Soldier Information
Name: Moses Greathouse
Alias:
Place of Birth: Nelson KY Year of Birth: 1833
Occupation: Farm Hand
Eyes: Dark Hair: Dark Complexion: Dark
Height in Feet: 5 Inches: 11.75
View Ledger
Enlistment Information
Enlistment Date: August 26, 1864
Enlistment Place: Louisville
Enlistment State: KY
Compiled Military Service Record
Document: View
Congressional District: 4th
Company: C Regiment(s): 5th USCC
Mustered Where: Louisville, KY
Mustered Out Date: March 16, 1866
Rank at Muster Out: Sergeant
Notes:
Greathouse is promoted twice in his military career, once to Corporal, then to Sergeant. His enlistment papers are signed by Joseph Greathouse.
Soldier Death Information
Died in war? No
Military Death Date:
Military Death Location:
Military Cause of Death:
Death Date: November 1, 1900
Cause of Death: Paralysis
Death Certificate
Soldier Pension Information
Pension Card Link: Pension Card
Pension Application Date: June 1, 1889
Application No.: 707954 Certificate No.: 519304
Alternate First Name: Alternate Last Name:
Widow Pension Information
Widow Pension Card: Pension Card
Widow Application Date: February 2, 1901
Application No.: 734509 Certificate No.: 569610
No other family pension card found
Pension File Information
Pension File: Pension File
Pensioners: Susan Droan
Pensioner County: Jefferson Pensioner State: KY
Number of Pages:14
Pension Notes:
This appears to primarily be a pension application for Susan Greathouse, widow of Moses Greathouse (his second wife), but it also has copies of at last part of his initial invalid pension paperwork. As such it has two contradictory pieces of information. On one form, dated July 24, 1889, it alleges he he was injured in battle from a shell round in his right thigh at “Saltworks, VA” September 1864 (no other date given). On another form, from July 31, 1889, it confirms he saw action at both battles of Saltville (October 2 and December 20, 1864), but there was “no evidence of disability” and, indeed, there is no record of any injury or hospital stay in his military records (CMSR.) After Moses dies, his widow Susan applies for a pension, but is apparently denied one because a) she was not his wife during his period of service and b) has not reached 70 years of age. However, I found a VA Pension Payment Card for Susan indicating that starting in 1920, she did finally get a military widows pension of $30/month for the final 6 years of her life: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p2qcyATZ6G4aOgI9BlSYbWUjcF7LMbFA/view?usp=sharing
Freedman’s Bank/Freedmen’s Bureau Information
No Freedman’s Bank information found
No Freedmen’s Bureau Documents found
Family Information
Mother First Name: Mother Maiden Name:
Father First Name: Father Last Name:
Siblings: Selona Greathouse
Wife #1 First Name: Violet Maiden Name: Unknown
Wife #2 First Name: Susan Maiden Name: Droan
Wife #3 First Name: Maiden Name:
Children: Jennie Greathouse 1856
Thomas Greathouse 1858
Anna Greathouse 1861
Millie Greathouse 1862
James M. Greathouse 1868
Family Notes:
The only family member that I have been able to conclusively identify is sister Selona Greathouse, who is referred to as the sister of Moses though depositions in a pension file related to Selona’s daughter Emma Bell Sears/Sayres.
Family Tree: View
View Family Tree on Ancestry.com Please note: this requires a paid Ancestry.com account to view
1870 Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Profession: Laborer
1870 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1870 Real Estate Value: 0 1870 Personal Estate Value: 0
1870 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1870 Census Notes:
1880 Census
1880 Census Link: View
1880 Profession: Laborer
1880 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1880 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1880 Census Notes:
1890 Census
1890 Census information not found
1900 Census
1900 Census Link: View
1900 Profession: Day Laborer
1900 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1900 Own/Rent: Rent 1900 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1900 Farm/House: House
1900 Census Notes:
1910 Census
1910 Census Link: View
1910 Profession: None (this is Moses Greathouse’s widow, Susan)
1910 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1910 Own/Rent: Unknown 1910 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1910 Farm/House: Unknown
1910 Census Notes:
1920 Census
1920 Census Link: View
1920 Profession: None (this is Moses Greathouse’s widow, Susan)
1920 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1920 Own/Rent: Unknown 1920 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1920 Farm/House: Unknown
1920 Census Notes:
In the 1910 census, widow Susan Greathouse is listed as a boarder in the household of what looks to be her daughter Carrie Droan Chisna, including Carrie’s presumed daughter (and Susan’s granddaughter) Jessie “Drone.” In the 1920 census, Susan is living in Davidson County, TN with what appears to be a niece, Susie Thompson (as Susan is listed as an aunt).
Enslaver Information
Name: Joseph Greathouse Location: Nelson County, KY
Previous Enslaver:
Enslaver Notes:
We are calling Joseph Greathouse Moses’ enslaver since Joseph signed Moses’ USCT enlistment papers and is listed in the ledger book as his enslaver. Also, in a deposition regarding Moses’ sister Selona’s husband’s military pension, Joseph refers to Selona as “his slave.” Elsewhere in the same pension file, Selona is refered to as Moses sister, so we are assuming they were both enslaved by Joseph Greathouse.
1850 Enslaver Census
1850 Census information not found
1860 Enslaver Census
1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: 10,800 1860 Personal Estate Value: 7,560
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 6
1870 Enslaver Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Real Estate Value: 10,000 1870 Personal Estate Value: 2,000
1880 Enslaver Census
1880 Census information not found
Compensation Information
Compensation Application not found