Archive:Civil War Pension File, Penelope Ward Whitney
From the Civil War Pension File of John Whitney
Private, Co. G, 1st Minnesota Infantry
Invalid's Application #310129, Certificate #315748
Widow Application #893582, Certificate #759260 [but see the last paragraph below]
The National Archive Building
Washington, D.C.
On 15 May 1908 from Chisago County, Minnesota, Penelope Whitney signed a Declaration for Widow’s Pension. She is 81 years old, and a resident of Wyoming, Chisago Co., Minnesota. She is the widow of John Whitney, who enlisted on 30 March 1865 as a private in Company G, 1st Battalion of Minnesota Volunteers, was discharged 14 July 1865, and died 5 September 1906. She was married to him under the name Penelope Ward on 26 August 1855 by Silas Bigelow at Minneapolis, Minnesota. No children under the age of 17 are mentioned. The witnesses to her signature are Anthony A. and Mary Richner.
Penelope’s application was denied because she filed for it on the pension of the wrong John Whitney. The soldier whose service she filed under was a different John Whitney of Minnesota from her husband, and he was still alive and living in a soldiers home in Minneapolis.
Penelope’s husband, John Whitney, is identified as John F.M. Whitney (Otis Crocker, Ephraim). It appears he served in the Civil War with his brother Ephraim in Brackett’s Battalion of Minnesota Cavalry. I cannot find that he applied for a pension. There is a letter in the file from Mrs. Rufus Goff stating that John Whitney was her brother. Mrs. Goff is identified as John’s sister Josephine.
Penelope’s application for a pension is found in the pension file of the John Whitney who served in Company G of the 1st Minnesota Infantry. Also in the file is the application of John’s actual widow, Olive T. Whitney. The listed widow’s application number is that of Penelope, but the listed certificate number is that of Olive T. Whitney.
Copyright © 2014, Kenneth L. Whitney and the Whitney Research Group.
