Archive:Civil War Pension File, Jabez M. Whitney
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Civil War Pension File of Jabez M. Whitney
Invalid's Application #1096646, Certificate #911559
The National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
He is identified as Jabez M.8 Whitney (John Wheeler7, Jabez6, Phineas5, Isaac4, Nathaniel3, Benjamin2, John1).
Company E, 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery and Company A, 1st Minnesota Cavalry
On 20 July 1895 from Gallatin County, Montana, Jabez M. Whitney signed a Declaration for Original Invalid Pension. He is fifty-two years old, and a resident of Bozeman, Gallatin Co., Montana. He had entered the service at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on 15 September 1862 as a private in Company A of the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment, and was honorably discharged at Fort Snelling on 20 October 1863 because his term of service had expired. On 18 January 1865 he re-enlisted as a private in Company E of the 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment, and was honorably discharged 27 September 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee. He was nineteen and twenty-one years old at the time of his enlistments, and is described as 5 feet nine inches tall, with a dark complexion, dark hair, and gray eyes. He is now suffering from piles and rheumatism in the form of chronic and muscular. Witnessing the declaration are Elza Copple and William B. Bowers. Jabez was awarded a pension.
In an application for increased benefit signed 27 March 1907 from Nez Perce County, Idaho, Jabez declares he is sixty-three years old, and a resident of Orofino, Nez Perce Co., Idaho. He states that his personal description at the time of his enlistment was: five feet ten inches in height; light complexion; gray eyes; and dark hair. His occupation had been engineer. He was born 8 May 1843 at Mt. Stirling (sic), Illinois. Since leaving the service he has moved from Minnesota to Montana about the spring of 1885, and from Montana to Idaho in July 1903. The declaration was witnessed by Charles R. Fisk and Charles Thayer, both of Orofino, Idaho. Jabez' pension was increased to twelve dollars per month.
On 3 June 1912 Jabez again signed a declaration seeking increased benefit. He remains a resident of Orofino, Idaho, but the county has been changed to Clearwater. He again declares that he was born 8 May 1843 at Mount Stirling (sic), Brown County, Illinois. His occupation before enlistment had been carpenter. He states that after his service he lived in Minnesota for twenty years; in Montana about fourteen years; in Boise, Idaho about two months; in Emmet, Idaho for ten months; in Granger, Idaho one year; and then in Orofino, Idaho, where he still resides. The declaration is witnessed by William L. Bennett and D. F. Towns.
On 27 December 1897, and again on 5 April 1915 Jabez answered an inquiry from the Bureau of Pensions. The following is distilled from his answers to the inquiry. He was born at Mt. Sterling, Illinois on 8 May 1843. His post office at the time of his enlistment was St. Paul, Minnesota. He was married in September 1876 to Etta L. Crandall at McGregor, Iowa. His marriage certificate was lost in a flood on the Illinois River in 1879. There is no official or church record of the marriage. His wife had been previously married to Fred Chamberlain, who had served in a Minnesota regiment, and was killed at Nashville, Tennessee. His wife was still alive in 1897, but in 1915 he declares that she was deceased in 1901. He has three living children: Fred R. Whitney was born at Browning, Illinois on 9 September 1880; Merle A. Whitney was born 10 October 1881; and Harry M. Whitney was born 5 June 1883.
On 24 June 1919 the Commissioner of Pensions was informed that Jabez M. Whitney was last paid thirty-eight dollars per month to 4 March 1919, and was dropped from the roll because of his death on 15 April 1919. (Note: a document in the file indicates he died at Bozeman, Montana. I don't know if this is accurate.)
Copyright © 2009, Kenneth L. Whitney and the Whitney Research Group
