Need Assistance with pension record

[dburrell]

I am hoping someone can help me locate a pension record for a William Rossin from the Tennessee 19th Calvary Regiment Company D. We have his service records as far as to when he mustered in, date of capture and death at Rock Island but we can not find a pension record that his widow Sarah would have filed after his death. They had 4 children, one being my 2nd Great Grandfather. We are having no luck whatsoever tracking down his parents and had hoped that maybe his father if he was alive, had been listed as next of kin if Sarah wasn't the one to file.

William B. Rossin (we spell it Rosson and wonder if when he mustered in someone just guessed on spelling but all of his service records show it as Rossin but his children all have Rosson as the spelling.)
Born: around 1825 in Lawerence County TN
Died: Rock Island February 24, 1864

Spouse: Sarah Ann Foust (Married William B on July 8, 1855)
Known Children:
James M. Rosson
Louisa Rosson
William M. Rosson
Jefferson Davis Rosson (born 3 months after William died in Rock Island)

Sarah's second husband was a James Thompson (married 1874) also from Lawerence County TN could have also been with the Tennesse 19th Calvary but unknown. There are two Thompson's listed in the roosters one being a J.H. Thompson with Company L and the other being a J.L. Thompson with Company F which makes me wonder if she married one of his friends.

 

[lelliott19]

Welcome @dburrell Happy to have you aboard here at CivilWarTalk.

I've taken a look at the carded records for your William Rossin of the 19th TN Cavalry. You mentioned that you have reviewed his service records, so I guess you already know that part of the story. It looks like he was captured at home in Lawrence County, TN on Dec 30, 1863; transferred to Rock Island Jan 20, 1864; died there Feb 24, 1864; and was buried in grave 596 "South of prison barracks."

The index for Confederate widows and soldiers pension applications for Tennessee is available online here http://share.tn.gov/tsla/history/military/pension018.htm but there is no record for a William Rosson or Rossin or Rawson from the 9th TN Cav. with widow named Sarah.

Here are the Rossons that are included:

(The "W" indicates it was a widows pension application and the "S" indicates it was a soldier's pension application.)

Keeping in mind that while pension applications were submitted in writing, military rosters and census records were obtained verbally and recorded phonetically, so any variation of spelling is a possibility. When searching them, you really have to try to think what the name sounds like - rather than how it was actually spelled.

Keeping that in mind, I located a record for a William "Rawson" in the 1850 US Census for Lawrence County TN. William "Rawson" age 22 a farmer, born in TN, living in household number 821 Lawrence county, Lawrence, Tennessee. This Wm Rawson was living with William Faust, age 28, a blacksmith, born in TN, his wife, Mary Faust, and six Faust children - ages 0-9 including one "Sarah H Faust" age 4. Here's a link to the indexed info http://us-census.mooseroots.com/l/778675979/Wm-Rawson and below an image of the original record.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-642Q-CC2?mode=g&i=115&cc=1401638

But wait.....there's more!!!!
Just above this record, on the same page....enumerated in Household 815 (which would have been nearby) is John "Rawson" age 57, a farmer, b. in TN and his wife Nancy Rawson, age 52, b. in Va. along with a number of children Cyntha, age 21, b. in TN; Eliza, age 19, b. in TN; John, age 18, b. in TN, "laborer"; Franklin, age 13, b. in TN; Susannah, age 9, b. in TN; and James, age 8, b. in TN. http://us-census.mooseroots.com/l/778674432/John-Rawson

The mark in the third column after the state of birth indicates that neither John Rawson nor his wife Nancy could read or write in 1850.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-642Q-CC2?mode=g&i=115&cc=1401638
The only other "Rawson" family listed in the 1850 Lawrence County TN Census is an "Andrew Rawon" age 31, b. in TN, a farmer; his wife listed only as "E", age 32, b. in TN; and their child, Joseph, age 7, b. in TN.

So.....while I was not able to locate a pension application for William Rosson, I believe you have your answer as to the names of your William's parents - they are more than likely John and Nancy Rawson [sic.] Obviously, you will need to do some more research to confirm, but I believe Wm was recorded as "Rawson" and I'm betting his parents, living just up the street, were too.

EDIT TO ADD: To help you out, I went ahead and looked at the 1840 Census and found John "Rosson" (spelled correctly this time) recorded as Head of Household. The 1840 census does not include names, just the number of people in specified age ranges. John Rosson was enumerated with the following people living in the household:
Males:
2 children <age 5 (Franklin and a son who died?)
1 child age 5 but <10 (John the son)
1 child age 10 but <15 (William)
1 male age 40 but <50 *this would be John (the father)
Females:
1 child age 5 but <10 (Eliza)
3 children age 10 but <15 (Cyntha & two other daughters married by the 1850 census?)
1 female age 30 but <40 *this would be Nancy? maybe she didn't want to turn 40?
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YYL-92VF?mode=g&i=44&cc=1786457

EDIT AGAIN: Sarah A Faust enumerated in the 1850 US Census in Lawrence County TN as age 14, b. in TN in household number 766 of George Faust, age 52, b. in NC, a blacksmith; and Elizabeth Faust, age 46, b. in TN. along with four other children. http://us-census.mooseroots.com/l/754948956/George-Faust

 

[Podad]

Welcome from Georgia dburrel. Looks like Laura got you fixed up. She is good like that.

 

[dburrell]

Welcome @dburrell Happy to have you aboard here at CivilWarTalk.

I've taken a look at the carded records for your William Rossin of the 19th TN Cavalry. You mentioned that you have reviewed his service records, so I guess you already know that part of the story. It looks like he was captured at home in Lawrence County, TN on Dec 30, 1863; transferred to Rock Island Jan 20, 1864; died there Feb 24, 1864; and was buried in grave 596 "South of prison barracks."

The index for Confederate widows and soldiers pension applications for Tennessee is available online here http://share.tn.gov/tsla/history/military/pension018.htm but there is no record for a William Rosson or Rossin or Rawson from the 9th TN Cav. with widow named Sarah.

Here are the Rossons that are included:
View attachment 141286
(The "W" indicates it was a widows pension application and the "S" indicates it was a soldier's pension application.)

Keeping in mind that while pension applications were submitted in writing, military rosters and census records were obtained verbally and recorded phonetically, so any variation of spelling is a possibility. When searching them, you really have to try to think what the name sounds like - rather than how it was actually spelled.

Keeping that in mind, I located a record for a William "Rawson" in the 1850 US Census for Lawrence County TN. William "Rawson" age 22 a farmer, born in TN, living in household number 821 Lawrence county, Lawrence, Tennessee. This Wm Rawson was living with William Faust, age 28, a blacksmith, born in TN, his wife, Mary Faust, and six Faust children - ages 0-9 including one "Sarah H Faust" age 4. Here's a link to the indexed info http://us-census.mooseroots.com/l/778675979/Wm-Rawson and below an image of the original record.
View attachment 141287
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-642Q-CC2?mode=g&i=115&cc=1401638

But wait.....there's more!!!!
Just above this record, on the same page....enumerated in Household 815 (which would have been nearby) is John "Rawson" age 57, a farmer, b. in TN and his wife Nancy Rawson, age 52, b. in Va. along with a number of children Cyntha, age 21, b. in TN; Eliza, age 19, b. in TN; John, age 18, b. in TN, "laborer"; Franklin, age 13, b. in TN; Susannah, age 9, b. in TN; and James, age 8, b. in TN. http://us-census.mooseroots.com/l/778674432/John-Rawson
View attachment 141288
The mark in the third column after the state of birth indicates that neither John Rawson nor his wife Nancy could read or write in 1850.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-642Q-CC2?mode=g&i=115&cc=1401638
The only other "Rawson" family listed in the 1850 Lawrence County TN Census is an "Andrew Rawon" age 31, b. in TN, a farmer; his wife listed only as "E", age 32, b. in TN; and their child, Joseph, age 7, b. in TN.

So.....while I was not able to locate a pension application for William Rosson, I believe you have your answer as to the names of your William's parents - they are more than likely John and Nancy Rawson [sic.] Obviously, you will need to do some more research to confirm, but I believe Wm was recorded as "Rawson" and I'm betting his parents, living just up the street, were too.

EDIT TO ADD: To help you out, I went ahead and looked at the 1840 Census and found John "Rosson" (spelled correctly this time) recorded as Head of Household. The 1840 census does not include names, just the number of people in specified age ranges. John Rosson was enumerated with the following people living in the household:
Males:
2 children <age 5 (Franklin and a son who died?)
1 child age 5 but <10 (John the son)
1 child age 10 but <15 (William)
1 male age 40 but <50 *this would be John (the father)
Females:
1 child age 5 but <10 (Eliza)
3 children age 10 but <15 (Cyntha & two other daughters married by the 1850 census?)
1 female age 30 but <40 *this would be Nancy? maybe she didn't want to turn 40?
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YYL-92VF?mode=g&i=44&cc=1786457

EDIT AGAIN: Sarah A Faust enumerated in the 1850 US Census in Lawrence County TN as age 14, b. in TN in household number 766 of George Faust, age 52, b. in NC, a blacksmith; and Elizabeth Faust, age 46, b. in TN. along with four other children. http://us-census.mooseroots.com/l/754948956/George-Faust

Laura,

This is amazing Thank you so much. I can't wait to share this with a cousin from Jefferson Davis Rosson's line as she and I have been working on this for almost 20 years with no luck.