Greene County, NC Civil War Pension Files

Military Information

• Regiment: CO H 14th HA USCT Corpal
• Enlistment  March 8, 1865 New Bern NC
• Discharge December 11, 1865 Ft Macon, NC
• Physical Description 5 Ft 61/2 Dark Complexion

Pension File Information

• Pension Status: Invalid December 2, 1897
•  Widow pension filed Jan 10, 1903 by legal wife
• Widow pension filed 1892 by illegal slave wife
• Depositions By: Henry Artis, WH Cutler, JC Dawson, Henry Miller, Orrin Lane, Clarissa Ellis, Charles Diggs, Sarah J Jone, Health Dept (NY), Catherine Beebe, Alex Wilson
• Residences Post War: Greene County, NC, Brooklyn, NY

Family Information

• Parents Dinah Lane + Orrin (or Orange) Ellis Sr
• Siblings Moses Lane, Duke Lane, Jack Lane (½), Sarah dead by 1899
• Casa Best Mother-Winnie Ham 
• Casa Best SIblings- Lottie Murphy (son- James  Murphy, Jr), Lu Wooten, WUnnie
• Wife- Catherine “Casa” Best Slave Marriage 
•  Clarissa Maria Robbins or Robinson
• Marriage  Clarissa Robbins October 19, 1869  New York
•  Casa Best Fall Sept 1859 at Benjamin Best Plantation by him and jumping the broom
• Casa Best 2nd Husband- Henry Miller
• Children by Casa Best-  Jackson Ellis November 1860, Andrew Ellis July 17, 1866

Enslavement Information

• Slave Owner Old John Lane – Orin Lane, William Lane, Duke Lane, Moses Lane, Jack Lane  Henry Artis,  
• Slave Owner- George Lane (son)- Orrin Lane Ellis
• Slave Wife Slave Owner- Benjamin Best
• Henry Miller Slave Owner- Philo Williams, Frank Miller (Philo’s Husband)
• Benjamin Best Plantation (11 miles from Snow Hill, NC on the Wayne Co line community of Bull Head) -Enslaved Sarah Jane Best Cutter (Casa Best’s Cousin), Rev CJ Moore
• Bennet (Brunswick) Murphy enslaved ( 10-11 miles from Best Plantation)- James Murphy, Lottie Murphy, James Murphy, Jr

Their Story Information

“As a slave I was known as Orrin Lane” but after the war he went by Orrin Ellis; his father’s surname. Orrin came back from the war Dec 11, 1865 and only stayed for 2 weeks. He left his state as well as his wife and never saw her again. Henry Miller’s deposition gave the most detail about his quick and sudden exodus from Greene County, NC and subsequently to NYC. After discharge from the USCT, Orrin returned to his wife at the Best Plantation. Upon being there for 2 weeks, Hiram Best asked him how he liked the army?  Orrin gave a shocking reply; “Pretty well only I did not get to kill as many damn rebels as I liked.”  Hiram Best to his father Ben Best, the plantation owner and return they gather the Lynch mob to have Orrin lynched for his statement.  After word got back to Orrin, he promptly escaped and wasn’t heard from by most ever again. As the depositions unfold, we can take closer look at how he escaped to NYC and applied for his pension file simultaneously for his pension file the same time Casa, his first wife, filed for widow’s pension. 

After compiling all the depositions and reviewing the evidence by the Commissioner of Pensions, here is how Orrin escaped. After Orrin made is infamous statement, the lynch mob came to Casa’s house three nights in a row looking for Orrin. Casa hid him under the planks in the floor. On the third night, Orrin left and told Casa to do the best she could because he could never see her again. Orrin wrote Casa twice once he got New York.

 After Orrin’s escape, Casa told everyone Orrin was dead and enlisted help from friends and community members to unhold this lie. She  filed a pension claim in 1895 alleging he died. She was not entitled to Orrin’s pension and recommended for  prosecution for filing a false and fraudulent claim and receiving a pension from June 1895 to Nov 1899. Recommendations were made May 1900 by the Department of Justice to pursue prosecution of Casa Best for filing a false and fraudulent claim against the USA. Casa died waiting trial. 

 Orrin reached Brooklyn, NY around 1867 and didn’t communicate with anyone in North Carolina but did write Casa several letters.  On October 16, 1869 Orrin married Clarrisa in Hamilton, Madison County,NY, by Alexander Beebe, professor at Colegate University. Due to the March 10, 1866  North Carolina legislature, which legalized colored marriages and those who are cohabiting, Casa Ellis’ slave marriage was null and voided. Orrin left prior to March 10, 1866 and they were not living together.

After leaving Casa filed for widow pension and Orrin filed for his Invalid pension simultaneously on Dec 2, 1897. 

They wrote Casa states her pension was given in error due to Orrin is still living and a resident of Brooklyn, NY. Subsequently Casa was jailed for false and fraudulent claim to pension. The criminal trial was postponed twice due to her illness and the trial was dropped due to her death. 

Resources

Invalid Certificate No. 1085480 Application No 1201789.,  Lane-Ellis, Orrin, Corporal, Company H 14th Heavy Artillery US Color Troop; Case Files of Approved Pension Application of Veteran Who Served in the Army and Navy  in the Civil War, 1861-1934; Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington, DC Retrieved 14 Oct 2022

US Colored Troops Service Records https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1107/images/m1818_267-0866?pId=44046

US National Cemetery  Interment Control Form

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2590/images/40479_2421402106_0501-02929?pId=1858885

Find A Grave

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2588315/orrin-ellis