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 Pension records of James Baker
 Douglas County Kansas
 By Fred Smoot of Sausalito CA
 Scans contributed by Jennifer Woods
 Transcription made from scans of Soldier's Statement (Affidavit), 
 14 February 1885.
 Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page:
 http://www.us-data.org/fineprint.html

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State of Kansas }
Douglas County  } SS.

Personally appeared before me Clerk of the District Court in and for 
Douglas County Kansas, James Baker aged Sixty years who being duly sworn 
according to law Deposeths & says, that he is the same person who is an 
applicant for an Invalid Pension at No. 509.592, Pension Office, Department 
of the Interior, U.S.A.= Despondent says in regard to reporting himself to 
the Board of Examiners at Topeka as requested by the Slip from your office 
dated Dec 9th 1884, that on account of the feeble State of his health as 
before described & the Severity of the weather since he received the same, 
he has been unable to comply with the requirement, being confined to the 
house House and his room almost Continuously for more than one year, that 
from his present condition he does not think he will be able to comply 
within the time therein specified, that he has consulted his Physician Dr. 
S.B. Anderson whose Testimony is before you & is told by him that he thinks 
it could be unsafe to attempt it, but if insisted upon by the Department, 
will attempt Compliance if able when the weather will permit. Your 
Despondent further Says, that for reasons heretofore assigned by him in his 
application
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application for a pension & the accompanying testimony, he is unable to 
furnish the testimony required, as indicate in paragraphs No 1.& 2 of your 
letter of Dec 9th 1884; & Can but reiterate the fact that he was but a 
short time with either his company or Regiment as such, at Beverly, West 
Virginia, where his company formed with the Regiment on the evening of the 
night President Lincoln was assassinated = that while on the way to join 
his Regiment he was exposed to Cold, Rains, and Snow Storms, with 
insufficient Shelter & protection = that he contracted Cold & suffered more 
than he otherwise would have done had he not been accustomed to a warm room 
& shop duty as a shoemaker up to the time of his enlistment that after 
laying a short time at Beverly, his company was sent forward & distributed 
in squads along the Baltimore & Ohio R.R. Guarding the trestle work & other 
points = & had no further intercourse with the Regiment until we were 
ordered to Clarksburg where we were Mustered Out, and although troubled 
with Diahoroea more or less all the time was still able for duty, & while 
on the Rail Road was assigned the duty of cooking for the Mess = was not in 
the hospital at any time & was unacquainted with either Sergeant & 
Assistant Sergeant of the Regiment &c but few of either Officers or men 
outside the Squad Which I said.
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On my way home I got worse & remained So until I applied to my family 
Physician J.R. Thompson M.D. whose Testimony was filed with my application, 
& to which the Department is respectfully referred. This despondent further 
States that he could probably get some additional Testimony as to his 
protracted Sickness from the Same Cause after his return to Indian County 
Penna & also be on the way to, & in Tennessee, but doesn't now recall the 
name of any one in his Company or Regiment that was acquainted with my 
condition while in the service, & had but one portion of Medicine from the 
Sergeant While in the Service, received while Lying at Beverly, but will 
make the effort to get Some additional Testimony as to his Condition after 
being Mustered out of Service & file with the department.

/s/ James Baker

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 14th day of February 1885.
/s/ M. Summerfall
       Circuit Court