A veteran wrote a letter on stationery from the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) which suggests he was a member of the organization, possibly an officer. One of his eight brothers Joseph Dawley served in Company G, 1st U.S. Colored Cavalry as a bugler. His brother Charles Dawley served in Company F, 23rd U.S. Colored Troops. Their pension application folders are currently unavailable.
Invalid — 659,142 / 810,199
Memo from Lewis Dawley to John Blackwell, Pension Office, Washington, DC, 6 August 1888
“My residence is 379 Church St., Norfolk, Va. where I have been living ever since 1869, post office Norfolk, Va. Have been a truckman ever since I came out of the war. The heat of the sun affected my eyes while in Texas so that I had to be sent to the hospital in New Orleans and the dr. that attended me there. I know not where he is. Again in 1874 I was attended by Dr. Townsend then of Norfolk but removed from here some years ago and I know not where he is. In 1878 I was attended by Dr. Wisener of this city. He has deceased.”
[Note: The memo’s written on stationery of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Virginia, Headquarters, Shaw Post, Number 5. The last four letters of “Blackwell” are struck through. — Leslie]
Memo, War Department, Adjutant General’s Office, Washington, DC, 16 January 1889
“Joseph Dawley, a Bugler of Company G, 1st Regiment U.S.C. Cavy Volunteers was enrolled on the 25th day Nov 1863, at Norfolk, Va. for 3 yrs. and is reported: Rolls to Feby 29 64 present: March & April present as private; May & June absent on det[ailed] service; July & Aug 64 and to Dec 31 65 present: mustered out with Co. Feby 4 1866 at Brazos Santiago, Tex.
“His personal description is as follows: Born in Princess Anne Co. Va.: age at enrollment, 31 yrs: occupation, fisherman: eyes, hair and complexion black: height, 5 ft. 5 in.”
Sworn Statement, Major Chaplin and Isaac Kellum, 13 January 1889
[Chaplin] 63 years old; post-office address, 87 St. Paul St., Norfolk, Va.
[Kellum] 63 years old; post-office address, 65 Queen St., Norfolk, Va.
“That they have been well and personally acquainted with the said Lewis Dawley many years previous to the ‘War of the Rebellion’ …”
Sworn Statement, John Linear and Abram Carter, 3 July 1889
[Linear] 43 years old; post-office address, 23 Newton St., Norfolk, Va.
[Carter] 38 years old; post-office address, 22 Newton St., Norfolk, Va.
“intimately acquainted with the claimant ever since his discharge. Have lived in close proximity to him from the service. Have worked at the same place and under the same employer…. We have lived as neighbors for many years and seen and conversed with him as often as times unknown.”
Memo, Lewis Dawley, 8 February 1889
“Sir, I was born April 11, 1836. My father died long before the war when I was a small child. I hardly can remember him. My mother died in the year of January 17, 1880.”
[Note: I wonder if she’s including in the 1880 Mortality Schedule? Leslie]
Memo, Lewis Dawley to Mr. Wm. E. McLean, Commissioner, 25 February 1889
“Sir, your correspondence was received and in reply to it I was born the eleventh of April 1836. My mother died Jan. 17th 1880. My father died long before the war. Please let me hear from you.
“Yours,
“Lewis Dawley, 325 Church St., Norfolk, Va.”
General Affidavit, Edward Bray and William F. Warden, 4 April 1890
[Bray] 42 years old; Plank Road, Norfolk Co., Va.
[Warden] 41 years old; 72 Scott St., Norfolk, Va.
“That they knew Lewis Dawley from time of his return from army to present time … living close to him and seeing him every day and or two and being intimate with him to present time.”
Deposition, Abel C. Carter, 4 March 1891
about 46 years old; occupation, janitor; residence and post-office address, 22 Newton St., Norfolk, Va.
“I have known the clt Lewis Dawley for the past twenty years and perhaps a little longer and I have lived a neighbor to him for the past 15 years during which time I have seen him almost every day…”
Deposition, Wm. T. Warden, 4 March 1891
42 years old; “by profession a minister of the gospel;” residence and post-office address, 72 Scott St., Norfolk, Va.
“I have known the claimant Lewis Dawley for the past thirty years …. I was living in this city when he came home after discharge in the Fall of 1865 … I have seen him almost daily since his return home from the army. … He bears the reputation and worthily of being a first class citizen and honorable upright man. … I have never visited him at his house when he has been laid up with sore eyes. I gain my knowledge of his condition from associating with him on the streets.”
Deposition, Isaac Kellum, 4 March 1891
64 years old; occupation, laborer; residence and post-office address, 14 Hull Street, Norfolk, Va.
“I have known Lewis Dawley continuously for more than thrity years …. I served with him … He was Commissary Sergeant of the Company and I was the Companies’ [sic] cook so that I was thrown up with him all the time.
“I visited him several times [at Post Hospital Brazos Santiago, Texas]. From said hospital he was sent to New Orleans to hospital… I found him in Norfolk on my return from the army and we have been neighbors continuously ever since and I have seen him almost daily during that time …”
Deposition, Major Chappman, 5 March 1891
64 years old; occupation, huckster; residence and post-office address, 87 St. Paul St., Norfolk, Va.
“I have known the claimant Lewis Dawley from his childhood to the present. He was born and reared in the neighborhood where I lived and he and I enlisted in Co. B 1st USCC at the same time. … We were camped on the white sand of Brazos and most of our men took sore eyes …”
Deposition, John Lyunier, 5 March 1891
about 44 years old; occupation, shoemaker; residence and post-office address, 23 Newton St., Norfolk, Va.
“I have known the claimant … intimately, continuously since the first of the year 1869. I have lived just in the immediate rear of his residence and property since that time. His property fronts on Church St and my property fronts on Newton St and our properties abut. …He and I were officers at the same church about sixteen years ago. He was our secretary and I then noticed that he had to wear glasses whenever he went to read the minutes for our meetings.”
Questionnaire (Form 3-402), Lewis Dawley, 17 March 1898
[married?] “I am. Amy Jane Dawley. Her maiden name. Amy Jane Dawley.”
[Note: His answers are confusing but I copied his statement exactly. Was Amy Jane enslaved by a person with surname Dawley? — Leslie]
[where, when, by whom] July 9, 1874, Norfolk, Va.; W.D. W. Schuremann, minister of the AME Church
[marriage record] “The record Amy Jane Dawley is the present wife.”
[previously married] Yes. Amy Dawley. Died Nov 27, 1872, on about June 1859. Princess Anne Co
[living children] “One. His name George Dawley, 12th of March 1860, Norfolk, Virginia”
post-office address, 599 Church St., Norfolk, Va.”
Deposition, Louis Dawley, 16 April 1901
66 years old; occupation, janitor or sweeper, Navy Yard; post-office address, 599 Church Street, Norfolk, Va.
“My father’s name was Joshua Dudley. He belonged to a man by the name of Robert Dudley. My mother’s name was Fannie Dawley. My mother and I belonged to Gideon Dawley. I was born in Princess Anne Co., Va. and I have resided in Princess Anne and Norfolk Cos. all my life with the exception of the period I was in the army … was discharged as a Sgt at New Orleans, La. from hospital on Oct 23, 1865.”
“The discharge [illegible] is that of Louis Dailey and the name ‘Louis’ has been altered; the spelling changed since the discharge was issued.”
“In 1866 I gave my discharge to a man by the name of Brown, a claim agent, and I never saw that discharge again until in 1896 when it came to me in an official envelope from some Department in Washington. I don’t know who altered it. My name is not Dailey. I enlisted a Dawley and answered to that name at roll call. I never heard of the name Dailey until about 16 [?] years after discharge when an officer from Washington was disbursing bounty money here in this building and he could not pay me because I did not answer to the name on his records. The bounty was afterward paid to me, however by mail, sent in care of Postmaster Long. I lost hope of receiving my discharge and secured the certificate of service which I show to you.
“I hand to you also the discharge of my brother Joseph Dawley who served in Co G, 1st USC Cavalry and who died 20 years ago, leaving no widow or minor child. He was never married.
“I had 8 brothers. Two were in the army. Joseph and Charles Dawley. Charles served in the 23rd USC Inf. and died 16 or 17 years ago. He left no widow but did leave three children. I never had any sisters. My brothers were Singer, Joshua, Sambo, Owen, Joe, Charles, Louis and Daniel. All are dead but me.
“Garrard was my Col.
Brown was Major.
McIntyre was my Capt.
[illegible] was a Lt.
Spencer was a Lt.
Alfred Lawton was Ord Sgt.
Shields, Tucker and I were sgts. James Langley, Norfolk, Va. tented with me. I was not detailed at any time. I was not in any battle. We were in a skirmish on the peninsula between here and Petersburg, when we attempted to take a provision train.
“I do not remember that my regt was at any such places such as Bermuda Hundred, Smithfield, Wilson Landing, Powhatan or Cabin Point. I never heard of these places.
“We took the boat to Fort Monroe and went to Texas. We were 21 days en route. We landed at Brazos Texas where I was taken sick and sent to Hospital at New Orleans, La. where I remained between two and three months when I was dischared for disease of eyes and head contracted in Texas. The only other injury I sustanined was back at Camp Hampton shortly after enlisted while practicing. My horse sprained my back while jumping.”
“Dr. Lee, dead, has been my physician since the war. John Linyer, Abel C. Carter, were witnesses in my pension claim. … Amy J. Dawley is the name of my present wife. We were married in Norfolk, Va. in 1874 by Rev. W.D. Schumann. I had a former wife, Amy Harris, who died in 1873. My present wife never had a former husband.”
1st U.S. Colored Cavalry 
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