Thursday, March 3, 2011

Treasure Chest Thursday - Isaac Seaver's Civil War Pension Papers: Widow's Pension Awarded

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.

Last week, we saw that Isaac's widow, Alvina Seaver, submitted an affidavit on 26 October 1908 in support of her application for a pension filed on 29 July 1908, after the Act of April 19, 1908 required widows of soldiers to have been married to the soldier before 27 June 1890 and to not have married again.

The "Treasure" this week is the Widow's Pension document that awards her $12 per month. 

The transcript of information this page is (filled in lines underlined, handwritten items italicized):

No. 738086
Accd Pd.

ACT OF APRIL 19, 1908.
WIDOW's PENSION.

Claimant: Alvina M. Seaver
P.O., Dickinson Centre
County, Franklin; State, New York

Soldier, Isaac Seaver, 3d
Rank, Private; Co. H
Regiment, 4 Mass Vol H A

Rate, $12 per month, commencing July 31, 1908, and $2 additional for each child, as stated below:

All pension to terminate _____________, 1____, date of _________________

Payments on all former certificates covering any portion of same time to be deducted.

_________________ Born, ___________ Sixteen, ______________ Commencing _______________

[eight lines like that]

RECOGNIZED ATTORNEY.

Name, Charles W. Kendall
P.O., Fitchburg, Mass.
Fee, $10; Agent to pay

APPROVALS.

Submitted for ad. Oct. 8, 190 8; GMD Browne, Examiner
   "  "  November 17, 1908  J.D. Bloodgood  "
Approved for admission under Act of April 19, 1908
_____________________________________
Oct. 13, 1908 Geo. Albertson (Reviewer)
Nov. 19, 1908 G A
Nov. 19, 1908 J.E. Bradford (Rereviewer)
The soldier was _-_pensioned at $ 12 per month. for

Enlisted, Aug. 10, 1864
___ honorably duisch'd, June 17, 1865
Reenlisted, No other service, 1____
___ honorably disch'd, __________
Died, Mar. 12, 1901
Declaration filed, July 31, 1908
Claimant ______ write

Soldier's application filed June 15, 1892
Clt's app'n under other laws, Mar. 28, 1901
Former marriage of claimant once and soldier twice
Death of former {husband Jan. 5, 1882
Death of former {wives Sep. 26, 1857 and Mar. 24, 1884
Clt's marriage to soldier, Sep. 15, 1888
Cl't not remarried. No divorce

Based on this document, Alvina finally received the Civil War pension of $12 per month based on her husband's Civil War military service, the fact that she married him before 27 June 1890, and the sworn testimony that she did not have adequate financial resources. 

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