For Use of Applicants Who Have not Heretofore Drawn
STATE OF GEORGIA
Banks County
PERSONALLY appears Berry Gordon of Banks county, State
of Georgia. Who, being duly sworn, says on oath that he is a bona fide citizen
resident of said State, and has been continuously since the twenty fourth day
of November 1822, and that he enlisted in the military service of the
Confederate States (or State of Georgia) during the war between the States, and
served as a Private in Company I of 66th Regiment of Georgia
Volunteers Jackson’s Brigade; and whilst engaged in such military service at
Dalton in the State of Georgia, in the winter of 1863 and 1864 he “was ruptured
from lifting heavy logs for breastworks, he being beforehand a sound
able-bodied man. Soon after being
ruptured as before stated being daily exposed to the open air, -wet and cold
sleeping on the ground when not on duty, and when on duty exposed as Soldiers
are exposed, - he was seized with severe pains in his shoulders and breast,
which have been so severe, as to render him unable for service, when he was
sent to the hospital at Newnan, Cowetta (sic) County in said State.
Deponent desires to participate in the benefits of the
Act, approved October 24, 1887, and the acts amendatory thereof, and makes
application for the allowance to which he is entitled for the year thereunder,
ending October 26, 1890.
Signed: Berry Gordon (X his mark)
Sworn to and subscribed before me this the 19th
day of March 1890
J. J. Manley, J. P. 207 District G. M.
STATE OF GEORGIA
________________, County
Personally comes T. H. Chandler and J. A. Bullock
citizens of Madison county, in said State, who being duly sworn say that they
are well acquainted with Berry Gordon and know, from having been with him in
the army, that he received the wounds (or contracted the disease) in the
military service, as stated by him in the foregoing affidavit; that said wounds
(or disease) permanently disabled applicant, as stated by him; the said
applicant is a bona fide citizen of this State, and resides in Banks county,
and we are well satisfied that all the statements in his affidavit are true.
Signed: T. H. Chandler
John A. Bullock
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 20th
day of March, 1890
John J. Manley, J. P. 207th District G. M.
STATE OF GEORGIA
Banks County
Personally before me T. F. Hill, Ordinary of said
county, (blank) and (blank), both known to me as reputable physicians of said county,
who being severally sworn, say on oath that they have carefully examined Berry
Gordon and after such examination say that the applicant has been injured as
follows: “He has a hernia in the right side and is compelled to wear a truss
all the while. He is also drawn
considerably with rheumatism in his shoulders and back, and on examination on
is very tender, and is so much affected as to be unable as to be unable to
attend to the everyday avocations of life.
Rheumatism is caused very often from exposure, and the life of a Soldier
is liable to produce such disease.
Signed: A. H. Stapler, M. D.
H.
P. Quillian. M. D.
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 21st
day of March 1890
T. F. Hill, Ordinary
POWER of ATTORNEY
STATE OF GEORGIA
Banks County
Know all Men by these Presents, That I, Berry Gordon
of Banksville and of Banks county, in said State, do hereby approve E. C. David
of Atlanta Georgia my true and lawful attorney in fact, to receive and receipt
for whatever amount I may be entitled to from the State of Georgia by reason of
the injury received as aforesaid in the military service of the Confederate
States (or of this State), as stated in the foregoing affidavits, and hereby
authorize my said attorney to receipt in my name for any Warrant that may be
issued by the Governor, or for any sum of money which may be coming to me for
the reason aforesaid.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this the 21st day of March 1890.
Signed: Berry Gordon (X his mark)
Executed in the presence of me:
S. J. Nunn
J. J. Manley, J. P.
207th Distr. G. M.
DIRECTION.
If allowed send amount by E. C. David to me at
Banksville.
Signed: Berry Gordon (X his mark)
The Application for Allowance for Disabled by Disease
made in March, 1890 was rejected with the following notes:
“Ex. Dept. Atlanta, Ga. April 2, 1890
The applicant must show more clearly than these proofs
precisely how his disease or drawn shoulder prevent him from labor.
Were the
witnesses each in the army with applicant?
How do they know what caused his rheumatism? Were they present & do they know precisely where and when he
was ruptured? What work has the
applicant done since the war? (Ink Blot) physically able to drive a team? Make shoes?
Baskets? Bottom Chairs? Paint?
Clerk or other duty which does not require constant straining? Is he ever laid up? If so how long since? Do all these witnesses know he was actively
free of rheumatism before he went into the army?”
W. H. Harrison, Clerk
Additional statements were offered in an Amended
Application filed in May, 1890. These
are handwritten statements.
Georgia
Banks County
Personally comes before me J. J. Manley, as Justice of
peace in and for the said county, Berry Gordon who on oath says that his
disease so disables him that he cannot labor at all, for his shoulders are so
stiff and tender, that exertion of any kind however light, gives him such pain
that his strength is presently exhausted.
Deponent further states that is pains him even to feed himself, the
joints of his shoulders and the muscles of his breast being all the while over
strained, that he realizes a severe drawing sensation all the time, which
produces a very depressing sensation, and painful effect of moving his arms or
hands in any way. Deponent further
states that he is compelled to lie in bed much of his time during the day, and
that he is often laid up several days at a time, the last of which was in the
month of March last, with his hips and back.
Said deponent further states that he has done no work worth considering
since the late war in which he was afflicted, only to look after his little
farm, which was operated by hands employed for that purpose, the proceeds of
which has been his only support since the war.
Deponent further states that he is not physically able to clerk, make
shoes, paint, drive a team, make baskets or any other occupation requiring the
use of his limbs, however light. That
he seldom undertakes to do anything whatsoever since it gives him such
distressing pains to stand on his feet or to use his arms and shoulders.
Signed: Berry Gordon (X his mark)
Sworn to and subscribed before me this May the first
1890, J. J. Manley, J. P.
Georgia
Banks County
Personally appeared before me, J. J. Manley, a justice
of the peace in and for said County, Joseph A. Fitchpatric (Joseph A.
Fitzpatrick), T. H. Chandler and John A. Bullock, citizens of Madison County,
who being duly sworn say on oath that they were with Berry Gordon in the Army
of the Confederate States, that they were in the same company, and know of
their own knowledge that he was badly ruptured, from building breast works of
heavy logs which required being lifted by hand in which said Gordon engaged. They further state that said Gordon was
ruptured as well as they remember near Resaca in said State, sometime in the
Spring of 1864 about the last of April of the first of May. They also state that the said Gordon was
seized while in camp or service with rheumatism and they veryly (sic) believe
that said rheumatism was caused from the service he rendered in the war and if
it had been from any other source they most likely would have known it, from
being present with him all the time he was in the company.
Signed: Joseph A. Fitchpatric (X his mark)
T. H.
Chandler
John
A. Bullock
Sworn to and subscribed before me this May the first
1890, J. J. Manley, J. P.
Georgia
Banks County
Personally appeared before me, J. J. Manley, a Justice
of the Peace in and for said County, W. J. Burgess, M. A. Kitchens and W. E.
Nunn, citizens of said county who on oath say that they have been acquainted
with Berry Gordon since a number of years before the late war between the
states and that before, and at the time he went into said war, they never knew
him to be afflicted with rheumatism or any other disease, and they were in a
position that had he had such complaint they would have known about it, as they
lived near him and were with him much of the time. They further state that when he returned from said war that he
was drawn over and was confined with pains and soreness, which we believe to be
rheumatism. Deponents further state
that they veryly (sic) believe said Gordon to be unable now and has ever been
since he returned from the war, to make a living by his own labor in any
occupation requiring the use of his limbs.
Signed: W. J.
Burgess
M. A. Kitchens
W. E. Nunn
Sworn to and subscribed before me this April the 22nd
1890
J. J. Manley, J. P. 207th Dist. G. M.
On May 12, 1890, Berry Gordon was awarded a pension of
$50.00 due to his being “Disabled by Disease”. In subsequent years, Berry Gordon stated he was born in 1821,
not 1822.
Berry Gordon is buried at Beaverdam Baptist Church
cemetery in Banks County, Georgia.
Referencing “Cemeteries and Deaths in Banks County, Georgia” by Richard
J. Chambers, the following is stated for their tombstones:
Berry Gordon, 21 Nov. 1820-24 Dec. 1893
Sarah J. Gordon, 23 Sept. 1824-08 May 1925
Transcribed 2005 by Jacqueline King