James W. Center Civil War Pension File

Scott County Arkansas
Civil War Pension Application
JAMES W. CENTER, CSA
Transcribed & Contributed by Delaine Edwards

#846
Scott County
WIDOW'S APPLICATION FOR PENSION
Mary A. Center
Widow of
James W. Center
Co. "D" 20th Reg't. Ga. Infty. Vols.

Soldier killed in the service at battle of Gettysburg
Filed Sept. 25, 1891
T.M. Duncan, Clerk

Filed Oct. 30th 1891
W.S. Dunlop, Aud.

Examined & approved July 6th 1892 for $25.00
James P. Eagle, Gov.
W.E. Atkinson, Atty. Genl.
W.S. Dunlop, Auditor

[Handwritten document]

Affidavit

State of Arkansas}
County of Scott}
In matter of pension claim of Mary A. Center widow of ex-Confederate soldier James Center of Co. "D" of 20th Reg't. Ga. Infty. Vols. On this 25th day of Sept. 1891, personally appeared before the undersigned Clerk of the Circuit Court D.A. Edwards and R.M. Edwards, who each being duly sworn say: That they have each been well acquainted with said widow Mary A. Center for the past 14 years; that she is the identical person she represents herself to be - that she is unmarried and has remained so during the whole time since the death of said soldier James W. Center to the present time. That said widow has no property or income whatever to our knowledge from which to obtain a support and that she is too old and feeble to make support for herself by her own labor; that she is compelled therefore to depend upon her relatives for support. That she is now indigent and incapacitated for manual labor for the reasons before stated. Affiants further state that they have no interest direct or indirect in said claim. Affiant D.A. Edwards states that his age is 33 years. Affiant R.M. Edwards states that his age is 56 years.
[Signed] D.A. Edwards
[Signed] R.M. Edwards
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 25th day of Sept. 1891.
[Signed] Thomas M. Duncan
Clerk Circuit Court

APPLICATION FOR PENSION

To the Honorable County Court of Scott County,
[Blank] Sitting as a Pension Board:
The undersigned, as the widow of an ex-Confederate soldier, hereby applies for a pension under the provisions of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas, entitled "An Act for the Relief of Certain Soldiers of the late War between the States," approved April 1, 1891, upon the following grounds:
That she is a bona fide resident of the State of Arkansas, and has been for more than twelve months next before the filing of this application;
That she is the widow of James W. Center who enlisted as a soldier in the State of Georgia during the war between the States in Company D of the 20th Regiment of Georgia Infty. Vols. and continued in the service of the State of Arkansas or the Confederate States of America until Killed at Gettysburg Penn. on the 2nd day of July 1863, while in the discharge of his duty as a soldier, in the aforesaid company and regiment.
That she has remained a widow since the death of her said husband, is now indigent and incapacitated for manual labor by reason of Age and Female Troubles and that her age is 54 years.
That she is not receiving any aid from this State or from the United States on said account, under any other statute, and therefore makes application for relief under the act aforesaid.
[Signed] Mary A. (her X mark) Center
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 4 day of July 1891
[Signed] Thomas M. Duncan, Clerk

STATE OF ARKANSAS}
County of Scott}
Personally came before me D.A. Edwards and R.M. Edwards two credible witnesses, who make oath and say that they verily believe the applicant to be the identical person named in the application, and that the facts stated in the application are true.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 25th day Sept. 1891
Witnesses:
[Signed] D.A. Edwards
[Signed] R.M. Edwards
[Signed] Thomas M. Duncan, Clerk

[Handwritten letter on lined paper; upper corners are crumpled & partially illegible. Some punctuation added & spelling corrected.]
Camp 20th Geo[missing]
March 20th 186[missing]
Mary A. Center
Respectfully,
Your letter has been received. I have drawn you up a form which you will take and let the Justice of the Peace fill out and then let the Clerk of the Superior Court put his signature and County Seal on it and then forward it to me and I will get the money for you as soon as I can. I have collected $10.00 cents of Commutation Money for you, which I will send to you as soon as the new currency gets in operation or as soon as I can get two five Dollar bills. There is no money in the army now as everybody has turn[ed] their money over. Please send me back this Power of Attorney as soon as you can. I am Respectfully your Friend,
W.C. Spence
Direct
Capt. W.C. Spence
Bristol Tennessee
Co. D, 20th Geo. Regt.
Benning Brigade
Hood Division, Longstreets Corps.

[Handwritten letter on lined paper. Left top corner crumbled away.]
[Missing] I Mary A. Center has this day [missing] appointed W.C. Spence my true and lawful attorney for me [missing] my name to collect all due by the Confederate Government to J.W. Center a private in Capt. S.W. Blance's Co. D 20th Regt. Ga. Vols. from the time he went into services until the day of his death and receipt for the same as fully as if I myself was present. Given under my hand and seal this [blank] 1864. [Unsigned] (Seal)
Test [Blank]
Who being sworn deposeth and saith that the above named Mary A. Center is the lawful wife of the said J.W. Center and entitled to draw his money from the Government. Sworn to and subscribed before me this [Blank] 1864
Georgia, Decalb}
County}
I, [blank] Clerk of the Superior Court in and for said County do hereby certify that [Blank] Esquire whose genuine official Signature appears above is and was at the time of assigning the same as Justice of the Peace duly commissioned and sworn. Given under my hand and official seal [ends]

[Handwritten letter from James W. Center to his wife Mary during the Civil War.]
Camp of the 20th Ga.)
June the 23rd 1863)
Dear Mary, I seat myself this evening to drop you a few lines to let you know that I am not well but maybe I think in a few days. I have not much time right [now] nor nothing of much important to right, only we have to march tomorrow morning 6 ock. for Pennsylvania. We are now in the Shenandoah[?] Valley and 10 miles from Winchester at Milwood in Clark County. The cavalry has been fighting nearly every day for the last 8 or 10 days. There has not been any infantry engaged in it yet since the capture of Winchester and that was no fight. We only got seven thousand prisoners and our cavalry has averaged from one to two hundred prisoners every day since. I can't tell when you will hear from me again but you can still right and I can get there if I live [to] get back again. There is a part of our cavalry that is now in Pennsylvania at this time and A.P. Hill's Corps went on this morning. Euel's corps is still on ahead but I can't tell where Longstreat is. Lee is here and all the men are in good spirits. I want to see that portion of the country and if I am able and live I will get the chance. So I must close for the present. Give my respect to all of our kindred and inquiring friends and you will receive the love of your affectionate husband until Death.
[Signed] Jas. W. Center

Office of Scott County Pension Board

State of Arkansas)
County of Scott)
We, James M. Harvey, Judge of the County Court, and L.P. Fuller, Sheriff, and Thomas M. Duncan, County Clerk of Scott County, constituting the Pension Board of Scott County, by Act of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas approved April 1, 1891, entitled, "An Act for the Relief of Certain Soldiers of the Late War Between the States," do hereby certify to the Auditor of the State of Arkansas that upon examination of the application of Mary A. Center, widow of James W. Center, dec'd. filed under said Act, we find that said claim of said applicant is just and the same is hereby allowed, the applicaton and proof taken in said case being herewith transmitted. Given under our hands and the seal of the County Court of Scott County, on this 25th day of Sept. 1891.
[Signed] J.M. Harvey, Judge Scott Co. Court
[Signed] L.P. Fuller, Sheriff Scott County
[Signed] Thomas M. Duncan, Clerk Scott County
Scott County Pension Board

NOTE: The pension file ends here. Local Scott County records show that Mrs. Mary A. Center was on the Pension List in 1891 and for the next few years and a pension warrant was delivered to her on 12 September 1896. Her name is not found on the next available list, dated September 1899. She evidently died at some time between September 1896 and September 1899. Delaine Edwards

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