HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1575.AM: Caleb Benson, 1860-1937
Military records: 1885-1937
Crawford, Dawes County, Nebraska: Soldier
Size: Eight items (one folder)
BACKGROUND NOTE
Born at Jacksonville, Florida, on June 24, 1860, Caleb Benson moved with his parents to Charleston, South Carolina when he was six. After the death of his parents, Benson enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 25, 1875. He served with the 10th Cavalry and was stationed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska for a number of years. Benson participated in various campaigns during the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War and the Philippine American War. He served in the Army for thirty-one years, retiring in August of 1908.
Benson came to Crawford, Nebraska, on March 24, 1909. He married Percilla Smith on March 29, 1909. The couple homesteaded near Glen, Nebraska, in Sioux County. After ten years, the couple moved to New York City, where they stayed for fourteen years. They returned to Crawford, Nebraska, in 1934. Benson made his home in Crawford until his death on November 18, 1937. Percilla Benson died in 1966. They are buried in Fort McPherson National Cemetery at Maxwell, Nebraska.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consists of one folder containing eight items relating to the military service of Caleb Benson. Included in the collection are three membership cards, a discharge paper, a marksman’s certificate, a Bureau of Pensions information request form, a retirement order and a transportation order. The items in the collection date from 1885 to 1937.
Note: See the Group Portraits photo collection for a photo of Caleb Benson [RG2877.PH0-000803]. The Nebraska History Museum holds various artifacts relating to Caleb Benson. Interested researchers must make an appointment to view artifacts at the museum.
INVENTORY
Item
- Marksman’s certificate, 1885
- Discharge paper, 1890
- Bureau of Pensions information request form, 1904
- Retirement order, 1908
- Transportation order, 1908
- Membership card, United Indian War Veterans, 1932-1933
- Membership card, United Spanish War Veterans, 1937
- Membership card, Veterans of Two or More Wars of the United States of America, undated
Subject headings:
African American soldiers
Benson, Caleb, 1860-1937
Indians of North America — Wars
Philippine American War, 1899-1902
Spanish-American War, 1898
Veterans — Nebraska
Revised TMM 08-19-2020
