Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 1841, for Nathaniel Johnson, North Carolina
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(3-1776)

SERVICE
N.C.

Johnson, Nathaniel
or Johnston

NUMBER
S.1841

Carded
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CONTENTS
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6342
Tennessee. West.
Nathaniel Johnson
of Bedford Co in the State of Tenn.
who was a pri [illegible - infantry?] in the Company commanded by Captain Brandon of the Regt commanded by [illegible] Rutherford in the North Carolina [line for - scratched out] Militia for 14 mo. from 
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Inscribed on the Roll of Tennessee
at the rate of 48 Dollars 33 Cents per annum,
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1834.
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Certificate of Pension issued the 28 day of Feb 1833 and sent [Hon. James K?] Polk [HK?]
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Arrears to the 4th of Sept 1832 72.49
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 March 1833 24.16
$96.65

{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.}

Recorded by HH. Sylvester Clerk,
Book D. Vol. 9 Page 151_
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1757
Nath. Johnson
Declaration
____________
Admit
12mo [illegible] 40 00
2 [blotted out] 8 33
48.33

Hon [W? M?] Polk
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Answer.
The Continental & Regular officers which I now recollect were, General Gates, & General Caswell. I think Gen Caswell was a regular, but I am not certain The Militia officers were Generals Rutherford, Butler, Davidson and Lock [Locke], & Colonel Davie I probably could recollect more but have not at this time every recollection of them. I have no Recollection of the names or numbers of the Continental & Militia Regiments. The General Circumstances have all been detailed in my declaration heretofore stated-

6th did you ever received a discharge from the Service; if so by whom was it given, & what has become of it?
Answer I did receive[d - crossed out] discharges for every Term of Service I rendered, who gave them I cannot now say, nor do I know what has become of them, they are lost & cannot now produce them - I recollect that it was a general practice for the Captains of our Companies to give the discharges - I believe Capt Brandon gave me severals [sic] as I served under him more than one Term but I could not state the above fact on oath at this time

7th. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your neighborhood, and who can certify as to your Character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a Soldier of the Revolution- 
Answer I know a great many persons who can state about my character, in the neighborhood of  Shelbyville Bedford County Tennessee, where I now live, There are not many living in my immediate neighborhood who knew me
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in other States or had much adquaintainces [sic] with me there, I know of Robert Morgan Isaac Anderson & James Graham who have known me for many years
Sworn to & Subscribed in open Court this 10th August 1832 } Nathaniel Johnston

Jas McKisick Clk

We Robert Morgan & James Graham residing in Bedford County Tennessee, do, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Nathaniel Johnston who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration & interrogatories, that we have been acquainted with him ever since the could recollect, they believe up-wards of fifty years, that they believe him to be of the age represented in the foregoing declaration. They further state he is reputed and believed in the neighbourhood [sic] where he now resides, and was reputed & believed in Roan County State of N. Carolina where he lived when [illegible] knew him to have been a Soldier of the Revolution. We further state, we have often heard him converse with others who were reputed soldiers of the Revolution about events of the war, and in those conversations they appeared to agree as to many of the facts. We never heard his Revolutionary Service doubted or disputed, & we concur in the opinion that he was a Soldier of the Revolution. They further state that said Nathaniel Johnson the above applicant has been a member of the Presbyterian Church for about forty years, for which time his
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character and standing in the same & through Society has been fair, unim-peachable & correct.
Sworn to in open court 
10th August 1832
Robt Morgan
James Graham
Jas McKisick Clk

And the Court aforesaid do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier & served as he states- The Court  [illegible] certifies that Robert Morgan and James Graham who signed the proceeding cer-tificate are residents of Bedford County Tennessee & that they are Credible persons and that this statement is entitled to Credit-
John B. Armstrong
Samuel Phillips
Jos Neill

I James McKisick Clerk of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions for Bedford County in the State of Tennessee, do hereby Certify, that the foregoing Contains the original proceedings of the Said Court in the Matter of the application of Nathaniel Johnston for a Pension
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, at office in Shelbyville this 10th of August 1832
Jas McKisick

[Seal]
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State of Tennessee Bedford County} [illegible mark]
On this tenth day of August 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before Samuel Philips, John B. Armstrong and John [J Niell?], Justices of the Quorum, appointed to hold the Court of pleas and Quarter Sessions for Bedford County State of Tennessee for the year 1832 and now sitting Nathaniel Johnston a resident in Bedford County & State of Tennessee aforesaid aged Seventy Six or Seventy Seven years- who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the be-nefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832 that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein after stated [illegible] - He was born in Roan County North Carolina in the year 1756 as he has been informed and believes in which County & State he resided until the year 1823, when he removed [from - crossed out] to the County of Bedford in the State of Tennessee where he has ever lived since and now resides - He first entered the service of the United States in an expedition against the Chero-kee Indians, under Captain Brandon, the expe-dition was Commanded as he believes by General Rutherford, whether Rutherford was at the time of this expedition a Colonel or General he does not recollect. He entered the Service as a volunteer & served a five months Term. They traversed that part of N. Carolina now called East Tennessee, par-ticularly the County lying on Little Tennessee also the Northern part of Georgia, through the Country lying on Tugulo [sic] River - burned and destroyed the Indian Towns and Settlements on Little Tennessee & Tugulo [sic] Rivers - had many
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Skirmishes with the Indians, but no General Battle or engagement, took many prisoners & Killed many of the Indians- This expedition commenced in the early part of June and ended about the first of Nov'm- He cannot say what year, he is confident it was before the Battle of Camden called Gates's defeat He recollects the names of Col or General Rutherford, Col Brandon, Major Smith & knows they were in this expedition as officers bearing the shared or foregoing titles, many others [illegible - probably?] not recol-lect - & many Captains - Captain Brandon commanded the Company which deponent belonged- 
Some time after he was discharged from the Indian expedition he again Volunteered in the Service of the United States under Capt Brandon against an army of Tories, who were embodied in Lincoln County N. Carolina. This expe-dition was Commanded by Col. Lock & Major Rutherford, we met with the Tories at a place called Ramsours Mills, in Lincoln County where we had a battle, in which the Tories were [beaten - crossed out] defeated. The Whig Party lost [in? - edge of page] this battle about 20 killed & several wounded. Among our killed were Capts. [Halls? Falls?], Armstrong, and Patton - I served in this expedition or was as I can recollect from one to two months.
After the battle at Ramsours above noticed, a [illegible] was made for Volunteers to go in pursuit of Col Bryan who had collected a body of [illegible - edge of page] & was marching to join the British at or near Camden S. Carolina. This expedition was Commanded by Generals Davidson & Lock. I volunteered & went under them in this expedition. I do not now recollect the name of my Captain - I [think? - edge of page] it was Capt Brandon. We rendezvoused at Salisbury N Carolina & pursued Col Bryan [this? - edge of page]
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Montgomery and Anson Counties to the Cheraw Hills, in S. Carolina where we [illegible] [illegible] the pursuit & returned home. We were in the Service I think about two months [2 I.H.?] in this trip- I next volunteered in the Light horse company, at the time the British came up to Charlotte from South Carolina, this was under Capt Brandon, and the call was made to raise men to check the British in their march through the upper parts of N. Carolina as deponent understood. This expedition lasted about two months as well as deponent recollects, & was Commanded by Col Davie & Major Graham the principal officers - All the above mentioned [2?] expedition  & Tours was performed & Completed previous to the Battle of Camden, better known as Gates Defeat. but the precise time when they were performed I cannot state, nor do I know of any person by whom I can prove it- He states further that he after-wards volunteered under Capt Huggins in a Tour of three months. which he [3?] served, General Rutherford was the Chief Commander- at the Commencement of this Term of Service- the Army commanded by General Rutherford rendezvoused at Salisbury from thence we marched towards Camden & formed a junction with General Gates Army not very far from the Cheraw Hills, we then marched with the main Army to where the battle was fought [Camden - crossed out]. I was in the Battle at Camden called Gates defeat. He further states he knew Gen'l Gates who commanded at this battle - also General Rutherford & General [illegible - Bectten?] & General Caswell Cols [illegible - Lidhetten?], White
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Majors Allcorn, White
Captains Huggins, Wilson
He states further, he volunteered in the Service of his Country, after the battle of Gates defeat as aforesaid, & Served one or two months as [Lieutenant - crossed out] Ensign & Commander of the Company the Capt & Lieutenant both being absent. His Company or Army of Volunteers was raised at the time Lord Cornwallis crossed the Catawba River- He was in a little skirmish on the Catawba River, at a place called Cowens [sic] Ford, between the Wiggs & the British at which place General David-son was killed- The principal officers who commanded this expedition [illegible - crossed out] were Generals Davidson & Davie, - The length of this Tour was about one month as he believes- He further states that he did at Several times after this period, enter the Army at the Call of his Country in some of which he served a longer & in some a shorter period of time. He cannot [illegible - per-tend?] to say what would be the time he subsequently served. but supposes it would not exceed four months - He believes he served his Country during the Revolutionary war in the whole a period not less than eighteen Months & probably not much more, but of the precise time he Cannot undertake to State-
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He states further, that at the end of every Term of Service as aforesaid, he obtained a discharge for the same, as he believes but he did not know they were then or even would be useful to him, he states he has no knowledge of the manner in which he has lost them but has no hesitation in saying they are now lost or mislaid or destroyed so that he cannot now produce them as evidence in this case- he has no documentary evidence in his possession of the facts spoken of & detailed in the foregoing declaration. nor does he know of any person by whom he can prove the Services aforesaid.
He does further hereby relinquish all and every Claim or claims whatever to a pension or annuity except the present. and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the Agency of any State in the United States.
Sworn to in open Court
10th August 1832
Nathaniel Johnston
Jas McKisick Clk

Whereupon the Court consisting of the Members first above mentioned, propounded the follow-ing interrogatories to said Nathaniel Johnston in open Court this tenth day of August 1832 
viz. - 1st Where, and in what year were you born?
Answer I was born in Roan County state of North Carolina in the year 1755 or 1756, as I am informed & believe -

Quest. 2d. Have you any record of your age & if so where is it
Answer- I have not-
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Quest 3rd Where were you living when called into Service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary war,  where do you now live?
Answer; I was living in Roan County N. Caro-lina when I was first called into the Serv [edge of page] of my Country; I continued to live in said County & State during the revolutionary war and ever since, until the year 1823. at which time I moved to Bedford County in the State of Tennessee, in which last County & State I have lived ever Since, and [do - crossed out] am now living in the same?

Quest 4th How were you called in the Service? were you drafted, did you Volunteer? or were you a substitute? And if a substitute for whom?
Answer- I was a Volunteer in all the times above mentioned- one instance not mention in my foregoing declaration I would wish here to mention [illegible] we were all classed in the classes of Seven or eight persons [illegible - scratched out] which classes had to furnish a man if called for. one out of the class to which I belonged was called for, I proposed to the others to go if they would give me a certain sum, this they agreed to; and whilst I was preparing to start, a young man proposed to take my place for much less, I accordingly substituted him. I have been advised I cannot claim any benefit for his services although he served. Unless this transaction might be considered as a substitute business & which is not mentioned in my previous declara-tion, and to which I would be entitled for pay. I have in all the Cases have a [illegible] - This term was for Twelve Months - 

Quest 5th State the names of the Regular officer who were with the troops where you served - Such Continental & Militia Regiments as you can remember & the general circumstances of your Service.
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Revolutionary War Records Section. 
3-525
__________
Department of the Interior
Bureau of Pensions.
Washington, D.C., 
__________, 19__

In reply to your request of ______ , received ______ for a statement of the military history of Nathaniel Johnston a soldier of the Revolutionary War, you will find below the desired information as continued in his (or his widow's) application for pen-sion on file in this Bureau.

__________
Date of Enlistment or Appointment. Length of Service. Rank. Officers under whom service was rendered. Captain. Colonel. State.

June 1, 1776 5 months Pvt Brandon Rutherford NC
1777 2 " " " Lock
1780 2 " " " Davie
1780 3 " " " Huggins
1781 1 " Ensign Officers not stated.
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Battles engaged in, skirmishes during Cherokee Expedition, Ramsours Mill, Camden, Cowan's Ford of Catawba River.
Residence of soldier at enlistment, Rowan Co. N.C.
Date of application for pension, Aug 10, 1832. His al. was all.
Residence at date of application, Bedford Co. Tenn.
Age at date of application, b. Rowan Co NC 1755 or 1756
Remarks: No family data.

Respectfully,

[illegible - form number d-285G? 2850? 285C?]

The N.C. books show his officers as Rowan Co. Mil. (not Roane or Roan)

Commissioner.
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Rev War
1841
[check mark] Invalid.
_____
File No. 1841
Nathaniel Johnson
Priv. N.C. Line.
_____
Act: June 7, 1832.
Index:-Vol. A, Page 194

Arrangement of 1870.

1916 Nov. 7 Heist. to Mrs. J.J. Quinn [illegible -au?]
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#2617 San Jacinto St.
Houston, Tex. Dec 8th, 1916

Dept Interior, Bureau of Pensions
Washington, D.C.,
Dear Sir:-

Please send me the Record of "Nathaniel Johnson", Rev. Sold. buried at Shelbyville, Bedford Co., Tenn. & oblige.

Yours Respectfully,
Mrs. Jas. Johnson Quinn.

U.S. Pension Office [Stamp] O Oct 13 1916
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An amendment to the declaration of Nathaniel Johnson, made at August ten 1832 of Bedford County Court, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed 7th June 1832.
State of Tennessee Bedford County }

Personally appeared before me the undersigned an acting justice of the peace for said county Na-thaniel Johnson, who being Sworn according to law deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and the consequent [and the consequent - scratched out] loss of memory he cannot Swear positively to the precise periods of the war of the Revolution when he served; But accor-ding to the best of his recollection, his first touer [sic] of duty was in the year 1776 it commenced he thinks about the first of June in that year; and his Second touer [sic] was he thinks in the year 1777 about Harvest. he recollects the wheat was ripe his third touer [sic] was in May in the year 1780 and his fourth touer [sic] of duty was at Gates defeat on the 16th August 1780 and his fifth touer [sic] was in the year 1781, and the ballance [sic] of his Service he is not able to say what years [illegible - smudged out] it was in-

Subscribed and Sworn to before me this 28th December 1832.
Nathaniel Johnston
[illegible signature] Justice of the peace for Bedford County in the State of Tennessee .
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State of Tennessee Bedford County }
I George Newton a clergyman residing in said county, do hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Nathaniel Johnson who has subscribed and sworn to the acompaning [sic] declar-ation at August term 1832 at Bedford County Court, and who has also subscribed and sworn to foregoing amendment to said declaration, that I believe him to be the ago he states he is, that he is reputed and believed in the neighbourhood [sic] where he now resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolu-tion and that I concur in that opinion; I swear to and subscribed this 29th Decemr. 1832
Geo Davidson [illegible] Geo. Newton

I hereby certify that George Newton who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing certificate is a clergyman of good standing in the Presbyterian church, and a resident of Bedford County Tennessee this 29th Decemr. 1832
George Davidson [illegible]

I James McKisick Clerk of the Court of pleas & quarter sessions for Bedford County in the State of Tennessee do hereby certify that George Davidson [illegible] and William Carter Esqrs before whom the foregoing affidavits were sworn to are acting justices of the peace in and for Bedford County duly Commissioned & qualified as such.

In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office, at office in Shelbyville 29th of Decr 1832
Jas. McKisick ca

[Seal]