Private James Ross
Pvt. James Ross
Private James Ross was born in Franklin County, Virginia, and enlisted with the USCT on March 31, 1864, in Decatur, Alabama. He had been enslaved and likely sold from Virginia to Alabama. At the time of his enlistment, he was 42 years old and described as 5’10,” with a dark complexion and dark hair and eyes. His occupation was listed as farmer.
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Before the war, Ross married Priscilla, although marriages between enslaved people were not legally recognized. Pension records revealed that Priscilla “burned to death” in 1855. Ross, who was enslaved by Phillip Pointer, then married Mary Ann who, according to a pension file, came to Alabama through “negro traders from Virginia.” Mary Ann was enslaved by William Elliot. Mary Ann and James were married at the Elliot’s home by a “colored preacher.” They had two children before the Civil War.
James Ross enlisted to serve for three years and was assigned to the 106th USCT, Company A., which was later consolidated with the 40th United States Colored Infantry, Co. I., in November of 1865. The regiment was put on garrison and railroad guard duty in Pulaski, Virginia. In January 1866, Ross began to suffer from frequent bouts of nausea and diarrhea and finally neuralgia of the face. He was discharged in the spring of 1866, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and returned home to his family. He died of “consumption” (usually believed today to be tuberculosis) on Jan 6, 1867. His wife, Mary Ann, gave birth to his last child, a son, immediately after his death.
On June 27, 1890, Congress passed legislation which granted pensions to widows of Union soldiers. Mary Ann Ross, age 60, though unable to read or write, immediately obtained an attorney to pursue her claim. The pension file includes affidavits and depositions from thirteen individuals testifying as to Mary Ann’s identity and moral behavior. Many veterans and widows were excluded due to lack of written documents afforded enslaved individuals and racist examiners. Mary’s process was long and challenging. Even her name was suspect: whether she was Mary or Mary Ann. Her reply “I can’t write myself and I don’t know how it came to be signed differently.”
Nine of those who provided recorded statements were formally enslaved individuals who had known Mary Ann and James for many years, though some were only children at the time James was alive. They appeared to be members of a close-knit formerly enslaved community, Courtland, in Lawrence County, AL. The formerly enslaved community lived on “farms” within a few miles of each other, owned by various white men.
During the special examiner’s investigation, Mary Ann experienced intense questioning regarding whether Mary Ann had ever remarried or cohabitated with another man since her husband’s death in 1867. Questions posed to her and other deponents were personal and direct such as “Have you had an intimate relationship with the claimant?” A white woman, Patty Pointer, the daughter of James Ross’ former enslaver, said, “I have always heard of her (Mary Ann) as a very good darky and a widow.”
Mary and her community members explained to the special examiner that there was no record of her marriage to James but several of them were present. There was no record of “Jim’s death,” as the physician who attended him had died. They were not aware of a record made of “Jim’s burial,” although they affirmed that they had attended. Mary Ann owned no property, and the value of her personal belongings totaled no more than $10. Unlike her husband’s old friends, Mary Ann referred to her husband as James rather than Jim.
At age 63, Mary Ann Ross lived in a cabin “in the yard of Mr. D. L. Martin.” She lived with her daughter who worked as cook for the Martin family. The pension files did not reveal the names of any of James and Mary Ann’s three children (who, if alive, would have been adults by this time) but their existence was verified in testimonies. In February 1894, a widow’s pension of $8 a month was awarded, retro-active to 1890.
Contributors: Savannah Smith, Sarah Plummer and Cathie Cummins
