Cocke County, Tennessee
Lydia (Chrisley) Webb
Civil War Widow's Pension

Names mentioned: Chrisley Webb, Lydia Matthews, Polly Webb, Jane (Jenny) Webb, Nancy Webb, Henderson Webb, James Madison Webb, WN Smith, James C LaRue, Wm N Smith, Anderson McMillion, GW Gunter, Agnes Roberts, William H Wood, Rhoda Baxter, Zilpha Lane, John Baxter.

Original records may be found online through various genealogy databases, or by requesting copies of military records in government archives.

Abstracted and submitted by Bruce Price

Chrisley Webb served as a private on Co K, 2nd Reg Tenn Cavalry Volunteers. He was a resident of Cocke County. He enrolled on 12/01/1862, was mustered on 1/26/1862, and died 3/30/1863 in Murfreesboro of typhoid fever. Chrisley Webb was married to Lydia Matthews on 1/05/1857. They had three children: Polly born 2/17/1857, Jane born 11/30/1858, and Nancy born 7/13/1861.

The declaration states that the first named child was illegitimate and the last dead. This document was dated 11/21/1870.

The County Court Clerk filed an affidavit that Chrisley Webb and Lydia Matthews were married 1/05/1857 by WN Smith, a minister.

On 12/03/1865, James C Larue, County Court Clerk, filed out the application for Lydia Webb. She was thirty years old and a resident of Cocke County. They were married 1/05/1857 by Wm N Smith, a minister. It listed the children:

James Madison Webb born 10/26/1851
Polly Webb born 2/176/1857
Jenny Webb born 11/13/1858
Nancy Webb born 6/13/1861
Henderson Webb born 1/13/1863

They still lived in Cocke County. Anderson McMillion and GW Gunter, both residents of Cocke County, witnessed Lydia's signature. They stated they knew Chrisley and named the five children and swore that Lydia had not remarried.

On 9/28/1868, Agnes Roberts, a resident of Cocke County, swore that she was acquainted with Chrisley and Lydia Webb, and swore to the dates of birth of Polly and Nancy and stated that both were born in the 12th Civil District.

Lydia Webb was called to explain, under oath, the discrepancies between the dates of birth of her two oldest children and her date of marriage to Chrisley Webb. She stated that her oldest was illegitimate and not the son of Chrisley Webb. The second child was conceived before her marriage to Chrisley, but he was the father of the child. She stated that she could not procure the affidavit of William H Wood because he was dead. The document is dated 8/06/1868.

The next document in the file is an affidavit signed by William H Wood giving the dates of birth of Lydia's children. It was dated 11/14/1866. This narrows down the date of death for Wood.

Rhoda Baxter stated that she was the chief physician at the birth of Jane Webb and gave date of birth as 11/30/1858. Zilpha Lane and John Baxter witnessed her signature.

Another affidavit for Lydia Webb signed by William H Wood on 5/02/1867 further narrows down his date of death.

Lydia was dropped from the rolls in 1893 because of an unclaimed payment in 1890.

Nancy Webb apparently filed a claim as a child of Chrisley Webb but was denied on 10/18/1909 because she could not prove that she was the same Nancy Webb.

Lydia was deposed and stated that Henderson was illegitimate. This document is undated.