Company G Pension Update #2

This is my second in a series reviewing the pensions filed by the surviving soldiers or spouses from Company G, 5th Infantry Tennessee Volunteers from the Mexican War. My first post in this review covered 6 soldiers, all who received pensions. This next set included seven soldiers or their widows, 4 received a pension, one was rejected, and two files were missing (but I am inferring that a pension was received by one of those). This brings the total up to 11 pensions granted.

I want to note special thanks to the researchers at the National Archives who have helped correct my mistakes with the pension numbers. They've been very patient and have helped locate some files when I had the numbers in the wrong places. I've requested 8 files to be pulled, and after that set I will have 12 more files to look up for Company G.

As with the others in my first post, I am not connected to these men except that they served in Company G with my 4th-great-grandfather Robert Thomas Jones Sr and his son Robert Thomas Jr. I hope that descendants of these men will find this information helpful in their own family history search. If you are connected to one of these men, contact me direct and I can send copies of photos from the National Archives.

William P (Wiley) Cozart
According to the Mexican War Service Records on Fold3.com, William P Cozart mustered into service in Company G on 10 November 1847, at the age of 17 years old. I found a pension application for Wiley Cozart of Grainger County, Tennessee. He did not receive a pension. His claim was rejected, as the Pension Office could not find him in the service record for Company E (perhaps that is because it appears he served in Company G, or this is for a different Cozart). Cozart claimed that he was left in Mobile (Alabama) because he was sick with yellow fever.

Cozart's application included an affidavit by Jacob Miller, who stated that he served with Cozart. I'm interested to see what Miller's file says (he's coming up in my 4th batch of pension files). Wiley Cozart married Nancy Holland on 1 February 1849 in Tennessee. Cozart states that he was born in Hawkins County, Tennessee.

William Couch
Sarah Purkey Couch filed her widow's application from Gresham, York County, Nebraska for her husband William Couch's service in the Company G. The application was received on 18 August 1890. She received the pension.

William Couch married Sarah Purkey in Grainger County, Tennessee on 28 March 1850, after returning home from the Mexican War. He died near Knoxville, Tennessee on 7 April 1876. Sarah Purkey was born on 27 April 1828 in Tennessee.

Jacob Miller also signed an affidavit on behalf of Sarah Purkey Couch for her widow's pension application. He states that he was residing in Russellville, Hamblen County, Tennessee on 15 July 1890.

Eli Blair
The file for Eli Blair was missing or misplaced at the National Archives. I am following up on this one to see if I transcribed the wrong file number.

Hiram Blair
Hiram may have been Eli Blair's younger brother. Hiram received a pension under the Act of 29 January 1887. He states that he was born on 26 July 1828 in Blount County, Tennessee, and that he enlisted near Sevierville, Tennessee.

Hiram's widow, Mary J. Allen Blair, filed a widow's pension from Trundles Crossroads, Sevier County, Tennessee on 6 September 1894. She states that she was born on 3 January 1831, and married Blair on 23 August 1855. Hiram Blair died on 4 June 1894.

Lewis Breeden
Private Lewis Breeden was from Jones Cove, Sevier County, Tennessee. He received a survivor's pension, and died on 10 April 1899 at the age of 63. His file was pretty thin, and I did not take pictures.

Merrill Breeden
According to the Archives, they were not able to find Merrill Breeden's pension file using #11391. However, Merrill likely received a pension, as he signed an affidavit in support of widow's pension filed by Francis Marion Click's wife Eliza Ann Click on 29 June 1887. The affidavit states that he was a resident of Jones Cove, Sevier County (possibly brother of Lewis Breeden). He stated that he was 65 years old in 1887. I made a photo of his affidavit.

Francis Marion Click
Francis Marion Click was from Cocke County, Tennessee. According to the affidavit of Merrill Breeden and James Manes, Click enlisted about 1 October 1847 at Knoxville, Tennessee. Click died on 30 August 1877 at the age of 45 (which means he was born about 1832) in Williamson County, Illinois.

Click's wife, Eliza Ann Brothers, filed a widow's pension application from Cobden, Illinois. She was born on 13 May 1842 in Union County, Kentucky. She married Click on 26 February 1857 (3 months shy of her 14th birthday) in Galatin County, Illinois.

Eliza Ann filed a pension increase on 21 October 1916 when she was 74 years old. This was approved on 28 November 1916. Eliza Ann Click died on 21 July 1921 in Cobden, Illinois.