Description
William Fields enlisted at Fort Smith, Kansas, on May 21, 1864, and was mustered as a Private into the 79th USCT Infantry, Company A. On January 10, 1867, Susan B. McFarland of Platte County, Missouri, signed claim for compensation #266 for enlisted slave William Fields and swore an oath of allegiance before Platte County notary public James J. Hitt.
McFarland claimed he had acquired title to William by “…inheritance from her brother's estate in the year 1855 in the County of Platte, State of Missouri.”
B. H. Perry and C. A. Perry of Platte County swore under oath that McFarland had owned William for “6 years." E. W. Railey and C. Steele of Platte County also swore oath that McFarland was loyal to the U.S. Government and had defended it against the Confederate States of America. Platte County notary public James J. Hitt Platte County certified that McFarland, Perry, Perry, Railey, and Steele had personally appeared before him and swore an oath to the truth of the claim. Platte County Circuit Court Clerk George W. Belt certified that Hitt was a notary public. McFarland gave power of attorney to the law firm of Chipman, Hosmer & Co. of Washington, DC, to prosecute her claim for compensation.
(Researcher's note: Susan B. McFarland (nee' Susan Herndon) married Huston McFarland in 1863 and her brother Edward B. Herndon died in May 1853.)Date(s) of Creation
1/10/1867
