James Fielding: The Fight for His Pension

This blog post is the seventh in a series on my ancestor, James Fielding, one of my more fascinating ancestors. After his early life, his stint in the Civil War, having to change his profession, his police officer days, and his involvement in the GAR, and the house on Norwood Avenue, he spent the last days before his death at the Soldier's home in Dayton, Ohio.  This is the story of the fight for his pension.

After James Fielding passed away in February of 1913, his daughter Nellie and his brother John were left to cover his final expenses and settle his estate.  John was listed as the executor of James' will, which was five pages long and admitted into probate on 12 March 1913. 

James had left a bit of property, the legacy of his late wife, when he died.  The house and its lot were part of that estate.  The furniture and the house were both left to Marcus, James H., Edward and Nellie. Mark was also left the piano and $400, while Edward was left $250 and the dining room wardrobe  Nellie was left the large mirror and her mother's clothing as well as $400.  James H. was left $1500 should the house be sold for his living expenses (which makes sense given his disabilities, as he was paralyzed and blind, though it is still yet unknown how he came to be afflicted), with John Fielding being in charge of the money.

Daughters Mrs. Jennie Titus, Mrs. William McKim (Emma) and Mrs. Charles Woods (Birdie) were all left just $5 each.  This was likely due to the fact that all had married and were relatively settled with their husbands and did not need more money.  But this is speculation.

As of April 1913, the estate hadn't yet been divided, but the house and lot were worth $3200 and the last assessed value of the real estate was $2500 per Application for Reimbursement for James Fielding, certificate number 11390, filed 11 April 1913 by daughter Nellie M. Anderson.  

According to his daughter, James was sent back home from the Soldier's Home where he had been residing in October 1912 and stayed at his home in Pittsburgh until December 1912.  Nellie asked for reimbursement of $100 to pay for the care that she gave her father those three months before he was sent back to the Soldier's Home.  She also was asking for the $37.50 that she had to pay the undertaker and $5.30 for undisclosed "incidentals."  One of the witnesses on this pension application was Sarah A, McLaughlin, who was the current wife of Nellie's maternal step-grandfather, Elmon McLaughlin.  The other witness was her sister, Laura Armstrong.  Both witnesses resided at 2713 Veterans Street in Pittsburgh. 

This reimbursement was disallowed due to the fact that the value of the real estate was sufficient to cover all of the claims Nellie had made.  A letter from the Commissioner of Bureau of Pensions to Mrs. Nellie Anderson, dated 14 May 1913 rejected her claim.

On 31 July 1913, a letter was sent from Stephen G. Porter, the House Representative from the Twenty-Ninth District of Pennsylvania, to G. M. Saltzberger, the commissioner of the Bureau of Pensions in Washington, D. C.  The letter asked for the status as to why back pay of two months for James Fielding was not paid, even though Nellie Anderson held a receipt saying it should have been paid. 

I'm going to sidetrack a little here, since I did a bit of research on Stephen G. Porter to find out who he was, since he wrote not one, but at least two letters on behalf of Nellie and James H. Fielding.

Stephen G. Porter was born in Ohio but moved to Allegheny City with his parents at the age of eight.  He first studied medicine, but switched to studying law and became a lawyer.  He was the city solicitor of Allegheny City from 1903-1906 and was elected to Congress in 1910, serving from 4 March 1911 until his death in 1930. In 1913, he was running for mayor of Pittsburgh as well as serving in Congress.  He ran against public works director Joseph G. Armstrong, another North Sider.  Porter was unsuccessful in that bid, as it appears from several Pittsburgh area newspapers in a quick search on Newspapers.com that Armstrong was the favored one.  Perhaps helping with this issue that the Fieldings were having was an attempt to help garner votes away from Armstrong.

On 11 August 1913, a letter from the acting commissioner of the Board of Pensions was sent in reply to the Honorable Stephen G. Porter of the House of Representatives stating that stated that "the law (note here: the statute at law was from 53rd Congress. Sess. III. Ch. 192. 1895.) provides that such accrued pension as was due the soldier at the time of his death shall be paid, first, to his lawful widow, and if there be no widow, then to his child or children under sixteen years of age at the date of his death.... if no widow or minor child under sixteen years of age survive the pensioner, no payment of the accrued pension can be made or allowed except so mush as may be necessary to re-imburse (sic) the person who bore the expense of the soldier's last sickness and burial, provided he did not leave sufficient assets to meet such an expense."  It also stated that the claim for re-imbursement was denied because the house and assets left by James Fielding were sufficient to meet such expenses.

According to papers in James Fielding's pension file, it took nearly three years to settle James' estate, but currently I cannot locate any other paperwork to assist in why it took that long.  The will he left was the only paperwork located.

On 9 January 1917, Nellie wrote a letter to the Pension Board asking why there could not be a pension provided to helpless children of old soldiers.   She also stated that the estate was settled in April 1916, in which there was nothing left to place James H. Fielding into a home, making him solely dependent on his sister, who still lived in the house on Norwood Avenue.  It stated:

Letter from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to the Pension Agent in Washington D. C. dated 9 Jan 1917; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist

The Pension Act of 1890 (51st Congress. Sess. I. Ch. 634. 1890) did have a clause in it that stated "in the case a minor child is insane, idiotic, or otherwise permanently helpless, the pension shall continue during the life of said child, or during the period of such disability, and this proviso shall apply to all pensions heretofore granted or hereafter to be granted."  However, because James H. Fielding's disabilities came about after he had attained the age of majority, he did not fall under the proviso of the act.  A letter sent G.M. Saltzgerber to Mrs. Nellie Anderson, dated 14 March 1917 informed her of this.

In a letter dated 27 May 1919 to the Honorable Stephen G. Porter, who was apparently personally acquainted with the condition of James H. Fielding, Nellie wrote that she was unaware at the time of probate that the property her father owned was encumbered and that the debts from his burial and services had to be born by her.  She made another plea for her father's final pension payments.  She also wrote: "He was entitled to the increase of $1.00 per day for all old soldiers over 75 years of age, had been advised of the fact in May 1912 but he had never received but $15.00 per month till his death."

Much to Nellie's chagrin, it appears that naught came of this letter writing, for it seems the pension owed to her father went back to the government.  The family continued to earn their meager living and James Henderson continued to rely on his widowed sister for support.

James Henderson Fielding lived in the house on Norwood with his sister until at least 1920, when he appears on that year's Federal Census with her, listed as having been blind.  he last appears in the Pittsburgh area city directories in 1919, listed as living in the house.  He then appears in the 1930 census in the Saint Barnabas Home on Meridian Road on Richland Township, a care facility dedicated to helping lower income people.  He died at the home from chronic asthma on 13 December 1931 and was buried at the home's cemetery in Mars, Pennsylvania two days later.

Nellie was such a notable woman that I had written a blog post about her life.  I need to update it a bit, as I have some new information on her. But that is to come.

Thus ends James Fielding's story.  He was a remarkable ancestor of mine and I was honored to be able to write this series about him.  Perhaps, one day, I will find all the answers.... but the pursuit of genealogy research is more fun when I discover more questions than answers.....

Sources Used:

"1920 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 February 2020), Entry for James H. Fielding and Nellie M. Anderson, Year: 1920, Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 26 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: T625_1526, Page: 3B, and Enumeration District: 729; citing Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1930 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 February 2020), Entry for James H Fielding, Year: 1930, Census Place: Richland Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Page: 18A, Enumeration District: 0773, and FHL microfilm: 2341723; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

Application for Reimbursement, certificate number 11390, deceased pensioner James Fielding, E, 155th Pa Inf., dated 11 April 1913; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Central Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Form No. 37, reporting death of James Fielding, pension cert no 11390, filed 21 Feb 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

"Death notice," The Pittsburgh Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 14 December 1931, page 30, death notice for James. H. Fielding; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 February 2020).

Department of Interior, Bureau of Pensions, Finance Divisions, referral of reimbursement for claim of James Fielding, certificate number 11390, dated 4 June 1919; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 February 2020), memorial page for James Henderson Fielding, Find A Grave Memorial # 125766296, citing Saint Barnabas Home Cemetery (Mars, Butler, Pennsylvania), memorial created by Gail Slater, maintained by BSATroop400, photograph by Steve.

House Office of History and Preservation and the Senate Historical Office, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (https://bioguide.congress.gov/ : accessed 17 February 2022), Entry for Stephen Geyer Porter, 1869-1930 (id P000447).

Letter from Acting Commissioner E. C. J. to the Hon. Stephen G Porter, dated 11 August 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from E. C. Tieman, acting commissioner, to Hon. Stephen Foster, dated 18 June 1919; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from the Commissioner of Bureau of Pensions to Mrs. Nellie Anderson, dated 14 May 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from G.M. Saltzgerber to Mrs. Nellie Anderson, dated 14 March 1917; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to the Honorable Stephen G. Porter, dated 27 May 1919; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to the Pension Agent in Washington D. C. dated 9 Jan 1917; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from Stephen G. Porter, Representative of the 29th District Pennsylvania, to G. M. Saltzgaber, Commissioner of the Bureau of Pensions, dated 31 July 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from Stephen G. Porter, Representative of the 29th District Pennsylvania, to G. M. Saltzgaber, Commissioner of the Bureau of Pensions, dated 2 June 1919; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 February 2020), Entry for James Henderson Fielding, died 13 Dec 1931, cn 112920; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Receipt of Payment for Funeral Services For James Fielding from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to R. T. Rodney, Funeral Director; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Reimbursement for Claimant Nellie Anderson in case of James fielding, invalid pensioner per act of 11 May 1912, filed 14 May 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh city directory, 1919 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co, 1919), page 1039, "Fielding Jas H, r 2704 Norwood"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 10 February 2022).

U. S. Congress, The Statutes at Large, Treaties and Proclamations of the United States of America, vols. 19-125 (United States Government Publishing Office: Washington, D.C., 1876–2011), 26: 182-183, 27 June 1890, "An act granting to soldiers and sailors who are incapacitated for the performance of manual labor and providing for pensions to widows, minor children, and dependent parents," 634.

U. S. Congress, The Statutes at Large, Treaties and Proclamations of the United States of America, vols. 19-125 (United States Government Publishing Office: Washington, D.C., 1876–2011), 27: 964-965, 2 March 1895, "An Act To provide for the payment of accrued pensions in certain cases," 192.

U. S. Congress, The Statutes at Large, Treaties and Proclmations of the United States of America, vols. 19-125 (United States Government Publishing Office: Washington, D.C., 1876–2011), : 1912, 11 May 1912, "An Act Granting pensions to certain enlisted men, soldiers, and officers who served in the Civil War and the War with Mexico," 123.

Will of James Fielding (1913), Probate Records of Allegheny County: Will Book 120, Number 20, Page 34; Register of Wills, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Notable Women: Nellie Grant May Fielding Anderson

A year after I received it, I'm still working on the Civil War pension file of my second great-grandfather, James Fielding.  There is a great deal of information in the file, but alas, between working full time and other commitments, it's been slow going.  Eventually, I will finish the blog post I have already started to put together on his remarkable life.

In documenting each page of the pension file, I have come across the extraordinary life of his daughter, Nellie.  My pap's maternal aunt was a strong and notable woman in her own right.

I should mention that I don't have much on Nellie's ancestry past her parents.  After all, both sets of her grandparents, John Fielding and Martha Gibson, and Henderson McDonald and Emmeline Peterson, are both subjects of "Chasing the Elusive" blog posts I have done.

Nellie Grant May Fielding was born on 2 August 1872 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (which as I have mentioned before is now the Northside of Pittsburgh).  She was the fourth child and second daughter born to James Fielding and Sarah Virginia MacDonald.  At the time of her birth, the family was living at 186 Rebecca in Allegheny City's Fifth Ward, so this is most likely where she was born.  

As a child, she spent time in Cleveland, Ohio (and maybe a few other locations), as her father worked at the time as a traveling agent for a few publishing companies.  Her younger brother, Edward, was born in Cleveland, which leads to the assumption that the family did travel with James, at least to Ohio.

Younger brother Marcus was the subject of his own blog post as well.

On 19 January 1890, Nellie married Walter Black Anderson in Camden, New Jersey. He was a Scottish immigrant and the son of James Anderson and Balmain Black.  Both Walter and Nellie were seventeen years of age, and it is unclear why they traveled all the way to Camden from Allegheny City where they both lived.  Perhaps it was easier to get married there for them, being underage and all.  

***Note here: As of this blog post, I have ordered their marriage license from the New Jersey State Archives, but will need to wait to receive it.  If it has answers, I will update this blog post with them.**

Walter was trained as a bookkeeper and frequently moved about the general vicinity of Pittsburgh and Allegheny City, per his entries in the area city directories.  It is not known if Nellie moved with him or not, but the couple did have two children born in the area.  Nellie Balmain Anderson was born at 5 Jackson Street in Allegheny City on 5 Jan 1891 and George James Anderson was born on 14 August 1894 in Pittsburgh.  

By 1898, the family was living in Sharpsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  Walter died suddenly here on 20 November 1898 at the age of twenty-six, leaving Nellie a widow with two small children.  He was buried in Highwood Cemetery.  No record of his death was registered at the county level, and as death records were not required until 1906 by the state, it is not known what he died from.

Nellie moved back to Allegheny City after Walter's death, presumably to be closer to her parents, and took in boarders in 1900 to make ends meet.  She spent some time living in Pittsburgh but appears to have moved back into her father's home at 2704 Norwood Avenue in Allegheny City around the time her mother died in 1907.  It was in this house that she was enumerated in 1910, living with her brothers James and Edward.  She probably kept house for her father before he moved to the National Home for Soldiers in Dayton in 1909.

After her father died in 1913, Nellie was responsible for putting his last affairs in order, and as a result of this, she went into a small amount of debt.  Per records found in James' pension file, Nellie applied for reimbursement for expenses of $142.80 on 11 April 1913.  In the same document, she stated that her father was last paid his pension in December of 1912 and that James' home, in which she lived with brothers James, Edward, and sometimes Marcus, was worth $3200.  The house had been left to the children who lived in it at the time of James' death per his will, with their father noting they were to live together as long as possible.  Should the house have to be sold, James Henderson was to inherit $1500, which would be left in the hands of his uncle and James' younger brother John, who was the executor.  Marcus and Nellie both were to inherit $400, while Edward was set to inherit $250. (By contrast, Nellie's sisters Jennie, Emma, and Birdie only received $5 apiece.)

**tangent here: I wrote an article about Nellie's uncle John Fielding and the accident that cost him his leg.**

I'm not sure why Edward and Marcus were included in this stipulation in the will, but James Henderson was blind by the time his father wrote the will and was a feeble man.  In September of 1913, he suffered a stroke, leaving him paralyzed.  Nellie was his caretaker, and likely was taking care of both her brother and her father from the time of her mother's death in 1907 until James the elder moved to Dayton for better care.

Here is why I think Nellie was so notable.... as a widow herself, with two younger children, she managed to not only run her father's household for him when he was invalided but also took care of her eldest brother in his condition as well as her two younger brothers.  Per newspaper advertisements, the family also took in boarders to make ends meet, which added to her work.  She also did some of this while making a living for herself at a time when it was considered low-class for a woman to work outside of the home.

Because of the house, however, the family also ran into some problems.  In the aforementioned application for reimbursement that Nellie submitted, she listed the home's worth, which disallowed her claim due to the fact that the value of the real estate was sufficient to cover reimbursements Nellie had asked for, despite the fact that her father's pension money, which the family appeared to be living off of, had not been paid since December of 1912.  Nellie contacted her local Congressman, Stephen G. Porter, and apparently asked him to look into the matter.  He in turn wrote a letter in July of 1913 inquiring about the status of the final pension payments.

This began a letter-writing campaign between Nellie, Stephen G. Porter, and the commissioner of the Bureau of Pensions that lasted for many years.  Nellie mentioned her invalided brother and the rising costs to care for him but was told that since he was over the age of 16, he was not entitled to his father's pension despite his disabilities.  The commissioner continued to stand his ground, stating that because the house was sufficient enough to cover the costs of the debts Nellie held, they did not have to pay the accrued pension.  However, if the family sold the house, Nellie and James Henderson would have nowhere to live.

By 1920, it appeared that Nellie had ceased fighting the matter.  This was when it appeared she also went back to work, as she's enumerated in the 1920 census and listed in the corresponding city directories as a matron at the Bell Telephone Company in Pittsburgh.

It is not clear when the home finally had to be sold, but by 1928, a Bonomo family appears to have taken residence of the home.  James was sent to the St. Barnabus Free Home, where he was enumerated in the 1930 census and where he succumbed to chronic asthma on 13 December 1931.

Nellie took up housekeeping once more.  In 1930, she was enumerated in the census in the household of 55-year-old Harry Rushmore, a widower living in Swissvale, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania with his three children as their housekeeper.  Little else is known about her time spent here, however.

The 1940 census found her enumerated in the home of widowed Emma S. Eisenhauer on 3242 Orleans Street, living as a boarder, along with two other boarders.  This census listed that in 1935 she was living in the "same place" but not the "same house," so her stint as a housekeeper with Rushmore appeared to have been short.

Little else is known about her or where she lived or what she did until 24 February 1963 when she died from an intestinal hemorrhage due to a broken hip caused by an accidental fall at the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She was 90 years old at the time and had outlived her parents, all of her six siblings, her husband, a son-in-law, and her only grandson, Walter Anderson, who died in a fiery crash outside Detroit, Michigan in 1949.  Her funeral was held at the Reformed Presbyterian Home three days after her death and then she was buried in Highwood next to her husband, having spent 65 years of her life without him.

One day I would love to see a photo of this formidable woman.  Did she look as strong as the research suggests she was or did she appear fragile?  Was she hardened by her life experiences or did she remain optimistic and flexible to the curveballs that were thrown her way?  I may never know, but she remains a notable woman in my eyes.

Sources Used:

"1900 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 July 2020), Entry for Nellie M. Anderson and family, Year: 1900, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 2 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Page: 12, Enumeration District: 0015, and FHL microfilm: 1241355; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 July 2020), Entry for Nellie Anderson and family, Year: 1910, Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 26 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: T624_1308, Page: 4A, Enumeration District: 0634, and FHL microfilm: 1375321; citing Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1920 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 February 2020), Entry for James H. Fielding and Nellie M. Anderson, Year: 1920, Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 26 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: T625_1526, Page: 3B, and Enumeration District: 729; citing Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1930 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 February 2020), Entry for James H Fielding, Year: 1930, Census Place: Richland Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Page: 18A, Enumeration District: 0773, and FHL microfilm: 2341723; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

"1930 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2021), Entry for Nell Anderson in the household of Harry Rushworth, Year: 1930, Census Place: Swissvale Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Page: 1A, Enumeration District: 0816, and FHL microfilm: 2341725.

"1940 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2021), Entry for Nellie Anderson in the household of Emma S. Eisenhauer, Year: 1940, Census Place: Pittsburgh Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: m-t0627-03674, Page: 10A, and Enumeration District: 69-743; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

Allegheny City, Registration of births in the city of Allegheny, 1878-1907 and index 1882-1907, volume 4: page 97, Entry for Female Anderson, born 15 Jan 1891.

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 July 2016), Entry for James Fielding and household; Year: 1880, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1086, Family History Film: 1255086, Page: 132B, Enumeration District: 006, and Image: 0269.

"Anderson," death notice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 26 February 1963, death notice for Nellie Anderson, page 22; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 January 2021).

Application for Reimbursement, certificate number 11390, deceased pensioner James Fielding, E, 155th Pa Inf., dated 11 April 1913; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Atlas of the cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1876); digital images, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 5 February 2021), Plate 10-11> viewed Rebecca Street in the 5th Ward of Allegheny City.

Central Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Form No. 37, reporting death of James Fielding, pension cert no 11390, filed 21 Feb 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

"Death Record," obituary, The Pittsburgh Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 7 October 1906, Page 6; Mrs. Sarah V. Fielding; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 July 2016).

"Died," death notice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 November 1898, Walter Black Anderson, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 June 2020).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1872-1873 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1872), 169, "Fielding James, machinist, 186 Rebecca, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 29 July 2016).

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 1 February 2021), memorial page for Nellie Fielding Anderson, Find A Grave Memorial # 184299810, citing Highwood Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), memorial created by FrankA.

Find A Grave, Walter Black Anderson, Find A Grave Memorial # 184299886.

Letter from Acting Commissioner E. C. J. to the Hon. Stephen G Porter, dated 11 August 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from the Commissioner of Bureau of Pensions to Mrs. Nellie Anderson, dated 14 May 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from E. C. Tieman, acting commissioner, to Hon. Stephen Foster, dated 18 June 1919; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington

Letter from G.M. Saltzgerber to Mrs. Nellie Anderson, dated 14 March 1917; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to the Pension Agent in Washington D. C. dated 9 Jan 1917; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Letter from Stephen G. Porter, Representative of the 29th District Pennsylvania, to G. M. Saltzgaber, Commissioner of the Bureau of Pensions, dated 31 July 1913; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Letter from Stephen G. Porter, Representative of the 29th District Pennsylvania, to G. M. Saltzgaber, Commissioner of the Bureau of Pensions, dated 2 June 1919; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

"Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 25 February 2020), Entry for male Child Fielding, born 20 April 1876 at 556 Hamilton, Cleveland; Cuyahoga > Birth registers with index 1872-1876 > image 204 of 288; FHL Microfilm number 1986157; citing County courthouses, Ohio.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 February 2020), Entry for James Henderson Fielding, died 13 Dec 1931, cn 112920; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 July 2020), Entry for Nellie Anderson, died 24 Feb 1963.

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1899 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1899), 131, "Anderson Nellie, wid, Walter B, h 188 Jackson, A(llegheny)"; digital image, Univerity of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 26 January 2021).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1900 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1900), 132, "Anderson Nellie M, wid Walter, 311 Jackson, A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 29 January 2021).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1904 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1904), 186, "Anderson Nellie wid Walter V 2033 Center av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1905 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1905), 136, "Anderson Nellie wid Walter B 2033 Center av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1908 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1908), 129, "Anderson Nellie M wid Walter 2704 Norwood av A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1909 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley,, 1909), 119, "Anderson Nellie M wid Walter 2704 Norwood av A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1910 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1910), "Anderson Nellie M wid Walter B 2704 Norwood"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1912 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R. L. Polk & Co and R. L. Dudley, 1912), 112, "Anderson Nellie wid W V 2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1913 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co and R. L. Dudley, 1913), 113, "Anderson Nellie wid Walter B 2704 Norwood"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1914 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1914), 142, "Anderson Nellie wid Walter B 2704 Norwood"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Pittsburgh directory, 1915 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1915), 147, "Anderson Nellie wid Walter B 2704 Norwood"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

Polk's Pittsburgh city directory, 1922 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co, 1922), 395, "Anderson Nell M (wid Walter B) Matron Bell Tel Co h2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 January 2021).

Polk's Pittsburgh city directory, 1923 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co, 1923), 392, "Anderson Nellie M (wid Walter B) h2704 Norwood"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 January 2021).

Polk's Pittsburgh city directory, 1924 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R. L. Polk & Co, 1924), 470, "Anderson Nell M (wid Walter B) h2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 January 2021).

Receipt of Payment for Funeral Services For James Fielding from Mrs. Nellie Anderson to R. T. Rodney, Funeral Director; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Reimbursement Card, Certificate number 11390, for invalid pensioner James Fielding; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh city directory, 1916 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co, 1916), 457, "Anderson Nellie N (wid Walter B), h 2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh city directory, 1917 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R. L. Polk & Co., 1917), 429, "Anderson Nellie M (wid Walter B), h 2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh city directory, 1918 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co, 1918), 436, "Anderson Nellie M (wid Walter B), h 2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh city directory, 1919 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co, 1919), 420, "Anderson Nellie m (wid Walter B), r 2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh city directory, 1920 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R. L. Polk & Co, 1920), 432, "Anderson Nell M (wid Walter B), h 2704 Norwood av"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 January 2021).

"To let," advertisement, The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 August 1915, page 29; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 February 2021).

"United States Marriages," database online, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 5 February 2021), Entry for W B Anderson and Nellie G M Fielding, married 19 Jan 1890, Camden, Camden, New Jersey; citing all the United States marriage records that are currently on Findmypast.

"U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 February 2020), Entry for Marcus Fielding, born 2 Dec 1879; Registration State: Illinois; Registration County: Cook; Roll: 1452382; Draft Board: 02; citing United States, Selective Service System. "World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918". Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.

Voucher circular questions for James Fielding, certificate number 11390, dated 5 July 1898; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Will of James Fielding (1913), Probate Records of Allegheny County: Will Book 120, Number 20, Page 34; Register of Wills, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.