The widow's pension was filed in both Talladega and Calhoun Counties,
in AL and said that the widow was unable to travel to the county seat.
I don't know which Samuel Ashley this was, do you? I can send you the
copies of the widow's pension file if you want it. My cousin did not
find a separate one for Samuel Ashley, just the one for his widow Jane.
But it is good info to know that this Samuel Ashely was on the pension
rolls when he died in 1891. Wonder where one can obtain that pension
file, as it should say more about him in his original civil war pension
application, etc.
Candace
==================================
This is the transcribed Widow's Pension Application for Jane Ashley, of
Talledega and Calhoun Counties, Alabama, widow of Samuel Ashley:
Widow's Application (Under the Act for the Relief of Needy Confederate
Soldiers, Residents of Alabama, who from wounds or other causes, are
unable to earn a livelihood, and for the widows of such...... who have
not remarried, under Act approved Feb 1891 and as amended Feb 1895)
The State of Alabama
County of Calhoun
Personally appeared before B.H. Brown, J.P. for said County, Mrs.
Jane Ashley, who being by me duly sworn, deposes and says under oath:
That she is the widow of Saml. Ashley; that her said husband was a
Home Guard DeArmans Company, and that he did not desert the service of
this State or the Confederate States; That he was killed or died of
disease or from wounds during or since that war; that she has not
remarried. That she is now a bona fide resident of Alabama and her
post office address is Oxford, Alabama.
That her property consists of ----------(lined out), and is not worth
in the aggregate more than five hundred dollars; and that her salary
or gross income does not amount to five hundred dollars per year; and
she hereby makes application for relief under said Act.
Sworn to and subscribed before me on this 28th day of May 1898, B.H.
Brown, Justice of Peace
Jane Ashley X her mark J.F. Smith, F.M. Hight, J.Y.
Henderson, Board of Examiners.
State of Alabama
County of Calhoun
I hereby certify that the above is a duplicate of the original
application on file in my office, together with the endorsement of the
Board of Examiners in the case of said applicant and also of my
approval thereof.
Given unto my hand this 1st day of June 1898 E.F. Crook (?) Judge of
Probate, Calhoun County, AL Original to be filed in the office of the
Judge of Probate; Copy to be forwarded to State Auditor.
State of Alabama
County of Calhoun
Personally appeared before me B. Hefmion (?), a Justice of the Peace
in and for said County, Jane Ashley, who being duly sworn, deposeth an
saith that by reason of physical disability, she is unable to appear
before the Probate Judge of said County to make affadavit for relief,
under the relief of needy Confederate Soldiers and Sailors, d.o.,
approved Feb 1891, and that such disability consists of Not Able to
Travel to County Seat.
Jane Ashley X her mark
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 28th day of May 1898 B. Heiminn
(?), Justice of the Peace
Application of Widow's Whose Deceased Husband's Name Is on Pension Roll
The State of Alabama
County of Talladega
To the Honorable Board of Examiners of Said County
Your petitioner, Jane Ashley, respectfully represents to your
Honorable Board, that she is a citizen of Talladega County, in the
State of Alabama, and was such on the 1st day of January 1899; that
she is the widow of Samuel Ashley, whose name is now on the pension
rolls of pensioners from X county; that her husband died on the 28th
day of April 1891; that she has not since remarried; that she has no
children upon whom she can depend for support, that all of her property
does not exceed four hundred dollars in value; and that her annual
income from all sources does not exceed four hundred dollars. She
therefore respectfully asks your honorable board to place her name upon
the pension rolls of the State as a member of the fourth class, that
she may participate in the division of the fund provided for the relief
of needy Confederate soldiers and sailors, and their widows, by an act
of the General Assembly of Alabama, approved Feb 19, 1899 and she files
herewith a complete inventory of all of the property, both real and
personal, that she owns.
Respectfully,
Jane Ashley X her mark
The State of Alabama,
Talladega County
Before me, James C. Hendrick, a Justice of the Peace in and for said
State and County, personally appeared Jane Ashley, whose name is
signed to the foregoing, is personally known to me, who after being
duly sworn, deposes and says, that each and every statement in the
foregoing application is true and correct.
Sworn to before me this 30th day of June A.D. 1902.
J.C. Hendrick
Justice of the Peace In and for Said County
Affadavit for Witnesses to Application of Widows
The State of Alabama
County of Talladega
I, S.P. McClurinn (?) do solemnly swear that I was personally
acquainted with Samuel Ashley whose widow's name is signed to the
forgoing application, and that I know of my own knowledge that Samuel
Ashley her said husband died on or about the 28th day of April 1891
and that she has not remarried since the death of her husband.
S.P. McClurinn (?)
Application of Jane Ashley
of the County of Talladega and Calhoun
Report of County Board
We, the undersigned members of the Pension Board of Examiners for the
County of Talladega hereby certify that we have examined the written
application by law directed and we find that said application should be
granted, and the application placed in Class 4.
M. Jackson(?) A.G. Sims, Board of Examiners
Finding of the State Board of Examiners
We the undersigned State Board of Examiners hereby certify that we have
examined the within application, and recommend that said application be
granted, and that the applicant be placed in the Class 4 under the act
of Feb 10, 1899 and amended Mar 1901.
This the 22nd day of Aug 1902
N. Thompson, Pres.
P.B. Mastise (?)
J.R. Horne, M.D.
========================================
John,
Just forwarding a response and my reply to Linda Harwell re: maybe this
is a different Samuel Ashley than the one who married Jane Criswell,
but I think it is probably the same person.....seems more than
coincidental, but anything is possible.
See below
Candace
====================================
Subject: Re: Civil War pension file for Samuel Ashley wife Jane
I noticed on John Robertson' Ashley page that it says that Samuel
Ashley died on April 28, 1897 but it clearly looks like 1891 on the
widow's pension application, but the writing is not all that great
either. It appears to say that Samuel Ashley died in 1891 and not 1897
but maybe with the older style writing it could be 1897.
It does not say where he died however, but does say that he was on the
pension rolls when he died. The fact that my cousin couldn't find a
pension file for Samuel Ashley suggests that maybe he was receiving the
pension from another state, because the entire state of Alabama pension
files are on microfilm at that library in Birmingham where she looked
and she didn't find one for Samuel Ashley's own pension record. So
maybe he received his pension from Texas and died in Texas, and maybe
she moved back to Alabama after he died?
Just some thoughts. The exact same date month and day of April 28th
seems more than coincidental, but anything is possible.
Candace
====================================
Linda Harwell wrote:
This woman is sending me some Ashley pension stuff, but believe it may
be on Moses Ashley. I should be getting it real soon. Wait until I
hear from her.
Samuel did die in 1891 and is buried in Money Cemetery in Hunt county,
Texas. Wonder how he could draw a pension from Ala and be living in
Texas?
Hmmm have to do some sorting and figuring.
Linda
====================================
John,
Apparently the Civil War pension files that are on microfilm at the
library in Birmingham, AL are not "perfectly" indexed and some of the
pension records just give a first letter of the first name, or the
last name might be misspelled. Also, there are some pension files that
are not in the general index but are found within the individual
county records.
This was how my gg grandmother Minerva Amanda Dunlap Ashley's widow's
pension file was located, as it was not in the general index, but was
under the section of misc. county records in Cleburne County, AL where
she received her pension. It was indexed under M.A. Ashley instead
of her first full name and was not indexed with a reference to her
husband Reuben Ashley's name. So it was a miracle that it was ever
found, and one had to look in many places on the microfilm to find it.
The point of all of this is, that maybe Samuel Ashley received a
pension in Alabama but it wasn't easily found on the microfilm, maybe
is can be found under S. Ashley or S.S. Ashley or under the section
for Talledega or Calhoun County records. In any case, it probably
would merit further research in these microfilm records to try to find
this Samuel Ashley in Alabama, if he is not found on the pension rolls
in Texas.
Linda Harwell agrees at this point that it is probably her Samuel
Ashley and Jane Criswell Ashley's pension file from Talladega and
Calhoun County, AL previously posted. I think so too. I mailed her
the copies of the pension file today. The copies were difficult to
read in some areas, which seems to be the case for data on that
particular microfilm roll.
My cousin didn't have enough time at the library to finish looking for
all of the Ashleys that are on that microfilm record of Civil War
pension files, so it is possible that more of them might be found, such
as Moses, Daniel, etc. Ashley that are in your family lines. She just
happened to come across the one for Jane Ashley that showed her husband
as Samuel Ashley, so sent it along with some info she found.
Glad that it was helpful info! I am still trying to find out what
happened to my gg grandfather Reuben Ashley's two brothers James Ashley
and Phillip Ashley and haven't found them yet. They were of the right
age to have been civil war soldiers, but don't know which state they
served from, could have been SC, GA or AL. There are many, many James
Ashleys to sort through, but not many Phillips, so that is some
consolation...
Candace