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George A. Pomeroy, Paymaster U.S. Army
Papers, 1862-1871; bulk 1862-1868

SC11308

Quantity: 18 boxes (6.0 cubic ft.)
Access: Open to research
Acquisition: Gift of Mrs. Hugh White, 1941-1942
Processed By: Regina Berry, Student Assistant, State University of New York at Albany, Manuscripts and Special Collections, March 2016

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Biographical Note:

George Allen Pomeroy was born on December 10, 1836, in Utica, New York, to Theodore and Cornelia (Voorhees) Pomeroy. His father listed his occupation as "physician" in the 1850 Census.  George enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 29, 1861, at the age of 24.  He rose through the ranks and eventually was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Volunteers Paymaster's Department, Infantry Regiment on October 2, 1862. 

On December 24, 1862, Pomeroy married Mary Hurlburt Matteson (1837-1900).  The couple's only child, Augusta Matteson Pomeroy (1864-1931), was born on February 16, 1864. 

Pomeroy was made a brevet lieutenant colonel on April 16, 1865, and mustered out on July 28, 1866. He remained in the army after the war and was stationed in Omaha, Nebraska, where he died on January 1, 1869, at the age of 32.  He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica, New York.

Scope and Content Note:

The George Pomeroy Papers relate to his official activities as Paymaster of the U.S. Army during the Civil War and in the immediate aftermath.  It is divided into six parts:

  • Manuscript Papers, consisting of correspondence with the U.S. Treasury and War departments, account papers, receipts and printed materials, arranged by type;
  • Individual Soldier's Papers, containing discharge certificates from various regiments and states, and New York State soldiers' "statements of accounts," arranged alphabetically;
  • Regimental Payrolls, consisting of the muster rolls and mustering-out rolls of various hospital departments and regiments covering different time periods (not complete sets), arranged by regiment number;
  • Individual Muster-out Rolls of New York State Regiments, arranged alphabetically;
  • Other States Payrolls, containing a few records from Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Michigan and a larger number of records from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, arranged either by regiment or surname;
  • Bound Materials, including check-stub books, account books for Pomeroy's accounts with the U.S. Treasury, letter books of official letters sent to Pomeroy and copies of letters sent by Pomeroy, ledger books recording stoppages of pay, etc.

A New York state law passed in 1863 required a record be made and preserved with pertinent information of every New Yorker who had volunteered for service. Records may contain and individual's name, date of enlistment, age, place of enlistment, grade, company, regiment, reason for leaving, promotions, participation in engagements, wounds, and physical appearance.

The discharge certificates, "given volunteers at the time of their discharge to enable them to receive their pay," are an historic and genealogical resource. In addition to military service information, they may contain personal information such as place of birth, age, physical characteristics, occupation, and reason for discharge, which often lists injury or illness in some detail. The papers in this collection cover enlistments mainly for New York regiments, but also include some from Vermont, Pennsylvania, and other states. (Boxes 2, 3, 12)

Soldiers' statements of accounts show the individual's rank and pay and provide detailed descriptions of the servants of officers and surgeons. (Boxes 3-4)

Box and Folder List:


Box Folder Contents
    Manuscript Papers
1 1 Letters by Pomeroy, Official Paymaster's Office, 1864-1868
(25 items)
1 2 Letters to Pomeroy from the  War and Treasury departments, Washington, D.C., 1863-1866 (28 items)
1 3 Letters to Pomeroy from the  War and Treasury departments, Washington, D.C., 1867-1871 (20 items)
1 4 Letters to Pomeroy from Major Thomas J. Leslie, 1863-1864
(28 items)
1 5 Letters to Pomeroy from Major Thomas J. Leslie, 1865-1866
(45 items)
1 6 Miscellaneous letters, 1863-1871 (17 items)
1 7 Account Current Disbursement Statements, March 1863-January 1866 (incomplete) (9 items)
1 8 Monthly "Statement of Moneys received, expended and balance on hand," February 1863-December 1868 (21 items)
1 9 Miscellaneous account statements, n.d. (9 items)
1 10 Orders to Paymaster for payments, December 31, 1862–December 9, 1865 (82 items)
1 11 Receipts, December 11, 1862-December 16, 1863 (36 items)
1 12 Receipts, 1864 (most January-March) (62 items)
1 13 Receipts, 1865-1869 (40 items)
1 14 Treasury Department receipts for tax on salaries, 1863-1866 (13 items)
1 15 Special and general orders, 1862-1865 (6 items)
1 16 Power of attorney forms, 1863-1865 (12 items)
1 17 Claims and affidavits, 1863-1866 (7 items)
1 18 Correspondence relative to claim of F.A. Sloan, a sutler (civilian merchant), 1864 (4 items)
2 1 Paycheck notices and receipts, recipient surnames A-D, 1863-1866
2 2 Paycheck notices and receipts, recipient surnames E-Morrell, 1863-1866
2 3 Paycheck notices and receipts, recipient surnames Mudge-W, 1863-1866
2 4 Telegrams and express bills, 1863-1867 (15 items)
2 5 Printed materials, 1863-1867 (6 items):
  1. Official Army Register for 1863, bound, 152p.
  2. Official Army Register, n.d. [1864?], missing pages 1-144
  3. Annual report of paymaster general, June 1865-June 1866, 6p.
  4. Table of pay, subsistence, servants, etc. allowed by law to officers of army, July 28, 1866, 12p.
  5. General Orders No. 92, November 23, 1866, 29p.
  6. Circulars to paymasters, 1867, bound by Pomeroy in cardboard cover (torn); reverse order: December to January, unpaged
2 6 General court martial orders, Nos. 49-105, (incomplete), August 16-December 31, 1867 (25 items)
    Individual Soldiers' Papers
2 7 Discharge certificates, surnames A-B, 1863-1868
2 8 Discharge certificates, surnames C, 1863-1868
2 9 Discharge certificates, surnames D-F, 1863-1868
2 10 Discharge certificates, surnames G-H, 1863-1868
3 1 Discharge certificates, surnames I-L, 1863-1868
3 2 Discharge certificates, surnames M-O, 1863-1868
3 3 Discharge certificates, surnames P-R, 1863-1868
3 4 Discharge certificates, surnames S, 1863-1868
3 5 Discharge certificates, surnames T-Z, 1863-1868
3 6 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames A-Be, 1863-1868
3 7 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames Bi-Bu, 1863-1868
3 8 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames Ca-Cook, 1863-1868
3 9 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames Cool-E, 1863-1868
4 1 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames F-G, 1863-1868
4 2 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames H-J, 1863-1868
4 3 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames K-L, 1863-1868
4 4 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames M, 1863-1868
4 5 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames N-P, 1863-1868
4 6 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames R, 1863-1868
4 7 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames S-T, 1863-1868
4 8 Individual soldiers' statements of accounts (New York State), surnames V-Y, 1863-1868
    Regimental Payrolls (Muster Rolls and Mustering-out Rolls)
5 1 Muster Roll of the Hospital Department, 1863-1867 (7 items):
  1. St. Helena, S.C., 81st Regiment N.Y.S.V., December 31, 1862-February 28, 1863
  2. Madison Barracks, Sacketts Harbor, N.Y., August 31-October 31, 1865; October 31-December 31, 1865; February28-April 30, 1866
  3. Fort Ontario, Oswego, N.Y., February 28-April 30, 1866
  4. Fort Dakota, Dakota Territory, February 20-April 30, 1867
  5. Fort Randall, Dakota Territory, February 28-April 20, 1867
5 2 Muster Roll of the Hospital Department, Elmira, N.Y., 1864
(3 items)
5 3 Muster Roll of the Hospital Department, Rochester, N.Y., June-August 1864 (2 items)
5 4 Muster Roll of the Hospital Department, Rochester, N.Y., November-December 1864 (1 item)
5 5 Muster Roll of the Hospital Department at Watervliet Arsenal, N.Y., August 1865-June 1866 (incomplete) (3 items)
5 6 Muster Roll of the Ordnance Detachment at Watervliet Arsenal, N.Y., August 31, 1865-June 30, 1866 (5 items)
5 7 Muster Roll of a Detachment of Hospital Stewards, U.S. Army, Omaha, Nebraska, September-October, 1868 (1 item)
6 1 Muster Rolls: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th Regiments, N.Y. State Artillery, 1863, 1864, 1865 (8 items)
6 2 Muster Rolls: 4th Regiment, U.S. Infantry, Companies A, E, G, 1865, 1866 (7 items)
6 3 Muster Rolls: 6th, 7th, 11th Regiments, U.S. Infantry, 1864, 1865
(4 items)
6 4 Muster Rolls: 12th, 14th, 15th Regiments, U.S. Infantry, March-April 1864 (5 items)
6 5 Muster Rolls: 16th Regiment, U.S. Infantry, September-December 1865 (8 items)
6 6 Muster Rolls: 17th Regiment, U.S. Infantry, Companies A, C, F and two Detachments, 1864, 1865 (5 items)
6 7 Muster Rolls: 20th Regiment, N.Y. State Militia, 22nd Regiment U.S. Infantry, 1864, 1867 (4 items)
6 8 Muster Rolls: 43rd Regiment, N.Y. State Volunteers, Companies A, B, E, and Recruiting Detachment, 1864 (4 items)
6 9 Muster Rolls: 44th, 46th, 49th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864 (5 items)
6 10 Muster Rolls: 56th, 61st, 72nd Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864 (7 items)
6 11 Muster Rolls: 75th, 77th, 78th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864 (3 items)
6 12 Muster Rolls: 81st Regiment, N.Y. State Volunteers, Companies A-I, K, and Field and Staff, January-February 1863 (10 items)
7 1 Muster Rolls: 85th, 86th, 89th 91st Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, Detachments, 1863, 1864 (6 items)
7 2 Muster Rolls: 92nd  Regiment, N.Y. State Volunteers, Companies A-K, Detachments, 1863, 1864 (11 items)
7 3 Muster Rolls: 93rd, 94th, 96th, 97th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864, 1865 (6 items)
7 4 Muster Rolls: 104th, 106th, 108th, 109th, 111th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, Detachments, 1863, 1864 (6 items)
7 5 Muster Rolls: 112th, 114th, 115th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, Detachments, 1863, 1864 (5 items)
7 6 Muster Rolls: 121st, 122nd, 123rd, 125th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864, 1865 (6 items)
7 7 Muster Rolls: 132nd, 136th, 141st, 142nd, 144th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864 (6 items)
7 8 Muster Rolls: 150th, 151st, 152nd, 155th, 160th, 169th Regiments, N.Y. State Volunteers, 1863, 1864 (7 items)
7 9 Muster-out Rolls: 4th Regiment, N.Y. Artillery, Companies A, B, D-I, K, Non-commissioned staff, 1865 (10 items)
7 10 Muster Rolls: 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th Regiments, Detachments, N.Y. Artillery, 1863, 1864 (8 items)
8 1 Muster-out Rolls: 2nd Regiment, N.Y. Cavalry, Companies A-E, Field and Staff, 1865 (6 items)
8 2 Muster-out Rolls: 4th Regiment, N.Y. Cavalry, Companies A-E, Field and Staff, 1865 (6 items)
8 3 Muster-out Rolls: 5th, 8th, 10th Regiments, N.Y. Cavalry, Companies A-E, Field and Staff, 1863, 1864 (6 items)
8 4 Muster-out Rolls: 22nd, 25th Regiments, N.Y. Cavalry, 1863, 1864 (5 items)
8 5 Muster Rolls: 12th Regiment, U.S. Invalid Corps, Companies A-E and Detachment, November-December, 1863 (6 items)
8 6 Muster Rolls: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Regiments, Veteran Reserve Corps, 1865, 1866 (6 items)
8 7 Muster Rolls: 12th, 13th, 16th Regiments, Veteran Reserve Corps, 1864 (10 items)
8 8 Muster Rolls: 21st Regiment and 7th Independent Company, Veteran Reserve Corps, 1864, 1866 (4 items)
8 9 Muster Rolls: 24th, 26th, 138th, 171st Companies, 2nd Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps, 1864, 1865 (6 items)
8 10 Muster Rolls: Detachment unassigned men, Veteran Reserve Corps, 1864 (2 items)
8 11 Muster-out Roll, Company F, 50th Regiment, New York Engineers, 1864 (1 item)
8 12 Muster Rolls: General Recruiting Service, 1864, 1866 (5 items)
    Individual Muster-out Rolls of New York State Regiments, 1863-1866
9 1 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames A (2 items)
9 2 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames B (14 items)
9 3 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames C (13 items)
9 4 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames D (7 items)
9 5 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames E (6 items)
9 6 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames F (6 items)
9 7 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames G (7 items)
9 8 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames Ha-He (12 items)
9 9 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames Hi-Hy (8 items)
9 10 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames J (7 items)
9 11 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames K (9 items)
10 1 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames M (9 items)
10 2 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames N-O (5 items)
10 3 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames P (7 items)
10 4 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames R (10 items)
10 5 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames Sa-Sk (8 items)
10 6 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames Sm-Sw (12 items)
10 7 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames T-V (8 items)
10 8 Individual Muster-out Rolls, surnames W (14 items)
    Payroll s of Other States
10 9 Individual Payroll and Muster-out Rolls: Illinois and Indiana regiments, 1862-1866 (6 items)
10 10 Muster Roll of the Hospital Department, Augusta, Maine, May-June 1863 (1 item)
10 11 Muster Rolls: 1st, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th regiments, Maine Volunteers, 1863 (10 items)
10 12 Muster Rolls and Payroll Vouchers: 23rd Regiment, Maine Volunteers, 1863 (23 items)
11 1 Muster Rolls and Payroll Vouchers: 24th Regiment, Maine Volunteers, 1863 (28 items)
11 2 Payroll Vouchers: 27th Maine Volunteers, 1863 (5 items)
11 3 Individual Payroll Vouchers: Maryland and Michigan regiments, 1864 (3 items)
11 4 Muster Rolls: 4th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, 1863
(12 items)
11 5 Individual Payroll Vouchers: 1st and 32nd Massachusetts Volunteers, 1864 (2 items)
11 6 Payroll Vouchers: 15th New Hampshire Volunteers, 1863
(18 items)
11 7 Payroll Vouchers: 16th New Hampshire Volunteers, 1863
(29 items)
11 8 Discharge certificate, Frank Greenough, 7th Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, September 1865 (1 item)
11 9 Muster Rolls and Payroll Vouchers: Ohio Regiments, 1862-1865
(5 items)
11 10 Payroll Vouchers: 67th and 83rd, Pennsylvania Volunteers, July 1864 (2 items)
11 11 Muster Rolls: 158th Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia, January-February 1863 (12 items)
11 12 Muster Rolls: 168th Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia, January-February 1863 (12 items)
11 13 Muster Rolls: 175th Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia, January-February 1863 (12 items)
12 1 Muster Rolls: Vermont Regiments, 1864-1866 (6 items):
  1. Muster-out Roll, Detachment of Company I, 1st Regiment, Vermont Cavalry, July-December 1864
  2. Muster Roll: 7th Regiment, Vermont Volunteers, July-August 1865
  3. Muster Roll: 24th Regiment, Vermont Veteran Reserve Corps, July-August 1865
  4. Muster Roll: Hospital Department at Brattleboro, Vermont, July-August 1965
  5. Muster Rolls: Ordnance Detachment at Champlain Arsenal, Vermont, March-April, and May-June 1866
12 2 Vermont Regiments: Individual Discharge Certificates/Muster-out Rolls, surnames A-C (11 items)
12 3 Vermont Regiments: Individual Discharge Certificates/Muster-out Rolls, surnames D-G (10 items)
12 4 Vermont Regiments: Individual Discharge Certificates/Muster-out Rolls, surnames H-N (10 items)
12 5 Vermont Regiments: Individual Discharge Certificates/Muster-out Rolls, surnames O-R (10 items)
12 6 Vermont Regiments: Individual Discharge Certificates/Muster-out Rolls, surnames S-W (12 items)

Box Volume Contents
    Bound Material
13 1-9 Checkbooks: New York (covers cut at stub line)
  1. Books 1-7 (4, 6 missing); January 22, 1863-May 19, 1865; checks 1-2915.
  2. Books 8-9; May19-September 25, 1865; checks 1-593
  3. Books 10-11; September 25, 1865-December 15, 1865; checks 1-587.
14 1-10 Checkbooks: New York (covers cut at stub line)
Books 12-21; December 15, 1865-October 8, 1866; checks
588-2487.
15 1-9 Checkbooks: New York, Boston, Omaha (covers cut at stub line)
  1. New York, Books 1-6; November 8, 1866-March 29, 1867; checks 1-1680.
  2. Boston, Mass., September 28-December 22, 1863; checks 1-94; checks 95-99, retains blank checks. Cover uncut.
  3. First National Bank, Omaha [Nebraska], November 2-December 16, 1868; checks 1-189.
16 1 Memorandum (book) of Monies Lent and Borrowed, December 11, 1862-January 12, 1867. 29(100)p. Unpaged. Entries in front and back; middle blank.
16 2 Cash book: U.S. in account with George Pomeroy, January 31, 1865-December 19, 1868. 72(150)p. Unpaged.
16 3, 4 Account books; Assistant treasurer, U.S., at New York, in account with Major George Pomeroy. New York, March 6, 1865-May 10, 1867. Unpaged. Books 2 and 3; Book 1 missing.
16 5 Bank book no. 1, First National Bank of Albany, Albany, N.Y., October 5, 1865-June 22, 1866. 15(46)p. Unpaged.
16 6 Cover title: Journal. Payments, alphabetized by payees, 1868. 66(239)p. Documents attached.
16 7 Letters. Mainly to George Pomeroy as paymaster, many from B.W. Brice, Paymaster General, originals and copies pasted in, May 26, 1863-December 7, 1868. 68(150)p. Unpaged. Second half filed in reverse order.
16 8 Letter Book, Paymasters Office, U.S.A., Albany, N.Y. Scribed copies of outgoing correspondence, April 14, 1865-July 5, 1866. 88(160)p. Unpaged.
17 1 Abstract of Payments made by Maj. George Pomeroy, Paymaster U.S. Army, July 2, 1866-June 30, 1868. 280(500)p. Unpaged. Documents attached.
17 2 Abstract of Payments made by Maj. George Pomeroy, Paymaster U.S. Army, July 1-December 31, 1868. 26(500)p. Unpaged. Documents attached. Summaries distinguish between "regular army" and "volunteers."
18 1 Accounts Current. Disbursements, October 8, 1862-December 31, 1868; 48(102)p. Unpaged. Places: New Bern, N.C.; Albany, N.Y.; Omaha, Neb.
18 2 Statement of Monies, Received, Expended and On Hand, November 1862-June 20, 1867; 48(100)p. Unpaged. Places: New Bern, N.C.; New York City; Boston, Mass.; Albany, N.Y.; Omaha, Neb. Documents attached: Receipts, weekly reports, etc.  
18 3 Book for Stoppages and Payments Made in Office, November 1862-December 16, 1868. 125(200)p. Unpaged after page 61.
Entries relate to 39th Illinois; 99th, 139th, 148th New York; 62nd
Ohio; and 1st Light Artillery, and 5th Cavalry Pennsylvania volunteer regiments. Includes copies of official letters.
18 4 Alphabetical book of Stoppages and Payments, December 1, 1864-February 17, 1868. 22(52)p. Unpaged.
Last Updated: January 10, 2022