Joseph Sykes alias Joseph Williams, Company I***

Five men — including the soldier and his two brothers Harrison Sykes alias Harrison Williams  and Henry Sykes alias Henry Williams — liberated themselves from a Southampton County, Virginia plantation and “joined the Union Army at the same time and place.

Today’s post includes research notes from documents dated June 1, 1900 – April 28, 1928. Previous posts included research notes from those dated 1891-1898 and research notes dated 1898-1900.

Widow– 681,670 / 513,343, Margaret Sykes

General Affidavit, Charles J. Barrett, 1 June 1900
30 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Pope, Va.
“I was the man who went after Dr. F.E. Williams for Joseph Williams in his last illness … Dr. Williams attended Joseph Williams until he died I think in December 1898 and died of pneumonia. I waited on him while he was sick.”

General Affidavit, Benjamin Turner, 21 July 1900
23 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Va.
“I have known well the above named Margaret Williams for about ten years.”

General Affidavit, Margaret Williams, 8 December 1900
41 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Va.
“own in fee simple a tract of timbered land situate in Southampton County containing one hundred acres, and is valued at three hundred dollars. This is all the property I have except a little personal property such as a few household goods and necessary farming apparatus [illegible] horse farm, my horse, and two or three cows. … I have not sufficient means to erect a house on my land nor to put it in any condition in which it would produce a revenue for me…. There are no encumbrances on it.”

General Affidavit, George Cloud, 17 December 1900
50 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Va.
“I am well acquainted with Margaret Williams and was with her late husband until his death. During their married life they lived near me and there were two children born to them … Nettie Williams who was born on the 8th day of April 1883 and Cora Bell Williams who was born on the 8th day of June 1886. Both of these children are now living.”

General Affidavit, Fanny Spurlock and Harriett Sykes, 22 February 1901
[Spurlock] 50 years old; residence, Pope, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office
address, Pope, Va.
[Sykes] 52 years old; residence, Pope, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office
address, Pope, Va.
“We know that Nettie Williams, daughter of Joseph and Margaret Williams was born in April in the year 1883, and that Cora Belle Williams, daughter of Joseph and Margaret Williams was born in June of 1886 … to the best of our knowledge and belief they were April 8th and June 8th.”

Fanny Spurlock … says that she remembers the birth of the child to be as stated because she herself had a daughter born to her in the year 1882 and remembers that in the following spring Nettie Williams was born, and she attended on Margaret Williams … and Harriet Sykes says that at the birth of Cora Belle Williams, she and Fanny Spurlock attended on Margaret Williams, that it was in June, and that on the 30th day of April in the next year which was 1887 her own child (Luvinia Sykes) was born.”

General Affidavit, John Sykes and Ed Turner, 9 March 1901
[Sykes] 51 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton Co., Virginia; post-office address, Courtland, Va.
[Turner] 42 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton Co., Virginia; post-office address, Courtland, Va.
“We are well acquainted with above named Margaret Williams and her property … This is all her real estate and it is not arable.”

General Affidavit, Asbury Jarrett, 30 April 1901
49 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Va.
“I know claimant Margaret Williams and her daughters Lou Nettie Williams and Cora Belle Williams .. have seen both of them in the last day or so, and it is certainly improbable, if not impossible that either should have since died without my knowledge.”

Letter from Winfield Scott, Commissioner to Mr. Ben Turner, R.C. 2 Box 8, Capron, Virginia,
April 28, 1928
“I have your letter of the 19th inst., you state your grandmother, Mrs. Margaret Sykes, who was pensioned as the widow of the above-named soldier, is dead, and that her property is about to be sold on account of a debt of $300 contracted by her in 1924; that the property was purchased with her pension money and you ask this bureau to assist you in preventing the sale.
“There is no Federal law which protects property purchased money derived from pensions. It is the same as other property in the hands of the pensioner, and there is nothing this bureau can do to assist you in preventing the sale of the property to which you refer.”

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Joseph Sykes alias Joseph Williams, Company I**

Five men — including the soldier and his two brothers Harrison Sykes alias Harrison Williams  and Henry Sykes alias Henry Williams — liberated themselves from a Southampton County, Virginia plantation and “joined the Union Army at the same time and place.”

Today’s post includes research notes for documents dated 1898-1900. Last week’s post included research notes for those dated 1891-1898 and next week’s will include research notes for those dated 1900-1928.

Widow — 681,670 / 513,343, Margaret Sykes

General Affidavit, Margaret Williams, 12 December 1898
40 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia; post-office address, Box 85, Southampton Co., Va.
“I neither own, nor have the use of, or recurring interest in, any property of any kind: real, personal, or mixed, except a small amount of personal property which is not a source of income, and real estate worth about two hundred & fifty ($250). Since the death of my husband no person has been legally bound for my support and I obtain a living solely by my own exertions at farming. My income never exceeds (from all sources four ($4) dollars per month.
“In conformity with the custom of those days my husband was generally known by his master’s name; so when he entered the U.S. Service he enlisted under the name Joseph Williams. After the war he was free & then took his own (father’s name) of Sykes — was married to me under that name. He was however just as well known by the name of Williams as by the name of Sykes & answered to either name. I further testify that there were 3 children left by my late husband … The children are aged as follows:
“Virginia Williams or (Sykes) born on 30th of March 1879
Lue Nettie ” ” ” ” 8th April 1883
Cora Bell ” ” ” ” 8th June 1886″

General Affidavit, F.E. Williams, 20 December 1898 [date stamped by Pension Office]
37 [or 57?] years old; “physician or farmer”; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Pope, Va.
“That I have been acquainted with said Jos. Sykes or Williams all of my life and his widow Margaret Sykes since 1874, that Jos. Sykes was a slave of my grandfather Jacob Williams and as was the custom he was known by the name of Jos. Williams, but after the slaves were freed he assumed the name of his father
which was Solomon Sykes.
“He married Margaret Whitehead in 1876 and lived with her until his death in Dec 1897.”

General Affidavit, Abb Barnes and Robbert Harris, 5 March 1900
[Barnes] 48 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.
“I was at Joseph Williams house when he died on the 6th of December 1897.”

[Harris] 42 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.
“I was at the marriage of Joseph Williams to Margret Whitehead in the year 1876 … she Margret Williams now lives at the place that Joseph Williams died at on the 6th of December 1897.”

General Affidavit, Jane Bynum, 22 May 1900
52 years old; residence, Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia; post-office address, Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia
“That I was present at the marriage of Margaret Williams (who was Margaret Whitehead) on the 14th day of December 1876 to Joseph Williams … they were duly married in Southampton County.”

General Affidavit, James Cloud and Joseph Gregory, 30 May 1900
[Cloud] 43 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.
“I know Margaret June Williams and know that she was the lawful widow of Joseph Williams. I have known them as man and wife for 30 years and live in one-half mile of where they lived and know that neither of them had ever been married prior to the time that Joseph and Margaret was married on December the 14th 1876.”

[Gregory] 61 years old; residence, Franklin, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Franklin, Southampton Co., Va.
“I have known Margaret Williams for 30 years. I married Joseph Williams to his wife Margaret Jane on December the 14th 1876. They were both members of the church in my charge at that time and I am satisfied that neither of them had been married prior to that time and am satisfied that they lived together until the death of Joseph Williams.”

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Joseph Sykes alias Joseph Williams, Company I*

Five men — including the soldier and his two brothers Harrison Sykes alias Harrison Williams  and Henry Sykes alias Henry Williams — liberated themselves from a Southampton County, Virginia plantation and “joined the Union Army at the same time and place.”

Today’s post includes research notes from documents dated 1891-1898. Future posts will include research notes from documents dated 1898-1900 and 1900-1928.

Widow — 681,670 / 513,343, Margaret Sykes

General Affidavit, R.S. Lewis, 14 November 1891
“have been personally acquainted with the aforesaid soldier Jos. Williams for 20 years ever since 1871. I live within half of a mile of him … I know he has been frequently confined to his house from the time I first knew him to this time and not able to labor at all. He has been down with it for a long time this year”

General Affidavit, Nathan Worrell, 14 November 1891
Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia
“I knew the aforesaid soldier before the war and never knew him to complain of rheumatism before he went in the war. I have lived without two miles of him ever since he returned home from the war .. he is often confined to the house and not able to get out because of rheumatism”

General Affidavit, Hugh Darden, 7 December 1891
“I was well quainted [sic] and lived near to Joseph Williams … I never knew him to suffer or complain of rheumatism before he went in the army. I was still at home when the said soldier returned from the army to his home … I have lived near him ever since … I am no relation nor family connected in no way to the said soldier”

General Affidavit, T.H. Cloyd and Hugh Darden, 25 March 1895
[Cloyd] 54 years old
[Darden] 42 years old
Southampton Co., Va.
“We the undersigned have known Joseph Williams for thirty years”

General Affidavit, Joseph Williams, 30 April 1895
54 years old; Southampton County, Virginia
“The rheumatism was contracted in the Army & the first I knew that I had heart disease was about July 15, 1890.”

General Affidavit, Joseph Williams, 2 November 1895
residence and post-office address, Courtland, Southampton County, Virginia
“I write a very bad hand — can scarcely write my name. For that reason, I sometimes sign by mark and occasionally sign my name myself. This is the only reason why my papers are signed sometimes by my own hand and at other times by mark.”

General Affidavit, George W. Cloud, 23 November 1898
65 years old; residence, Southampton County, Virginia; post-office address, Courtland, Southampton Co., Va.
“I knew him from a boy. We were raised joining plantations. His old master was named Jaccobb Williams. His mother was named Louisa Williams, her husband was named Solmon Sykes. Before the Civil War the mother and children all went by the name of Williams and after the war when the people became free they claimed their own names but we were all play children together — eat, played and sleep together. I do not not know what regiment he belonged to but I know the night he left here for the northern army.”

General Affidavit, Henry Charity, 23 November 1898
52 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.; post-office address, Boykins, Va.
“That I have been acquainted with Margt. and Jos. Williams since 1862, and I have been acquainted with her every since she was a little girl by the name of Margarett Whitehead. She grew up and married Joseph Sykes who went by the name of Joseph Williams before the war. Her mother was named Martha J. Whitehead & her father was named Calkit [sp?] Whitehead & Joseph Sykes his old master was named Jachob Williams. His mother was named Lucy Williams & father was Solomon Sykes. They all went by the name of their former master until after the surrender of Gen. Lee. They come out of servis [sic] and went by the name of Sykes father. I, Henry Charity, Joseph Williams, Parison [sp?] Williams, we enlisted the year of 1864. … and I have known Joseph Sykes every since he was a boy & all raised in [adjoining] plantations.”

General Affidavit, J.S. Gilliam and J.W. Williams, 9 December 1898
[Gilliam] 54 years old; residence, Southampton County, Virginia
“That I have been acquainted with said parties since 1869 … that as Commissioner of Revenue to District No. 2 of Southampton County do certify that the said Joseph Sykes, in the year 1896, listed personal property amounting to $166.00, that said property is now listed in the name of Margaret _____ Sykes, who is the widow of John Sykes: That I do not know positively that Joseph Sykes and Joseph Williams are one and the same person, yet I believe them to be one and the same person.”
[Williams] 51 years old; residence, Southampton Co., Va.
“That I have known the claimant Margaret Williams or Sykes since 1876 … I have known the soldier Joseph Williams or Sykes since 1865 till the time of his death and I know that Joseph Williams and Joseph Sykes were one and the same person”

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Charlie Jones, Company I

The veteran settled in Norfolk, Virginia when his service ended and several comrades-in-arms offered supporting depositions for his pension claim. As it happened, his application was handled by an attorney who had a reputation for questionable practices. More research is required to find out why he was transferred from the National Soldiers Home in Virginia to the National Soldiers Home near Dayton, Ohio in 1919.

Invalid — 886,276 / 663,860

Deposition A, Charles Jones, 10 May 1893
about 60 years old; occupation, cook; residence and post-office address, 243 Queen St., Norfolk, Va.
“Q. Who was your attorney in the presentation of your claim under the Act of June 27, 1890?
A. Mr. W.R. Drury of Norfolk, Va.
‘Q. Who was present when you made out your claim?
A. Doctor Johnson or Johnson Doctor … He was my identifying witness. Jubilee was to be one but he never got there that day. He was there the day before.”
“Q. Do you know S. Cherry?
A. No, sir.”

Deposition B, Oscar Jubilee, 11 May 1893
54 years old; occupation, laborer; residence and post-office address, 30 Lee St., Barboursville, Norfolk, Va.
“I think I was a witness that he was in my company. I went with him before Mr. W.R. Drury of this city.”
“Q. Who was the other identifying witness?
A. I think Dick Grant and Owen Woodus, who are both dead, but I don’t remember.”

Questionnaire (Form 3–402), Charles Jones, 12 March 1898
“[Married?] Yes. Her full name is Emily Jones. Her maiden name was Emily Butcher.
[Where, when, by whom] August 12, 1875 in Norfolk, Va. by Rev. Lyons.
[Living children] I have no children, living or dead.”

General Affidavit, John Moore and Albert Merchant, 28 July 1894
[Moore] 51 years old; residence, 28 Allyntowne Road, Norfolk, Norfolk Co., Va.
[Merchant] 67 years old; residence, 172 Cumberland Street, Norfolk, Norfolk Co., Va.
“That they are both well acquainted with Charles Jones … have known him for at least thirty (30) years during which time witnesses have lived near claimant and would see him on average two times each week. They say that claimant is a man of sober habits and regular and temperate in his mode of living”

Deposition, Charles Jones, 21 February 1902
about 60 years old; occupation, cook; residence, 313 Queen St., Norfolk, Va.
“I was born in Clark [sic] County, Virginia and I was a slave: was owned by Richard Parker but his sister married a Crenshaw of Charles City Co., Va., and they fell heir to me. My father was Wm. Jones…. I was in the army one or two years. I was discharged shortly after Christmas the year after Richmond fell.”
“I have only been married once: married Emily Jones in Norfolk, Va., in three years after my discharge. We were married by Rev. Lyons. My wife had never been previously married. We have no children.”

General Affidavit, Charles Jones, 25 January 1908
70 years old; residence, Norfolk, Norfolk County, Virginia; post-office address, 313 Queen St., Norfolk, Va.
“I count my age from what my owner told me before the war which makes me now over 70 years old but my white people are all either dead or moved and there is no way I can prove my age.”

Questionnaire (Form 3-389), Charles Jones, 7 April 1915
[Wife] Emily Jones — died 10 April 1909 at Norfolk, Va.

Letter from Charles Jones, National Soldiers Home, Va. to the Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, DC, 31 January 1917
“I was born in 1841.”

(Form 81), Central Branch, National Home for D.V.S., National Military Home, Ohio, 25 November 1918
“Charles Jones … was Transf’d to this Branch on the 8 day of Nov. 1918 from Southern Branch.”

Form 37, Central Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 17 August 1919
“Charles Jones … died at Central Branch on the 17 day of July, 1919. Cause of death, mitral insufficiency, Social Condition, widower. The name, address and degree of relationship of his next of kin, so far as indicated by the records of this Home, are as follows: Cousin, Mrs. William Rowe, 124 Mallory St., Phoebus, Virginia”

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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.”

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