Amanuensis Monday: The Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter: Document #23

Isaac Carter filed this affidavit, along with those previously transcribed here, with his original pension claim form.

If you have been following the testimony, you will note that this affidavit includes some additional supporting details which enhance the timeline of events. If not, you can follow the transcriptions of this Civil War Pension File by clicking on the page tag above.

NOTE: The specific details that did not come out in the full testimony of Isaac's comrades and neighbors are highlighted in yellow.

Document #23: Affidavit: Isaac Carter, 10 May 1892

State of North Carolina)
County of Craven         )
In matter of original Invalid claim
No. 662812 of Isaac Carter Late Sergeant
of Co. B & G 14 Regt U.S.C. H Arty
on this 10th Day of May A.D. 1892
Personally appeared before me a
Notary Public for and
Within the County and State
afore said, Isaac Carter age
51 years Resident Harlow Craven
Co. N.C. well known to be
Reputable and Entitled to credit
who being Duly Sworn
according to Law Discloses

as follows. I enlisted a Privat
of Co. B 14 Regt U.S.C.H. Arty
March 12, 1864, and Promoted
Second Sergeant of Co. B 14
Regt U.S.C.H. Arty on about
Sept 1864. and was Transfered
to Co. G 14 Regt U.S.C.H. Arty
as Duty Sergeant on about the 
month September 1865 and
was Honorable Discharge Duty
Sergeant of Co. G 14 Regt U.S.
C.H. Arty December 11th 1865
and I Gone Lived at Harlowe
Craven Co. N.C. The First
Disease I contracted while I was
in Co. B. 14Regt.U.S.C.H. Arty
was the Rheumatism. At Caroline
City, N.C. on or about the month
of December 1864 The Regiment
was Taken from Warm Baracks
at New Berne N.C. on about the
Last of November 1864 and
carried to Carolina City N.C.
and we Layed out some
Eight or Ten Days with out
Tents, and it Sleeted and snow
and Rain and we was Expose
to the Weather and I was taken
with Pains in Feet and Legs and
I have been growing worse
Every Since with the Chronic
Rheumatism, at times Down
in my Bed not able to help
my self in the Spring 1865
I was taken with Chronic
Diarrhea by Drinking Bad
Bad water which Resulted
in to Piles and the Doctor
Treated me in Hospital at
Carolina City. I also was taken
with Deep Cold. and Asthma
in the Spring of 1865 and
inlargement of the Stomache
of which I have been greatly
Trouble with Each and Every
Year Since, Cough and Lung
Trouble at times have be Prop
up in a my Bed. xxxxx me xxxxx
unable to Do Manual Labor
and my wife and children
works out to take xxxx of
me. I thought that I would
Die once or twice at Carolina
City N.C. in Spring of 1865
I was Down in Hospital
with the afore said Disabilities
I have furnish worth and competent
witnesses who was of my Company
and Regimene and this affidavit
and filed with my claim to
wit Sergeant Albert A. Elliott
Sergt Silas Fenner, Privet Samuel
Keach of Co. B. 14 Regt U. S.C.H.
Arty and Privet Sharper
Williams of Co. G 14 Regt U.S.
C.H. Arty these men was with
me and I have furnish Neighbor
Witnesses as to my Present
Condition and I ask that my
Case be made Special according
to the Rules. and Regulations of
the Pension Department. I
am now suffering for the
Necessary of this Life and
unable to work. I ask that
Commissioners to Please Consider
my poor condition now while 
I am Living.
Witness           )                      his
EW Carpenter )             Isaac  X  Carter
[  ] E Hudson  )                     mark

                                               sworn & sub-
scribed to before me this
10th day of May/92 & I certify
that the foregoing was
read to claimant before
making his mark to
same & that he is the
identical person he claims
to be & in credible & worthy of
belief.                       EW Carpenter
                                 Notary Public

The Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter: Document #22

Domument #22 is an affidavit sworn by Rufus L. Carter, Isaac Carter's first cousin.  You can see from the pedigree to the left how they are connected within the Carter Family Tree.

The only difference I can see in testimony between Rufus L. Carter and other affiants is that during the time he spent with Isaac Carter in Carolina City, they stayed in a tent.

This was reportedly during the Fall of 1864, while the time when they reportedly had worked and slept in the winter elements was in November of the same year. This was sworn testimony by his comrade, Samuel Keach Windley. Sharper Williams, also of his same Company, stated that in February 1865 he was in the hospital and treated by the Surgeon. While the onset of his illness was in  November 1864, he was hospitalized during February 1865...from Fall through the winter months.

Below is the exact transcription of Document #22, sworn by Isaac Carter's first cousin, Rufus L. Carter. Any spelling or punctuation errors are as they appeared in the original document.


State of North Carolina)
County of Craven         )
In the matter of Original Invalid pensions
Claim No. 662812 of Isaac Carter Late
a Sergent of Co. G 14 Regt U.S.C HArty
on this 10th day of May A.D. 1892
Personally appeared before me a Notary
Public for & within the county
& state afore said Mr. Rufus L. Carter
age 48 years Resident of Harlow N.C.
well known to be rebtable & entitle to
credit who being duly sworn accor-
ding to Law. says has been Well
and personally acquainted with

the claimant Isaac Carter for
48 years and have lived in the same
Neighborhood with him Partially Raised
up together before the Late War he was
a well and a harty man and I
Remember on or about the time
he Left home to enlist in the
U.S. Army which was some time
first of the year of 1864. he enlisted
in the 14 Regiment U.S.C HArty. I Well
Remember that on or about the Last of the
fall of 1864 I Went down to Carolina
City N.C. and I Saw Isaac Carter
with other Soldirs and I Stayed with
Isaac Carter in the Tent with him
One Night. I Remember Seeing
the claimant Teo or Three times after
he enlisted in the U.S.Army and
when he was Discharge Dec. 11, 1865.
I saw him Very soon after he was
discharged & he was complaning of
Rheumatism in feet and legs and
he complaine of Pains in side and
Breast and he complaining of the
Diarrhea & Piles and he has continued
to complain from date of Discharge
up to the Present. & he has growed
worse & worse each yeare he has
not been in the Military or Navail
Services Since he was Discharge Dec. 1865
I Live within a halfor mile of him & and continues to
See him Weekly & some times daily
and still complaine of Diarrhea &
pl Piles & Rheumatism pains in
Breast & left side I have known him
to be down in Bed confine Two &
Thee Weeks at a time with the Diarrhea
& Rheumatism & weakness of the Back
and he is down about Two Thirds of
his time he can not do any Manual
Labor Whatever at times he suffers
and continues to grow worse and worse each
yeare. I Remember Sept 1891 while was at
Work the claimant was trying to work
& he was complaining of the Dirrhea
& Piles then & said he could not Work
& could not do any heavy work and
He stope work & went to the sink
and when came Back from the sink
he give out & fell and I went and
taken him up & put him in my
Sciff & got a man to carrie Isaac
Carter home to his wife for he was a
Bad off with Diarrhea & Piles and
he had not been able to do anything
of any account Since & continues
to have Severe attack of Diarrhea and
Piles & Rheumatism he is more than
Two Thirds disable. he suffers for
Medical aid by being not able to
Empoloy any Physecoin he is a
Poor Invalid soldire & suffers
for the Necessaries of Life. he can not
work his wife work & dose the Best she
can for him I am no concern
in the prosecution of this claim
My PO address is Harlowe N.C.
Withess          )
EW Carpenter)    Rufus L. Carter
J.P. Godett     )

                                 Sworn & Sub-
scribed to before me this
10th day of May/92 & I certify
that the foregoing was
read to affiant before
signing same & that he
is the identical person
he claims to be & is credible
& worthy of belief.
                              EW Carpenter
                              Notary Public

Conclusion to: The Mystery of Samuel Keach Windley

The response to my query arrived seven days ago...but because I have been so busy with other things, I just now found what I was looking for. Thanks to Victor Jones, Jr. at the Kellenberger Room, I now have the obituary for Samuel Keach Windley, who had testified on behalf of Isaac Carter's Civil War Pension Application.

I say the mystery is solved...perhaps only so far as to give a glimpse of who he became following the war. Below is a transcription of his obituary. You will note that a further mystery is about to unfold...but most likely will remain a mystery unless anyone privy to the results of a coroner's inquest released information in another location. Take a look...

Foul Play Suspected
Samuel Keach Windley, a negro
Baptist preacher residing in Rei-
zensteinville, died early yesterday
morning.
It appears that Samuel found his
life in a compromising position a
short while ago; and since that time
he has been failing in health, until
his death. It was suspected that
the deceased had been foully dealt
with, and therefore the coroner was
summoned.
The coroner has impaneled his
[j]ury and taken preliminary steps in
the matter. A further investigation
will take this morning at 10
o'clock.
(Windley, Samuel Keach. 10/30/1896. New Bern Daily Journal, page 4, column 1)

Victor states that the next day's newspaper is missing. The Weekly for that week survives, but the news evidently was pushed out by the election returns for the 1896 Presidential election.

My next step is to look up information related to Reizensteinville, the Jewish section located in the Five Points area.

The Mystery of Samuel Windley, alias Samuel Keach: Analysis of Document #19

In the spirit of discovering who each of these men were who had shared bits of Sergeant Isaac Carter's life, and who had come forth to testify on his behalf for a Civil War Pension, I began my search for Samuel Keach with a search on Ancestry.com and on Fold3.

Surprisingly, only two documents surfaced:

1. (4) U.S. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files: 1861-1934, and
2. (1) U.S. Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865.

Search Results Provided By Ancestry.com

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Data Source: U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934

Tue Dec 25 2012 16:53:22 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)

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View Record Name Widow State Filed View Record Samuel Keach  Louisa Keach North Carolina View Record Samuel Windley [Samuel Keach]  Luvenine Reach North Carolina View Record Samuel Windley [Samuel Keach]  Louisa Keach North Carolina View Record Samuel Windley [Samuel Keach]  North Carolina

Looking at the screenshot of my Ancestry.com search #1, I wondered about this surname, Windley. Often you will find a transcription error in indexing, or perhaps even an enumeration error where the name was spelled phonetically, based on the informant's accent or regional dialect. However, there's a large difference between Keach and Windley. The widow's name, Luvenine Reach, is identified immediately as a transcription error. Her name should read: Luvennie Keach. But in two documents listed, the widow's surname is recorded as Louisa Keach. The question is now whether this is a reporting/recording error, or if there are two widows.

Image No. 1

Image No. 1, however, notes that Samuel Keach was an alias. With that said, I began looking for Windley information (more to come). 

Let's take a look at the information provided on this application card:

• There are three other persons reported here: 1.) the widow: Louisa Keach; 2.) a minor: Louisa Harrison, Gdn; and, 3.) the contesting widow: Luvennie Keach. 
• Two types of service were recorded: Co. B, 1st Regiment North Carolina Colored Infantry, and Co. B, 14th Regiment US Colored Heavy Artillery. 
• The dates of filing show that:

1.  the Invalid (Samuel Keach) filed on Feb. 11, 1888: Application No. 639.673, Certificate No. 749.574;
2.  the widow on March 19, 1898: Application No. 673.017;
3.  the minor on Aug. 10, 1905, Application No. 833.267; and,
4.  the contesting widow on July 5, 1900, Application No. 743.387. 

Image No. 2

If I were to apply for Samuel Keach's Civil War Pension File from NARA, I would need all of the above information in order to request his complete file.

Image No. 4

Image No. 3

Images 2-4 are the individual applications of the widow, minor and contesting widow.

In search of the Windley surname

My first step was to check the Public Member Trees: <Samuel Windley, USA, North Carolina.> At the time of his affidavit he was 45 years old, making him born abt. 1846. He had enlisted in Washington, NC, so I'll be searching for people living in Beaufort County. I discovered a tree entitled, Windley Family Tree, with an individual named, Samuel S. Windley, b. 7 June 1848; d. 1911.

I always look for a documented tree, but note that this has no documentation on this individual. So, I search for some Census records for this Samuel S. Windley, son of Samuel and Angelica (Jones) Windley.

In 1850 he was living in Broad Creek, Beaufort, NC. This family is composed of the parents and five children. One small problem. The family is white, and there are no black families listed. So, I check out the 1850 Slave Schedules to see if Samuel & Ann Windley owned any slaves.

Sure enough, they owned three slaves: a black female (23), a black male (20), and a black male (4). The child would have been born abt. 1846, the same age as Samuel Keach Windley. I located an obituary for him at New-Bern Craven County Public Library posted in the New Bern Daily Journal, 30 October 1896. I am hopeful to discover some other information about him from the obituary, but must wait till I receive it to know for sure.

Another document I located naming this Samuel Keach Windley was the death certificate of his second wife, Louvina Eborn. It states that she was the daughter of Frank Blount and Jennie Eborn, both of Roanoke Island, NC. She died on October 28, 1922 at the age of 100. She had been divorced from her husband, Samuel Windley.

Samuel Keach Windley survived five years, seven months and twelve days beyond his testimony. Beyond his obituary, the only other hope of gaining any information about this man would be from his Civil War Pension File. Perhaps one day we'll have more to report, but until then...

Amanuensis Monday: The Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter: Document #19

The Formation of a Civil War Artillery Regiment
I had taken a break from the pension file to reassess my goals here. At first I thought of skipping over documents to post based on the criteria of whether the actual content provided additional clues to Isaac Carter's disability, and the conditions under which he acquired said disability.

Also, since we moved in early November, I have not been in the frame of mind to sit down and focus on these details, and give them my undivided attention until now. The legal-sized binder which contains volume one of the pension file has sat opened on my desk next to my laptop since I first unpacked the boxes containing my genealogical binders. It has remained a constant reminder of what steps I should take next.

I skipped Document #17, a two-page sworn statement by David Lawson, who was acquainted with Isaac Carter after the war. Document #18 was a one page form requesting a report from the records of the Adjutant General U.S. A. about the sworn statements of David Lawson and Silas Fenner. I had thought of skipping over Document #19 as well, since it contained no new information...so I thought. However, if I plan on reconstructing the 14th Regiment Heavy Artillery USCT, I must examine all statements sworn by members of the unit. So, I will proceed with the following statement sworn by Samuel Keach.

Transcription: Samuel Keach's Affidavit on behalf of Isaac Carter:
State of North Carolina)
County of Craven         )
In the matter of original claim No
662812 of Isaac Carter Late a
Sergeant of the B & G 14 Regt U.S. C.H.
Arty.  On this 18 Day of March
A.D. 1891 Personally appeared before
me a Notary Public fort & within
the County & state aforesaid
Samuel Keach age 45 years
Resident of New Berne N.C.
well Known to be reputable &
and Entitled to creed who being
duly sworn according to Law
Declares as follows  I enlisted in
March A.D. 1864 at Washington, N.C.
I became acquainted with Isaac
Carter at New Berne, N.C. on about
April A.D. 1864 he was a Sergeant of
my Company B 14 Regiment USHArty
He was a well & a Harty (sic) man at
that time from all appearence (sic) I did not
hear him complain of any thing not
until on about May here at New Berne
N.C. he complained of Rheumatism,
& Diarrhea & Piles at Caroine (sic) City He

and on about November 1864 while we
was at Carolina City N.C. was with
out tents & we was Exposed in cold
& Rain & sleet & snow & Isaac
Carter Taken Down with Diarrhea
& Piles & Rheumatism his feet swollen
up & he was Excuse from Duty. I was
Down at the same time & Place
& Isaac Carter continued to complain
of the afore said complaints. and
when he was Discharge he was sick
We was all Discharge at the same
time on the 11 day of Dec 1865
at Fort Macon N.C. & since Discharge
the solder (sic) continues to complain
of the afore said complaints &
he is about Two Thirds Disable to
[                     ] Manual Labor
By Reason of the afore said complaints
I saw him the 18 day of March 1891
& he Look very Bad & complain of
the afore said complaints he could
barely get about  I am no
relation to the claimant My
Post office address is New Berne
HE was Transferred from Co B to
Co G 14 Regt U.S.C.H Arty.
I have no interest in his claim

                                                     his
                                    Samuel       X   Keach
                                                     mark
witness
E.W. Carpenter
Lewis F. Carter
   
                                              Sworn & sub-
scribed to before me this
18th day of Mch/91 & I certify that
the affiant states that the
foregoing was read to him
before making his mark
to same & that he is the
identical person he claim
to be & is credible & worthy of belief.
                                                       
                                                              EWCarpenter
                                                              Notary Public
Cert filed