Description
Holt Holton enlisted at Fort Scott, Kansas, on August 8, 1862, and was mustered as a Private into the 79th USCT Infantry, Company D. On December 1, 1866, John D. Pepper of Marshall Township, Platte County, Missouri signed claim for compensation #158 for enlisted slave Holt Holton and swore an oath of allegiance before Platte County notary public James J. Hitt in Weston, Missouri.
Pepper claimed he had acquired title to Holt Holton by "...purchase from his mother in a division of her Estate in the year 1857 in Platte County, Missouri."
James H. Griffith and James A. Miller testified under oath that Pepper had owned Holt for "over 6 years." Benjamin Bonifant and J. W. Steele of Platte County swore that Pepper was loyal to the U.S. Government and had defended it against the Confederate States of America. Platte County notary public James J. Hitt in Weston, Missouri, certified that Pepper, Griffith, Miller, Bonifant, 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 James J. Hitt was a notary public on December 1, 1866. Pepper gave power of attorney to the law firm of Chipman, Hosmer & Co., Washington, DC, to prosecute his claim.Date(s) of Creation
12/1/1866
