Adella Louise (Bowen) Franklin (1841 - 1922)

Born 2 Jul 1841 in Grove Township, Allegany, New York

Ancestors

Died 28 May 1922 at age 80 in Portland, Oregon

Biography

Death

Date: 28 MAY 1922

Place: Portland, Oregon

Cause: Cancer/Pneumonia

Burial

Burial:

Place: Oddfellows Cemetery, Woodland, Washington

Note

THE CURIOUS CASE OF DELLA REUBEN, As compiled by Donald W. L. Roddy from documents, notes etc. acquired during Oct 2001 -Nov 2002
THE HEARING

25 April 1921-Portland, Oregon: Milford M. Brower, a Special Examiner for the Bureau of Pensions, looked at the petite, frail, old lady seated across from him. She was less than 5 feet tall and, he estimated, weighed considerably less than 100 pounds. With her hair pulled back in a severe bun she looked even older than her 79 years. He mentally reviewed the highlights of her case.Her husband had died shortly after Christmas, 1919, the 29th of December, 1919 to be exact. She had applied for a widow's pension on 18 February, 1920 (her husband had been receiving $46 a month disability pension from wounds received during the Civil War).

In her initial interview she had supplied information about her husband's military record, and had supplied a newspaper clipping of her husband. She could not produce a marriage certificate, because it had been destroyed, she said, along with most of her other important papers, in a house fire in Port Huron, Michigan many years previously. This latest interview had been precipitated by an internal memo in the Bureau of Pensions in Washington D.C. dated 23 February; 1921 “(to) The Chief of the Special Examination Division - “Claimant alleges marriage to the soldier in this city on February 12, 1866, but there is no record evidence of such marriage nor has claimant filed any evidence of any ceremonial marriage to the soldier. She also represented in her declaration that she had not been previously married, but later admitted marriage to one John Hollis on May 1, 1857 and asserted that he died in 1865.”

“She has alleged her inability to prove either her ceremonial marriage to the soldier or that of Hollis, hence special examination is desired to develop the full marital history of the parties in order that it may be determined whether claimant is the legal widow of the soldier.” Her address is St. Helens, Oregon.

J. H. Bull Review Division

Mr. Brower explained to Della that he was there to take her sworn deposition, and any false statements could subject her to charges of perjury. He then swore her in… “Do you Della Franklin, swear that the statements you are about to make are the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“I do!” Della stated firmly.

“Please state your age, address and occupation.”

“My age is 79 years. July 2nd, 1841 is the date of my birth. My post office address is Box 43, Arleta Station, Portland, Oregon. My home at the present time is 846 Sandy Boulevard, where I am living with Ivy, wife of Fred Curtis, neither of whom is related to me, but Mrs. Curtis has known me many years, I having attended at her birth.

I have no occupation other than to do such chores as I am able and can get to do. I am the clammant, claiming Pension as the widow of Reuben Benjamin Franklin…… My full name is Della Louisa Franklin. If (Reuben Franklin) made a statement that he married Della E Bowen, he made an error. I did not have any name which commenced with the letter “E”. I have never had any other first or given name than Della and Louisa. I have sometimes been called Del, but otherwise have not had a pet or nick-name.

Reuben Benjamin Franklin was a soldier in the Civil War. He first enlisted in the 76th New York Infantry, but I do not know the letter of his company. ….. He afterward enlisted in Co. E, 93rd New York Infantry ……….”

Note: Web content The Curious Case of Della Reuben

Sources

See also:

• https://www.roddy.net/getperson.php?personID=I57&tree=RodBen2015
• WikiTree profile Bowen-1195 created through the import of 46f246_926200cf64vq4z62045fb9(1).ged on Mar 8, 2012 by Elizabeth Sloane. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Elizabeth and others.