John J Weeks’ Attempt to Secure a Survivor’s Pension Due to Service in the Mexican War
When I wrote the post entitled “A Mother for Harriet C Weeks Howard: John J Weeks’ Baptism Certificate”, I asked y’all to give a little grace and assume that John J Weeks of Chockoloskee Island in the 1870s was the same John Weeks of Hillsborough County in the 1840s and 1850s. I told y’all that his pension application would prove that both “John Weeks” were one and the same. His pension file is 68 pages long and it is taking me months to transcribe it and correlate the facts contained within the application with other sources. With all that said, I have broken the 68-page pension application into three parts:
1) Survivor’s Pension due to service in the Mexican War
2) Survivor’s Pension due to service in the Indian Wars (i.e., the Seminole Wars)
3) Widow’s Pension
In this post, I will be discussing his application for a pension due to his service in the Mexican War only. We’ll discuss general facts contained within this application, but specifically we will hone in on the facts that help us confirm his identity as the same John Weeks who lived in Hillsborough County in the 1840s and 1850s and who was the brother of Harriet C Howard and the son of John Weeks, Sr. Unless otherwise noted, all the images shown below are snipped from his pension file (John Weeks (Pvt., Capt Bliss), survivor’s pension application file No. 24722 (Rejected); Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Indian War Service; Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, 1800–1960; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; digital images, "Indian Wars Pension Files, 1892-1926.; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication T318, 12 rolls.) and can be read in it’s totality here.
The Service of John Weeks in the Mexican War
According to John Weeks' Mexican War Pension Application, which was filed in 1895, Weeks served as a teamster and express rider under Captain Bliss at Brazos Santiago, a strategic port located at the southern tip of Texas during the war.
Map/chart, Point Isabel - Brazos Santiago from NARA – 87201507. Found on Wikipedia.
His service extended from December 16, 1846, to May 31, 1847. Brazos Santiago was a key supply point for the U.S. Army, and Weeks' role in transporting goods and messages between army posts, though not directly combative, was likely critical to the war effort.
Weeks' affidavit notes that he was 74 years old at the time of the application, placing his birth around 1821 in South Carolina. He sometimes went by the name John J. Weeks, which led to some confusion during the processing of his pension claim.
The Denial of the Pension Claim
Despite his service, Weeks' pension claim was rejected. The rejection came down to the fact that his work as a teamster and express rider was categorized as civilian employment rather than military service. The documents from the Auditor for the War Department confirmed Weeks' role in Brazos Santiago but did not classify him as eligible for a pension under the rules governing military service.
Life After the Mexican War
John Weeks lived in several locations in Florida after his service. According to his pension application, he resided in Manatee, Chokoloskee, Cape Sable, and Marco, Florida.
By the time of his application, Weeks was living in Marco, Lee County and was dependent on his wife, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Raulerson Weeks, and their 15-year-old son, Walter Matthew Weeks, due to a disability. He had lost the use of one leg in an accident involving an axe while cutting wood at Cape Sable. This tragic injury left him unable to support himself, adding to his urgent need for a pension.
In his affidavit, Weeks also shared information about his first marriage. He had married Deborah Tanner in Tampa, Florida, a union documented in Hillsborough County marriage records. Although Deborah had passed away by the time of the application, her death has not yet been fully verified in the existing records.
"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:23H6-6DR : Fri Mar 08 15:05:16 UTC 2024), Entry for John Weeks and Deborah Tanner, 1852.
The Broader Impact of His Case
John Weeks’ story highlights the challenges faced by veterans in securing pensions in the late 19th century, especially those whose service fell into gray areas of classification. His case is a reminder of how vital non-combat roles were in wars and how these contributions, though critical, were often overlooked by the government’s rigid pension policies.
Though his pension claim was ultimately unsuccessful, the information from his file provides invaluable genealogical insights. It confirms not only his participation in the Mexican War but also the movement of his family across Florida. Additionally, the witnesses who supported his claim, such as J.J. Whidden, G.E. Cuthbert, and W.D. Collier, offer additional names that can be linked to his broader community, providing additonal avenues for research.
Conclusion: Links Tying John Weeks of Hillsborough to John Weeks of Chokoloskee and John J Weeks of Marco
For now, we must be content with concluding that the John Weeks who married Deborah Tanner in Hillsborough County in 1852 is the same John Weeks who later moved to Manatee, Chokoloskee, Cape Sable, and Marco, Florida and married Elizabeth Raulerson and had a son named William Weeks. We will continue to correlate the additional facts and information provided in the rest of his pension application in later blog posts.
