Susan Watson

Susan Watson (maiden name: Jackson) was born on October 27, 1832, in Albemarle County, Virginia. She was a slave of John Coles Carter, who moved from Virginia to Missouri around 1852 and owned 126 slaves by 1860. She married Mattison Watson on October 27, 1884. They had no children together, although she had several from a previous partnership. He died on June 6, 1900, in Lincoln County, and she eventually applied for a widow’s pension. She faced considerable obstacles due to her previous relationship, but she secured a pension once she proved that she had never legally married the father of her children. By 1920, she was receiving $25 per month. She died of pneumonitis on July 13, 1920, in Louisiana, Missouri. 

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DATABASE CONTENT
Name:Watson, Susan
Alternative names:
  • Roberts, Susan (alternative name)
  • Robbins, Susan (alternative name)
  • Rolins, Susan (alternative name)
  • Jackson, Susan (alternative name)
Roles:
  • Spouse
Gender:F
Race:Black
Branch of service:
Residence at enlistment:Lick Farm Lincoln County, MO
Rank In:
Rank Out:
Highest rank achieved:
Pensions:
Person 1Person 2NumberRelation Type
Watson, MattisonWatson, Susan722028.0application-widow
Watson, MattisonWatson, Susan864814.0certificate-widow
Birth date:1832-10-27
Birth date certainty:Certain
Birth place:Albemarle County, VA
Death date:1920-07-13
Death place:Louisiana, MO
Causes of death:disease: pneumonitis
Occupations:
Relationships:
Person 1Relation TypePerson 2
Carter, Sr., John Colesowner ofWatson, Susan
Watson, Susanwife ofWatson, Mattison
Jackson, Lucyparent ofWatson, Susan
Jackson, Addisonparent ofWatson, Susan
SOURCES

Pension Records for Mattison Watson, RG15, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; United States Federal Census, 1900; United States Federal Slave Schedule, 1860; B. Noland Carter II, A Goodly Heritage: A History of the Carter Family in Virginia, vol. I (2003).