Thomas Benton STERRETT

                   Notes for Thomas Sterrett:
from Rick Cunningham
The 1870 census for Harrison County, Ohio lists Thomas and family as well as Emily's mother, Mary  Stone and a Lucy Harris (age 12, born in Kentucky, not identified as a family member).  By 1880, the family was living in Rush County, Indiana.  Previously, they had spent time in Dearborn and Franklin Counties, Indiana.  But the 1900 census, Thomas and his family were living with their son, Chester Lewis Sterrett and his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.  After leaving Indianapolis, they lived in Connersville, Fayette, County, Indiana, with Chester Lewis and his family according to the 1910 census for Connersville.

Obituary appearing in the Terrea Haute Tribune:
The body of Thomas B. Sterrett, 76 years old, who died Saturday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Alice Barlow, at Hamilton, Ohio, arrived here Monday afternoon and was taken to the home of Clarence T. Sterrett, 6 miles south of the First street road where the funeral will be held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock.  The internment will be made at Hull Cemetery.  The deceased is survived by the following children:  Richard B., William W., Jesse E., Elsworth C., all of Indianpolis; Eddie E., of Kansas; Walter O., of Rushville, and Alice M. Barlow of Hamilton and Clarence T. of near Terre Haute.  The deceased was a civil war veteran and formerly lived in Youngstown, Indiana.

Thomas received a military pension of about $6 per month and by 1915 was receiving $30 per month.  In 1886, an affidavit was filed inCovington, Kentucky by William Bennett (father-in-law to son Chester Lewis) identifying Thomas a a neighbor and stating "Thomas was badly afflicted by a nervous disability and was unable to dress or undress himself without help.  Thomas was also unable to feed himself at the table without assistance by his wife."  In 1907, Thomas was examined by a doctor in Youngstown, Indiana who filed a medical affidavit stating he had been treating Thomas for about a year and concluding that due to the trouble of hand and forearm that Thomas was a total physical wreck and unfit for and unable to perform labor of any kind.

Two Carroll County, Indiana history books, one by Helm in 1882 and another by Stewart James Hervey in 1872, give reference that Thomas was wounded on April 7, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh, sent to the hospital and never returned to war.  A musket ball entered his arm about 2 1/2 inches above the wrist and emerged about 2 inches below the elbow of his right arm.  Previously, Thomas had participated in the Battles of Green Brier and of Allegheny.

Even though Thomas Benton was permanently handicapped and endured pain and suffering throughout his lifetime as a result of his injury at the Battle of Shiloh, he still allowed his injury to be a source of humor for his grandchildren.  A grand-daughter told the story that "Grandpa" called his crooked little finger a doll's foot and he would walk on the arm of a chair and entertain her and a younger sister.  All photos taken of Thomas after the war plainly show his left hand covering his right one to hide his injury.

Thomas a also mistakenly arrested in March, 1864 as a deserter while home on leave in Hamilton, Ohio, but it was later revealed he was on furlough.