Gen 1: Mary Jane Beal - Southern Claims Commission for James Henry - Part 2

What are the origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl?

We continued our Biehl research project with the end goal of identifying the German origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl. I continued research on the first generation, which is Mary Jane Beal. You can find that post here.

 

Southern Claims Commission

 

The National Archives website provides the following information on the Southern Claims Commission: “The Southern Claims Commission (SCC) was created by an Act of Congress on March 3, 1871, to receive, examine, and consider claims submitted by Southern Unionist citizens. Claimants sought compensation for supplies that had been confiscated or furnished to the U.S. Army during the Civil War. After an additional act in 1872, the SCC also considered claims against the U.S. Navy. The SCC certified the Union loyalty of the claimant, determined the appropriate value of the claim, and recommended that the U.S. House of Representatives allow, disallow, or bar the claim. Settled claims were reported to Congress. Of the 22,298 claims, only 7,092 [~32%] satisfied the rigid tests of sworn statement and cross-examination used to provide both the sustained Union loyalty of the claimant throughout the war and the validity of the claim.”[1]

 

James Henry filed a claim in 1873, and it was one of the about 68% of denied claims.  Claims were required to be filed between 3 March 1871 and 3 March 1873.[2] James’ claim was for horses, corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, and hogs valued at $1,692.00.[3]

 

A typical claim may contain”

 

·      Claimant’s petition for payment

·      Depositions of witnesses

·      Summary reports of the special agent investigating the case

·      Reports from Treasury Department officials who checked captured Confederate records for indications of disloyalty

·      Final summary and recommendation of the commissioners

·      Receipt of payment[4]

 

As part of the claim, Mrs. Mary J. Henry was deposed on 11 July 1873 by E. B. Harrison, who was part of the Special Commission investigating the claims. She stated that she was 43 years old and resided in Washington County, Arkansas, and that her husband was the claimant. She was present when all the property was seized, except for one of the horses. The bulk of the property was taken in the fall of 1862 by General Blunt’s command from the Henry’s farm was located “on the Cherokee line 3 miles South of Maysville Benton Co Ark.” No receipt or recompense was provided. Mary stated that the army came into the country in October and camped for over a week at Old Ft. Wayne, which was 2 miles from the Henry farm. Mary saw a party of soldiers, including both whites and Indians, come and take a 3- or 4-year-old black horse. The next day 50 or more soldiers came to the farm and took their iron gray 3-year-old horse that was not broken in yet. Mary begged the soldiers not to take the horse, but they paid little attention to her plea. The forage trains came more than once and gathered the corn from the fields, except for a few bushels that Mary and her children were able to carry to the house in sacks. The Oats and wheat were taken at the same time as the corn. Mary pleaded with the officers of the forage train, but they responded she would need to “go to Camp and there be Supplied with provisions.”[5] The foragers dug the Irish potatoes from the field and took all they had. Scouts and the forage train also killed their 16 hogs that were being fattened for their meat to feed them over the winter. James was not home during these raids and was supposedly down on the Arkansas River.[6]

 

In January 1863, Mary’s “saddle nag,” a sorrel mare was taken from her. They were living on Dr. Merriweather’s farm located about 3 miles from their home when a contingent from Philips Brigade (Loyal Cherokee Indians), that was camped about 2.5 miles from them, arrived. Mary was holding the mare by a rope, and they jerked the rope out her hand and led the mare away and she never saw it again.[7]

 

In the fall of 1862, James and Mary had seven children aged newborn to 19 years old. A family of 9 required sufficient provisions to survive, and experiencing this devastating loss of their animals and crops would have difficult to make it through the winter. That may be why the Henry family was living on Dr. Merriweather’s farm in January 1863. I am not aware of a familial connection with the Merriweather family at this point. 

 

The Henry’s loss of provisions was due to Brigadier General James G. Blunt’s division being stationed in Benton County in October 1862. At the time of the Civil War, Arkansas was still a wilderness and sparsely populated. Arkansas succeeded in May 1861. The Confederate Army was interested in clearing northwest Arkansas of Union forces by the fall of 1862. This resulted in the Union sending General Blunt’s division of about 6,000 men to Arkansas and their encampment near the Henrys. On 28 November 1862, the Battle of Cane Hill occurred which resulted in Blunt’s success over General John S. Marmaduke. The Battle of Prairie Grove on 7 December 1862 ensured Union control of the region.

 

Next up: Continuing the research on Mary Jane Henry and her husband, James.

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[1] “Southern Claims Commission Case Files,” National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/southern-claims-commission : accessed 6 February 2026).

[2] Southern Claims Commission Case Files,” National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/southern-claims-commission : accessed 6 February 2026).

[3] “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880,” database and images,  Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2025), Report no. 5, Office no. 129, James Henry, Washington County, Arkansas, Disallowed Claim no. 20504, 1875; citing NARA microfiche publication M1407, NAID 562207, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789–2015, Record Group 233, National Archives, Washington, DC.

[4] Southern Claims Commission Case Files,” National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/southern-claims-commission : accessed 6 February 2026).

 

[5] “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880,” database and images,  Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2025), Report no. 5, Office no. 129, James Henry, Washington County, Arkansas, Disallowed Claim no. 20504, 1875; citing NARA microfiche publication M1407, NAID 562207, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789–2015, Record Group 233, National Archives, Washington, DC.

[6] “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880,” database and images,  Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2025), Report no. 5, Office no. 129, James Henry, Washington County, Arkansas, Disallowed Claim no. 20504, 1875; citing NARA microfiche publication M1407, NAID 562207, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789–2015, Record Group 233, National Archives, Washington, DC.

[7] “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880,” database and images,  Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2025), Report no. 5, Office no. 129, James Henry, Washington County, Arkansas, Disallowed Claim no. 20504, 1875; citing NARA microfiche publication M1407, NAID 562207, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789–2015, Record Group 233, National Archives, Washington, DC.

Gen 1: Mary Jane Beal - Southern Claims Commission for James Henry

What are the origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl?

We continued our Biehl research project with the end goal of identifying the German origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl. I continued research on the first generation, which is Mary Jane Beal. You can find that post here.

 

Southern Claims Commission

 

Researching the females in our family require that we research the males they are associated with. James Henry and Mary Jane Beal married in 1849 and were living in Arkansas during the Civil War. While I have found no military service for James Henry, though he was a Mexican War veteran, they may be other records available.

 

One set of records was created by the Southern Claims Commission. “An Act of Congress approved on March 3, 1871, provided that the President nominate three commissioners of claims to receive, examine, and consider the claims of ‘those citizens who remained loyal adherents to the cause and the government of the United States during the [Civil]War, for stores and supplies taken or furnished during the rebellion for the use of the army of the United States proclaimed as an insurrection against the United States,’”[1] Of the 22,298 claims filed, only about 32% were approved. The claims had to pass the “rigid tests of sworn statement and cross-examination in proving both the sustained Unionism of the claimant throughout the war and the validity of his claim.”[2]

 

Only those in the twelve covered states, of which Arkansas was one, could file a claim. Claims had to be filed between 3 March 1871 and 3 March 1873.  This was potentially 10 to 12 years after they incurred the losses. 

 

Ancestry has the following databases:

 

·      “U.S., Southern Claims Commission Master Index, 1871–1880” (includes images)

·      “U.S., Southern Claims Commission Allowed Claims, 1871–1880”

·      “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880”

·      “Southern Loyalists in the Civil War”

 

I conducted a search for James Henry in Arkansas in each database with the following results:

 

·      “U.S., Southern Claims Commission Master Index, 1871–1880”

o   Henry, James; Washington, AR; Commission No. 20504; Office No. 129; Report No. 5; Year: 1875; D [Denied][3]

·      “U.S., Southern Claims Commission Allowed Claims, 1871–1880”: No Findings

·      “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880”

o   James Henry; Arkansas, USA; 19 Feb 1873; Claimant[4]

·      “Southern Loyalists in the Civil War”: No Findings

 

James Henry filed a claim in 1873, which was denied.  Ancestry has the digitized claim. Next week, we will dig into this claim in detail.

 

While your ancestor may not have filed a claim, they may have been a witness for a claim. On Ancestry you must search across the databases as the master index only indexes claimants, not witnesses.

 

Future Research

 

Future research will include:

·      Search for additional marriage records for James Henry. He married Alphurnia Peerson in 1894.

·      Continue search for all real estate, both local and Federal, that James Henry owned in Washington County, Arkansas. He owned $300 in 1850 and $1,000 in 1870. Start a table showing the land transactions, both in and out, to ensure all transactions are captured.

·      Find maps for the time and place.

·      Determine if there are records for Friendship Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. Determine if there are extant records for First Baptist Church of Springdale.

·      Locate the extant applicable agricultural censuses for Arkansas.

·      Identify all of James Henry’s ten children.

·      James Henry served in the Mexican War and his widow, Alphurnia, received a pension. He may have had a pension too since he was feeble and helpless prior to his death. His tombstone notes his service from 1847–1848 in the Ark. Mounted Inf. Vol.

·      Who were the parents of Harvey Webb, nephew, in 1880?

·      Was Luke Henry in 1900 the stepson of James Henry?

 

Next up: Continuing the research on Mary Jane Henry and her husband, James, as noted in “Future Research” above.

 

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[1] “United States, National Archives, Southern Claims Commission,” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_National_Archives,_Southern_Claims_Commission : accessed 8 February 2025).

[2] “United States, National Archives, Southern Claims Commission,” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_National_Archives,_Southern_Claims_Commission : accessed 8 February 2025).

[3] “U.S., Southern Claims Commission Master Index, 1871–1880,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 February 2026), p. 271, image 289 of 684.

[4] “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 February 2026), entry for James Henry, 19 February 1873.

Rent a Car or Take the Train?

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

This series of posts, continued from last week, outlines our preparation for a German trip to research beyond church records. Before embarking on a research trip abroad, you want to make sure you’ve done your homework. The next step, outlined in this post, is determining whether to rent a car or use the train.

 

Considerations for Renting a Car

 

For our past two trips to Germany, we have opted to rent a car. We found it to be economical, as we split the cost between us, and we were traveling to different parts of Germany. None of the trips were so long and we enjoyed driving through the small German towns and were in the countryside rather than in the city. Being able to transport our luggage in the car was convenient. 

 

Trains cover a large geographic region better than a car, but you do have to ensure that there is adequate rail coverage for the area where you are staying and can get to the train station. We have successfully used the Uber service in Germany. 

 

Cars can be a hassle in the city because there may be limited parking and as we found even with a small SUV can be a challenge to park (see accompanying photograph) and adds to the overall cost as parking can be expensive. Renting a car can be stressful as German roads have unfamiliar road signs and frequently changing speed limits. Germany does have speed cameras and issues tickets, which you will receive through the car rental agency after they receive it and can add to the rental cost.

Considerations for Taking a Train

 

If you are planning to be in one location for your entire trip or you plan to only be in large cities, the train is a good option for you. If you will stay in one city, you can buy a ticket at the airport to your destination city. If you have multiple German cities, consider the German Rail Pass. If you will travel to multiple European countries, consider your pass options on the Eurail website. 

 

Explore the Eurail website carefully. It explains everything you need to know about passes, schedules, train types, etc. Use the scheduler to help you plan your train travel. It is important to understand that purchasing a single ticket or a multi-day pass merely gets you on the train. You may also reserve a seat for an additional charge. Some trains require a seat reservation. Others highly recommend it during peak hours. The scheduler, mentioned above, will advise if a reserved seat is required or recommended.

Gen 1: Mary Jane Beal - Court Record for James Henry

What are the origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl?

We continued our Biehl research project with the end goal of identifying the German origins of Johann Nicholas Biehl. I continued research on the first generation, which is Mary Jane Beal. You can find that post here.

 

Court Records

 

Last week we identified at least one tract of land that James Henry purchased from the Federal Government, but there were additional tracts that we were not sure were for our James Henry or for another same-name individual. I decided to try FamilySearch’s full-text search, which is a game changer for researchers. Elizabeth Shown Mills had discussed the need on many occasions of reading the records page-by-page. This may still be necessary, but this full-text search can help locate some of those items quicker.

To try it out, I decided to search for James Henry, and I located a 14 January 1850 court record that discussed the West Fork Road, which named both James Henry and his likely father-in-law Peter Beal. They were numerated adjacent to each other in the 1850 census that was taken in June. Below is the transcription:

“[page] 86

January 14^th 1850

And now on this day came the commissioners appointed at the last term of this court to view and mark out a portion of the West Fork road and made their report which ^is in words and figures as follows Towit In obedience to an order to us directed we William H Campbell John Robinson and Ewin P Craig Commissioners appointed by the county court of Washington County to view and mark a portion of the West Fork road after being duly sworn as the law directs commencing near the house of Nathan Caughmans on the land of Alfred Caughmans thence about one quarter of a mile to the land of Conrod Yous then over the land of said Conrod Yous about one quarter of a mile then over vacant land then over the land of James Henry about one mile then over vacant land then over the land of Peter Beal about one mile course about north east generally making about four miles then over vacant land then over the land of William D Shons about half a mile then over the land of Joseph Webb about half mile then over the land of Quiller Hutchins one half mile then over vacant land then over the land of Anderson Hutchens half mile to the house of Anderson Hutchens from Peter Beals to Anderson Hutchens about four miles course about North West withe [sic] undersigned reviewers believe that the public convinience [sic] will be much benefited by the above road being continued and kept in repair and we also deem it of public utility.”[1]

 

We’ll be continuing research on James Henry until we have completed reasonably exhaustive research on him, but using this full-text search is another tool in our toolbox that can help us research more efficiently and locate some great finds!

 

Future Research

 

Future research will include:

 

·      Search for additional marriage records for James Henry. He married Alphurnia Peerson in 1894.

·      Continue search for all real estate, both local and Federal, that James Henry owned in Washington County, Arkansas. He owned $300 in 1850 and $1,000 in 1870. Start a table showing the land transactions, both in and out, to ensure all transactions are captured.

·      Find maps for the time and place.

·      Determine if there are records for Friendship Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas. Determine if there are extant records for First Baptist Church of Springdale.

·      Locate the extant applicable agricultural censuses for Arkansas.

·      Identify all of James Henry’s ten children.

·      James Henry served in the Mexican War and his widow, Alphurnia, received a pension. He may have had a pension too since he was feeble and helpless prior to his death. His tombstone notes his service from 1847–1848 in the Ark. Mounted Inf. Vol.

·      Who were the parents of Harvey Webb, nephew, in 1880?

·      Was Luke Henry in 1900 the stepson of James Henry?

 

Next up: Continuing the research on Mary Jane Henry and her husband, James, as noted in “Future Research” above.

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[1] Washington County, Arkansas, Court Records, 1835–1878, vol. C, 1848–1856, pp. 86–7, entry for West Fork Road, 14 January 1850; image 71 of 644, DGS no. 7,899,278, item 1, FamilySearch Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Emphasis added.

Hotels in Germany

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

This series of posts, continued from last week, outlines our preparation for a German trip to research beyond church records. Before embarking on a research trip abroad, you want to make sure you’ve done your homework. The next step, outlined in this post, is booking hotels.

 

Hotels

 

When planning your trip to Germany, once your schedule is planned for the archives where you will be researching, next is to determine where you will be staying and booking those hotels.

 

Identifying hotels includes prioritizing locations near the archives. Next week we will cover whether to rent a car or use the train. If you will be using public transportation, you will want to prioritize locations near public transport. Using public transport such as the S-Bahn or U-Bahn will ensure you avoid parking fees and traffic, especially when staying in cities.

 

There are differences between hotels in Germany and the United States. Air conditioning is rare in older hotels and hotels in smaller towns. Depending on the time of year of your visit, that may be a consideration. Free Wi-Fi may or may not be available. Older hotels may also not have an elevator. On our last trip, we had two hotels where we had to pull our suitcase up a flight of stairs or two. One hotel we stayed at had an elevator that stopped between floors, so you still had a small flight of stairs to mount before getting to your room.

 

Room set-ups are different in Germany. If you need two separate beds, pay attention to the options offered. A Doppelzimmer (double room) means two people will be in the room. It does not equate to two separate beds. A double bed typically means two separate mattresses in one frame. When travelling with a friend or colleague, see if a Zweibettzimmer (2-bed room) is available. An Einzelzimmer (single room) is a room for one person. And bedding does not include a flat sheet, only a comforter. Hotel rooms may be smaller, including bathrooms and showers, especially in older hotels. 

A trend that is evident in both hotels in America and Germany is the move to wall-mounted shower gel that is supposed to also be used as shampoo. This is an effort to reduce single-use plastics. Some hotels offer shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, but most of the time we only found shower gel and conditioner. The hotels that we stayed in all provided hair dryers. Remember that if you use curling irons or other heating devices, you need a special electric converter. If you don’t have the right converter, you will have a problem, such as burning up the converter!

Speaking of electricity, most hotels require that you use your room card to turn on the electricity. Typically, it was a card slot where you put your room key when you enter the room.

 

German hotels usually include breakfast (mit Frühstück), or one is available for an additional fee. Breakfast usually consists of different types of food options than what you find in America, such as meat, cheese, and a variety of bread. Sometimes eggs are included, but not necessarily bacon, potatoes, or oatmeal. American chain hotels, such as a Hilton, offer more of a typical American experience.

 

Hotels may or may not have parking available. Some have very limited parking and the spots may be small … very small. We had to climb out the back of the car when we parked at one hotel.

One thing that surprised me with hotels in Germany was that the rooms had working windows. That is something that you don’t find in America.

 

If you are memorializing your trip in photos, don’t forget to take them as soon as you enter your room as that is the best that it will look!

 

Next week we’ll talk about renting a car or taking a train.