Thomas Paines, Company K***

This soldier died in service in June 1864. His widow received benefits but was later dropped from the rolls because authorities believed she had re-married. Upon appeal, her benefits were re-instated.
Documents written in pencil were extremely difficult to read; several individuals’ names could not be captured.

Today’s post includes research notes from documents dated November 1887-December 1887. Earlier posts included research notes from documents dated September 1865-February 1879 and research notes from documents dated February 1881-November 1887.

Widow — 105,242 / 102,602, Judy Paines

Deposition, Samuel Fisher, 22 November 1887
36 years old; occupation, hack driver; residence and post-office address, 312 Effingham St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
“[I have known the claimant] for the past twenty years. When I first knew her she was living in the basement of a house on the Corner of King & Middle Sts, Portsmouth, Va. A white family by the name of Oast lived over her in the same building. She had a kind of cook shop where she lived. This must have been about the time Richmond fell, or was captured. I think old lady Oast and her son John, from the clt rented, are now living in Portsmouth. … I was only a boy at the time.”



Deposition, Scott Ridick, 22 November 1887
46 years old; occupation, grocer; residence and post-office address, cor Pearl & County St., Portsmouth, Norfolk Co., Va.
“I have known the pensioner … for the past twenty-eight or thirty years.”
“I enlisted in Co. A, 2d U.S.C.C. and was discharged therefrom at or near City Pt., Va. in I think the fall of 1864 but I did not return to Portsmouth, Va. until in the early winter of 1865 at which time the clt was keeping an eating house on Crawford st., Portsmouth in connection with a man by the name of John Johnson. The same man who lives in the house with her now. … I have been intimately acquainted with both the clt and Jack Johnson since prior to the late war … I have never visited their house at night”



Deposition, Priscilla Moore, 23 November 1887
40 years old; occupation, housekeeper; residence and post-office address, cor Crabb and Effingham St., Portsmouth, Va.
“I have known [the claimant] for about twenty years just past and for the past eight years I have resided next door to her in a part of the house that is owned by the clt and Jack Johnson.”
“Q. How does the claimant earn support
A. By working in the fields in summertime and in picking up rags and bits of coal from the streets in winter time.”



Deposition, John Johnson, 2 December 1887
about 60 years old; occupation, laborer; residence and post-office address, cor Crabb & Effingham St., Portsmouth, Va.
“I have known Judy Paines the pensioner since late spring or early summer of 1865. She was then living in the basement of a house on King St., Portsmouth, Va. owned by a Mr. Oast. I became acquainted with her through my brother Isaac Johnson (now dead). … I hired her to attend to and superintend a cook shop for me which I had opened on Crawford St., Portsmouth, in the basement of a house which was occupied by a Mr. Noel from whom I rented (Mr. Noel is dead). I have no receipts or other memoranda … I hired the pensioner … When [Judy Paines] came to work for me in the cook shop on Crawford St. the weather was warm and she went home at night to sleep until the weather became cold when she complained of the discomfort of going home through the cold late at night and asked if she could move her bed into a room adjoining the cook room and I granted her that privilege, and she availed her self of it, and occupied a little backroom. The igress and exit to this room was through a door leading into & from the backyard and through a door into & from the general eating room…. While in said business I had saved some money which I put in bank, and when the clt rec’d her pension money, she brought it to me saying that she was afraid someone would steal it, and that when he had accumulated a sufficient amount … she asked me to take her money and put it in bank for safe-keeping, which I did…. Entering or depositing it in a joint account… I put the money in Bains Bank of Portsmouth, Va. now out of existence … The pension money was the only money she gave me. She did not give me the money she worked for: and I never asked her for it.”



Deposition, Judy Paines, 2 December 1887
“I do not recollect [Jack Johnson] calling to see me and my brother Wilson Warden while I lived in Mr. Oast’s house on King st. … we came to the agreement that he was to board me and pay me three dollars per month for my services. … I cooked until the weather became bad and I never paid any rent for that room nor did Jack Johnson make any deductions for that account.”