Turner Peel died at the National Soldiers Home, Hampton, Virginia in 1918. His death was noted in The Hampton Monitor. His widow’s pension application included sworn statements from three people in North Carolina who testified that Lucy had “belonged to my family.” In 1920 Lucy was admitted to Central State Hospital. She died six months later of arterio-sclerosis.
Invalid — 904, 766 / 930,272
Widow — 1,116,658 / —— , Lucy Peel
General Affidavit, Turner Peel, 27 April 1891
54 years old; residence, near Windsor, Bertie County, N.C. …”[On] 27 of Dec 1882 was working in the lumber woods in Bertie Co. cutting down a tree to make boards the tree struck on other tree in falling and broke the top of it rebounded and in falling struck me on the shoulder and left side and broke a rib; I was laid up in bed three months unable to do anything”
Claimant’s Affidavit, Turner Peel, 9 March 1895
56 years old; residence, Bertie Co., N.C.; post-office, c/o Lewis Roulhac, P.O. Box 103, Windsor, N.C. … “I broke my ribs in left side on the 28 day of Dec 1881 near Sanssouci [sic], Bertie Co., N.C. while cutting down a pine tree for rail timber in the woods, the tree falling on me before I could get out of the way …”
General Affidavit, A.J. Hardy & Champion Pugh, 9 March 1895
[Hardy] 44 years old; residence, Windsor Township, N.C.; post-office, Windsor, N.C. … “I am well acquainted with the above named applicant Turner Peel & have been for twenty years; that the disease bone scurvy, broken rib, & general disability claimed by him is not the result of vicious habits on his parts; that I was present & saw him after the tree fell on him; I helped carry him home …. He is quite an old man & labors hard when able & is regarded as a good truthful citizen in the community in which he lives. My knowledge of these facts is derived from the fact that I live within two miles of him & have for ten years & that I am personally acquainted with him & that I see him four or five times every week.”
[Pugh] 60 years old; residence, Windsor, Bertie Co., N.C.; post-office address, Windsor, Bertie Co., N.C. … “I know the said applicant well and I have known him personally for twenty-five years; that I live in four miles of his house & see him every week … that I saw him when he was down from being hurt by a tree having fallen on him & said to have broken a rib in his left side … Said applicant is an industrious & hard-working man when able & is regarded as a good truthful citizen in the community where he lives.”
General Affidavit, Lewis Powell & Rhoden Cooper, 28 November 1896
[Powell] 42 years old; residence, Merry Hill Township, Bertie Co., N.C.; post-office address, Sanssouci [sic], N.C. …
[Cooper] 68 years old; residence, Merry Hill Township, Bertie Co., N.C.; post-office address, Sanssouci [sic], N.C. …
“We have known the above named [soldier] for twenty and twenty-four years, respectively … Our knowledge of the facts above testified is derived from our having lived within from two & a half & three miles ever since we have known him, worked with him, visited him, and even see him from once & twice each week. I know him to be a good, smart, industrious man & good citizen & that he is regarded as such in his community.”
Questionnaire (Form 3-493), Turner Peel, 15 June 1898
[residence, post-office address] Windsor, N.C.; P.O. Windsor, N.C.
[residence from February 4, 1866 until present address] Washington, N.C. until 1869; from 1869 to the present I have lived in Bertie Co., N.C.
[nearest post-office] from 1866 Feby 4 to 1869 my post-office was Washington, N.C. from 1869 to the present, my post-office has been Sanssouci [sic] & Windsor
[occupation since Feby 4, 1869] farming
[known by another name?] John T. Peel alias Turner Peel
[Claimant replied 5 June 1898 — Leslie]
Questionnaire (Form 3-173), Turner Peel, 15 June 1898
[married?] Lucy Peel, maiden name “Cooper”
[where, when, by whom] December 11, 1879; Bertie County
[record of marriage] Courthouse in Windsor, Bertie County, North Carolina
[previously married] Phillis Peel, died in Bertie Co., N.C., April 29, 1878 by Armstead Cooper (Rev.)
| Bryant T. |
Feb 7, 1870 |
| Dell A. |
Dec. 26, 1871 |
| Elizabeth |
May 4, 1874 |
| John R. |
Dec. 6, 1876 |
| William T. |
April 6, 1879 |
| Joseph W. |
Jan 5, 1881 |
| Della E. |
Jun 15, 1886 |
[Claimant replied “7 July 1899” to a Pension Bureau form dated “13 May 1898” — Leslie]
Declaration for Pension, Turner Peel, 27 March 1907
65 years old; residence, National Home, Elizabeth City County, Va. … born August 6th, 1841 at Martin County, N.C. … [residences since discharge] Martin County, N.C. and National Home, Va. since December 18th 1899 … also personally appeared Edward Haig residing in Hampton, Va. N.S. Home and W.P. Dodd residing in Hampton, Va. …”
Questionnaire, Turner Peel, 29 March 1915
[birth date and birth place] 5 August 1841, Martin County, North Carolina
[post office @ enlistment] Norfolk, Va.
[wife] Lucy E. Cooper Peel
[when, where, by whom] married in Windsor, Bertie Co., N.C. by Rev. Armstead Cooper
[record] courthouse at Windsor, Bertie Co., N.C.
[previously married] Phillis Swain, Sept, 1869. She died April 5th 1879
[living with wife] yes “and there have [sic] not been any seperation [sic]”
[names, birthdates, all children]
| Bryant Peel |
February 1870 |
| Delia Peel |
Dec 1873 |
| Elizabeth Peel |
Dec 1875 |
| John R. Peel |
Dec 1876 |
| William Peel |
April 1879 |
| Joseph H. Peel |
Jan 5, 1881 |
| Delia Peel |
Jan 15, 1886 |
“Jos. H. Peel and Della Peel is my last wife’s children.”
Letter from Joseph S. Smith, Governor, Southern Branch National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers to Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, DC, 4 February 1918
“Turner Peel … who died at National Soldiers Home, Va. on the 31st day of January 1918 … cause of death – chronic interstitial nephritis; social condition -married … next of kin, Lucy Peel (wife) …”
Certifying Statement, S.W. Kenney, Register of Deeds, Bertie Co., North Carolina, 9 February 1918
“[The] following is a true copy of the ‘Marriage Records’ as the same appears in my office:
“‘Date of issuance of license: December 9th, 1879;
name and residence of man: John Peele, Merry Hill Township, Bertie County, N.C.; age: 35; color: colored;
name and residence of woman: Lucy Cooper, Merry Hill Township, Bertie County, N.C.; age 30; color: colored;
name of minister celebrating marriage: Armistead Cooper;
date of marriage: December 12th, 1879;
place of marriage: Merry Hill Township:
witnesses at marriage: J.W. Heckstall, C.W. Spruill, H. Dempsey.”
Declaration for Widow’s Pension, Lucy S. Peel, 4 March 1918
72 years old; residence, 114 Depot Avenue, Hampton, Virginia … “born October 1845 at Bertie County, North Carolina … she was married to said soldier December 12, 1879, under the name of Lucy Cooper, at Merry Hill Township, Bertie County, N.C. by Armstead Cooper; that she had not been previously married; that he had been previously married to Phyllis [illegible] whom I knew and who died in March or April 1879 – and I married him in December of the same year … that said soldier died January 31, 1918, at National Soldiers Home, Va. that she was not divorced from him; and that she has not remarried since his death … he left no children under 16; his youngest child is over 20.”
Sworn Statement, George Mason, 16 April 1919
Residence, Union Street, Hampton, Virginia … “[He has known Lucy Peel] for ten or twelve years; that he also knew her husband John T. Peel, alias Turner Peel, and further also knew him for many years; he also further swears that during the time he knew them they lived together as man and wife; that they were never divorced; that since the death of the said Turner Peel, the said Lucy Peel has not married again.”
Sworn Statement, James Lane, 16 April 1919
Residence, Union Lane, Hampton, Virginia … “[He has known Lucy Peel] for ten or twelve years; that he also knew her husband John T. Peel, alias Turner Peel, and also knew him for many years; he also further swears that during the time he knew them they lived together as man and wife; that they were never divorced; that since the deal, the said Turner Peel, the said Lucy Peel has not married again.”
Sworn Statement, Washington Allen, 23 April 1919
Residence, 2702 Warwick Drive, Newport News, Virginia … “[He has known Lucy Peel] for more than forty years; that he also knew her husband, the said John T. Peel, or Turner Peel, and knew him many years, having known them both in Bertie County, North Carolina, many years ago, before they were married in North Carolina in 1879; that these are the only marriages contracted by either of said parties, to the best of his knowledge and belief; that the said Lucy Peel, widow, has not married since; that she and the said John T. Peel lived together happily as husband and wife up to the time of John T. Peel’s death on January 29, 1918.”
Sworn Statement, Geo. B. Cooper, 5 April 1920
Residence, Windsor, North Carolina … “[He has known Lucy Peel] for 60 years; that she was owned by his family; that he also knew her husband, John T. Peel, or Tuner Peel, having known him since 1870 before they were married in 1879; he further swears that at the time of her said marriage to John T. Peel, or Turner Peel, the said Lucy Peel had not been previously married — she having been known as Lucy Cooper prior to her marriage; that the said John T. Peel, alias Turner Peel, had been previously married, to wit: to one Phyllis Swayne, who died in Bertie County, North Carolina, about the year — does not know ; that these are the only marriages contracted by either party up to the time they left North Carolina about 15 years ago …”
Sworn Statement, J.W. Cooper, 23 September 1920
Residence, Windsor, North Carolina … “[He has known Lucy Peel] for 45 years; that she was owned by his family; that he also knew her husband, John T. Peel, or Tuner Peel, having known him since 1870 before they were married in 1879; he further swears that at the time of her said marriage to John T. Peel, or Turner Peel, the said Lucy Peel had not been previously married — she having been known as Lucy Cooper prior to her marriage; that the said John T. Peel, alias Turner Peel, had been previously married, to wit: to one Phyllis Swayne, who died in Bertie County, North Carolina, about the year 1875 ; that these are the only marriages contracted by either party up to the time they left North Carolina about 15 years ago …”
Sworn Statement, J.D. Tadesco [or Tedesco], 23 September 1920
Residence, Windsor, North Carolina … “[He has known Lucy Peel] for 50 years; that she was owned by his family; that he also knew her husband, John T. Peel, or Turner Peel, having known him since 1870 before they were married; he further swears that at the time of her said marriage to John T. Peel, or Turner Peel, the said Lucy Peel had not been previously married — she having been known as Lucy Cooper prior to her marriage; that the said John T. Peel, alias Turner Peel, had been previously married, to wit: to one Phyllis Swayne, who died in Bertie County, North Carolina, about the year 1875 ; that these are the only marriages contracted by either party up to the time they left North Carolina about 15 years ago …”
Sworn Statement, Joseph H. Peel, 26 January 1921
Residence, 114 Depot Avenue, Hampton, Virginia … “[Says] that he is the son of John T. Peel, alias Turner Peel, and Lucy Peel, which said Lucy Peel is an applicant for a widow’s pension; that the said Lucy Peel, his mother, was committed to the Asylum for the Insane, Petersburg, Virginia, on the 20th day of December 1920; that no member of her family served in the World War; that the said Lucy Peel is not receiving, nor has she ever filed a claim for compensation through the Bureau of War Risk Insurance; and this affiant further states that he is the son of the said Lucy Peel, that he is forty years of age; and that the true name of his father was John Turner Peel; that the marriage license filed in this cause shows what name he was married under; that during the Civil War the said John T. Peel called himself Turner Peel, as John was such a common name; that the said Lucy Peel always called him John; and by that name he was best known to his friends until his death in 1918, or his thereabouts.”
Letter from W.F. Drewry, Superintendent, Central State Hospital, to H.M. Vandervoort, Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Pensions, 12 April 1923
“Dear Sir,
“Replying to your letter of the 4th in reference to Lucy E. Peel, this is to advise that she was admitted to this Hospital from the Elizabeth City County, Virginia, December 21, 1920, and died here July 30, 1921, cause being arterio-sclerosis.
“If I can be of any further service to you, please let me know.”
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1st U.S. Colored Cavalry 