Thursday, February 3, 2011

Treasure Chest Thursday - Isaac Seaver's Civil War Pension Papers: Deposition (Part 2) of the Widow

It's Treasure Chest Thursday, time to share one of the documents or artifacts in my family history collection.  In previous posts, I have displayed documents from the Civil War Pension File of Isaac Seaver, my second great-grandfather. 

I received the complete Civil War Pension File for Isaac Seaver on 3 January - see my post My Christmas Present Came Today - Oh Boy! - and it has 81 pages in the file.  Some of them have little or no information on them.  I'm going to cherry-pick some pages for this and later Treasure Chest Thursday posts.

The "treasure" this week is the second part of the "Deposition" that supports the application of the widow, Alvina M. (Bradley) (Lewis) Seaver, taken on 23 December 1901 by Frank Shapleigh of the Bureau of Pensions. 

The first part of the deposition was transcribed here.  This second part deposition has three handwritten pages (written by the examiner and signed by the deponent).  It is a continuation of the first deposition - it starts in the middle of a sentence:



The transcription of this second part of the deposition reads (filled in lines underlined, handwritten items italicized, tables spaced by periods):

[First page]

putting $1400 of the $1500
into same and $400
besides, drawn from the
Bank, - making the
place at 66 Mechanic St
stand me $3000 including
my interest willed by
soldier ($1200).

There are three tenements
in this house rented
as follows:
Basement per mo. $12.50
2 Floor [per mo.]... 15.00
3 Floor [per mo.]..  15.00
[Total} .............. $40.00

There is no other
income from this property.

The annual expenditure
are as follows:

[Second page]

Taxes  ................. $69.46
Water Rent ............ 37.00
Insurance ............... 3.00
Repair (estimated) .. 60.00
...........................-----------
[Total] ............... $167.46

Rent per annum ... $486.00
Expenditures ........ 169.40
......................... ---------
Net income ......... $316.54

I do not get my
rent always. I have
lost about $30 since
May 1, 1901, by poor
tenants.
Since May 1, 1901, I
have expended for repairs
about $60 as follows.
Shingling roof and
building back porch ..... $50
Buying screens for
doors and windows ..... $10
(No receipted bills) .... $60
I have put the
place in an agents
hands to be sold as
I am unable to care
for it.
At time of soldier's
death - I had no
real estate except
my home place
at 7 Cedar St
and no interest in
any.

[Third page]

I now have money in
Savings Banks as follows:

Bank .............................Amt.....Rate.....Income
Fitchburg Savs................ $700 ... 5-1/2% .... 24.50
Worcester North.............. 700 ...... 4 ........ 28.00
Clinton Savs.................... 900 ...... 3-1/2 ... 31.50
Worc. Co. Inst. ................ 500 ...... 3-1/2 ... 17.50
Peoples Savs (Worc) ......... 500 ...... 3-1/2 ... 17.50
Worc. Mechanics .............. 500 ...... 4% ....... 20.00
Leominster Savs ...........993.22 ....... 4% ..... 39.72
...............................---------- ............... --------
.............................$ 4793.22 .............  $178.72

My Books except Leominster
Savings Bk (exhibited) are
in Safe Deposit Vaut)
I sold my household
Furniture and put money
in Leominster Bank as
above.
My total net income (yearly)
therefore is as follows:

From 66 Mechanic St. ..... $316.54
 " Savings Bks $4793.22 ..... 178.72
 " $100 Mortgage @ 5%  ...... 50.00
................................ $ 545.26
...............[signed] Alvina M. Seaver

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 23 day of Dec
190 1 and I certify that the contents were fully made known to deponent before signing.

/s/ Frank Shapleigh, Special Examiner

This deposition gives a clear indication of the financial aspects of Alvina's life as a widow, continues the story of how she found income to live on, and a summary of her financial assets at the end of 1901.  I found it fascinating.  Alvina seems very clear-headed and logical in all of her financial transactions.

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