This Week's Picture

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Southeast Virginia
early 1900s

Isaac Pierce

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This Week's Story

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THEY CALL HIM "HARD TIMES"

Norfolk Va., April 10th, 1890

Hon. Green B. Raum
Comr. of Pensions

Sir:

I have the honor to return the papers & to make this report in the claim for pension #111,918, Isaac Pierce, late private Co C 2nd NC Infty & Co F 1st NC Infty, present P.O. address Coleraine, Bertie County, NC.

Basis of claim: fracture left leg.

This case was referred for Special Examination to determine whether the claimant received a fracture of left leg while in the service & in line "of duty." No record.

The usual notices were served on the claimant & all of his privileges fully made known to him. He requests ten days notice be given him as he desires to be present at the taking of testimony at Beaufort NC.

The claimant has a good reputation as to truth amongst his neighbors. They call him "Hard Times," & he is known better by that name than as Isaac Pierce.

John Butler (Dep C Page 11 this report) stands about "fair" as to truth. He is drunk all the time & was somewhat under the influence of liquor when I took his deposition.

Marcus Culipher (Dep B Page 9 this report) 'tis impossible to attain his credibility. He has no neighbors, and lives in a swampy canebrake section. I could find no one who knew how he made his living. The colored people will not go near where he lives, & the whites say, "Follow that path for a mile in the brake & you may find him & you may not." I mark him fair.

As nearly all claimant's witnesses have either been interviewed by Special Examiners or have written letters to the office & in every instance all state their knowledge was from hearsay, I only saw witnesses who had not been seen by Special Examiners & who had not written letters to the office.

I respectfully recommend the testimony as to origin be taken of Samuel H. Taylor & M. A. Marshall, Beaufort, Carteret Co. NC, & if possible Samuel Lorder should be found. Tis said he is running a water mill in Granville County NC, but the location I was unable to get. Sgt. Frank Blythe & Lieut. Wm. Craft should also be seen if they can be found.

I believe this case of doubtful merit. See claimant's statement as to looking at the dancers, Dep A, Page 8.

Very respectfully,
Grafter Robertson

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RELUCTANT SOLDIER

Jns. N. Watson, C Div
General Affidavit, State of Virginia
National Soldiers' Home, Va., United States Reservation

In the matter of Ctf. #506209
Isaac Pierce Co F 1 NC Inf Vols

On this 13th day of July A.D. 1901, personally appeared before me, a United States Commissioner for the Eastern District of Virginia, in and for the aforesaid county, duly authorized to administer oaths:

Isaac Pierce, aged 60 years, a resident of Phoebus in the County of Elizabeth City and State of Va., whose post office address is Phoebus, Va., well known to me to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who, being duly sworn, declares in relation to the aforesaid case, as follows:

That he is the claimant; replying to requirements of the Comr. of Pensions, dated July 10, 1901:

I have to state that when I was 17 years old I lived in Harrellsville, Hertford County, North Carolina, & when the war broke out in 1861, I was a student in Harrellsville Academy. It was a military school.

We were ordered to go to Raleigh, N.C., to do duty in the state service & we were sworn in the state service for one year. I served nearly all that year in doing guard duty at & near Raleigh.

I never took the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. I refused to take the oath.

Before the year was over, I went home on a furlough and stayed home, and about a year after (Dec 1863) I enlisted in the Union army in Co F 1st NC Vols Inft & served until June 1865.

I never fired a gun against the Union flag or its soldiers.

I got away from the school company just as quick as I could to join the Union army, as I then had two (2) brothers in the Union army.

Captain Poole commanded the school company. I never served in any other organizations than these above stated. If I had refused to go with the school company, they would have taken me anyway. I went against my own wishes.

I am now a member of the National Soldiers Home near Hampton, Va., but live nearby at Phoebus with my family.

Signed:
Isaac Pierce

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REJECTED

Washington D.C., Nov. 5, 1901
Cert. No. 506209
Claimant: ISAAC PIERCE
Co F 1 Regt NC Vol Inf

Respectfully returned to Capt. Chase, Chief of Section.

Notwithstanding the fact that there is no record of the claimant's service in the Confederate Army, the claim should be rejected on the ground of disloyalty because of his admission that he rendered service (that was) in aid of the rebellion during the year 1861.

He states in an affidavit filed July 15 1901 that he was sworn into the state service (NC) and done duty in Capt. Pool's company, composed of students of the Military School of Harrellsville, North Carolina. This, he says, was when the war broke out in 1861, and that he was 17 years of age at the time.

That the service mentioned was voluntary cannot be doubted as there was no conscript act in force in the state of North Carolina until April 1862. And the act compelling the service of persons under 18 years of age was not passed until February 1864.

He further states that the service rendered consisted in doing guard duty at and near Raleigh NC, and that he was granted a furlough about December 1861, and remained at home until he enlisted in the Union Army.

Signed
E. Singletary

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BRIEF FOR REOPENING

Claimant: ISAAC PIERCE
Rank: Private
Company: F
Regiment: 1st N.C. Vol Inf

Claim under act of June 27, 1890, filed Sept. 1, 1900, and based upon inability to earn a support by manual labor, was rejected November 11, 1901, upon the ground of Confederate service.

Ground of rejection not tenable, under decision of the Hon. Assistant Secretary of the Interior. The claim is reopened for further consideration.

Signed
T. F. Levers

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This Week's Verse

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What though on homely fare we dine,
wear hodding grey, and all that;
give fools their silks, and knaves their wine,
a man's a man for all of that.

For all of that, and all of that,
their tinsel show, and all of that;
the honest man, though ever so poor,
is king of men, for all of that.
~
(Robert Burns)

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This Week's Mailbox

In the interests of everyone's privacy, only the letter-writer's name
and general location will be used here ~ unless the addition
of an URL or an address is approved by the writer

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...... Thanks for bringing back the memories of watermelon-rind pickle (The Poor Town News No. 61). My husband's mother used to make the best, very crispy pickle, and it had to be done just right ...... My husband's first cousin was just here for a visit from Fort Wayne, Indiana. They had not seen each other in over 50 years. One retired from the Army with 27 years, the other retired from the Air Force with 20 years. His home was in Rocky Mount NC, and he would love to receive your newsletter ...... Thank you and keep up the good work. ~ Elizabeth (and Bob) Wiggins, Hudson, Florida.

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...... Will we ever know if Isaac received his pension? I happen to think he's entitled to it ...... I just love the way you folks let me be part of the "action," so to speak. It is fun to communicate with historians such as you and to get immediate answers to my questions. The history books never did that for me! Just keep 'em coming. ~ Aggie Green, Michigan.

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...... A friend of mine is writing a paper for a college history class, comparing two newspapers that were published 100 years apart. While reading the October 7th issue of The Boston Gazette from 1765, we noticed that there seemed to be many "f's" where "s's" should be ...... I decided to look on the internet for the reason why and came across your article, or rather, an excerpt of it ("Etaoin Shrdlu") ...... I was hoping you could help me with one question. In your article you discuss how the "f" was used for "s" at the end of a word. In this paper, the condition is exactly the opposite. The typesetter used "f" for "s" only in the middle of a word. A normal "s" is used in all cases where "s" is the last letter in the word ...... Do you have an explanation for this? Your input would be greatly appreciated. ~ Chérie Hayek, Youngstown, Ohio.

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...... I grew up in Murfreesboro and often wondered why the citizens of the town burned the railroad ties to keep the train from coming through there, though I expect it had something to do with the competition with the maritime industry ...... I have a spike from one of the ties to the old train route just outside Murfreesboro, near Vaughan's Creek I believe. ~ Gerald Byrd, Virginia.

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