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POLSTON, JEREMIAH
Vol. 1; page 361
Co. F, 13th KY Vol. Cavalry (Farrier)
Enrolled: 28 Sept. 1863 (1 year term)
Mustered In: 23 Dec. 1863 @ Columbia, KY
Mustered Out: 10 Jan. 1865 @ Camp Nelson, KY
(Source: "Report of the Adjutant General of the State of KY- Civil War -
Union Soldiers, Vol. I)
Pension File # 677476
Rank: Blacksmith
Today (February 11, 1999) I received the pension file on JEREMIAH POLSTON from the National Archives. The following information has been abstracted and summarized from the pension file. The bulk of the file contains pension application requests and affidavits made on behalf of Solomon Polston, the father of Jeremiah Polston. Jeremiah's father was petitioning to receive a military pension based on his deceased son's service in the Union Army. He was claiming to be a "dependent father" who had relied upon his son as his means of support.
JEREMIAH POLSTON
BORN: about 1845 or 1846 (His father states that Jeremiah was about 17 or
18 years old when he enlisted in the Union Army in 1863)
PARENTS' NAMES: Father = Solomon Polston; Mother's name not given.
MARITAL STATUS: Jeremiah was never married and had no children.
DIED: February 1866
CAUSE OF DEATH: Gunshot Wounds. Jeremiah Polston's father states that his
son was murdered by Dani or Davi (handwriting not clear) Smith. In the
pension application submitted by Solomon Polston on 21 May 1898 in Fentress
County, TN, Solomon Polston stated that "his son was murdered after the
War closed on ___ day of Feby 1866 by one man Dani/Davi (? spelling) Smith
who had a grudge against him Jeremiah Polston and Killed him through in
Coldblood at or near Albany (KY). That peace was not made in his part of
the county for years after the War closed & an Ex-Union Soldier was not safe
there."
Solomon Polston's application for a pension based on his claim as a "dependent father" was rejected on the following grounds: "death of soldier was not due to his military service. Claimant states in his declaration that soldier was murdered in Feby 1866." Rejection did not stop Solomon from trying again. In September of 1898, Solomon states that he is "79 years old.... and feeble and forgot to note on the earlier application that his son was hit in the head with a rock by a man by the name of Summers(??) while they were in the service before. After Jerry came home he was still suffering from the wound and never did recover from it to his death which occurred in 1866. I think a short time after the war closed, he was hit on the head with a rock. Some time I think in 1864, in the fall. He came home and stayed a good while at home and went back to the service and got his discharge and returned home. He was suffering all the time with his head especially when he caught cold his brain was affected... when he returned home in 1864 or 1865 he was all crippled up in his health and his mind partially gone and was not himself anymore. I heard that he was in Service of the U.S. when he was hit on the head with rock and that he was never any more fit for any kind of work except ride around and light work." The witnesses on this application were James Polston of Albany, KY; Levi Polston of Monme (? spelling), TN; Greenberry Polston of Albany, KY; Samuel Malone of Jamestown, TN.
Solomon Polston made numerous applications for a "dependent father" pension. He first filed an application in 1886 at Albany, Ky. In 1898, he was living in Jamestown, Fentress County, TN: he filed 2 applications that year from Fentress Co, TN. The following year, (12 Oct. 1899) he re-submitted his request in Fentress Co, TN. On this application he makes a couple of interesting comments. He states that his son died of gunshot wounds at "my house", which was near Albany, KY. And, he also states that he married Jeremiah's mother (whom he never mentions by name) "in KY on or about Sept. 1843 or 1844." At least he remembered when she died: 6 April 1878.
On 14 Sept. 1901, James Polson (46 years old) and W. L. Craig (45 years old), residents of Savage, Clinton Co, KY, gave affidavits on behalf of Solomon Polson, Sr. In their statements they stated that Jerrymiah Polson was the son of Solomon Polson, Sr., they were well-acquainted with both men; they knew that "Jerrymiah was killed" because they "seen him after he was killed and Scen him buried"; Jerrymiah was living with his father when he was killed.
Solomon Polston tried twice more to obtain the pension in 1905. He states that he is now 87 years old. Interestingly enough, he gives the wrong Company and wrong discharge date. In these documents he states that Jeremiah had been in Co. G or C (? spelling) of the 32nd Ky. Reg. Inf., and that he was discharged on 12 August 1863 in Danville, KY.
SIBLINGS OF JEREMIAH - When an application is made for a pension for a military veteran's dependents, the application forms require the names and birthdates of that individual's dependents who are under the age of 16 years at the time of the veteran's death. Since Solomon was claiming to be dependent on Jeremiah but was obviously over the age of 16 years old, he listed the siblings of Jeremiah who were in his household. Only those siblings under the age of 16 were listed. The records do not state if there were other siblings who were older than 16. Jeremiah's siblings were listed as follows:
Sarah Jane Polson - born 1862
Lean Polston (dau) - born 1855
Lewis Polston (son) - born 1857
Solomon Polston (son) - born 1853
James Polston (son) - born 1857 (same year given as for Lewis)
Geo. Alfred Polston (son) - born 1859
Tom (?Tom) Harrison Polston (son) - born 1864
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Information from the Archives was obtained, summarized, and typed by my daughter, Glenda Bastin. Thanks!
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