WM. K. CLEMMER’S SPECIAL PARDON, 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks

William Kinser Clemmer supported the Southern cause during the Civil War between the States. 3^rd Great Grandfather was born in Augusta County, Virginia and enlisted April 23, 1864 in Staunton when he was 46 years old. Wm. K. was a private with Co. D, 3^rd Battalion Valley Reserves per Confederate Soldier Records housed at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

After the War between the Union and Confederacy ended, President Andrew Johnson pardoned all ‘rebels’ who participated in the war in an amnesty proclamation May 29, 1865. However, there were 14 groups of individuals that were excluded from the amnesty and Wm. K. was among them because he owned property valued at more than $20,000—this being Exception 13. In order for 3^rd Great Grandfather to regain his U.S. citizenship he needed to petition the President directly for a special pardon. President Johnson desired to heal the nation but also wanted the ‘excepted’ groups to know they had indeed committed a crime. Great Grandfather had his own reasons for seeking a special pardon. It would protect him from being prosecuted and confiscation of his property.

Virginia’s Governor Pierpont recommended the pardon. William K. Clemmer signed the ‘Amnesty Oath’ July 19, 1865 in Staunton, Virginia.

I had planned to include a transcription of William K.’s petition but find I couldn’t decipher all the words in the document so I’ll provide the document and give you the gist as best I can.

·         The petition was addressed to Attorney General of the U.S., the Hon. James Speed dated Sept. 9^th 1865.

·         Declares William K. Clemmer is a native of Virginia and a citizen of Augusta County where he has lived all his life

·         49 years of age

·         Farmer by occupation

·         Over the military age of 45 years when he enlisted

·         Was in the field for about six weeks or two months

·         Originally opposed to the War

·         Never held any office under the Government of the U.S. or Virginia

·         Was not educated at West Point or the U.S. Naval Academy

·         Never belonged to the U.S. Army

·         His property may be worth $20,000, or may not

·         William K. Clemmer accepts the result of the War

·         Intends to be a loyal citizen of the U.S.

·         Signed by W. K. Clemmer

President Johnson granted Great Grandfather’s pardon Sept. 16, 1865.

The above documents are from the record group ‘Amnesty and Pardon Records’ at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. I obtained scanned images of the documents from Fold3.com and Ancestry.com.

Sunday’s Obituary and Tribute to Joseph Henry Clemmer, Arbor Hill, Augusta Co., VA

Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, Staunton, Virginia, Friday, June 28, 1901, page 3

  Mr. Joseph H. Clemmer, one of the best known farmers of the Arbor Hill neighborhood, died on Monday afternoon after an illness of about three weeks duration, age 53 years. His funeral took place Wednesday morning from Mt. Tabor church, of which he was a consistent member. Deceased was a son of the late Wm. K. Clemmer, and a brother of Mr. G. Lewis Clemmer. He is survived by his wife and several children. Golden Link lodge of Odd Fellows, of Middlebrook, of which he was a charter member conducted the exercises at the grave, assisted by a delegation from this city. Mr. Clemmer was widely known in the county and city, and was a man of the highest Christian character, and enjoyed the esteem of all who knew him.

A few weeks later the Golden Link lodge of Odd Fellows published a Tribute of Respect for 2^nd Great Grandfather Joseph Henry Clemmer in the July 12, 1901 issue of the Staunton Spectator and Vindicator.

Joseph was born March 7, 1847 in Augusta County, Virginia being the 4^th child born to William Kinser Clemmer and Nancy Jane Miller. He married Sarah Jane Snyder March 24, 1870 at Arbor Hill, Augusta County, Virginia. Sarah Jane was the daughter of Adam Snyder and Hannah Hull. Joseph and Sarah Jane became the parents of Katherine Hannah born in 1871, Addie M. born 1872, James Clyde born1875, Emmett Joseph born 1883 and William Spiegel born in 1886.

Granduncle Casper Garber learned more about Joseph’s funeral from his son William Spiegel and wife Eleanor many years later. Uncle Casper always maintained a keen interest in our family’s history and prepared a written history for the Clemmer family which he distributed at the annual Clemmer reunion. Casper Garber was my Grandmother Lucy Leora (Clemmer) Joseph’s brother-in-law and the husband of her sister Helen.

      Uncle Casper wrote “Some years after we were married, we took Uncle Bill and Aunt Elnora up by the home place, which is a beautiful county residence. A large spring, a very large white house, and then we drove on up to Mt. Tabor cemetery to the graves of the grandparents. Uncle Bill said that his father had died with typhoid and he was still a boy. He said that so many attended the funeral that when they arrived at the grave they could look back and see the house, their home place, and the carriages were still leaving the house. There was a solid line of carriages in that procession for over a mile and a half. He said it was a long wait until the last of those carriages arrived at the cemetery, the funeral was so large. All these things reflect on the kind of man that the family had for a grandfather.”