Nelson Means (1st USCT)

Nelson Means (Minns, Winston, Winns) was born around 1839 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Little is known about his life before the war, except that he lived in Charles City, Virginia, and worked as a farmer.

Means enlisted at the age of 24 as a private on July 5, 1863, in Mason's Island, Virginia, and mustered in on July 12 in Washington, D.C. His service record describes him as 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with black hair, black eyes, and a black complexion. He served in Company D of the 1st USCT Infantry Regiment. Means served throughout Virginia and North Carolina and took part in the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. He mustered out on September 29, 1865, in Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

Following the war, Means lived in Virginia. He married Louisa Banks Means in July 1876 in York City. They had five children, whose birth dates are not known: Annie, Sarah, Mary, Julia, and William. Following Means's service, he suffered from impaired eyesight, injury to his chest and back, and disease of the urinary organs. He began receiving a pension of $6 a month in 1899. At some point, he left his wife for three or four years to live in a soldiers' home, resulting in her filing a claim for half of his pension. He died on September 29, 1901, at the Southern Branch National Soldiers' Home in Hampton. Following his death, Means's widow Louisa secured a pension in 1906, and by 1928, the government had increased it to $40 per month. 

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DATABASE CONTENT
Name:Means, Nelson
Alternative names:
  • Minns, Nelson (alternative name)
  • Winston, Nelson (alternative name)
  • Winns, Nelson (alternative name)
Roles:
  • Soldier
Gender:M
Race:Black
Regiment/Ship:
RegimentCompany
1st Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored TroopsD
Branch of service:Army
Enlistment/Muster:
TypeDatePlaceAccepted/RejectedAgeStatusReason
Enlistment1863-07-05Mason's Island, VAaccepted24Unknown
Muster In1863-07-12Washington, DC
Muster Out1865-09-29Roanoke Island, NCMustered Out
Residence at enlistment:Charles City, VA
Rank In:Private
Rank Out:Private
Highest rank achieved:Private
Pensions:
Person 1Person 2NumberRelation Type
Means, NelsonMeans, Nelson855388application-invalid
Means, NelsonMeans, Louisa Banks750140application-widow
Means, NelsonMeans, Nelson1006034certificate-invalid
Means, NelsonMeans, Louisa Banks625568certificate-widow
Birth date:1839
Birth date certainty:About
Birth place:Albemarle County, VA
Death date:1901-09-29
Death place:Southern Branch National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Hampton, VA
Causes of death:disease: chronic cystitis
Occupations:Laborer
Relationships:
Person 1Relation TypePerson 2
Means, Nelsonparent ofMeans, Annie
Means, Nelsonparent ofMeans, Sarah
Means, Nelsonparent ofMeans, Mary
Means, Nelsonparent ofMeans, Julia
Means, Nelsonparent ofMeans, William
Means, Louisa Bankswife ofMeans, Nelson
SOURCES

Compiled Service Records for Nelson Means, RG94, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, D.C.; Pension Records for Nelson Means, RG15, NARA, Washington, D.C.; National Military Soldiers' Home Records for Nelson Means, accessed through Ancestry.com; Frederick A. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, vol. 3 (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Company, 1908).