Daniel Morgan Jr. Documents – Mary Means Pension Appeal (GOV.6)

Letters to Daniel Morgan Jr. regarding military benefits for his sister Mary C. Means.

When, in 1961, Herbert Simmons bought the old Daniel Morgan Jr. house from Roswell and Rachel Harding he either found or was given a series of letters written from 1862 to 1867 to Daniel Morgan Jr. regarding back wages, and a lifetime military pension, for his sister Mary Morgan Means.  Herbert gave the letters to the Sargentville Library and, in time, they were carefully transcribed by Barbara M. Grindle.

The story about Mary Means is quite sad. John Means, Justice of the Peace, performed the marriage of Mary Cole Morgan and Thomas Means on April 4, 1827.  Their first child, John Lincoln Means was born July 27, 1827 and they went on to have 8 more children, the last, Luther Sterling Means, being born in 1847.  Sometime between then and 1862 Thomas deserted the family and headed to California. He was never again heard from.

Meanwhile two of their sons who had been fighting in the Civil War, died, one, 24 year old James Howard Means, of typhoid and the other, 18 year old Andrew C. Means, of an unknown disease while in the hospital.  Mary applied for a military pension and back wages owed her sons and after much assistance from her brother Daniel Morgan Junior was able obtain those benefits. I suspect it was cold comfort after the loss of her sons and husband.

The following are Barbara Grindle’s transcriptions of the letters to Daniel Morgan Jr.