I’ve received my copy of the Civil War pension file for William Lake who served in Company I of Missouri’s 49 Infantry. There were no real smoking guns in this set of records. We will be discussing the items in this file in a series of posts, but here are a few comments and highlights:
- There was a great deal of medical testimony regarding William’s health, illnesses he suffered during the war and how they impacted him for the duration of his life. This is the bulk of the testimony.
- A list of his parents’ children at the time he enlisted. This is somewhat atypical and I’m not entirely certain why it is in the file.
- William’s birth date as copied from his parents’ family Bible.
- The names and dates of birth of William’s children in response to a survey sent out to pensioners.
- A brief discussion of his military service.
- A one page widow’s pension application submitted by Sarilda Lake after William’s death. There was not a certified copy of her marriage record or the statements from witnesses that are often submitted by widows.
- A transcription of the family’s 1860 census entry from Chariton County, Missouri.
I’ve not yet read the file in its entirety. It may be that, after reading the file, I realize why certain evidence was submitted. It’s not advised to jump to conclusions until the entire file has been read. A quick glance can easily cause things to be overlooked. There’s probably a reason why the list of William’s siblings and the family’s 1860 census enumeration is listed.
Stay tuned!
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