I'm not sure what the inheritance has to do with it, but the statement of loyalty to the union was because VA succeeded from the Union. Just because people lived in the south did not mean that they agreed with the decision to succeed. People handled their dissent from their state's action in a variety of ways. Some moved out (some people in TN moved to IL), some retained their residence but traveled north to join the Union forces. Some stayed put and either kept their mouth shut or talked with likeminded neighbors. People in MO were killed for their support of the Union. There was a patch of E. TN that contained Union sympathizers. There is a family story that when the Confederacy was falling and the Union was marching through TN, a battalion saluted Julius Dugger's cabin/him because of his service in the Revolutionary War. Julius Dugger is a descendant of the Dugger and Scarborough lines in VA. Likewise, people who lived too close to the "dividing line" such as Robert E. Lee, owner of Arlington House (which became Arlington Cemetery), deserted his home because he knew it would be one of the first to fall because it was so close to Washington, D.C. War is messy. It may be that the petition was the first step in asking for monetary support if he is poor despite his inheritance. You wouldn't want the government to discover that you have an inheritance on its own. Cynthia McDaniel -----Original Message----- From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Madaline Preston Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 4:32 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [VA-ROOTS] clemency after Cival War In a petition to President Andrew Jackson, dated 26 May1865, a Virginia man swears he was always and is a Union man and asks for executive clemency. The petition also mentions he was a poor man but had inherited $20,000 from his deceased brother. Why would a Union man need clemency from the United States and what does the inheritance have to do with it? My appreciation to anyone who can help me understand this "petition for pardon." M. Preston To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html