Longevity....Week 3

This week's post is for the 2018 challenge called , 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks, by Amy Johnson Crow.  Theme for this week: Longevity.  

Nathan Wood, Grave site, Adel Cemetery,
Owen County, Indiana

The life of Nathan Wood and his father, John Wood, were not destined to have longevity.  Both died too young.  John Wood died around the age of 46 in about 1857 (still haven't proved the exact date on him yet), and Nathan died at the age of 47 on July 1st, 1886.  Both had children and left young mothers to raise babies and teens.  The cruelty of the homesteader life was a reality in these times.  

John Wood was Brian's 4x's great grandfather making his son, Nathan, Brian's 3x's  great grandfather.  This post will focus on Nathan Wood and his death.  When I went to the National Archives in Washington DC, I took pictures of the Civil War pension file for Nathan Wood.  I had just started back into genealogy when my cousin asked if I would like to go on a week-long genealogy road trip with one destination being the National Archives. I was super excited and when I got his file, I didn't even really know the gold I had in my possession until I got home.  

The file itself is more than 40 pages and contains Nathan's discharge papers, a marriage certificate to his wife, Sarah Amanda May, and many pages of requests to be granted a pension because of his sickness contracted during the Civil War.    His file contains 2 attempts at applying for an Invalid Pension by himself.  The first time in February 1882 and again right before his death in January 1886.  

Nathan Wood, Original Invalid Claim - Feb 11, 1882

Nathan's claim is below as he reports under oath in his second attempt to secure the pension in January 1886.   

"He says on his oath that he contracted Camp Diarrhea in line of duty at Decatur Alabama about the 1st of May 1865 and about the same time he contracted Rheumatism which affected him all over to such an extent that he was unable to walk, and he was sent to the hospital at Decatur and from there to the hospital at Huntsville Alabama and remained there until discharged.  That piles and fistula resulted from said Camp Diarrhea and that said Diarrhea continued and became chronic and that he has constantly suffered from chronic diarrhea, alternating with constipation and resulting disease of stomach and digestive organs, and resulting piles and fistula in anus and Rheumatism and he says has been disabled for performance of manual labor each year since date of discharge at least one half by reason of said disease. In his original declaration his Attorney left out his disease Rheumatism and upon his insisting that it should be alleged, Atty said to prove up Diarrhea, piles and Fistula, and then put in claim for Rheumatism, he also put in declaration total disability when affidavit wanted to say one half disability as he now says, he does not claim for total disability, as he has not been totally disabled for manual labor, only at times."

Nathan Wood, Original Invalid Claim - Feb 11, 1882

OK, so when I read all about his chronic diarrhea, piles and fistula for YEARS, I was thinking, how awful would this be?  Lordy, Lordy!  Could you imagine dealing with this with no Imodium AD,  Preparation H, and no way to fix this?  I had to look up the fistula and find out more.  According to WebMD, "An anal fistula is a small channel that can develop between the end of the bowel and the skin near the anus. Possible symptoms include: pain, which is usually constant, throbbing and worse when sitting down, skin irritation around the anus, including swelling, redness and tenderness, discharge of pus or blood, constipation or pain associated with bowel movements, fever."  Eeeeeew!  Any one of these things would be awful for years, but all three!  Poor Nathan Wood.  

He was rejected for the claim the first time and then died before ruling on his second attempt.  His widow, Sarah, applies then six days after his death.  I think about how sad she must have been at her husband's death and surely felt destitute.  Nathan explains that he is a farmer and how is she going to make it by herself without some help?  She is 47 years old at the time of his death and they had three children under the age of 18.  

Stay tuned for future blog posts about his Civil War Pension file.  There are so many juicy things in there!  Oh, Lord, I can't believe I just wrote that!


Sources
"Civil War Pension Application File,'" Discharge Certificate, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Soldiers Who Served in Both the Mexican War and the Civil War, ca. 1847 - ca. 1888, Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs,National Archives,Washington, D.C., United States.Certificate Included with Original Invalid Claim,15 May 1865,Application No. 439.771,Certificate No. 345.827.

https://www.webmd.boots.com/digestive-disorders/anal-fistula