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CIVIL WAR PENSION EXTRACT

 

Pension File extracted by Paul Johnson
Contributed 17 Mar 2006

 

Ephraim Pierce

Private,
Company F,
48th New York Infantry

Pension # 872757 / 670553

Widow File # 779221

ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM THE PENSION RECORDS:

Enrolled at New York City under the name Ephraim Pierce on the 28th day of August, 1863 as a private, Company F 48th New York State Infantry, in the service of the United States in the Civil War and was Honorably Discharged at Raleigh, North Carolina on the 1st day of September, 1865.

Ephraim Pierce

Date of Birth: 12 June 1844 at Hopewell Township, Cumberland County, NJ
Date of Death: 29 August 1913

Married to: Harriet Bishop (Bustill) on 25 of December 1866 at Hopewell Township, NJ
Her Date of Birth: (not given) around 1846
Her Date of Death: (not given) 17 May 1928

Personal Description of Ephraim Pierce:
Height, 5 feet 4 ½ inches; Complexion, Dark; Color of Eyes, Gray; Color of Hair, Black; Occupation was Farmer; that he was born June 12th, 1843, at Hopewell Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey.

Their Children:

Henry Pierce - June 28, 1868. Married Amy, born 1875
Walter Pierce - November 14, 1871
Albert Pierce - July 29, 1876. Married Gerdine, born 1882
Arshele (Arshield) Pierce - January 25, 1880. Married Alta Cuff, born 1882
Harvey E. Pierce - November 28, 1882
Wilbert Pierce - February 25, 1887
Mary Etta Pierce - May 30, 1889.

Witnesses for Ephraim & Harriet Pierce:

Charles M. Pierce (1845-1922), Uncle to Ephraim Pierce
Lorenzo Gould
James R. Pierce, Brother to Ephraim Pierce
Sarah Green, Sister to Ephraim Pierce
Harriet Pierce, Wife and Widow of Ephraim Pierce

Case of Harriet Pierce

On this 20th day of May, 1914 at Bridgeton, County of Cumberland, State of New Jersey, before me, Geo. D. Sidman, a Special Examiner of the Bureau of Pensions, personally appeared Harriet Pierce, who being by me first duly sworn to answer all interrogatories propounded to him during this special examination:

Age 67 Years, Occupation: Keeping House
Address: 602 E. Commerce St, Bridgeton, NJ

I am the identical Harriet Pierce who is applicant for pension as the widow of Ephraim Pierce of Co. F 48th NY Vol Inf. My maiden name was Harriet Bishop. I was born and raised in Fairton Twp, this county. Now my right name was "Bustill" but Ebenezer and Ann Bishop took me when I was a baby and raised me. I never knew my name but Bishop until after I grew up. I was never married until my marriage to Ephraim Pierce on Christmas night 43 years ago last Christmas. I was married to him in this town by Rev. Lewis Draper Pastor of the Bridgeton Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church. I had eight children to Mr. Pierce, six now living--no there are seven living. We were married at the house of my husband's, Ephraim Pierce, whose father was named Ephraim. His brother and sister were all present at the ceremony. One brother James Pierce, who lived here in Bridgeton and their sister Anna White wife of Ishmael White who lives at Waterbury, Conn., but I do not know her address now and Sarah Green, who lives in this town. Those three were present and saw us married. I lived with Ephraim Pierce from the day of our marriage until his death. No sir, Ephraim Pierce was not married before his marriage to me. I am sure of that. I had known him from my childhood. I was living at Back Neck this county and his people lived not so far from me and we visited back and forth a great deal. He was three years older than me. That is what he claimed. I do not know when Ephraim Pierce went to the war. He and his uncle Charles Pierce went away together. They went away because their people did not want them to enlist. No I do not know if Ephraim and Charles served in the same regiment or not. I had the original discharge of my husband and which I will (--) you for use in this examination. Yes my husband was a pension when he died on August 29, 1913. I never meet any of my husband's commanders of the war, except Charles Pierce who knows all about him. Yes my husband told me that he went to New York and enlisted in a white regiment. His parents were colored people but his father and himself were both fair skinned men and unless you knew you could not tell my husband from a white man. I have no letters in (--) of my husband now, except the entries in our family bible which I show you. I will give you the view of our marriage, from our bible. This writing was done by my husband years ago.

Q (Question). Do you remember who married you, gives you a marriage certificate?
A (Answer). Yes he gave the certificate to Mr. Pierce who kept it. I gave that certificate to Mr. Nichols who filed my claim. Yes this paper you know have is the certificate. Rev. Lewis Draper who married us has been dead a good many years, as I have been told.

Q. This certificate is in the handwriting of your husband, how do you explain this?
A. I don't know. I cannot read and write except sometimes when I am not so nervous I can write my name.

Q. This certificate says you were married by Daniel D. Drapher (Draher?). How do you explain that?
A. We always called him Lewis Drapher. I do not know what is (--) name was. I do not know if this is a (--) of our marriage at the County Clerk's Office. I remember that several years ago while he was sick he (--) me the marriage certificate to take the County Clerk Office and have it recorded and I did so. I cannot tell you anything about that certificate now, but I do know that I was legally married to Ephraim Pierce. I do not know that I even heard him mention any of the names you have read from that list. I am familiar that my husband was in the Civil War, just as I have told you. By the terms of my husband's last Will and Testament which I now show you, dated June 1, 1911, he left our little farm to me and made me the Executor of the Estate.

Q. Did your husband always spell his name the same way?
A. I suppose so, but I do not know that for certain. I have always spelled the surname as Pierce.

Q. What witnesses do you discuss examined in your behalf?
A. I have no choice. Any one of those I have named can tell you. I was married to Ephraim Pierce. No I have no other witnesses. Yes, my husband had blue eyes and was as white as any white man. I have a son named Harvey Pierce who works at Green's Hotel in Phila who is also like a white man. My husband could always pass for a white man. Yes, he told me he enlisted and served in a white regiment in New York and I had no dough of it. Mr. Pierce was born and raised in this place and he always lived here except when in the army. No I never hear him say much about his army service.

Harriet Pierce (Her Mark)

Parents of Ephraim Pierce, Jr.

            Ephraim Pierce, Sr., born 1817 (son of Jesse Pierce & Christina Stoms)

            Louisa Pierce, born 1818 (daughter of Richard Pierce & Amelia Murray)

 

New Jersey marriage certifcate of Ephraim and Harriet; also Ephraim's death certificate. Both copies are from Ephraim's pension file:

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QUERY ITEMS:

1.  Does anyone know who the parents are of Harriet Bishop (Bustill)?  She was adopted by Ebenezer Bishop and Ann Winrow.


Please let me know if anyone has any questions.   Paul T. Johnson at ptj15m@gowebway.com

 

To view some of the other Civil War pension extractions, as well as an explanatory note, please see the following page of the Mitsawokett site:

http://www.mitsawokett.com/MilitaryService/DelmarvaAreaCivilWarPensions.htm

(Once on the page, scroll down below the Index to see the Overview).



 

 

 

MITSAWOKETT

"The History and Genealogy of the
Native American Isolate Communities
of Kent County, Delaware, and
Surrounding Areas on the Delmarva Peninsula
and Southern New Jersey"

 

 


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