Two men with the same name served in this regiment — one in Company G, the other in Company K. Both settled in Portsmouth when their service ended. The “Company G” soldier grew up in Southampton County, Virginia. He married Mary Jane Reddick “before the war and by consent of owners.” Several witnesses had known him since childhood. The soldier was injured when thrown from his horse but returned to duty as the company cook.
Widow — 545,530 / —–, Mary Jane Reddick
Widow’s Claim for Pension, Charles Eason & James Wilkins, 23 April 1892
[Eason] 40 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Va.
[Wilkins] 40 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Va.
“Said Mary Jane Reddick is without other means of support than her daily labor; that the marriage of the soldier to her cannot be proved by recorded evidence because they were married before the war and by consent of owners. no license as is the case now required. That they lived together as man & wife and were recognized in the community in which they lived and that he died on the 24th day of April 1890 with what was supposed to be rheumatism the result of an injury received in the right hip by being thrown from his horse. Their means of knowledge of the foregoing is derived from being in the same brigade with the said Stephen Reddick.”
General Affidavit, Charles Williams, 14 December 1892
74 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. …. “I was acquainted with Stephen Reddick long before he went into the United States service and afterward. He belonged to the same regiment with me – Co G. 1st US Colored Cavalry. I was near neighbor to him when he came home from the war and I continued to see him daily until he died April 24th 1880.”
Application to Determine Correct Service, Mary J. Reddick, 30 December 1892
“[Stephen Reddick] served in the state of Virginia before Richmond and Petersburg, Va. and relieved from duty on the account of being disabled by being thrown from his horse while on duty. This was the 10th day of June 1863 and thus he was returned to the company as the cook for the same …
“That names of the officers of his company were as follows, viz.:
“Captain Colding
Sergeant William Teamor
Corporals Joseph Cornick
[illegible] David Ortly, Isaac Smith, George Rickers, Dempsey Copeland ….
Stephen Reddick … lost his discharge papers by being burned in his house by fire together with the house.
“Also at the same time and place, personally appeared before me Charles Wilkins and Albert Jones of Norfolk County, State of Virginia to me well-known as credible persons who being sworn according to law declare that they have been for 35 and 30 years respectively acquainted with the above-named applicant.
“I was in the same regiment with Stephen Reddick.
Albert Jones and Charles Williams”
General Affidavit, Charles Eason & Albert Jones, 29 June 1893
[Eason] 75 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[Jones] 51 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
“That we were well acquainted with Stephen Reddick and know that the said Reddick was a member of Company G, 1st USCol Cav. We were in the same regiment. Knew him in the service and at the time of discharge and that we believe his discharge certificate was burned up with his other contents on the West Branch Dist. of Norfolk County. Our knowledge of the above facts are derived from being in the same Regiment with him. He enlisted on or before us on the 15th day of January 186[?] and discharged in 1866. And that the said Stephen Reddick was not in the military or naval service of the U.S. since his discharge in 1866.”
Affidavit of Claimant, Mary J. Reddick, 23 August 1893
post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk County, Va. “She was born in Southampton County., Va. — post office Jerusalem — knew him at least 12 years before we were married, was married by consent of owner as was custom with all slaves … had 17 children by our marriage but there were none under 16 years of age at the time of his death. That my husband was born in Nansemond Co., Va. He claimed his age 70 years when he died. His height about 5 feet 8 inches, bacon color, name of his owner Abram Reddick and that he never had any other wife.”
General Affidavit, Narcissa Parker & Mary Westmoreland, 6 September 1893
[Parker] 50 years old; post-office address
[Westmoreland] 44 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[The form’s intended for one statement but two individuals were noted on the form. The post-office address follows the second person’s name which suggests but doesn’t prove that the affiants had the same post-office address — Leslie]
“We the undersigned hereby certify that we are well and intimately acquainted with the claimant and have known her from the date of her husband’s death. Stephen Reddick which occurred April 24th 1890 to the present time that she has not remarried and we believe that she has never lived with any other man as his wife since the death of her late husband.”
General Affidavit, Mary Jane Riddick, 5 February 1894
55 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. “That there is no ‘plantation records’ of her marriage to Stephen Reddick. That her former owner Ned Rawles is dead and can’t be reached.”
General Affidavit, Narcissa Daughtry & Rona Eley, 5 February 1894
[Daughtrey] 50 years old;
[Eley] 47 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[The form’s intended for one statement but two individuals were noted on the form. The post-office address follows the second person’s name which suggests but doesn’t prove that the affiants had the same post-office address — Leslie]
“That they are and were well acquainted with Mary Jane Reddick and Stephen Reddick the husband of the claimant. That Mary Jane Reddick was a slave and was owned by one Ned Rawles of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. That affiants were also owned by the said Ned Rawles of the said county. That affiants have been acquainted with Mary Jane Reddick all of their lives. That the said Stephen Reddick married the said Mary Jane Reddick according to the custom of slaves before the war and lived with the said Mary Jane Reddick as husband and wife up to the time of his (the said Stephen Reddick’s) enlistment in service of the United States and were recognized and considered man and wife in the community in which they resided. … That affiants’ means of having these facts are due to their time in the immediate vicinity with claimant.”
General Affidavit, Ann R. Bennett & Lavinia J. Drewry, 20 February 1894
[Bennett] 45 years old; post-office address, 613 Griffin St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[Drewry] 62 years old; post-office address, 613 Griffin St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
“That they were well acquainted with the claimant Mary Jane Reddick and her husband the soldier from about the time he came from the war till the time of his death, nearly four years ago, having been a neighbor from the time of first acquaintance till the time of soldier’s death.”
Sworn Statement, Lavinia Drewry, 21 July 1897
66 years old; post-office address, 818 Griffin St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. “That she was personally well acquainted with Stephen Reddick, husband of the claimant from the time of his return from the army in 1865 to the time of his death.”
Sworn Statement, Narcissa Daughtry, 18 January 1899
about 58 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. “That she was well acquainted with Stephen Reddick the husband of the claimant Mary Jane Reddick having known him in his boyhood in Southampton Co., Va. where he said Stephen Redick was brought up and lived till the beginning of the war of the rebellion.”
[Parker] 50 years old; post-office address
[Westmoreland] 44 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[The form’s intended for one statement but two individuals were noted on the form. The post-office address follows the second person’s name which suggests but doesn’t prove that the affiants had the same post-office address — Leslie]
“We the undersigned hereby certify that we are well and intimately acquainted with the claimant and have known her from the date of her husband’s death. Stephen Reddick which occurred April 24th 1890 to the present time that she has not remarried and we believe that she has never lived with any other man as his wife since the death of her late husband.”
General Affidavit, Mary Jane Riddick, 5 February 1894
55 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. “That there is no ‘plantation records’ of her marriage to Stephen Reddick. That her former owner Ned Rawles is dead and can’t be reached.”
General Affidavit, Narcissa Daughtry & Rona Eley, 5 February 1894
[Daughtrey] 50 years old;
[Eley] 47 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[The form’s intended for one statement but two individuals were noted on the form. The post-office address follows the second person’s name which suggests but doesn’t prove that the affiants had the same post-office address — Leslie]
“That they are and were well acquainted with Mary Jane Reddick and Stephen Reddick the husband of the claimant. That Mary Jane Reddick was a slave and was owned by one Ned Rawles of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. That affiants were also owned by the said Ned Rawles of the said county. That affiants have been acquainted with Mary Jane Reddick all of their lives. That the said Stephen Reddick married the said Mary Jane Reddick according to the custom of slaves before the war and lived with the said Mary Jane Reddick as husband and wife up to the time of his (the said Stephen Reddick’s) enlistment in service of the United States and were recognized and considered man and wife in the community in which they resided. … That affiants’ means of having these facts are due to their time in the immediate vicinity with claimant.”
General Affidavit, Ann R. Bennett & Lavinia J. Drewry, 20 February 1894
[Bennett] 45 years old; post-office address, 613 Griffin St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
[Drewry] 62 years old; post-office address, 613 Griffin St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
“That they were well acquainted with the claimant Mary Jane Reddick and her husband the soldier from about the time he came from the war till the time of his death, nearly four years ago, having been a neighbor from the time of first acquaintance till the time of soldier’s death.”
66 years old; post-office address, 818 Griffin St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. “That she was personally well acquainted with Stephen Reddick, husband of the claimant from the time of his return from the army in 1865 to the time of his death.”
Sworn Statement, Narcissa Daughtry, 18 January 1899
about 58 years old; post-office address, Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va. “That she was well acquainted with Stephen Reddick the husband of the claimant Mary Jane Reddick having known him in his boyhood in Southampton Co., Va. where he said Stephen Redick was brought up and lived till the beginning of the war of the rebellion.”
1st U.S. Colored Cavalry 