Charles Holmes, Company I

The veteran was a patient at Saint Elizabeth’s in Washington, DC and his wife oversaw his care. After the soldier’s wife died, her sister — the veteran’s sister-in-law — took on the responsibility. When she passed away, the sister-in-law’s husband managed the veteran’s care.

Invalid — 568,468 / 694,163

General Affidavit, Alice Thomley, 1 June 1891
40 years old; residence, Washington, DC
“That she lives near Charles Holmes, that she lived in the same house with Chas. Holmes for one year and he was sick nearly all the time — this was 1890 — vertigo and blind staggers
His wife nursed him.”

Questionnaire (Form 3-402), Charles Holmes, 8 April 1898
[married?] yes, Maria Holmes nee Carter
[when, where, by whom] April 14, 1867; King & Queen Co., Va.; Rev. Alfred Bagby
[record] “I don’t know. Perhaps there is a church record …”
[Note: A crease in the document makes the rest of the sentence impossible to read — Leslie]
[previous marriage] “No. And my wife was not previously married.”
[living children] no

Letter from J.O’C. Roberts, Special Examiner, Washington, DC to Commissioner of Pensions, 7 September 1898
“The pensioner is an inmate of St. Elizabeth and claimant should be required to file her marriage certificate as evidence of marriage.”

Memo signed by Wm. L. McLean [?], 14 September 1898
“U.S. Pension Agent, Washington, DC, directed to make payment to wife, she being a woman of good moral character, and pensioner being insane and without a guardian”

General Affidavit, Martha Clark and Robert Taylor, 18 October 1899
[Clark] 62 years old; residence, Washington, DC; post-office address, 402 P Street, NW,
[Taylor] 64 years old; residence, Washington, DC; post-office address, 1427 11th Street, NW
“We were well and intimately acquainted with Charles Holmes from the year 1884 … We lived near him all of said time and saw him frequently.”

Power of Attorney, Maria Elizabeth Holmes, 19 May 1903
post-office address, 1653 New Jersey Ave, Washington, DC
“I, Maria Elizabeth Holmes, guardian of Charles Holmes … do make, constitute, and appoint L.C. Wood & Co., of Washington, DC, my true and lawful attorney”
Witnesses: Alberta S. Jenkins and Augusta F. Jenkins

Letter from J.L. Davenport, Commissioner to Mr. [?] Pollard, Attorney at Law, Connor, Virginia, 19 May 1913
“You note that George Parsons, committee, is an illiterate, though honest and reliable colored man, and is not able to make an account and make proper settlements as committee, and the court being desirous of waiving the requirement for accounting”

Application for Re-imbursement, George Parsons, 21 December 1914
67 years old; residence, Connor, King and Queen County, Virginia
[1 – deceased’s full name] Charles Holmes
[2 – type of pension] invalid soldier
[3 a – married] yes
[3b – # marriages, to whom] once to Mary Carter
[3c – survived by wife] no
[3d – still living] no
[3e – if not … ] Maria Carter Holmes, April 1, 1898
[3f – his divorced] no
[3g – is she living] no
[3h – if not, full name, date of death] Maria Carter Holmes, April 1, 1898
[4 – child under 16] no
[5 – child alive] no
[6 – life, accident, or health insurance on deceased] no
[7 – name of company] no
[8 – beneficary] [blank]
[9 – relationship of beneficiary to deceased] [blank]
[10 – who paid premiums] [blank]
[11 – if not deceased, the amount paid by each person] [blank]
[12 – deceased member of society with sick or death benefits] [blank]
[13 – administrator or executor?] no
[14 – money, real estate, personal property?] no
[15 – character and value of property] none
[16 – last assessed value] none
[17 – disposition of property] none to dispose
[18 – unindorsed pension check] no
[19 – relationship to deceased] committee
[20 – married] no (a widower)
[21 – cause of death] heart trouble
[22 – when did last sickness begin] died very suddenly
[23 – when did pensioner become sick enough to acquire constant attention] not at all
[24 – name and post-office address of physicians] there was none
[25 – those who nursed the patient] none
[26 – residence during last sickness] at my house
[27 – location of death] at my house
[28 – date of death] June 15, 1914
[29 – burial] Zion Church, King & Queen Co., Va.
[30 – is someone else covering expenses] no
[31 – list of expenses]

Name	Expense	Paid or Unpaid	Amount
	Physician
	Medicine
Geo. G. White	Undertaker	Unpaid	32.00
	Livery
	Cemetery
George Parsons	Other expenses and their nature: Care & maintenance from Dec 13, 1912

[32 – post-office address] Connor, King and Queen County, Virginia
“Also personally appeared Coleman Holmes [post-office address, King & Queen C.H., Va.] and R.D. Allen [post-office address, King & Queen C.H., Va.] we knew pensioner 10 years … Berkley, Norfolk, Va.”

Letter from George Parsons to Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, DC, 22 December 1914
“Maria Holmes died in 1908, and then my wife, Julia Parsons who was a sister of Maria Holmes, qualified as Com’tee. In 1912, Julia Parsons died leaving Charles Holmes in my care. I then qualified as Com’tee for Charles Holmes and drew his pension, which was used for his maintenance and support, but as all of the money was used for him, I did take vouchers and your department required that I should render an account of the expenditures, which I was unable to do, so since December 1912, I have never received anything for his support, and when he died I was forced to assume the responsibility for his burial.”