J. L. Edwards Letters
In these two letters to Andrew Johnson (then serving Tennessee in the U. S. House of Representatives), J. L. Edwards of the U. S. Pension Office officially establishes the conditions under which old Mrs. Curtis and the heirs of the late Sarah Hawley would be eligible for government pensions. Johnson forwarded both items to Blackston McDannel in Greeneville, Tennessee with a handwritten note assuring McDannel that he is doing the best he can to get the pensions approved, although it appears to him that Edwards has set his face against your Cases. As such, Johnson plans to forward the applications to the Secretary of War and promises to send McDannel news shortly.
Dates
- 1844 December 13-14
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
In these two letters to Andrew Johnson (then serving Tennessee in the U. S. House of Representatives), J. L. Edwards of the U. S. Pension Office officially establishes the conditions under which old Mrs. Curtis and the heirs of the late Sarah Hawley would be eligible for government pensions. Johnson forwarded both items to Blackston McDannel in Greeneville, Tennessee with a handwritten note assuring McDannel that he is doing the best he can to get the pensions approved, although it appears to him that Edwards has set his face against your Cases. As such, Johnson plans to forward the applications to the Secretary of War and promises to send McDannel news shortly.
Biographical/Historical Note
James L. Edwards was born in Petersburg, Virginia to Lewis and Mary (Danforth) Edwards on May 25, 1786. He served with the U. S. Marines during the War of 1812 and was awarded a medal for bravery. In 1816, he began working as a clerk in the War Department. He eventually became the principal pensions clerk, where he was responsible for many of the pensions granted to veterans of the Revolutionary War. When the Pension Office was created in 1833, Edwards became the first Commissioner of Pensions. He held this post until retiring on November 27, 1850. Edwards died on September 21, 1867 in Washington, D.C.
Edwards was married twice: first to Caroline Sarah Lewis (who died in 1820) and second to Anne Allison. He had at least one child, John L. Edwards, by his second wife.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Nancy Brown donated these materials in memory of her friend Helen Martha Wilson in January of 1973.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository