Soldier Information

Name: Wesley Watson
Alias: AKA Westly
Place of Birth: Jefferson KY
Year of Birth: 1828
Occupation: Farmer
Eyes: Black Hair: Black Complexion: Dark
Height in Feet: 5 Inches: 6
View Ledger

Enlistment Information

Enlistment Date: February 25, 1865
Enlistment Place: Louisville
Enlistment State: KY

Compiled Military Service Record

Document: View
Congressional District: 5th
Company: B
Regiment(s): 125th Regt, USCI
Mustered Where: Louisville, KY
Mustered Out Date: December 20, 1867
Rank at Muster Out: Private
Notes:

Wesley Watson’s half-brother was John Dickison, soldier ID 10045. Both were enslaved by Laurence Young who stated In Dickison’s CMSR that “I bought his (Dickison) mother before he was born in about 1831 & raised him and his half-brother. Wesley Watson enlisted at the same time.”

In Watson’s CMSR Young stated, “I bought his mother and him in 1831 & raised him from a child.”

Soldier Death Information

Died in war? No
Military Death Date:
Military Death Location:
Military Cause of Death:
Death Date: October 18, 1911
Cause of Death: some type of senility
Death Certificate

Soldier Pension Information

Pension Card Link: Pension Card
Pension Application Date: January 27, 1890
Application No.: 751750 Certificate No.: 839094
Alternate First Name: Alternate Last Name:

Widow Pension Information

No widow pension card found

Other Family Pension Information

No other family pension card found

Pension File Information

Pension File:
Pensioners:   

Pensioner County:  Pensioner State:
Number of Pages:
Pension Notes:

There are two dates of filing. The second date is March 28, 1907. The application and certificate numbers remain the same on the Fold3 pension card image.

Freedman’s Bank/Freedmen’s Bureau Information

Freedman’s Bank Link: View
Freedman’s Bank Notes:

According to the bank record he was born in Virginia in 1829; that he resided in Louisville; that his complexion was brown; and that his wife was Anna Watson; and that he “was brought from Virginia when 9 months old and now lived within 9 miles of Louisville until entering the army.” Not knowing how to write he made his mark with an X.

Notes from Freedmen’s Bureau Documents:

There is a reference to Wesley Watson in the Freedmen’s Bureau records. He was in the army at the time the Bureau created the record in Louisville, September 14, 1866. Samuel Robinson, an African American, stated that Watson had leased a piece of ground belonging to John Merritt and built a house on it in which he left his family when he went to the army. (According to the 1860 census John Merritt resided in District 1, Jefferson County; dwelling 237; family 236; he was a wagon maker whose real estate was valued at $2,000 and his personal property at $200. In the same census, Watson’s enslaver Laurence Young resided in the same district but dwelling and family 272.)

Family Information

Mother First Name:   Mother Maiden Name: 
Father First Name:   Father Last Name:
Siblings:

Wife #1 First Name: Matilda Maiden Name: Alexander
Wife #2 First Name:  Maiden Name:
Wife #3 First Name:  Maiden Name:
Children: Alexander Watson 1852
Wesley Watson 1860
Louis Watson 1862
Horace Watson 1865
Edward Watson 1870
Ella 1875 Watson

Family Notes:

Wesley Watson was the half-brother of soldier John Dickinson, soldier ID 10045.
It is not clear, but it appears that wife Matilda could be the same person as wife Anna.

Family Tree: View
View Family Tree on Ancestry.com
Please note: this requires a paid Ancestry.com account to view. If you do not have have a paid Ancestry subscription, you can still see this family tree on Ancestry by following these directions.

1870 Census

1870 Census Link: View
1870 Profession: Farm Hand
1870 Live with/near former enslaver? Yes
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?  Unknown
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: Farm laborer
1900 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1900 Own/Rent: Unknown 1900 Home Free/Mortgage: Unknown 1900 Farm/House: Unknown
1900 Census Notes:

1910 Census

1910 Census Link: View
1910 Profession: None
1910 Ability to Read? Cannot read Ability to Write? Cannot write
1910 Own/Rent: Own 1910 Home Free/Mortgage: Free 1910 Farm/House: House
1910 Census Notes:

1920 Census

1920 Census information not found

Enslaver Information

Name: Laurence Young
Location:
Previous Enslaver:
Enslaver Notes:

The enslaver mentioned Wesley Watson in his will but not Wesley’s half-brother soldier John Dickinson ID 10045. Enslaver’s widow appears in the 1880 census, Jefferson County.

1850 Enslaver Census

1850 Census Link: View
1850 Slave Schedule Link: View
1850 Number of Enslaved: 39

1860 Enslaver Census

1860 Census Link: View
1860 Real Estate Value: $70,000
1860 Personal Estate Value: $29,000
1860 Slave Schedule Link: View
1860 Number of Enslaved: 33

1870 Enslaver Census

1870 Census Link: View
1870 Real Estate Value: $56,000 1870 Personal Estate Value: $3,000

1880 Enslaver Census

1880 Census information not found

Compensation Information

Compensation Applied? Yes Compensation Received? No

Note: The Lincoln Administration offered compensation of $300 to enslavers in Kentucky and other Union states where slavery was still legal for each of their enslaved men that joined the Union Army. However to be eligible, they had to prove ownership of the soldier and have sworn testimony from others that they were loyal to the Union. Many applied, but were not approved for compensation payments.