Civil War Pension File of John Thomas Page

SC 272.797
Unit: Company I, 107th Illinois Volunteer Infantry commanded by David Lowry
Mustered In: 2 August 1862 at Santa Anna twp, Illinois as a private
Mustered Out: 21 Jun 1865 at Salisbury, North Carolina
Physical Description: 5 feet 3 inches; dark complexion; black hair; black eyes

Documents:

(1) Declaration For Original Invalid Pension – 17 Sep 1881 – Linn Co, Kansas
John T. Page, aged 43, resident of LaCygne, Linn Co, Kansas.  Stated that while at Knoxville, Tennessee on or about 1 Feb 1863 he contracted epilepsy caused by exposure, broken rest, and loss of sleep.  He was treated in hospitals at Louisville, Kentucky, and Madison, Indiana.  Since leaving the service he has resided at Farmer City, Illinois, and Cadmus, Kansas, as a farmer.

(2) General Affidavit for Any Purpose – 31 Jul 1882 – DeWitt Co, Illinois
Affidavit of David Lowry, late Captain of Co. I, 107th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and Preston Jones, late Sergeant of Co. I, 107th Regiment, stating that they were personally acquainted with the claimant for ten or more years before his enlistment into the service, that during said service he contracted epileptic fits while on guard at Louden, Tennessee, that the said fits were so frequent that they did not feel that he was a safe man to put on guard duty.

(3) Affidavit of John T. Page – 22 Aug 1883 – Linn Co, Kansas
“For five years immediately preceding my enlistment I lived at Farmer City, DeWitt Co., Ill.  Occupation was that of a farmer.  I was discharged in June 1865 & lived at DeWitt County, Ill., till about the 8 or 10 of Dec. 1865 when I went to Kansas.   Lived in Linn Co, Kansas, till spring of 1868.  Then went back to DeWitt County Ill.  Lived there till 1877.  Then removed to Linn Co, Kansas and have lived here ever since.  During all this time have followed farming for a living.  In the winter of 1863 while camped with my regiment on Green River Kentucky I had the first attack of Epilepsy.  It prevented me a portion of the time from performing duty, but after the siege of Knoxville I was sent back to the Hospital at Louisville, Ky, then to Madison, Ind.   There to Burnsey, Ill.  During my stay at the Hospitals I could perform no duty, I don't remember the Doctor’s names who treated me while in the Hospitals or never knew them.  Dr. Woodward was the first who[se] name I remember treating me after discharged.   Before this I had been using Patent medicine and doctoring some with traveling doctors but don't know their names.  Dr. Woodward said it was useless to doctor, that none of them could do me any good.  Dr. Woodward is alive and lives at Farmer City, Ill.  I have suffered with attacks of Epilepsy every two or three weeks ever since my discharge.   The character of the attacks are these.  The attack is always followed by a severe pain in the head which lasts all the next day after the attack, during such times I can't work.  I have not doctored for this since treated by Dr. Woodward.  He told me it was useless to do so.  I have farmed since my discharge.  I have been prevented from following my occupation every time I had an attack, which would amount to nearly one half of the time lost by the attack.”

(4) Afficavit of James Shinkle and William W. Lyon – 10 Feb 1883 - Linn Co, Kansas
Residents of Cadmus, Scott twp, Linn Co, Kansas.  They stated that they knew John T. Page prior to his enlistment and that he was an able bodied man then.  They now know him to have epileptic fits and is unable to work one half of the time.

(5) Affidavit of John W. Kirby – 22 August [1883] - Linn Co, Kansas
States he has known John T. Page for 30 years and knows him to have epileptic fits.

(6) Affidavit of William Elsworth – 22 August 1883 – Linn Co, Kansas
States he has known John T. Page for 30 years having lived near him prior to the War.  It was in 1866 [after the war] when they came to Kansas together that Elsworth was aware of the fits.

(7) General Affidavit – 5 December 1889 – Adams Co, Illinois
Affidavits of Seth J. Daniels and John Heslet, residents of the Soldiers and Sailors Home at Quincy, Illinois.  Daniels served as Sergent of Cottage 8 when John T. Page was placed in said cottage.  Stated Page had seizures as often as one a week, “rendering him totally unfit for any kind of manual labor, his mind and entire system being afflicted by said fits, rendering him incapable of caring for himself.” John Heslet was an inmate of Cottage 8 and was an eye witness to the seizures.

(8) General Affidavit – 28 January 1890 – Adam Co, Illinois
Affidavit of James J. Arthur and James B. Gore, residents of the Soldiers and Sailors Home at Quincy, Illinois, inmates of the same cottage as John Page.  Both have taken care of Page during his spells.

(9) Circular, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions – 15 Jan 1898 filled out by John T. Page 22 July 189[8]
. Married 12 Aug 1877, Santa Anna twp, DeWitt Co, Illinois by E.L. Waller, Minister
. Divorced about 1888
. Living children: Ida May Page, b. 9 Jan 1880 & Flora F. Page, b. 4 Apr 1884

[Note: The wife of John T. Page was Dortha (“Dortha” is how she spelled her name) Jane Johnson, daughter of John Johnson and his first wife, Jane Russell.  John Johnson’s second wife was Elizabeth Meliza.  Dortha’s second husband was James F. Gordon and her 3rd husband was Randolph Sinks Riggs.  Dortha received pension benefits through the pension of Randolph Riggs who was also in the 107th with John T. Page.]