Legal/Financial

Sarah Whitney et al., Affidavit

1861-02-09

Date of Creation
February 9, 1861
Place of Creation
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
Document Genre
Legal/Financial
Repository
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
Collection
Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862
Box / Folder
MG19-95 to MG19-96
CWGK Accession Number
KYR-0001-020-0702
Rights
This image and its transcription are freely available to the public. Images appear courtesy of Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Transcriptions and annotations were created by Kentucky Historical Society staff, volunteers, and interns. When referencing this document, please use our preferred citation.; The use of transcriptions, images, or annotations from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce any material on CWGK is required.
FTP Identifier
32209110

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Dates
1860-07
1860
1861-02-09
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Citation

Sarah Whitney et al., Affidavit, 1861-02-09, Office of the Governor, Beriah Magoffin: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Petitions for Pardons and Remissions, 1859-1862, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, https://discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0001-020-0702 (November 14, 2026).

[Page 1]

State of Tennessee
Shelby County

Personally appeared before me Hume F. Hill commissioner of the State of Kentucky, resident in the state of Tennessee, Sarah J. Whitney, & R. Whitney who state that they were well acquainted with J. H. Powell previous to his departure from Memphis Tennessee in July 1860,- that said Powell had a long attach of sickness, that before he left Memphis, they remarked what they thought to be an aberration of mind & so spoke of it before he left, that from what they saw and know of him they believe that he was of unsound mind at the time he left the city of Memphis; They further say that Mr. Powell & family boarded with them for a considerable portion of the time for the past three years; that they were well acquainted with the character of said Powell for honesty & correct conduct, and they believe that he was as honest as any man; they never knew or heard of any imputation upon it whatever And Wm. R. Johnson Mrs [...] Meade, and [...] Meade also state that they knew J.

[Page 2]

H. Powell up to the time he left Memphis in the summer of 1860. that they became satisfied before he left that he was not in his right mind, that there had been a great change in him, in consequence of a severe attack of sickness that he had had; that they had spoken of his state of mind before he left Memphis, honestly believing that his mind was impaired. They further say that said Powell was an industrious, correct, and honest man as they then, & still believe.

Sarah Whitney
R. Whitney
Betsey Ann Mead
T. W. Mead
Wm W Coleman

Sworn to and Subscribed before me February 9th 1861

Hume F Hill

Commission for the State of Kentucky at Memphis Tennessee