Summary of
Southern Claims Commission Petition By
Lydia Baker
Claim transcribed by: Stacy Ashmore Cole
Find the digitized original of this claim file at this Ancestry.com link.
[Transcriber’s Note: Below is a summarization of the original petition documents and a transcript of the Commissioners’ remarks and decision. Unfortunately, the parts of the claim that held the testimony of the claimant and the witnesses was too faded to transcribe.]
Summary
Claimant’s Name (Last Name, First Name): Baker, Lydia
Listed as “Colored”? (Y/N):
Amount of Claim: $100
Total Amount Allowed: $55
Nature of Claim: Quartermaster & Commissary Supplies
Claimant living in: Wm. S. Baker’s plantation
Incident occurred in: Wm. S. Baker’s plantation
Claim #: 21415
Secondary Claim #: 41212
Date Claim Submitted [YYYY-MM-DD]: 187?-02-26; 1873-03-01
Date Testimony taken [YYYY-MM-DD]: 1874-03-20
Claimant’s Attorney: Raymond Cay, Jr., Savannah, Ga
Special Commissioner: Virgil Hillyer
Property Removed to: Midway Church, Liberty County, Ga
Date property removed: 1864-12-20
Army unit involved: Kilpatrick’s [word] commanded by General Kilpatrick
Date Submitted to Congress [YYYY-MM-DD]: 1875-12-20
Post Office of Claimant: Riceboro
Transcription
Items Claimed
Remarks: The claimant, a colored woman formerly a slave, over 70, says “I worked by tasks for my master & c’d save time to work for myself” “He dropped me down to a half-hand before he died.”
Item 1. She says “I put it at 10 bushels, but I know I had more than that. I think it was a mistake in putting it down 40 bushels. I never had so much as that.” Who put it down 40 bushels?
Item 2. “I only said I had 4 hogs. My attorney made the mistake – not me.” [NOTE: “My attorney” was underlined.]
Item 4. “They didn’t take my clothing – only a blanket.”
Item 5. “They didn’t take my cooking utensils. They took some money right out of my pocket.”
A very honest old woman.
We allow $55.00.
A.O. Aldis
J.B. Howell
O. Ferris } Commrs of Claims
About This Transcription
What you are seeing: The Southern Claims Commission files for each claimant included all forms filed for the claimant, including cover pages, standard forms with filled in information, a special agent’s report about the claim, remarks made by the Special Commissioner summarizing the case, testimony from the claimant and his or her witnesses based on a standard set of questions, and copies of other paperwork involved. Much of the information contained in the forms is repetitive. We have summarized that information into one block, and transcribed all legible items, which might include the testimony, the Special Commissioner’s remarks, the special agent’s report, and any other relevant text.
Methodology: The testimony of the claimant and the witnesses has been transcribed exactly as seen. Some of the files are faded and/or difficult to read. Any words that cannot be read are indicated by “[word]”, or, in the case of entire sections, “[section illegible]”. Alternative spellings of names are also indicated with brackets.