Last week’s entry detailed the contents of the Widows Pension
Certificate awarded to Emeline Mathews and her two daughters, Amanda and Mary. I
consulted the 1850 census and found George and Emeline living in DeWitt County,
Illinois with children Albert and Sarah. Fast forward to the 1860 census, and we
find Emeline as a widow living in
Peoria, Illinois with children, Sarah, Mary, Amanda, and Lewis. Strange, because
George didn’t die until 1862.
I reviewed the 1st Kansas Battery – Light
Artillery muster rolls. There was George Matthews on line 84, Meigs County,
Ohio, enlisted 2 January, 1862; died 18 May 1862 at Fort Leavenworth. I
scrolled through the roster, looking for a name or some other clue that would
lead me to the sunny slopes of genealogical clarity. That’s when it happened.
Entry 1 on Page 4, Volume 3 reads, “Albert Matthews, age 14, 5’8”, brown hair,
blue eyes, fair complexion, single, drummer, DeWitt County, Illinois.”
He
enlisted on 2 January 1862, the same day as George Matthews. I suspect, but
cannot yet prove, that this is the same Albert Matthews shown on the 1850
census. Did father and son leave
Illinois for Kansas, and eventually volunteer for the Kansas Light Artillery?
Intriguing. Another layer to this tale. I’d like
to follow up, even though it leads me away from the questions I was seeking to
answer when I launched this search a few months ago. Recall that I was looking
to identify George’s parents, and/or to locate his grave. To do that, I need to
follow up on the discovery of a Widows Pension Certificate for William Baldwin
(WC72673), filed on behalf of Mary Ann Baldwin (nee’ Mathews), George’s sister.
If I follow the sister, perhaps I’ll
find the brother . . . .
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