Soldier Information
Name: Anderson Arnett
Alias: Ornet
Place of Birth: Nelson KY Year of Birth: 1828
Occupation: Laborer
Eyes: Dark Hair: Dark Complexion: Dark
Height in Feet: 5 Inches: 6
View Ledger
Enlistment Information
Enlistment Date: October 3, 1864
Enlistment Place: Louisville
Enlistment State: KY
Compiled Military Service Record
Document: View
Congressional District: 4
Company: A Regiment(s): 122nd USCI
Mustered Where: Louisville, Kentucky
Mustered Out Date: May 23, 1865
Rank at Muster Out: Private
Notes:
There were two CMSRs issued for this solider. Based on these documents, it appears that he was initially mustered into Co. A 122nd USCI, but within a day or so, “deserted” to join Co. B 123rd USCI. No explanation for the change in regiments was provided. In both CMSRs, the soldier’s last name was spelled in different ways–as “Ornet” and/or “Ornett.” The CMSR for the 122nd USCI was just a single page that stated the soldier deserted to the 123rd. The CMSR for Co. B 123rd was 13 pages in length and included many details regarding Anderson Ornet aka Arnett’s service. Although he was mustered in, he was never able to perform any duties as a soldier due to preexisting chronic illnesses described as epistaxis (nose bleeds) and sopor (sudden deep sleep from which the patient cannot be roused). According to his CMSR, when this solider experienced sopor, it was reported that he lost “consciousness during conversation.” As a result of these medical conditions, Anderson Ornet aka Arnett was issued a medical discharge from the USCI on May 23, 1865. There were two pieces of geographic information of interest in CMSR documents. Although the Ledger indicated that Anderson Ornet aka Arnett was born in Nelson County, his CMSR states that he was born in Mercer County, Kentucky. Based on other documents, the CMSR birth location was likely a transcription error. The medical discharge papers included in his CMSR also stated his request that his mail be directed to Boston, in western Nelson County. It should be noted that Boston was also the residence of this soldier’s enslaver, Henry Harned.
According to the “Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky” (Vol. 2, 1866-1867), “Anderson Omet” deserted Co. A 122nd USCI on October 3, 1864 (page 102), and “Anderson Ornett” was mustered into Co. B 123rd USCI on October 4, 1864 (page 112).
Soldier Death Information
Died in war? No
Military Death Date:
Military Death Location:
Military Cause of Death:
Death Date: April 16, 1876
Cause of Death: Consumption
Death Certificate
Soldier Pension Information
No pension card found
No widow pension card found
Other Family Pension Information
Pension Card Link: View
Application Date: March 26, 1889
Application No.: 391749 Certificate No.: 348472
Pension File Information
Pension File:
Pensioners:
Pensioner County: Jefferson Pensioner State: KY
Number of Pages:
Pension Notes:
Anderson Ornet aka Arnett’s pension card indicates that minors’ benefits were applied for on March 26, 1888, and granted to his adult (married) daughter Nannie Arnett Patterson, and possibly other surviving siblings. These benefits were granted to his adult children nearly twelve years after the death of Anderson Ornet aka Arnett.
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:
Wife #1 First Name: Ann Maiden Name: Lawrence
Wife #2 First Name: Jane Maiden Name: Alexander
Wife #3 First Name: Maiden Name:
Children: Ann Arnett 1852
Mary “Mollie” Arnett 1856
Eliza Arnett 1857
Nannie Arnett 1862
Susan Arnett 1864
Family Notes:
Based on a variety of records, it is likely that at least four of Anderson Ornet aka Arnett’s five daughters were born as enslaved persons in Nelson County. For example, Mary “Mollie” Arnett’s death record indicates that she was born in Nelson County (Abt. 1856) and died in Louisville on June 30, 1890. This is extraordinary because it indicates that Anderson Arnett was able to reunite with his family after the Civil War. Family life in the Arnett household, however, was difficult and tragic. In 1868, Anderson Arnett was arrested and charged with “producing an abortion on [daughter] Ann Arnett.” These charges were later reduced to “assault and battery” and he was released. Consumption, the scourge of urban communities in the 19th and early 20th centuries, ravaged the Arnett household. Mary Arnett died from tuberculosis (aka consumption) as did her sister Susan Arnett on May 19, 1873, and their father, Anderson Arnett on April 16, 1876. Although no record of Ann (aka Fannie) Lawrence Arnett’s (Anderson’s first wife) death was located, it is likely that she died sometime between 1870 and 1873. She was present in the 1870 Census but then disappeared from the record. On January 7, 1873, in Louisville, Anderson Arnett was granted a marriage bond to Jane Alexander. It is unknown if the marriage was solemnized or not, but there is circumstantial evidence that points to the marriage either not taking place or that Jane Alexander died shortly after the marriage. First, no USCI widow’s benefits were filed by Jane Alexander (or by first wife Ann Lawrence Arnett). Second, while there was no listing in the 1877 Louisville City Directory for a “Jane Arnett,” there was an entry for an African American woman named “Jane Alexander.” What became of the Jane Alexander who was present in 1877 is uncertain and requires further research.
Family Tree: View
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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: Servant
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: Washerwoman
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: Laundress
1910 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1910 Own/Rent: Rent 1910 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1910 Farm/House: House
1910 Census Notes:
1920 Census
1920 Census Link: View
1920 Profession: Cook
1920 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1920 Own/Rent: Unknown 1920 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1920 Farm/House: House
1920 Census Notes:
Anderson Ornet aka Arnett died in 1876. His surviving daughters remained in Louisville. Nannie Arnett Patterson (who applied for minor pension benefits in 1888) was present in the 1880, 1900, and 1910 censuses, but passed away in 1917. In 1920, the last surviving daughter of Anderson Arnett, Eliza Arnett, was a cook, living in the household of Flint Goodwin (1881-1933), president of Goodwin Preserving Co. in Louisville. In 1910, Eliza Arnett was the live-in cook for the household headed by Edward F. Goodwin, the brother of Flint Goodwin. Eliza Arnett was still employed by the Goodwin family when she died in Louisville, on September 24, 1934.
Enslaver Information
Name: Henry Harned Location: Boston, Nelson County, Kentucky
Previous Enslaver:
Enslaver Notes:
It is no surprise that Anderson Ornet aka Arnett’s surname had several spelling iterations because the same could be said for his enslaver, Henry Harned (1805-1885). According to a article published in “The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society,” (April, 1931, Vol. 29, No. 87, pp. 133-158), the Harned surname had various spellings over time including “Harnet,” “Arnett,” and “Hornet.” According to Keith, Henry Harned’s father, Jonathan Harned (1755-1832), relocated his family from Washington County, Pennsylvania to Nelson County, Kentucky, around 1786 (p. 140). Henry Harned was fervent supporter the Confederacy and of the institution of slavery. Three of his sons died while serving in the Confederate army. In June 1864, Henry Harned, along with other Nelson County Democrats, signed and published the following: “Resolved, That the Abolitionists, with Abraham Lincoln at their head, must be expelled from office and power by the voice of the people, fairly expressed at the election. A Democrat of the Jeffersonian school must be elected to the office of President. Nothing short of this will prevent the confirmation and establishment of the most odious military despotism that ever cursed a free people.” “The freedom of the slave and his equality with the white man is now the main object for which the war is waged” (“Democratic Meeting in Nelson County,” Louisville Daily Democrat, June 16, 1864: 1). Henry Harned died on March 3, 1885 in Nelson County and was buried in “Little Brick Cemetery,” in Boston (Nelson County).
1850 Enslaver Census
1850 Census Link: View
1850 Slave Schedule Link: View
1850 Number of Enslaved: 11
1860 Enslaver Census
1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: $7,950 1860 Personal Estate Value: $14,500
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 20
1870 Enslaver Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Real Estate Value: $22,900 1870 Personal Estate Value: $4,000
1880 Enslaver Census
Compensation Information
Compensation Applied? No Compensation Received? No