Case of Julia A. Fingar, No. 655747

On this 24 day of July, 1902, at Claverack, County of Columbia State of New York, before me, Allan F. Church a special examiner of the Bureau of Pensions, personally appeared Peter R.Fingar, who, being by me first duly sworn to answer truly all interrogations propounded to him during this special examination of aforesaid claim for pension, deposes and says:

I am 63 years of age; my post=office address is as above, and my occupation is salesman. I am about 9 years younger than my brother Jacob Fingar who was claimant's husband and knew him from my earliest recollection. The first that I saw of claimant was after she and my brother were married, and he brought her home. Claimant was my mother's own cousin. The claimant and my brother lived in the tenant house on my father's farm at the time he and I both enlisted. He went into Co. I 159 N.Y. Inf as 2d Lieutenant, and I was instrumental in raising Co. E 159 N.Y. Inf and was to be 1st Lieut. was mustered in by state but not by U.S. and was never assigned to duty. Am not a pensioner and have never applied; am not eligible for pension.

My brother Jacob and his wife Julia A. Finger lived together peacefully and had had several children. Only two living when he enlisted. While he was in service his wife removed from the tenant house on the farm to the village of Philmont on the advice of her father; when my brother left the service he went to Philmont but his wife declined to live with him. The matter was talked over then but they never lived together again. I am under the impression that the cause of the separation was because he enlisted. When he found he could not live at home he went up to Ghent and worked for Wm H. Teator on carpenter work for several months and from there to Richmond, Mass, where he leased a small steam saw mill or ????? mill. While he was with Teator in town of Ghent he was drafted as a resident of town of Claverack, which was illegal as he was not then a resident of Claverack. He was arrested at Richmond and when the draft occurred and notice served he was a resident of Richmond, Mass. He was arrested at Richmond, taken to Hudson, N.Y. and took ??? bail for Canada. Did not cross the border and in about 6 months I got a letter from him dated at Rutland, Vermont, where he was known as J.W. Hoffman and doing contracting business with 40 men under him. He was there from 1863 to 1865. He then went to North Pownal Vt for about 6 months, was known as Jacob Fingar there as deserters had been pardoned by the President. He worked at carpenter work there. Then he went to Columbus, Ohio for about a year; then to Locke, Cayuga Co., N.Y. for two or three years until about 1870 then to Auburn, N.Y., where he remained 3 or 4 years and formed a manufacturing company using prison labor, making hayrakers, churns, +c. Then he went to Syracuse, N.Y. where he remained until the time of his death in 1896.

My brother was never divorced from Julia Fingar to my knowledge. He was reported to have married again at the time he came from Columbus, Ohio, to Locke, Cayuga Co., N.Y. I have seen the woman he was said to have married, but never saw a marriage certificate or knew of a divorce proceeding from the wife Julia. The woman was Lorana Parks, she was visiting relatives at Columbus, Ohio. They lived together three or four years; I think she is still living; last heard from 15 or 20 years ago and she was still living at Locke, N.Y. She then wrote that she was getting a divorce from my brother Jacob. Yes my brother was said to have married again after this Parks woman secured a divorce and assumed her own name. [She is on the 1880 Locke census, age 38, living with her mother as Lorana Parks - D.F.] The next one was a Mrs. Delcena Smith who was a woman whose husband was living. She kept a boarding house at Auburn, and Jacob boarded with her, and when he went to Syracuse she went with him. He lived with this Mrs. Smith until he died. They claimed to be married but I never saw any certificate. I visited with him 3 times while he lived in Syracuse, and later spent 18 months there.

Yes there was a woman in Rutland who was his housekeeper and who passed as his wife. That was a different one from the others. Her name I have entirely forgotten. These three are all I have any knowledge of outside of the claimant. He had no children except by claimant.

Yes, the soldier was back to Philmont several times after the war. Once he was there with me, and I tried to have him and his wife the claimant forget their differences, but it was no go.

Yes my brother wrote after my father died (1880) that he had obtained a divorce from Julia A. Fingar. Jacob was living at Syracuse. He also told the woman Lorana Parks that he had a divorce from Julia A. Fingar but personally I don't believe that he was ever divorced from her.

My brother Jacob owned no property when he enlisted. He had owned a house at Philmont before that but it was sold under foreclosure of mortgage several years before the war. The claimant has two pieces of property at Philmont which came to her through her father who either gave them to her or left her the money with which to purchase them. I don't know what her income is or what she pays for expenses yearly. I have always seen her several times a year for the last 10 or 12 years but do not inquire into her personal business, and she has not told me what her income is. She did tell me that one of her houses was mortgaged and from that I conclude that she has no money in the bank or invested in any way.

No, I don't think my brother was given to running with other women before the war.

The Mrs. Delcena Smith with whom my brother lived until his death is still living at Syracuse, New York under the name Mrs. Jacob Fingar Maltby or Maltbie Street, I do not remember the number. I have not seen her since his death, but have had two or three letters since then signed Mrs. Delcena Fingar. No, I don't think she ever applied for a pension but she has been to Philmont to see the wife Julia A. Fingar. I think her idea in going to see Mrs. Julia A. Fingar was for the latter to get a pension and divide with her, Delcena. Jacob had a small life insurance which was paid to the Syracuse woman Delcena.

I am related to claimant as indicated but have no interest in her claim for pension This statement has been read to me. I have understood your questions, and my answers are correctly recorded.

/s/ Peter R. Fingar