Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 16989, for William Nicholson, Pennsylvania
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(3-1776)
Service                               Number
Penn.  Nicholson, William S.16989
Carded
Contents
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Misso  i 22.352
Wm. N  holson.
W. Francis, in the state of Missouri
who was a Private in the [Illegible] commanded by Captain W. John of the Rjt. commanded by Butler in the Penn a. line for One Year.

Inscribed on the Roll of Missouri
at the rate of 40 Dollars 00 Cents per annum,
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 17th day of Oct.
1833 and [illegible] John
D. Peers. Farmington. St. F. O., Mo.
Arrears to the 4th of Sept. 1883 - 100
semi- anl. allowance ending 4 Mar. 34 - 20
$120.
{Revolutionary Claim
Act June 7, 1832.}
Recorded by Wm. R. Palmer, Clerk,
Book [Illegible] Vol. 8 Page 85,
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State of Missouri County Court May [Illegible] 1833
County of St. Francois set on this day of May in the year eighteen hundred and thirty three
a penonary appeared in open court . before William Murphy presiding Luther and Thomas Adah & George M Robinson Luther, company and holding said court. William Nicholson, a resident of the county and state aforesaid aged between seventy eight and seventy nine years ( will be seventy nine the tenth of this month may)   Wm. being first fully sworn according to him doth on his oath make the following declaration in court to obtain the benefit of the provision made by act of congress  [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] 1832.
N. states that he was a irregular soldier of the 
revolution, that he enlisted, for three years or during the war, in Carlisle in the state of Pennsylvania. in February or March
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after the surrender of Cornwallis he marched to join General Greene in South Carolina a Eden to 
[illegible], then sent to drive the British out
of Dorchester.  Bacon bridge and did so, then marchin to Savannah in Georgia [Strike through]  Marching [illegible] near Savannah Georgia, there orders were given for the troops to go to James Island near Charleston, there he [illegible] the British left Charleston, and at that place I got my discharge signed by General Greene and obtained for me by Doctors Oliphant and Reed
my discharge was dated the last of December 1782. and I have lost it. During the whole of his service he served as a Private and his service was [illegible] six [illegible], for his country, [illegible]
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Ansr I was born in Carlysle County Pennsylvania, in country back in the year 1754
2. have you any record of your age and if so where is it?
Ansr  I have none.
3. Where were you living  when called into service; Where have you lived since the revolutionary war and where you you now live?
Ansr in Carlysle County  Pennsylvania [illegible] I was living since the war I have lived in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and am now living in St Francious County State of Missouri
4. How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute,  Ansr I enlisted as stated before.
5. State the names of some of the regiment officers who were with the troops, where you served: such continental & militia regiment as you can recall and [Illegible] [Illegible] circumstances of your service. Ansr General Wayne, Col Harman .. Butler,  [illegible] Pennsylvania [illegible] Poray of the regiments line. Stewart of the Maryland line.
Major Hamilton & Edwards, Continental Regiments the this [illegible] . the circumstances I could relate in addendum
to my statement, that they are in considerable.
6 Did you ever receive a discharge from the service before by whom was it given and what has become of it
Ansr I make the same statementI [illegible] this as in this statement.
7. State this names of those to whom you are known -or your personal insight or [Illegible] to who can testify to your character for [illegible] to their belief of your service as a soldier of the Revolution. Ansr John Horton and the Reverend  James Halbert of the Baptist order..
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John Horton states that he has known said Nicholson about ten or eleven year. that he has always been considered a man of truth, of good character and an old Revolutionary soldier, and I believe him to be 78 years old. [illegible, illegible, illegible, illegible, illegible, illegible ]
I never heard any doubt his being an old soldier.
John Horton
James Halbert states that he has acquainted with said Nicholsonthat he is considered a man of truth & character and also an old revolutionary soldier.[illegible] his neighbor [illegible]. I think he is 78 years old. I never heard any doubt his having been an old 
soldier, and I have taken some pain to find out his service.
Dh. 866  James Halbert ordained minister of the Baptist order.
and he said [illegible] do hereby declare their opinion after the investigate of the matter and after putting the interrogations prescribed by the war department that the above name of appli-cant was a revolutionary soldier and  served as he states and the court further certified that John Horton and the Reverend James Halbert who have signed the above certificates are residents in the county of St Francois afor is said and are creditable persons and their statements enabled his credit.
William Murphy presiding Justice
Thomas Haile
George W Robinson F.C.C

State of Missouri
County of St. Francois Set as Clerk of the County Court of [inelligible] Country. I certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application  of William Nicholson for a pension. In [inneligible] 
may whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal of office May the 9th 1833
John D Peers Clerk
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26,866
22,352
William Nicholson
Missouri

Pa. rolls
Adm. $40


John D. Peers
Farmington
St. Francois Co.
Missouri
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WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office,
Sir.
The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832 has been examined, and the paperss an herewith returned.
The following is a statement of
your case in a tabular form.
On comparing these papers with the following rules and
the subjoined notes, you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed, before a pension can be allowed.
The notes and the regulations will show what is
necessary to be done.
Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed,
you will find marked in the margins with a brace, (thus: } ). 
You will, when
you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them: and you will, by compling with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your
claim.
A Statement, showing the Service of William Nicholson
Period when the service was rendered. 1781
Duration of the claimant's service
Years. Months. Days.
1. ___
Rank of the Claimant. 
Priv
Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served. 
Col. Butler
Cap. St John
Gen Wayne
Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service.
78 years
Carlisle Penn-a
Proof by which the declaration is supported
Traditionary

I am, respectfully, 
Your obedient servant,
J. L. Edwards,
Commisioner of Pensions
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2
REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7. 1832.
The following regulations have been adopted:
This law has been construed to extend, as well to the line, as to every branch of the Staff of the Army and to include under the terms “Continental Line," "State troops,” “militia," and «volunteers." all persons enlisted, drafted, or who volunteered and who were bound to military service. but not those who were occasionally employed with the army upon civil contracts, such as Clerks to Commissaries and to Store Keepers, &c, Teamsters. Boatmen, &c. Persons who served on board of private armed vessels are
also excluded from the benefits of the law, as well as persons who turned out as patrols, or were engaged in guarding particular places at night, and were not recognized as being in actual military service.
Four general classes of cases are embraced in this law:
1. The Regular Troops.
2. The State Troops, Militia, and Volunteers.
  3. Persons employed in the Naval Service.
4. Indian Spies.
As rolls of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department, all persons claiming the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians or privates, will, in the first instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of Record of the County where such applicant resides. And every Court having by law a seal and Clerk is considered a Court of Record.
DECLARATION
In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June, 1802.

State, Territory, or District of ] 88.
County of
On this
day of 
personally appeared (a) before
A. B. a resident (b) of 
in the county of
and State, Territory or District
of aged (c)
years, who being first duly sworn, according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress, passed
June 7th, 1832. 'That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year (d)
, with 
and served in the
(e) regiment of the
line, under the following named officers:
[Here set forth the names and rank of the Field and Company Officers; the time he left the service (and if he served under more than one term of enlistment, he must specify the particular period, and rank and names of his officers ;) the town or county and State in which he resided when he entered the service; the battles, if any, in which he was engaged,
and the country through which he marched.
This form is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons who belonged to the militia, volunteers, navy, &c.]
He hereby relinquishes every claim (f) whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State, Or (if any) only on that of the Agency in the State of

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

[And then will follow the certificate of the Court. ]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.

I      of the Court of 
do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of
for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this
day of
&c.
If, on examination of the proper record, the names of applicants, making such declaration, cannot be found, they will produce such proof as the rule given in note (j) points out.
Every applicant who claims a pension by virtue of service in the SAte Troops, Volunteers or Militia,
except those who belonged to the
New Hampshire Militia and State Troops of Virginia will make and subscribe a declaration similar to the foregoing. with the following additions, viz:
(K) We, A.B. a Clergyman, residing in the 
and C.D. residing in (the same0hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with
Subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be
years of age; that he is reputed and believed, in the neighborhood were he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur with that opinion. 
Sworn and subscribed the days and year aforesaid.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department. that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies, that it appears to them that A. B. who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the and that C.D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the
and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I,
Clerk of the Court of 
do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, this 
day of 
&c.

Every applicant will produce the best proof in his power. This is the original discharge or commission; but if neither of these can be obtained, the party will so state under oath, and will then procure, if passible, the testimony of at least one credible witness, stating in detail his personal knowledge of the services of the applicant, and such circumstances connected therewith, as may have a tendency to throw light upon the transaction.
If such surviving witness cannot he found, the applicant will so state in his declaration. (l) and he will also, whether he produce such evidence or not, proceed to relate all the material facts, which can be useful in the investigation of his claim, and in the comparison of his narrative with the events of the period of his
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Rev. and 1812
Wars Section
MME/eel

June 4, 1929
Honorable Edgar C. Ellis
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
My dear Mr. Ellis:
In response to your letter of June 3, 1929, in be-
half of Mrs. Joseph W. Greene, of Independence, Missouri, I have the honor lo advise you from the papers in the
Revolutionary War pension claim, s.16989, it appears that William Nicholson was born May 10, 1754, In Carlisle Coun-ty. Pennsylvania,
While residing in Carlisle County, Pennsylvania, he enlisted In February or March, 1781, served as a private in Captains St. John’s and Irwin's Company, Colonel But-ler’s Pennsylvania Regiment, was In a skirmish at Burnt Orange, Virginia, in the battle of Jamestown, and at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and was discharged the last of December, 1782.
After the Revolution the soldier lived in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and in St. Francois County, Missouri.
It does not appear that he ever lived in
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Kentucky, nor do the Revolutionary war records of this bureau afford any information in regard to a soldier by that name of Kentucky.
He was allowed pension on his application executed
May 9, 1833, while a resident of St. Francois County, Missouri.
There are no data concerning his family.
For information relative to land that may have been granted by the state of Virginia, it is suggested that Mrs Greene apply to the Librarian, Virginia State Iibrary at Richmond.
Very truly yours.
EARL D. CHURCH
Commissioner
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16.989
Invalid.
file No. 16.989
WM Nicholson
Pri Rev War
Act: June 7th 32
Index:- Vol. 1, Page 274
Arrangement of 1870
1929-June 4 Hist to Hon
Edgar C. Ellis, ME.E.
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Egdar C Ellis
5th Dist. Missouri

Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. June 3, 1929

Bureau of Pensions, Department of Interior, Washington, D.C.
Gentlemen:
Josephine N. Greene (Mrs. Joseph W.) of Independence, Missouri, writes me that about three month ago she made a request of the Bureau of Pensions for the military and family records of a Revolutionary ancestor, William Nicholson. She states this ancestor was a pensioner; that he was of Woodford county,
Kentucky, and received a Virginia land grant for his services as shown by the Kentucky record.
  It seems there is to be a special occasion - a dedicatory service upon the placing of a marker at the grave of a Real Daughter of the Revolution at Independence, Missouri, some time this month.
Mrs. Greene is very anxious indeed to complete this record before that occasion.
Can you have this matter looked up for me and give me early advices with respect to it.
Thanking you in advance.
Very truly yours, 
ECE/L
Edgar Ellis
M.C. Fifth District, Missouri