of Missouri
(From The Dameron-Damron Family Newsletter, volume 30, spring 1999.  By Kathleen Near.)

When Green Dameron applied for a Civil War pension on 22 Dec. 1886 he was a resident of Salisbury, Chariton Co., MO. He stated that he enrolled for service as Green Dameron in Company C of the 49th Missouri Regulars, U.S. Colored Troops. His commander was Capt. King. He was discharged at Vicksburg, Mississippi. At the time of enlistment he was 5' 9", brown complexion, black hair and brown eyes. His occupation at that time was slave. He had lived in Salisbury since the end of his service. His occupation had been laborer. He stated that while stationed in Cairo, IL, in Dec. 1865 his feet were frostbitten. As a result, at times he was unable to wear shoes. He also said he had contracted sore eyes in the service and had suffered from that malady ever since.

The War Department’s records showed that Green Dameron was drafted on the 16th day of November, 1864, Silver Creek, 8th dist. Ohio as a private to serve one year. He as discharged on 15 Nov. 1865 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Note that Green had claimed service in a regiment from Missouri. There is a Silver Creek township in Randolph Co., MO.

On 30 July 1890 Harriet Dameron, age 36, a resident of Salisbury, Chariton Co., MO, applied for a widow’s pension. She stated that she was the widow of Green Dameron who enlisted in Company C 49 Rgt. USCT and died on 14 March 1888. She was married to Green Dameron in Sept. 1870 under the name Harriet Perry by Lewis Watts, minister, in Randolph Co., MO. On this 1890 application she listed the children of Green Dameron who were under the age of 16 as:

Kitty, born Dec. 25 1876
Lily, born September 2, 1882
James, born Oct. 1874
Robert, born Oct. 1884
Corine, born May 24, 1887

On 24 July 1896 Harriet Dameron, age 44, of Bevier, Macon Co., MO, listed her children by Green Dameron as:

Granerson, born 24 April 1872
Charity, born 2 June 1876
Kittie, born 22 Dec. 1877
Lilly, born 2 Sept. 1882
James, born 5 Oct. 1883
Robert, born 5 Oct. 1883
Cora, born 26 May 1887

She noted that James and Robert were twins.

Other children were Ella who died at the age of about 15 months and Monroe who died at the age of about one year. Harriet emphasized that these birth dates were from memory. Though there had once been a book containing birth dates, that book had been burned in a house fire in the 1870s. Friends and relatives gave statements supporting her remembered dates, but it’s clear that she was very uncertain about the dates. Granerson appears on the 1870 census in Chariton Co. as Granson, age 1, suggesting he was born in about 1869.

On 6 November 1896 Harriet stated that because she had no record of her marriage to Green Dameron she felt compelled to accept the testimony of her witnesses, George Towner and Arthur Watts, that the marriage took place in the month of November, 1866.

Though nothing in the selected copies from the pension file received from the National Archives indicates that Green Dameron received a pension, but a pension was issued to Harriet.

Harriet died on 16 (according to Macon Co. probate records) or 4 (according to a notation in her pension file) Aug. 1904. The application for letters of administration by C. H. Hale (dated 28 June 1906) lists her heirs as:

Grandison Dameron, residence unknown
Charlotte Scott, Bevier, Macon Co., MO
Kitty Dupree, [town not legible] Macon Co., MO
James Dameron, residence unknown
Robert Dameron, residence unknown
Cora Griffin, Keota, Macon Co., MO

Macon county marriages show:

John Scott (colored) of Bevier, Macon Co., age over 21 and Charity Dameron of Bevier, age over 18, married 28 Feb. 1901 at the city of Macon.

William Dupree (colored) of Bevier, Macon Co., MO, age over 21, and Kittie Damron (colored) of Bevier, Macon Co., married 13 June 1895 at Bevier.

Louis R. Scott of Bevier, Macon Co., age over 21 and Lillie Dameron of Bevier, Macon Co., married 1 Aug. 1901 at the residence of the groom.

It is not certain that this last record is for the daughter of Green and Harriet. There is no notation that either the bride or groom was "colored," though in Missouri at that time the race of African-Americans was listed on most records.

Macon Co. marriage records do not show marriages for Green and Harriet’s sons. Though all three sons were believed to be alive in 1906, I have not so far found any of them listed in the 1910 or 1920 censuses.

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