I published part I of Amanda Cleag’s Deposition during 2019 at this link – Amanda Cleage. While going through blog posts I never published, I found this one and decided to publish it today.

Part II of Amanda Cleag’s Deposition

Question: What persons or person are in or about Athens, Tenn. now who knew you and the soldier there before your marriage?

Answer – I don’t know of anyone in there. I have had letters written there to different persons whom I knew, but my letters have all been returned to me. Well, I knew Amos Jackson and his wife, colored; Mr. and Mrs. Ross, colored, and Mr. and Mrs. Blizzard, colored, and Mr. and Mrs. Turner, colored.

Question-Where had you lived after the war and before your marriage to the soldier?

Answer: I worked for and lived with Mr. and Mrs. John Bridges in Athens, Tenn., after we had been freed by General Sherman, and I lived with them until I went to live with Mr. Ben E. Tucker and his family, just above Athens, and left with them to go to San Marcos, Texas, for awhile. We were in San Marcos, Texas for about a year with the Tuckers, then husband and I went to Austin, Texas, on our own account, engaging in farming and where we first became acquainted with Mr. Davis and his wife, on Dr. Phillips farm. We all were on the same farm, renting land from Dr. Phillips.

Question: Where did your husband live after he came out of the army and before his marriage to you?

Answer: He lived right there in Athens, Tenn. Working for Dr. Atlee, and with whom he remained until he went with the Ben E. Tucker family and myself to Texas, as aforesaid.

Question:  Had your husband, the soldier been married, before his marriage to you?

Answer: No sir, he never had been. I know it because I lived right there with him. No sir, he did not have a slave wife. He never lived with any woman in martial relations before his marriage to me, that I know of or ever heard of. He may have run around with women, for all I know, but I never knew or heard of his living with any women as man and wife live together.  I lived continuously with the soldier from the time of my marriage to him as aforesaid, never being separated or divorced from him, up to the time of his death, which occurred here in Long Beach, California, April 14, 1908, and he was buried here in the cemetery.

Before my mother married my father she was also owned by Russell Hurst who owned the soldier, and mother told me that she had the care of the soldier as a little boy, for some reason or the other, and my mother always told me that the soldier never had been married before his marriage to me. My father, mother and the soldier were afterwards sold to the Cleags. Yes, father had been owned by the Armstrongs previously and used to go by that name and also the name of Cleag. By which one he was ever called.

My father and mother are both dead. I had four brothers and three sisters. Three of my brothers are dead, but I do not know where the other one is, if alive.  Two of my sisters are also dead, but the third one, Mrs. Sallie Ross, wife of George Ross, was living in Washington, D.C., when I last heard from her 5 or 6 years ago. If I am not mistaken she was living at Tacoma, near Washington D.C.

Question: How many times had you been married before your marriage to the soldier?

Answer:  I was only married once before my marriage to the soldier. I was first married to Lou Dedrick in Athens, Tenn., while I was still a slave and owned by Thomas Cleag. I was married about six months before the close of the war.  My second husband, the soldier, had not come out of the army then: I can’t fix the date better than that. I was married to Lou Dedrick by a colored preacher named “Uncle Sam Armstrong”.   He was an old man. I was married in “Cindy Dedrick’s” house, sister of first husband. I only lived with my first husband Lou Dedrick, for six months, when I got a divorce on account of cruelty and threats on my life. “went before the Grand Jury” and got my divorce. Lawyer Blizzard my divorce proceedings for me, and I was given a general decree of divorce by the Court and it must be of record. No, I haven’t my divorce paper now.  Yes sir, I was given one. It got misplaced and lost with other papers in Tennessee. Yes, I went into court to get my divorce. I know I did get a divorce from Lou Dedrick, and I was given a divorce paper. Lawyer Blizzard saw that I got my rights and I got the paper.

Lou Dedrick went away after I got a divorce from him, and I have never seen him since or heard of him. I don’t know whether or not his sister, his sister is alive and if her so, her place of residence. He had no other relatives that I know of. He never was a soldier, but had lived in Athens, Tenn., for a long while. I was just a young girl when I married him, about 14 or 15 years old. I was too young to marry him. I had one child by him, which subsequently died. I had 2 children by the soldier, which also died. My oldest child, a daughter, died during the San Francisco, Cal., earthquake.

I swear between God and man I was only married once before my marriage to the soldier, as aforesaid, and that I never lived with any man as his wife, without being married to him. I only had those two marriages. That is the God’s truth. Yes, I was divorced from Lou Dedrick, and Lawyer Blizzard got the divorce for me in Athens, Tenn.

The soldier had four brothers, Isaac, Charley, George, Jeff and Jerome Cleag and two sisters Kitty and Sarah Cleag. The four boys lived in Chattanooga, Tenn., and they all died there. Kitty also died in Chattanooga and Sarah died in Atlanta, Ga. The soldier has no relatives alive that I know of. I know that they all died before my husband, except Sarah, who died since his death. Her name was Mrs. Sarah McMillan, and she died in Atlanta, GA.

After my marriage to the soldier as herein before set forth, we went to San Marcos, Texas, with the Tucker family and remained there a year with them. When they went into Virginia some place to live, as Mr. Tucker was a sick man and died in Texas, and my husband and I went to Dr. Phillips farm, a mile from Austin, Texas, and we lived there and in and about Austin, Texas, until we came here about 22 years ago, and have lived in Los Angeles and Long Beach all the time since then. Mr. and Mrs. Davis, whom we knew in Austin Texas, came out here shortly after we did.

While in Austin, Texas, I can refer to Mr. and Mrs. L. Leverman, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Jenkins, Mr. and Mrs. Bantam, all colored people. Also the following white people:  Mrs. Mary Deets, George Marcum, a storekeeper, Mr. and Mrs. Bertie Barns, grocery business, the finest in the city, and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Freedman.

Question: you have stated in an affidavit that you were married to the soldier in the year 1866 in Athens, Tenn. How about that?

Answer: That is a mistake. I was married to the soldier in Chattanooga, Tenn., while on our way to Texas as I have told you, and it was about two years after the war was over. The person who drew up that affidavit misunderstood me.

Question; Can you write your name?

Answer: No I cannot. No, I never learned to write my name.

Question; who wrote your name “Amanda Cleag” to that pension application I now exhibit to you?

Answer: My name on that pension application now exhibited to me, was written by my deceased granddaughter, Avalon Pierce, at my authorization. Yes sir, I told my granddaughter Avalon Pierce to write my name to that pension application, because I could not write my name, and afterwards I swore to the correctness of the contents of said application, and the notary public, who drew up my pension application, and before and how it was executed, said it was all right. He said my granddaughter could sign my name for me, because I was unable to write it myself.  Mr. Spooner was the notary public I appeared before to execute only application for pension. He didn’t tell that I had to sign by mark, because I couldn’t write, but another notary public, before whom I appeared to execute an affidavit in my said pension claims, said I would have to sign by mark, and I did so.  My granddaughter, Avalon Pierce, also signed my name as aforesaid, has been dead for three months, having died in this city on account of tuberculosis.

Question: By whom can you prove that the soldier was not married before his marriage to you, and that you lived continuously with him from the time of your marriage to him to the day of his death?

Answer: I don’t know as I can prove that he was never married before his marriage to me outside of my own statement, but I can prove by Mr. and Mrs. Davis that one lived together as man and wife in Texas from the first time they knew us there, and also they have known me all the time I have lived in California, or nearly all the time. No, sir, I have not remarried since the soldier’s death.

Question: By whom do you expect to prove that you were only married once before you marriage to the soldier, and that you were divorced from your first husband, Lou Dedrick?

Answer: I can’t get “no” proof of that, as I don’t know where any of those people are who knew me before my marriage to the soldier. Maybe some of those people can be located in Athens, whose names I have given you. I have given you all the information I possess in regard to that.

Question: How is it you stated in your pension application that you never had been married before your marriage to the soldier?

Answer:  I didn’t think it necessary to say anything about that because I had gotten a divorce from my first husband. I know I did. No, I never was married in my life more than twice, first to Lou Dedrick, and the second and last time to the soldier. Mr. J.G. Parrish of Long Beach, Calif. is my pension attorney, but I have not paid him or anybody the any money for services rendered

This statement of mine herein made to you is the exact truth and I have not concealed any important facts. There is nothing more I can tell you.

You have explained to me all my rights and privileges, and I waive my right to be present or represented in the further examination of my claim.

Witness:  J.G. Parrish  A.C. McPeak
Amanda (x her mark) Cleage
25^th May 1909
Alford L. Leonard (special examiner)

Other posts about Amanda and Abram Cleag

Abraham and Amanda Cleage – this is the first one I published in 2015 before I ordered their pension files.

Sarah IDENA Cleag – Amanda and Abram’s daughter

RENTED land – a neighbor of Amanda and Abram talks about how they met

DEADRICK & DIVORCE – Amanda’s first husband gives his version of their marriage.

BOTH BURIED in Plot 40 – Both Abram and his granddaughter Avalon are buried in the same plot.