Description
Benjamin Jefferson enlisted at Fort Scott, Kansas on January 13, 1864, and was mustered as a Private into the 79th USCT Infantry, Company B. On December 29, 1866, Malinda Risk of Platte County, Missouri, signed claim for compensation #267 for enlisted slave Benjamin Jefferson and swore an oath of allegiance before Platte County notary public James J. Hitt.
Malinda Risk claimed she had acquired title to Benjamin by “…purchase through the heirs of Abram (Abraham) Risk in Platte County, Missouri, in the year 1855.”
James W. Steele and Benjamin F. Dougherty of Platte County swore under oath that Risk had owned Benjamin for “5 years." A. Kirkpatrick and Willie M. English of Platte County also swore oath that Malinda Risk was loyal to the U.S. Government and had defended it against the Confederate States of America. Platte County notary public James J. Hitt certified that Risk, Steele, Dougherty, Kirkpatrick, and English had personally appeared before him and swore an oath to the truth of the claim. Malinda Risk gave power of attorney to the law firm of Chipman, Hosmer & Co. of Washington, DC, to prosecute her claim for compensation.Date(s) of Creation
12/29/1866
