The applicants were among the children whose father died in the war and whose mother died shortly after the war ended. Witnesses had grown up with the enslaved couple on adjoining plantations in Northampton County, North Carolina. They described how the couple was allowed to marry and ultimately had eight children. They also named Jacob’s enslaver, his parents, and his parents’ enslaver. They also identified Sarah and her enslaver Before enlistment, the 42-year-old husband and father worked as a hog feeder.
Minor — 393,113 / 292,364, Annie Lockhart etal
General Affidavit, Isaac Lockhart Gee, 28 May 1889
60 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, NC
“That in the year 1846 Jacob Lockhart … was a slave, the property of Wm. Lockhart’s widw … and that Sarah Ellis was at the same time a slave, the property of D.L. Ellis … [Gee] heard the said Jacob Lockhart ask for and obtain the consent of D.L. Ellis that he should take the said Sarah Ellis as his wife.”
General Affidavit, London Ellis, 28 May 1889
61 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, NC
“That in the year 1846 … this affiant was a slave belonging to D.L. Ellis … Sarah Ellis was … a slave belonging to D.L. Ellis … affiant was personally present when Jacob Lockhart asked for and obtained the consent of said D.L. Ellis to his marriage with said Sarah Ellis”
General Affidavit, L.J. Norwood, 15 June 1889
60 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“That he was born and had all his life lived in Northampton Co., NC That he knew said Jacob Lockhart and his wife Sarah Ellis before and after their marriage, that before their union, they were both virtuous people … marriage was about the year 1847.”
General Affidavit, William Bradley, 15 June 1889
“That he has lived in Northampton Co., NC for the last 60 years of his life”
General Affidavit, London Ellis, 16 July 1889
60 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“Has lived in Northampton County, NC all his life, that he was born a slave to D.L. Ellis until the end of the war was 1861-65 … Jacob Lockhart and Sarah Ellis (who lived on the same plantation, belonged to the same master, and whom this affiant knew all his life also) were allowed to marry.”
General Affidavit, Wm. Bradley, 16 July 1889
73 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“That he was a slave belonging to W.H. Gray who was a neighbor of D.L. Ellis, that he married a girl belonging to D.L. Ellis”
General Affidavit, London Ellis and William Bradley, 16 September 1889
[Ellis] 60 years
[Bradley] 73 years
post-office address, Garysburg, NC
“They were well acquainted with said Jacob and Sarah Lockhart … that no physician attended at the births of any of them, as in slavery times it was always customary to have only an old ‘granny’ woman in attendance, that they believe such midwife or midwives are long since dead.”
General Affidavit, London Ellis, 9 December 1889
60 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, NC
“That he knew Jacob Lockhart and his wife Sarah Ellis, before and after their marriage, that he lived in the same place with said Sarah … that he was present at the births of all their children, and helped in attending to their mother.”
Deposition, Annie Lockhart, 20 April 1891
about 30 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“I understand I was born in June 1862 … I am the daughter of Jacob & Sarah Lockhart. They are both dead. Jacob, my father died in US Army & my mother Sarah Lockhart died here at this place since the war, the year I cannot give.”
“My father was a slave of Joseph Lockhart & my mother was a slave of Daniel Ellis near this place. Both of them are dead.
“I ask a pension as the minor child of my father who was in the army. My brothers & sisters are:
Penny is the oldest,
Cornelius,
Samuel, he’s at Franklin, Va.,
Jacob, somewhere in Halifax Co., NC. Sam knows.
Nellie,
Nancy,
Bettie – Sam knows where she is, I don’t —
Annie – that’s me
I don’t know the ages of any of them. I was too young to know anything of my parents.
My father’s father was named Jacob.
My father’s mother was named Milley.
They are both dead, died near here. My father had no sisters or brothers.
I never heard of Mary Lockhart, do not know any such person. I never knew Henry Wilson & Moses Lester.”
Deposition, Cornelius Lockhart, 21 April 1891
43 years old; occupation, farmer; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., Va.
“I am the son of Jacob & Sarah Lockhart. They are both dead. My mother died the 2nd year after the war. My father Jacob Lockhart was in the 1st US Col Cavly & died there…. My father’s father was Jacob Road [sp?].
“Penny was my oldest sister born some time before I was. I was born Sept 15th 1849; Samuel is not 12 months older than I am. He was born Aug 10th 1850; Nellie was born Nov 6th, 1854; Jacob came before her, he was born July 20th, 1852; Nancy – Oct 10th 1856; Bettie – Apl 20th 1858; Annie, June 10th, 1862. These ages I got from the older colored persons, they will be here, we have no better way of getting them. There is no record & I don’t know any white people who can tell you about our ages as all are dead who knew.”
Deposition, Nancy Lockhart, 21 April 1891
35 or 36 years old; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., Va.
“I am the daughter of Jacob & Sarah Lockhart. Both are dead.
“My grandparents on my father’s side are Jacob & Milly Lockhart. They were slaves of Col. Wm. Lockhart, near this village. All of them are dead.
“There were eight children born to my father Jacob Lockhart by my mother Sarah.
Penny — the oldest
Cornelius,
Samuel, P.O. Franklin, Va.,
Jacob, Sam knows. I don’ t know his P.O.
Nelly,
Nancy – that’s me
Betty, Sam knows her post office
Annie
I don’t know the ages of any of them.
My father had no brothers or sisters. I do not know Mary Lockhart, or Polly, or John Lockhart, never heard of them before. “
Deposition, Penny Lockhart, 21 April 1891
45 years old … “that’s what I was always told was about my age”; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“I am the oldest child… I am about two years older than Cornelius & there is about that time between each of us — two years.”
Deposition, Nellie Lockhart, 21 April 1891
“I am about 37 or 38 years of age”; residence, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“I never heard of Mary Lockhart or Henry Wilson or Moses Lester.
My father & mother had 8 children. … I do not know their ages, or the years any of us were born. All were born here in at Garysburg, NC.”
Deposition, Lewis J. Norwood, 22 April 1891
63 years old; occupation, carpenter & preacher; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“I remember Jacob Lockhart, a slave of Col. Wm. Lockhart. I also knew his wife, Sarah Ellis, she was a slave of Daniel Ellis, knew them from boyhood up…. I remember Jacob & Sarah Lockhart had eight children of which Penny is the oldest. I remember perfectly the day [they] became man & wife with the consent of their owners. That was in the year 1847 I am sure. I was married in 1849 & I know it was 1847 in that way, two years before I got a wife. Jacob was a little older than I was. I think they had been man and wife about a year when their first child came. Her name was Penny. Then they had a boy two years after Penny named Cornelius. There is about two years between them all except Cornelius & Sam and there was hardly a year between them……The parents of Jacob Lockhart were Jacob Rhodes & Milly Lockhart. I never knew Polly Lockhart or John Lockhart or Mary Lockhart. “
Deposition, William Bradley, 22 April 1891
76 years old; occupation, farmer; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton, NC
“I was a slave of Mr. Wm. Gray, his farm was adjoining farm to Daniel Ellis near Garysburg, NC. I knew Sarah Ellis very well. She was a slave of Daniel Ellis & I had a wife also a slave of Daniel Ellis. So when I went to see my wife I saw Sarah Ellis. … I think it was at least 15 yeas before the war Sarah Ellis became the wife of Jacob Lockhart with the consent of her owner … They had eight children, Penny, Cornelius, Sam, Jacob, Nelly, Nancy, Betty, Annie. these were all they and & they came in the order I have given you. I do not know where they were born … [Jacob Lockhart’s] parents belonged to Col. William Lockhart. All are now dead. … Jacob Lockhart was some 42 years old when he left home for the war…. I cannot write my name.”
Deposition, London Ellis, 23 April 1891
60 years old; occupation, farmer; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“I was a slave of Mr. Daniel Ellis who is now dead… Jacob [Lockhart] belonged to Joseph Lockhart I was right there & heard Jacob Lockhart ask Mr. Ellis to give Sarah Ellis to him for his wife & Mr. Ellis told him all right … they became man & wife in that way just as slaves were married in that day … I can’t read or write”
Deposition, Henry E. Pate, 23 April 1891
61 years old; occupation, farmer; post-office address, Garysburg, Northampton Co., NC
“I remember Jacob Lockhart very well, born & raised 3/4 of a mile from my house… [He named Jacob’s enslaver, his parents, and his parents’ enslaver. He also identified Sarah and her enslaver– Leslie]
“I knew all of the Lockhart slaves… [Jacob Lockhart] had no brothers or sisters…. I was my father’s car driver & I was with Jacob Lockhart a great deal as he was the hog feeder… Jacob Lockhart I heard died in the army… Jacob Lockhart was some five years younger or more old than I was. My father at one time was the overseer for Col. Wm. Lockhart.”
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1st U.S. Colored Cavalry 