Soldier Information
Name: John Talbot
Alias:
Place of Birth: Bath KY Year of Birth: 1834
Occupation: Farmer
Eyes: Black Hair: Black Complexion: Black
Height in Feet: 5 Inches: 8
Enlistment Information
Enlistment Date: September 1, 1864
Enlistment Place: Covington
Enlistment State: KY
Compiled Military Service Record
Document: View
Congressional District: 10
Company: H Regiment(s): 117th Regt USCI
Mustered Where: Covington, Kentucky
Mustered Out Date:
Rank at Muster Out:
Notes:
On September 1, 1864, John Talbot enlisted at Covington, Kentucky (Kenton County). He was credited to the “District of Kentucky,” with no specific Congressional District noted, however, in 1861, Kenton County was in Congressional District 10. From the time of his enlistment, through October 1864, Private Talbot was described as sick and in the hospital in Covington. In November and December of 1864, he was sick in the hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In January and April of 1865, he was on a detachment for the Quartermaster and owed money for a haversack and a canteen. Page 8 of the CMSR, Muster and Descriptive Roll of a Detachment noted he was mustered in at Brownsville, TX on 24 April 1866, this must have been when he joined the 117th in Texas. Private Talbot died of cholera in his quarters at Brownsville on August 27, 1866. At the time of his death, cholera was rampant among the troops. The 117th USCI mustered out at Brownsville on August 10, 1867, almost a year after his death.
Soldier Death Information
Died in war? Yes
Military Death Date: August 27, 1866
Military Death Location: Brownsville, Texas
Military Cause of Death: Cholera
Death Date: August 26, 1866
Cause of Death: Cholera
Death Certificate
Soldier Pension Information
No pension card found
Widow Pension Information
Widow Pension Card: Pension Card
Widow Application Date: November 26, 1866
Application No.: 137864 Certificate No.: 111571
Other Family Pension Information
Pension Card Link: View
Application Date: December 5, 1868
Application No.: 168746 Certificate No.: 126302
Pension File Information
Pension File: Pension File
Pensioners: Mary Talbot
Lucinda Talbot
Mary H. Talbot
Alice E. Talbot
Pensioner County: Montgomery Pensioner State: OH
Number of Pages:34
Pension Notes:
On November 26, 1866, Private John Talbot’s widow, Mary Talbot, applied for a widow’s and dependents’ pension. According to the widow’s pension file, she applied for minors’ pensions for the three children she had with her late husband; Lucinda E. Talbot (1855-1870), Mary H. Talbot (1858-1886), and Alice E. Talbot (1861-1899). She filed for the pension in Dayton, Ohio (Montgomery County). Since she had remarried, Mary Talbot’s second husband, John Graves (1825-not before 1880), was named as the guardian of the three children. The two men who testified as to the identity of John Graves were Silas French and Peter Souden [sic] (maybe Snowden?). Silas French was a neighbor of Graves in the 1870 Census. One of the witnesses for the widow was her mother, Ester Million, who erroneously included Mary Talbot’s son “Clay” (Henry Clay Pierce 1854-1921) one of John Talbot’s children (Widow’s Pension File page 11). However, Henry Clay Pierce (aka Pearce), was not the son of John Talbot, but rather, the son of Mary Talbot from a previous relationship. It is interesting to note that Esther Million may have been literate and may have signed her own name to the witness documents, while her daughter Mary signed with an “X.” The identity of John Talbot’s enslaver was not mentioned in the pension file, however, on page 18, there is a notation in the margin of the document where Mary Talbot stated that, “…the children were born whilst she was the slave of Thomas Mathews of Mason County, Kentucky.” In the end, the children of John and Mary Talbot were approved to receive their pension benefits.
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: Mary Nancy Maiden Name: Paterson
Wife #2 First Name: Maiden Name:
Wife #3 First Name: Maiden Name:
Children: Lucinda Ellen Talbot 1855
Mary Hester Talbot 1858
Alice E. Talbot 1861
Family Notes:
According to affidavits found in John Talbot’s widow’s pension file, John Talbot and Mary Paterson were married in Bath County, Kentucky, on July 1, 1853, by Alexander Burns, “Exhorter of the Methodist Church.” Mary’s name before marriage was “Mary Paterson,” although elsewhere it was transcribed as “Patterson” and “Peterson.” John Talbot had three surviving children. They were: Lucinda Ellen Talbot (1855-1870); Mary Hester (or “Estella”) Talbot Underwood (1858-1886); and Alice E. Talbot Bell (1861-1899). All three were born in Kentucky but died in Ohio. Prior to her marriage to John Talbot, Mary had a son named Rev. Henry Clay Pierce (1854-1921). Rev. Pierce was a well-known Wesleyan Methodist preacher in Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia. He died in Hillsboro, Ohio (Highland County) but was buried (with his wife) in Richmond, Indiana. The identity of Rev. Pierce’s father is unknown, however there could be a connection between Rev. Pierce and the family of Mary Talbot’s enslaver, Thomas A. Matthews (1819-1885). In 1852, Thomas Matthews married Llewellyn Pearce (also spelled as “Pierce”) (1832-1922) in Mason County, Kentucky. Her father, Lewis C. Pearce (1810-1891) Pearce, was a wealthy banker, merchant and enslaver in Mason County, Kentucky.
Family Tree:
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: Keeping house
1870 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1870 Real Estate Value: 400 1870 Personal Estate Value: 100
1870 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1870 Census Notes:
In 1870, John Talbot’s widow, Mary Graves, age 35, was living with her second husband, John Graves, age 35, a car inspector on the railroad, in Dayton, Ohio (Montgomery County). John Graves owned $400 in real estate and $100 in property. It is likely that John Talbot’s bounty money was the source of some of that wealth given that Mary’s assets (John Talbot’s military pay) would have been assumed by her second husband, John Graves who also served as the pension “guardian” for her three daughters. Two of Mary’s three children from her marriage to John Talbot were in the household, they were erroneously enumerated with the “Graves” surname: Alice E. Graves, age 9, at school; and Mary H. Graves, age 12, both girls were attending school. Others in the household included: Sarah Jones, age 17, mulatto, at home; Henrietta Jones, age nine months, mulatto; and Henry Clay Pierce, age 16, mulatto, Mary Talbot Graves’s son from a previous relationship (prior to her marriage to John Talbot), who worked as a waiter. All the others in the household were described as “Black” and all were born in Kentucky except for John Graves who was born in Virginia. NOTE: Henry Clay Pierce caused some initial problems for Mary Talbot when she applied for her widow’s pension. He was erroneously included as one of John Talbot’s children and paperwork was filed to amend her application and remove Henry Clay Pierce from the pension application. NOTE: All but one household on this page was headed by someone who owned real estate including two black households and one mulatto head of household. This included Rev. Silas French (who was a witness for Mary Talbot’s widow’s pension) who was the pastor at the Eaton, Ohio (Preble County) AME Church (formerly French’s Chapel). The church was established in 1870 and demolished in 1992.
1880 Census
1880 Census Link: View
1880 Profession: House Servant
1880 Live with/near former enslaver? No
1880 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1880 Census Notes:
In 1880, John Graves, age 59, was employed as farm help, and lived with his wife Mary Talbot Graves, age 46, who was a house servant, in Mad River, Ohio (Montgomery County). No other persons were in the household. According to the 1880 Census, neither Mary nor John Graves could read or write. This is in conflict with the 1870 Census in which it was stated that Mary Graves was able to read, but not write, while John Graves was able to both read and write.
1890 Census
1890 Vet/Widow Census: View
1890 Census Notes:
In the 1890 Veterans’ Schedule, Mary Talbot Graves of Dayton, Ohio (Montgomery County) was enumerated as a veteran’s widow, but erroneously credited John Graves as the veteran, rather than Mary’s late husband, Private John Talbot of Co. H 117th USCI.
1900 Census
1900 Census Link: View
1900 Profession: Domestic
1900 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1900 Own/Rent: Own 1900 Home Free/Mortgage: Mortgage 1900 Farm/House: House
1900 Census Notes:
By 1900, Mary Talbot Graves, and all three of the daughters she had with John Talbot, were deceased. Several grandchildren survived, the eldest of whom was Bertha Estella Underwood Jenkins (1878-1932). Bertha Estella Underwood (later, Jenkins) was the daughter of John and Mary Talbot’s second-eldest daughter, Mary Hester (“Estella”) Talbot Underwood (1856-1886). In 1900, Bertha Estella Underwood was 21, single, and worked as a domestic in Springfield, Ohio (Clark County). She lived in a house owned by her widowed father, Oscar Underwood (1852-1930), at 710 East Harrison Street in Springfield. Oscar Underwood worked as a drill hand. Also in the household were Bertha Estella Underwood’s brother Charles Henry Underwood, age 17 [Census age incorrect, should have been 18]; and three half-siblings: Olivia Underwood, age 19 [Census age incorrect, should have been 10]; Harry Clarence Underwood, age 11; and Elmer Underwood, age 6.
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:
By 1910, Bertha Estella Underwood Jenkins, Private John Talbot’s granddaughter, was married with a family of her own and living in Springfield, Ohio (Clark County). She was enumerated as “Stella Jenkins.” Her spouse, Thomas Jenkins, age 36, was a laborer at a “piano plate factory.” It is likely that Jenkins was employed by the O. S. Kelly Company who provided piano plates for Steinway & Sons. Estella had three children by 1910 but only one was living—her son Marion (alternative spelling was “Marian”) Jenkins, age 4. Also in the household were three single male lodgers: William Roberts, age 25, and James Patty, age 31, both of whom worked with Thomas Jenkins at the piano plate factory. The third lodger was William Thomas, age 30, who worked in a stove factory. None of the three boarders appear to have any family connection to Estella or Thomas Jenkins, but more research is needed to confirm this assumption.
1920 Census
1920 Census Link: View
1920 Profession: None
1920 Ability to Read? Can read Ability to Write? Can write
1920 Own/Rent: Rent 1920 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1920 Farm/House: House
1920 Census Notes:
In 1920, (Bertha) Estella Underwood Jenkins (granddaughter of John Talbot), was a 40-year-old widow (no occupation), living as a “roomer” in the household of James B. Johnson and Fannie B. Johnson, at 302 East Euclid Avenue in Springfield, Ohio (Clark County). Estella’s brother, Elmer C. Underwood, age 30, who worked as a janitor at a publishing house, was also a roomer in the household. Bertha Estella Underwood Jenkins died in Springfield on August 14, 1932.
Enslaver Information
Name: Joshua Talbot Location: Scott County, Kentucky
Previous Enslaver:
Enslaver Notes:
John Talbot’s enslaver’s name was not mentioned in his CMSR or in his Widow’s Pension File (WPF). His identity was determined through the Census and Slave Schedules from Bath County, Kentucky (where John Talbot was born) and Mason County, Kentucky (where his widow and her enslaver lived). The WPF did name the enslaver of John Talbot’s widow (Mary Talbot) as Thomas Anderson Matthews (1819-1885), who was born in Fleming County, Kentucky. Fleming County borders Bath County. Matthews lived in Bath County from the 1840s through the early 1850s, where he was an enslaver and active in local Whig politics. In 1850, Matthews enslaved eight persons in Bath County. One of Matthews’s Bath County neighbors in 1850 was Joshua Talbot (1807-1876), who enslaved seven persons, one of whom was a good match for John Talbot. Based on this relationship, it was established that Joshua Talbot was the enslaver of John Talbot. In 1853, Thomas A. Matthews married Llewellyn Pearce (1832-1922) of Maysville, Kentucky (Mason County) and relocated to Mason County where he lived until the close of the Civil War. On page 18 of Mary Talbot’s WPF, it was noted that she (and her children) were enslaved by Thomas Matthews in Mason County. As a result of Matthews’s actions as an enslaver and his support for the Confederacy, when the Civil War ended, he was nearly insolvent. He sold his farm near Maysville and left Mason County for Kenton County. When Matthews died in Covington, Kentucky (Kenton County) in 1885, his obituary noted that, “Before the war he was an old-line Whig, and at the breaking out of the war his conservatism led him into the Democratic ranks. In common with many others of political belief, he was virtually ruined by it, and moved to this city in 1867, entering the house of Maddux Bros. & Co., Cincinnati, as a partner.” It is worth noting that Llewellyn Pearce Matthews’s maiden name (also spelled as “Pierce” in some records), was also the surname of Mary Talbot’s son, Rev. Henry Clay Pierce/Pearce (1854-1921), a son she had before she married John Talbot. The identity of Henry Clay Pierce’s father is unknown, but it is possible that his father was enslaved by the Pearce family. By 1860, Joshua Talbot moved his family from Bath County to Scott County, Kentucky where he enslaved four persons, one of whom was a possible match for John Talbot. Joshua Talbot died in Shelbyville, Kentucky (Shelby County) on February 24, 1876.
1850 Enslaver Census
1850 Census Link: View
1850 Slave Schedule Link: View
1850 Number of Enslaved: 7
1860 Enslaver Census
1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: $3,500 1860 Personal Estate Value: $10,500
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 4
1870 Enslaver Census
1870 Census Link: View
1870 Real Estate Value: $3,500 1870 Personal Estate Value: $2,750
1880 Enslaver Census
1880 Census information not found
Compensation Information
Compensation Application not found