John Thoreson's Civil War pension declaration (Rockford, Illinois)

 DECLARATION FOR ORIGINAL PENSION OF AN INVALID

State of Illinois
County of Winnebago
On this 31st day May, A.D. 1879, personally appeared before me a Clerk of the Circuit Court, a duly authorized officer of a court of record in and for the county and state aforesaid John Thoreson who being duly sworn according to law, declares that he is the identical person who enlisted under the name of John Thoreson in the military service of the United States at Rockford on the 8th day of August in the year 1862 as  Private in company K in the 74th regiment Illinois [Infantry] volunteers in the war of 1861, and was honorably discharged on the 21st day of June, in the year of 1863; that his personal description is as follows: Age 59, height 5 ft 3 inches, complexion light, hair light, eyes blue; that while in the service aforesaid, and in the line of his duty, he received the following wound & disability, and that he was

“shot in the left arm near the elbow at the battle of Mur-
freesboro & captured in Camp Hospital by the rebels at same
battle, 31st Dec 1862. And was discharged for dropsy
of the heart at Benton Barracks Mo. 21st June 1863,
which came on him by exposure at Perryville, when
he had neither blankets nor overcoat & he was ex-
posed to lie out in cold & snowy nights in the open fields.
This disability so certified has continued upon him
___  [service?] & he has suffered greatly from it. Claim-
ant also says that, he was injured by falling through a
rail road turn table in the night
in Virginia & has also suffered & is still suffering from this
[injury?]. His present condition is such that he is not able to
do more than a third to a half a days work.”

That since leaving the service said applicant has resided at Rockford County of Winnebago and State of Illinois; and his occupation is wagon making.
He makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the Invalid Pension Roll of the United States, by reason of the disability above stated; and hereby constitutes and appoints E.W. Blaisdell of Rockford, County of Winnebago, State of Illinois, his attorney to prosecute this claim and procure a Pension Certificate.
That he has never received a Pension; that his residence is at Rockford Ills. Applicant further states that he applied for pension by the same Attorney the 12th Sept 1865 & thinks the number of his claim at that time was 89,536 to which claim he here respectfully refers.

_________________________________     _________________________________
E.W. Blaisdell                                                Claimant’s Signature.



(continues on second page with witnesses)

 

 

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