Julia Bowman - Pension Records

Depositions & Affidavits in the case of Julia Ann Bowman
(case #327216)

Why do they exist, and what information do they contain?

After Pleasant H Bowman was killed in the Civil War, his mother, Julia Ann (Andis) Bowman, attempted to acquire pension money.  It had to be proven that her life was financially impacted by the death of her first son (Pleasant), and that she deserved compensation from the government for that death. 

Julia first filed for this pension in 1888, but was refused.  In 1896, she made another attempt.  In August of 1896, a special examiner recommended financial assistance, and she was finally granted pension money from the U.S. Pension Office.  The depositions and affidavits that were given in this case are listed below.  

There is much valuable information contained within these documents.  Family names and important dates are given, but of equal value is all the information given by family and neighbors that described the way this family lived and worked.  There are many details of their everyday life and hardships, with references made to various family members and their roles in this family.

All of the information regarding these documents was copied from Julia Ann Bowman's pension records that are in the National Archives in Washington D.C.  Copies of each of the original documents are shown first, and, because many words are difficult to read, full transcriptions follow.  For purposes of authenticity, all documents have been transcribed exactly as they are written - with all punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure the way they appear in the original text.

Click on each person's name below to view the individual documents.