Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 7540, for John Smith, North Carolina
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(3-1776)
SERVICE                                              NUMBER
N.C.                   Smith, John               S.7540
                                                carded

CONTENTS
b. Oct. 1, 1750 in Bertie Co. N.C.
res. at [ucl.] Duplin co. (later called ([Saupronkes]) N.C.
d. May 30, 1834
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6601-
North Carolina

John Smith of Sampson in the State of N Carolina who was a pri -  in the Com commanded by Captain Clinton of the Regt commanded by Gen Ashe in the Nor. Car [cross out] line for [/cross out]

militia 16. mo 11 dy pri of Cavlary 3 mo

Inscribed on the Roll of Nor. Carolina at the rate of 68. Dollars 90 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1834.


Certificate of Pension issued the 5th day of Mach 1833 and sent to Hon. A. J. McRay. House of Rep

Arrears to 4th of March. $137.50

Semi=anl. allowance ending Sep 33. [illegible]

{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.}

Recorded by E D Bullock Clerk, [illegible] D Vol. 8 Page [illegible]
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admit
pri 16 Mo 10 days-
" of cavalry-3 mo
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State of North Carolina
Sampson County                           /

On this the 17th day of November A.D.1832 personally appeared
before me Joseph Carroll one of the acting Justices of the 
Peace in and for said county John Smith a resident of
said County of Sampson in the state of North Carolina
aged 82 years the 1st of October last, who being
first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make
the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of
the act of congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he entered the service of the United States under
the following named officers and served as herein stated
1. under Captain Richard Clinton, Patrick Stewart Lieutenant
that his company did not belong to any regiment, as this
applicant can recollect, that the entered in the year 1775
but dont know the day or with certainty the month
thinks it was in November or December, and left about
the last of February 1776. that he engaged for three months as a minutemen, that he was, what was then called, an
enlisted soldier, or perhaps more properly he was a
volunteer, that he resided in Duplin County (now Sampson) when he entered the service; that he was in the battle at Moores Creek bridge in New Hanover County, in
which McLeod an officer of the tories was killed and
eight or ten others of the enemy, that the tories were defeated and General McDonald their commander taken prisoner,
that his company rendezvoused at Duplin Old Court House, and that he joined them a little below at Zebedee Hollingsworth's and marched from thence to Wilmington
North Carolina, from thence to a place called Old Brunswick in Brunswick County, thence back to Wilmington, and
while there and express came, ordering his company up to Moores Creek bridge, to which place he then marched
where he arrived the day before the battle and assisted in making entrenchments for defense, thence he marched
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back to Wilmington where he remained till he was
discharged having served out the three months for
which he engaged, that he has had no documentary
evidence and knows of no person who can testify to
his service in this tour.

2. Under the command of Gen. Ashe, Captain Hardy Holmes, Lieutenant John Holmes, that he cannot
recollect the name of his Colonel, but he can the favor of the man, that he cannot remember the time he enter=ed
this term but believes it was in September or October 1778;  that he was drafted for five months.
that about five or six days before the termination of this five month's tour, he was taken prisoner at the battle of Briar Creek, and guarded with other prisoners about eighty in number, to Savannah Court house, thence he was conducted to a place called Cocksure, and put on board a ship, that he was told the ship was distant eight miles from shore in one direction and six in another, that eighty prisoners more put on board said
ship, that he was there confined about five & a half
months without being on land once, that a
British recruiting officer occasionally came on board
to enlist some of the prisoners, in which he succeeded
sometimes in getting one, sometimes two and at most
three, that once he came aboard to get twenty men of the prisoners to exchange for British prisoners,
that is calling over the list, this applicant was the
twentieth man; that they were guarded to Savannah
and there confined eight or ten days , that it was said an exchange of prisoners could not be made and that
the twenty American prisoners must be remanded
to the ship, that this applicant then determined to make
his escape or lose his life in the attempt, rather than
suffer any more the confinement, the starvation and the intolerable filthiness and exposure which he had
endured while on board before, that one night while
he was confined in Savannah Court House, this applicant and six others escaped by the doors some 
one
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one was passing in, that they succeeded in getting
by all the sentries, but the main guard hailed them
that they lay still awhile and fortunately made their escape, that this applicant arrived at home about
the last of October or first of November 1779,
having been absent about thirteen months and ten days
that it was about the 17th of March he was put on board 
the prisoners ship aforesaid, that he was in the battle of Briar Creek in Georgia, in which the Americans
under General Ashe were surprised and defeated, that he cannot say with certainty who commanded the enemy but he thinks Lord William Campbell was one of their officers, that he rendezvoused under Captain Holmes at ElizabethTown Bladen County and marched into South Carolina and through a part
thereof.  across Savannah river into Georgia, to Briar Creek where he was taken prisoner aforesaid,
that he served with no continental regiments or companies but thinks there were few regulars at Briar Creek as he knows of/ , that the regular officers he knows 
were General Lincoln, Daniel Williams, Joseph Rhodes
and Curtis Ivey; that he thinks his Colonel's name was 
Alston since he has come to reflect more about it,
that he has no documentary evidence as he received
no discharge from this tour, and that he knows of
no person who can testify to his service in this term,
This applicant thinks the time of his imprisonment
ought to be taken into computation as his sufferings
were intence and his exposure there he believes has brought
upon him much affliction and sickness.

3. After his return from Savannah, he entered again
under the command of Captain David Dodd, King Vann lieutenant; the company belonged to a regiment commanded by Colonel James Kenyan, he is not certain as to the
time but thinks it was in the fall of 1780 and left this
tour at the end of three months, that he was a volunteer
light horseman, that he volunteered to keep from being
drafted, that it was a three months tour; that he was in
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a battle on the Brown Marsh in Bladen County at 
Baldwin's, that the enemy having the advantage in
point of position, being protected behind a house and 
being superior in numbers, the Americans retreated
having one man wounded & a horse killed, that his
marches this tour were in Dublin and Bladen Counties
that he has no documentary evidence and knows of no person whose testimony he can procure to testify
to his service in this your.

4. Again under the command of David Dodd Captain Samuel Elkins he thinks was lieutenant, subject to
the control of col. James Kenyan, in the fall he thinks of 1781 and it was more than three months from the
time he entered this tour till he left it, that he did
not engage to serve any specified period, that his ser=vices
were not continual, but was called out upon emergencies and would serve a week or a fortnight
at a time and return home, that part of the company 
would continue in service till relieved by another part and so on in turns, that his services, taken
together, in these excursions would, in his belief
amount at the lowest estimate to three months,
that he was in pursuit of the tories to prevent them
from committing depredations and injuring the
inhabitants, that he was a volunteer light horseman
that he was in no battle, but fired at the tories on several occasions, that four of them were killed over Cohara
in the neighborhood of Capt the William's that
his marches were confined for the most part if not entirely to Duplin County, that he has no documentary 
evidence and knows of no person by whom he can prove
this service
Questions propounded to John smith the aforesaid
applicant with his answers thereto
Q Where & in what year were you born
Ans. I was born beyond Roanoke in Bertie County in the year 1750.
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2. Have you any record of your age; & if so where is it?
Ans. I have in my bible, born October 1st 1750.
3. Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live
Ans. In Duplin County (now Sampson) near where
I now live, and I've lived in the same plantation
ever since the revolutionary war.
4. how were you called into service, were you drafted,
Did you volunteer, or were you a substitute, and if 
a substitute for whom?
Ans. I volunteered every tour but the one I served under Gen as he when I was drafted.
5. State the name of some of the regular officers who were with the troops, where you served, each conti=nental 
and militia regiment as you can recollect,
and the general circumstances of your service.
Ans. I think there were some regular officers with
us at Briar Creek but dont recollect their names
I can't say that I saw any continental regiments.
The militia regiments I remember were one com=
manded by Col. Caswell, one by Col James Kenan, and I think there were some regiments under Gen. Ashe in South Carolina.  The general circumstances
of my service for the most part are stated in the
foregoing declaration. My memory is bad & Ive
forgotten a great deal that I did know.
6. Did you ever receive a discharge from the service
and if so by whom was it given and what has become of it?
Ans. I dont think I ever received a written discharge.
7 state the names of persons to whom you are known
in your present neighborhood and who can testify 
as to your character for veracity, and their belief
of your service as a soldier of the Revolution?
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Ans. William Kirby, Joseph Carroll, Edward
C. Gavin, John Chesnut, William Faison
John Lamb, John Bryan, Henry Hollingsworth
[Junr].

He hereby relinquishes every claim 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.

Sworn to, and subscribed the day & place 
aforesaid.-
test Joseph Carroll [Esq]            John X Smith his mark

We Peter Carlton a clergyman residing
in the County of Duplin and Edward C. Gavin
residing in the County of Sampson hereby certify
that we are well acquainted with John smith
who has subscribed and sworn to the above  dec=
laration; that we believe him to be eighty two
years of age; that he is reputed and believed , in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been
a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion
Sworn & subscribed this the 18 day of Febr'y
A.D. 1833
test Joseph Caswell [ES]   Peter Carlton
Edward C. Gavin

I, Joseph Carroll Justice of /the Peace as
aforesaid do hereby declare it my opinion after
the investigation of the matter and after putting
the interrogatories prescribed by the War Depart=
ment that the above named applicant was a
revolutionary soldier and served as he states.
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And I do further certify that it appears and
is known to me that Peter Carlton who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman
resident in the County of Duplin and that
Edward c. Gavin who has also signed the same
is a resident in the county of Sampson, and is
a credible person, and that their statement
is entitled to credit, And I do further certi=
fy that John smith the aforesaid applicant can not, from bodily infirmity attend court
                                Joseph Carroll JP
I, Thomas J. Faison clerk of the Court
of Pleas & quarter Sessions of Sampson County
do hereby certify that Joseph Carroll before
whom the foregoing declaration and certificate were
respectively sworn to and subscribed, an acting
Justice of the peace in & for the county of Sampson
duly authorized to administer oaths. That his
signatures to the above declaration & certificates appear to be in his own proper handwriting, and
that full faith & credit are due to his official acts.
In testimony whereof I have
hereunto set my hand & seal of
office this the 18th day of Febry
A.D. 1833 & in the year [47] year of 
American Independence

[seal]
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS SECTION
3-525
[OW] 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 John Smith  S.7540
a soldier of the revolutionary War, you will find below the desired
information as contained in his (----) application for pension on file in this Bureau.

Dates of enlistment or appointment.
Nov. or Dec. 1775
Sept or Oct. 1778
Fall 1780
Fall 1781

Length of Service.
3 months 
{taken prisoner at battle of Briar Creek was confined at Savannah and on a prison ship escaped from Savannah  and reached home Oct or Nov. 1779
3 mos
3 mos

Rank.
Minuteman
Pvt
Pvt
Pvt

Officers under whom service was rendered.
Captain.
Richard Clinton
Hardy Holmes.
David Dodd.
"         "

Colonel.
-
Alston
James Kenan
"           "

State.
NC.

Battles engaged in, Moore's Creek Bridge, Briar Creek, Brown Marsh in Bladen County 

Residence of soldier at enlistment, In Dublin Co. N.C. / which was afterwards Sampson Co

Date of application for pension, Nov. 17, 1832. This claim was allowed
Residence at date of application, Sampson co. N C

Age at date of application, b. October. 1, 1750 beyond Roanoke in Bertie County. N.C.

remarks: No family data

Respectfully,
Commissioner.
6-2856
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RevWar      7540
/INVALID
File No. 7540
John Smith
Priv Rev. War
Act: June 7th 1832
Index:-Vol. 1st, Page 347
[Arrangement of 1870]

1917. Jan. 3. Hist. to Lela Williams.aw.
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Stock Exchange Building Chicago
[postage U. S. PENSION OFFICE November 16 1916]
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Room 1333, Stock Exchange Building,
Chicago, Illinois.

Rev Sec H

Chicago, Illinois, Nov. 14, 1916

Bureau of U.S. Pensioners,
Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir:-
Will you kindly furnish us with certificate of
service of my ancestor who received a pension for his
service while residing in Sampson County, N.C.

John Smith, born about 1750 and
lived to be about 87 years or
thereabouts, was a private in
N.C. in the Revolution. He
also served in the infantry and cavalry 
according to family data

I shall be glad to have the certificate to help me in joining 
the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Thanking you kindly for reply,
Very truly yours,
Lela Williams
1333 Stock Exchange Bldg.,
Chicago, Ill.