I am 54 years of age,
the wife of Thomas A. Cleage and my post office address is No. 111 Gilmer St.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
I know the claimant Katie Cleage, she was a seamstress in my husband’s mother’s family. I knew Philip Cleage that is, I remember there was such a man on the place. I have no recollection that Katie and Philip were married or that they lived together as husband and wife.
I do not know as to
whether or not Katie had any children. I don’t remember that she ever did any
work for me. I lived in Athens Tenn. and Katie lived about three miles out of
town on the farm with my husband’s father. If Katie were married to Philip, I
think I would have known it. I do not remember when the servants left – though
it was during the war. I have not had any knowledge relating to the claimant
since the war. I have no interest in this claim for a pension. My answers have
been correctly recorded.
Mrs. T. A. Cleage
13 day of June 1890
********
“Chattanooga Daily Gazette” pg. 3 August 6, 1865
Penelope Van Dyke Cleage was born in 1836 to the wealthy family of Judge Thomas Nixon Van Dyke and his wife Elizabeth Anne Deadrick in McMinn County, outside of Athens. She married Thomas A. Cleage in 1856. Thomas Alexander Cleage was the oldest son of the slave holders Alexander and Jemima Cleage.
Penelope gave birth to nine children and six were surviving in 1900. All were born in Tennessee except daughter Susan, who was born in November 1865 in Adams County, Illinois. How did she come to be in Illinois at that time?
Thomas A. Cleage was involved in removing the assets of the Athens Branch of the State Bank of Tennessee to Georgia during the Civil War. Katie will mention it in her next deposition. Later Thomas, who was a cashier at the bank and other officials, were accused of misappropriating funds for themselves. There was a point when Thomas was arrested and said he knew where the gold was and if they released him, he would go get it and return it. Instead, he went to Illinois, apparently along with his family and Susan was born while they were there. eventually it was worked out without prison and Cleage returned to Tennessee to live in Chattanooga. I gleaned this Information from various newspapers on newspapers.com.
Thomas A. Cleage was 67 when he died of cancer of the stomach in 1900. Penelope died of a stroke in Athens in 1907. She was 72. Her body was returned to Chattanooga and both are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery there.
I found the information for this post in Katie’s Pension File, on Ancestry.com, on FamilySearch.org, on Newspapers.com and on the free site Chattanooga Newspapers
I found the information for this post in Katie Cleage’s Civil War Pension file, on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
John H. Cleage Chattanooga, Tennessee 13 June 1890
I am 43 years of age, a
merchant and my post office is No. 17 Market Square, Chattanooga, Tenn.
I remember the claimant as a former slave of my fathers. I was living home during the late war. The claimant was a house servant, a seamstress I think. She was not married during that time, if she married it was after she left us, I do not know what became of her. I knew Philip Cleage, he was a slave belonging to my father. Philip was one of the farm hands. I didn’t know that he was especially a coachman. Katie and Philip did not live together as man and wife, no doubt they were together some, but they did not live together.
I think it was in 1863 that Katie left us, it was about the time Longstreet went through. Philip left about the same time. I do not know that Katie had any children before she left my father’s, she certainly had none living. I think I would know it if my father married Katie and Philip, under the old slave laws. I do not know how old Katie was but she is older than I am. Philip was older than Katie. I do not remember her and Philip living in the cabin back of our house, if she did I do not remember it.
I think she did have one or two children but they did not live. Whose they were, I do not know. They might have been Philip’s, I could not say as to that. I have no knowledge relating to her since she left our house during the war, until the last few years I have seen her in Chattanooga.
I have no interest in
this claim for a pension. I have fully understood all your questions and my
answers have been correctly rendered.
J.
H. Cleage
13 June 1890
*********
A bit about Forest Hill Academy. Click to enlarge
John Henry Cleage was the 7th of the ten children of Alexander and Jemima (Hurst) Cleage. John Henry Cleage and Katie Cleage were both born in 1846 in McMinn County, TN. Although John thought Katie was older than he was and Katie thought that John was younger than she was, they were actually the same age. When the Cleages bought Katie from John’s uncle Lewis Hurst, at age 13 to act as household seamstress, John was also 13. He attended school, probably Forest Hill Academy in Athens. In 1869 and 1870 John attended Washington college in Virginia.
In 1875, 28 year old John H. Cleage married Elizabeth Tipton Bradford. They had four children that survived to adulthood. Over the years John worked as a clerk at Tankesley grocery store and then as manager of Chattanooga Installment Furniture House.
Click to enlarge
John’s wife gave birth to their last child in June of 1891. In August of the same year she died of tuberculosis. John died in 1929 at the age of 82 in Mobile, Alabama. His body was brought back to Chattanooga and buried with his wife in Citizen’s Cemetery.
***********
I found the information for this post in Katie Cleage’s Civil War Pension file, in documents found ancestry.com, familysearch.org and newspapers.com.
I will be 42 years of
age this coming July, I am a washer and ironer and my post office address is
No. 519 Cedar Street, Chattanooga Tennessee.
I married Philip Cleage after the war commenced and before he went into the army. I really don’t know how long before he went in the army it was that we were married, but we had two children before he enlisted My mistress Jemima Cleage whipped me for going with Philip. I was her seamstress and Philip was the coachman. No, my mistress did not whip me after I was married to him. I think she knew I was married to Philip because master scolded and knocked around about it and said I should not marry an outsider, that there was plenty of home boys and I should marry one of them.
After I was married to Philip,
I slept out in a cabin near the house with Philip. She, my mistress, took care
of us when I was sick. I slept in the house before I was married to Philip. My
mistress furnished us with a bed. I had the two children there before he went
in the army. My old mistress is living but master is dead. I have talked with
her about my marriage to Philip, but she was sick the day I saw her and she is
quite old and she said she could not remember.
Old Mr. Alexander
Cleage and Jemima had four children, but they were small and going to school
when I lived on the place with Philip. Sam is dead, I don’t know whether John
remembers or not, but Will and Kate were too small and they do not remember.
Yes, I know my mother.
She is not living. Yes sir, I know Philips mother. My mother’s name was Huldah
Hurst. Philips mother was named Julia Ann Cleage. John Cleage lives here in
Chattanooga, Tennessee. My husband had brothers Charles and Lewis and a sister Patsy
Cleage. Lewis is dead, has been dead twelve years. Charles and Patsy lives at
Athens, Tennessee. David Cleage was my old masters brother, he is dead. I saw
my husband o??? and lived with him as his wife while he was in the service.
After he died I hired out to work for Gen. Grosvenor and worked for him nearly two years. He is now in congress. Then I went with Col. Sheridan to August Ga. And remained about five months, then came back to Chattanooga, Tenn. I worked at the Crutchfield House, Chattanooga Tenn., since burned down. I worked for Mrs. ______Bishop, she went to Knoxville. I stayed with her about one month. I worked in a Steam Laundry five or six months, then in a restaurant one year. The man I worked for in the laundry is gone. I don’t know where. The man I worked for in the restaurant is dead. I have worked in a tailor shop and millinery shop and at many other places, only a short time in each place. I worked for a Mrs. Williams three years.
I have been working at washing and ironing for myself for five or six years. I have lived where I worked and did not have any home of my own. Since I have been working for myself I have a house of my own. I live all alone. I have a niece with me and a half grown young man for the last three or four months. I have not had but two children since Philips died. They are both living. Yes sir they live with me. The boy is seven years old and my girl is five years old. Their father is living. He is married now, he was not married then. Yes sir, the same man is the father of both children. I did not live with him at all. I have never lived with any man as my husband since Philip died.
Addie Sherman was one of the house girls in
the Cleage family when I was married to Philip. The last I knew of her she was
at Athens, Tenn. There were no other house servants. There was a Thomas Cleage
who was always with Philip, but I do not know whether he is living at Athens or
not, I have not known anything about him since the war.
Mrs. _______Colburn, living on 6th Street between Poplar and Cedar has known us ever since the war. I was living where I now live when I had my children. I did not have any doctor. I was by myself. I did not have a midwife. Edmonia Charlton living on East End Ave, foot of Harrison St. has known me for fifteen years. I have always worked alone by myself and I have not had any appointees. I want to be present and I want my Atty. Mr. Thomas Giffe, to be present when the testimony is taken in my case. I have fully understood all your questions and my answers have been correctly recorded.
Katie
(her mark X) Cleage
June 6, 1890
***********
This map is a portion of the wonderful map of Chattanooga at “Forgotten Streets“
Katie lived in the one and a half story house off of Cedar. A one and a half story house has a full lower story and a second half story that that is between the ceiling of the lower story and the roof, which makes it smaller than the downstairs because of the sloping roof. Katie mentioned 5 people living in her house in this statement – her two children, a niece and a youth. I wish she had given names!
The Webster J. Colburn (click his name for more information about the Colburns.) and his wife and family lived at the large two story house at 409 6th street. He was an insurance company president. His wife is mentioned in the above testimony and I decided to look for them when Katie gave an address I knew was right around the corner.
**********
For this post I used Katie Cleage’s pension file. I have found Forgotten Chattanooga to be full of information, photographs and a map of the whole city of Chattanooga in 1901, 1889 and more. The other links above will take you to sites I used. I also used Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org for background information on Katie and the other people in these posts.
This is the order of the next round of testimonies. Also listed is race, reliability of testimony, and biased for or against Katie Cleage. After these will come a wrap-up and decision regarding Katie’s pension. (I figured out how to make a table and that made transcribing the table so much easier!)
Pages
Names of Witnesses
Exhibits
Depositions
Reputation
1
2
Notice to Claimant
A
3-4
Summary
5-7
Claimant’s statement
B.
Good
8-9
John H. Cleage (white)
C.
Good – Biased against
10
Mrs. T. A. Cleage, Sr (white)
D.
Good – Biased against
11-12
David Bridges (colored)
E.
Good – Unbiased
13-14
Millie Valentine (colored)
F.
Good – Unbiased
15-16
Edmonia Charlton (colored)
G.
Good – Unbiased
17-18
Isaac Charlton (colored)
H.
Good – Unbiased
19-20
Minerva Allen (colored)
I.
Good – Unbiased
21-23
Lucy McCaurey (colored)
K.
Good – Unbiased
24-25
Charles A. Cleage (colored)
L.
Good – Biased against
26-27
Thomas Bradford (colored)
M.
Good – Biased against
28-30
Sallie Clegg Marsh (colored)
N.
Good – Biased against
31
James F. Bradford (white)
O.
Good – Unbiased
32-33
Patsey Clegg (colored)
P.
Doubtful – Biased against
34-35
Adeline Sherman (colored)
R.
Doubtful – Biased against
36-37
Katie Clegg (claimant)
S.
Good – Unbiased
38-41
Jemima Cleage (white)
T.
Good – Unbiased
42-43
Lucy McMaurey (colored)
U.
Good – Unbiased
44-45
John L. Atlee, M.C. (white)
V.
Good – Unbiased
46
Copy of record from
W.
I found the information for this post in Katie Cleage’s Civil War Pension.
Case of Katie Cleage No. 288,39128 March 1890 at Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee
Jemima Cleage That she is 77 year of age and that her post office address is No. 114 Sycamore St. Chattanooga, Tenn
Jemima Hurst Cleage, age 52
Katie Cleage was my
slave from the time she was about 13 years old until she gained her freedom.
She had two children while she was my slave, but I know of no marriage by her
to any one. Philip Cleage was one of our servants, but I know of no marriage
between these two parties. I know of no cohabitation between these parties. We
owned a hundred slaves at that time, and I know but very little of any of them.
Katie was employed as a seamstress by us, and Philip was our coachman. Philip
enlisted in the army and came to Chattanooga, and Katie came here also. I do
not know who came first. Philip came back to see us after he had enlisted, but
Katie had left in the meantime. I know nothing of either of them after that
time. I know of no marriage or cohabitation between them after they left our
house at Athens. I have seen Katie occasionally since the war. I know of no
children Katie has had since the war. It is since the soldier Philip died of
smallpox during the war, I guess it was.
I
have understood the questions asked me, and the answers to them have been
correctly recorded in this deposition.
Jemima Cleage
***************
Jemima Hurst married Alexander Cleage in 1832. She brought with her four enslaved people. Their names were Anny, Judi (my 2X great grandmother), Jane and Matilda.
In his Will written in 1833, Jemima’s father, Elijah Hurst, left her those four women “… I will and bequeath to my daughter Jemima Cleage and her heirs forever the four negroes (sic) she has had possession of Big Anny, Judi, Jane, and Matilda together with all the other property I have given her.”
Jemima’s husband, Alexander, wrote in his Will “I give and devise to my beloved wife Jemima Cleage for and during her natural life the following described negro (sic) slaves – to wit: … Juda and her five children to wit: Charles, Angelen, Lewis, Laura and Frank… I also give and bequeath to her for her natural life a negro (sic) man called Frank the husband of Juda…” 30th day of May 1860 Alexander Cleage
Juda and Frank were my 2 X great grandparents. Lewis was my great grandfather. It gives me some comfort to know that they had been free for almost ten years by the time Alexander Cleage died in 1875.
Case of Katie Cleage 22 March 1890 Chattanooga, Tennessee Woodson Weaver
That he is 45 years of age: that he is a Hackman by occupation and that his post office address is No. 305 Spring St. Chattanooga, Tenn.
I was first duty
sergeant of Co. “G” First USCH Artillery. I knew Philip Cleage only in the
army. I do not know what became of him. I do not know whether he is living or
dead.
Katie Cleage was Philip’s wife. They “went” as man and wife in the army. If she hadn’t been his wife they would not let her stay there. They went together, had a tent in camp and passed as man and wife. I often seen them in the tent together and she used come and stay there for three and four days at a time and no woman unless she was married to a soldier was allowed to remain there. Everyone in camp knew they were man and wife, and considered them as such. I know nothing about their marriage. I only know of them cohabiting together as man and wife in the army.
I
have known Katie ever since the war. She has not married since Philip died. I
do not know whether she has had any children or not since the war as I never
visit her house. I only know her in passing and re-passing on the street.
I
am in no way related to the claimant and have no interest in her claim.
I
have understood the questions asked me, and the answers to them have been
correctly recorded in this deposition
Woodson Weaver (His mark)
************
There was no new information in Woodson Weaver’s short testimony so I decided to look at his life and write something about him. At first I was confused at finding a Woodson Weaver in Knoxville, and then in Chattanooga and then in Cincinnati, Ohio. I wondered if I had the same man. I decided that the man in Knoxville was the same man in Chattanooga because once he moved, no Woodson Weaver was found in the records in Knoxville. I was not sure about the Woodson Weaver I found in Chattagnooga until I found his find-a-grave record which showed that he had served in Company G, 1st US Colored Heavy Artillery, which I knew he had.
It was at that point that I decided to search for Woodson Weaver in newspapers and found a disturbing and widely covered event involving his family.
Woodrow Weaver was born into slavery in Wagner, Kentucky about 1845. He was brought to Tennessee at some point and in 1864 he enrolled in Co. G of the USC Heavy Artillary in Knoxville, TN. He was mustered out in March 1866 in Knox County. In December of the same year he married Nancy Rice. Before he was married, his son John Weaver was born, mother not known.
Woodrow and Nancy stayed in Knoxville where he worked as a railroad laborer. By 1880 they had relocated to Chattanooga. In 1884 he began receiving a pension for disability. He had a hearing loss. Nancy returned to Knoxville and died there in 1887. Woodrow worked as a drayman and a laborer. In 1888 his son James Washington/Weaver was born to Rachel Washington. They did not stay together. In 1896 and 1897 we find Woodrow Weaver in Cincinnati, Ohio working as a peddler. His son John shared the house at 1123 Lincoln Avenue and worked as a laborer.
In September of the following year, 1898, the two story frame house burned to the ground. The family lived on the first floor and the Maceo Club, a black political club, had the rooms upstairs. The club was named for the black Cuban Revolutionary, Antonio Maceo. The newspapers of the day were full of stories about the Cuban fight to free themselves from the Spanish. The fire started in the club rooms.
In early 1899, Woodson Weaver re-married. His wife died mysteriously soon after the marriage.
In mid May, disaster struck the family. The father Woodson and the son John were both struck down by poison. “Rough on Rats” had been added to their morning coffee. John Weaver died later that day at City Hospital. Sixty year old Woodson Weaver was seriously ill for months. He finally recovered, but never fully regained his health.
Papers all over the country carried sensational stories about the murder. James served a little over a year before he was pardoned and sent home to his mother where he died of consumption
Click to enlarge
In the 1900 census, several months before Jimmie died of consumption. He is listed in his mother Rachel’s household, along with an older sister, Katie 19 and a younger brother, Clarence 8. Katie Washington died in 1903 of consumption. She was 22. Rachel died in 1910 at age 55 of Bronchitis. I lost track of Clarence after the 1920 census in Chicago, Illinois.
Woodson Weaver died at the age of 67 in 1907. He never recovered his strength after the poisoning.
********
Resources I used for this post include: Katie Cleage’s Pension file, Ancestry.com (censuses, city directories, death records); Newspapers.com.; FamilySearch.org, marriage records and GenealogyBank
Second statement from James Royal in which we learn Katie was in camp with Philip five months before he died.
Deposition E
James Royal
22 March 1890
That he is 46 years of age; that he is a laborer by occupation; and that his post office address is No. 301 Harrison Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
I
was a private in Co. “A,” first U.S.C. Heavy Artillery. I enlisted when the
regiment was organized and served until March 31, 1866.
I
knew Philip Cleage in my company. I stood on guard with him enough to know him.
There in Chattanooga, Philip was taken to the smallpox hospital, and died
there, so it was said. I saw them when he was put in the ambulance, and never
seen him after that.
Katie,
the “widow,” was introduced to me by Cleage as his wife. I heard Cleage speak
of his wife before I saw her. The first time I saw her was in Camps here in
Chattanooga, some five months before he was taken sick. They lived and
cohabited together in camps as man and wife. I know this because I saw them
occupying the same tent and same bunk together, and the officer of the regiment
recognized Katie as Philips’ wife. No unmarried “children” or women were
allowed in camps. Everyone knew Katie and Philip as man and wife.
I
have not seen Katie and have known nothing of her since they took Philip from
the camp.
Katie
was present when they took Philip to the hospital, and she cried and wanted to
go with him to wait upon him, but they wouldn’t allow her to do that.
I
am not related to the applicant, and have no interest in her claim.
I
have understood the questions asked me, and the answers to them have been
correctly rendered in this deposition.
James (his mark X) Royal
***********
I found the information for this post in Katie Cleage’s Civil War Pension file.
That
he is 49 years of age; that he is a painter by occupation and that his post
office address is Chattanooga, Tenn. (corner of Hurricane Avenue and Line Streets.)
Philip
Cleage served in the same camp with me: Co. “A” First U.S.C.H. Artillery. I
knew Cleage for three or four years before the war. He was the slave of Alex Cleage,
of Athens, Tenn., and I used to live up there. Cleage was a hale and hearty man
up to the time he was taken sick with smallpox here in Chattanooga. This was a
short time before the regiment was mustered out. He was taken to the hospital
here, and then died of smallpox. I was doing camp guard duty and passed him out
to the hospital. He was taken away in an ambulance and in a few days I heard of
his death. It was said he had black
smallpox.
In
6 or 8 months after we were mustered in at Knoxville, the whole company was claiming
for a furlough. Capt. Elliott wanted to know who were married and who single,
as he wanted to grant the married men a furlough. Cleage and I got a furlough,
as we were both married men. I didn’t know who his wife was at that time. I
first knew of his marriage to Katie, the applicant, here in Chattanooga, when
she came to the camp in the spring of 1865.
I
was first duty sergeant of the company, and had orders to keep all women out of
camp, except married women. Katie came there and was admitted as Philips wife.
They lived and cohabited together in camp as man and wife. Two women and two
men occupied the same cabin and Philip and Katie were two of them. I didn’t
know the other couple. They lived together as man and wife until Philip was
carried away to the hospital. Philip stated to me time and time again, that he
had been married to Katie and that she was his lawful wife. I haven’t a bit of
doubt that Philip and Katie were lawfully married under the slave customs,
though I was not a witness to the marriage ceremony. The officers all recognized them as man and
wife and no question was raised as to their presence in camp.
I
have seen Katie nearly all the time since the war and know that she has not
remarried – at least I have no knowledge of the fact if she had been. She has
two illegitimate children since the war.
I remember Cleage got a furlough for the purpose, as he said, of going to see and get his wife. I don’t think he brought her back. This was while we were at Knoxville, not Chattanooga. This was when we had been in the service 7 or 8 months it is a mistake in my affidavit where it says Cleage got a furlough at Chattanooga, in 1865. But after they came together in Chattanooga, they lived together as man and wife and he introduced Katie as his lawful wife.
I
am in no way related to the claimant and have no interest in her claim.
I
have understood the questions asked me, and the answers to them have been
correctly recorded in this deposition.
Isaac Charlton
****************
Hamilton County Courthouse. Isaac Charlton worked here as janitor for several years. In 1910 it was struck by lightening and burned down.
Isaac Charlton was born into slavery in North Carolina about 1840. He was in the USC Heavy Artillary troop with Philip Cleage. After mustering out, Isaac and his wife Mahala remained in Chattanooga. According to the 1870 census, Mahala could not read or write while Isaac was literate.
Isaac Charlton signed his name on his deposition instead of marking it with an “X”.
Mahala died soon after 1870. Issac married Edmonia Scruggs. They had one daughter, Josephine who was born in 1873. Edmonia was literate and Josephine attended school through the 5th grade. Over the years Isaac worked as a janitor in the courthouse, a porter at a store, a painter and a laborer.
In 1879 Isaac applied for and received his invalid pension for Civil War service. He died when he was 51 and is buried in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga. Because I do not have his pension file, I do not know what exciting information may be there.
Isaac’s wife Edmonia filed for her widow’s pension the month after Isaac’s death. She moved to Knoxville and worked as a cook. She died there of pneumonia on April 6, 1906. She was 58 years old. Edmonia is buried in the Daughters of Zion Cemetery in Knoxville.
Josephine spend some time in Alabama, where she married and gave birth to a daughter. She eventually returned to Knoxville and died there in 1955 at 82 years of age.
********
Resources I used for this post include: Katie Cleage’s Pension file, Ancestry.com, Hamilton County Tennessee Geneology Society, google search.
This is the house that Alexander Cleage purchased in 1860, about the time he bought Katie. The columns were not added until 1930, so they were not there during the life times of the people in this pension file. The porch where he married Katie and Philip was probably around back or on the side, but I could not see it on google maps. “In 1860 Alexander Cleage, another prominent settler, acquired the farm and house for $20,150 ($609,921.08 in today’s money.) The Civil War practically bankrupted Cleage and the property was sold after his death in behalf of his creditors.” You can read details about this house in the application for designation as an historical site.
Deposition “C”
Case of Katie Cleage March 1, 1890 Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee.
Before me, R. C. Getchell, a special examiner of the Pension Office, personally appeared Katie Cleage, who being by me first duly sworn to answer truly all interrogatories propounded to …
That she is 41 years of age; that her post office address is No. 519 Cedar St., Chattanooga, Tenn.
********
I am the widow of Philip
Cleage, the soldier. I just know Philip was a soldier and belonged to the first
U.S. H Artillery. I don’t know what company he belonged to.
I was married to Philip Cleage before the war – I was about 16 years old when we got married. We were married at Athens, Tenn., and my old master, Alex. Cleage, married us. My master told me that I must marry one of the home boys, and so I married Philip. We were married at our master’s house, right in the porch. My master read a passage from the Bible and then told us we were man and wife. There was no one present at the marriage, except us two and the old master. I disremember whether the war was going on or not at the time we were married. It was long before Sherman’s men came along. I was 13 years old when my master bought me, and I guess it was about three years after that when we got married. I lived with Philip before we got married, and that’s why we came to get married. Cleage found out that I had been living with Philip and then he made us marry. I had just one child before we married and this child was born dead. I had another child in the next year after our marriage and this one lived but one day. Philip was living at the time this second child died. This was all the children I ever had by Philip. I have had two children since my husband, both of them are now living. These children are both illegitimate, as I have never married since Philip died.
I married Philip before he was mustered in the army. We had been married a good while before he enlisted. We lived and cohabited together as man and wife from the time of our marriage until he enlisted. We lived with Mr. Cleage all the time and we were both his slaves. Mr. Cleage is dead, but his wife is still living.Philip had right good health from the time of our marriage to his enlistment. He went into the army and died a soldier. He died in hospital, of smallpox. I didn’t know where the hospital was located. I was with Philip when he first come out with small pox. I was in camps with him when he broke out with smallpox. It was here in Chattanooga at his camps. I sewed in the regiment, and went to him and slept with him every night from the time the regiment came to Chattanooga until he broke out with smallpox. He was taken sick, and Dr. Wright, the surgeon of the regiment, said he had smallpox. I seen him all broken out with smallpox. After I gave him his tea, he broke out with smallpox, and was then sent to the hospital and I never saw him live any more. They sent me word that he was dead shortly after he was taken to the hospital. I wanted to go to the hospital with Philip; but the doctor said I mustn’t as I would die too if I went. He had the black small pox, so it was said. I had the (looks like: varalid) just after Philip died. I was vaccinated long before I married Philip.
(Question: were people being vaccinated for small pox on plantations in the 1800s?)
Can you make out the highlighted word?? varolid? Answer (variolid) and more information in the comments section.
The children I have had since my husband died are both living. One of them will be seven the first of next June, and the other five on the first of next April. I have had sexual intercourse with but one man since my husband died, and he is the father of these two children. This man is a married man. He is a colored man, and has a wife living. He was not married at the birth of the first child. I had no intercourse with this man after the birth of the second child. I had the man arrested and tried to get him to support the children and every once in awhile he would bring me some money. This man’s name is John Washington and he lives here in Chattanooga. No, I was never married to Washington. I had him arrested for bastardy. I never lived with him at all. I cohabited with him just long enough to have these two children. They put him in jail when they arrested him; and I didn’t know what they did with him. I swear positively that the only man I ever married was Philip Cleage. I have never got any bounty or back pay, but have made application for both.
I was working here in Chattanooga when my husband’s regiment came here. My husband heard of my being here, came and got me and took me into camps, and I went and stayed with him every night until he was taken down sick. No objection whatever was made to my going into camp and living with my husband. I “served out” every day, but did all his washing.
I was a seamstress at my master’s house, but I slept with Philip every night. They gave us a room in which to sleep. Philip was employed on the farm and I in the house.
In camp, my brother and his wife and Philip and I staid together in one tent, occupying two bunks. My brother, Abe Cleage, went to Texas years ago, and I don’t know where he is now. The last I heard of his wife, she was in Rome, GA. I haven’t heard from her for a good many years. John Rowland and Ike Chilton know that we lived and cohabited together here as man and wife. I have lived here since the war. Everybody knows I haven’t remarried.
I was engaged to be married to Washington, but the marriage was broken off. This was why I had two illegitimate children by him. Both children were born before he married another woman.
I have understood the questions asked me, and the answers to them have been exactly recorded in this deposition.
Tomas Giffe Katie Cleage X (her mark) N.C. Gelchell
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You can read some of Katie’s brother Abe’s story here Abraham and Amanda Cleage I have learned much more about them since receiving their pension files and I will be writing about them in the future.
I found the information for this post in Katie Cleage’s Civil War Pension file, on ancestry.com and familysearch.org.
