Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 5750, for Thomas Jones, North Carolina
Page 1

(3-1776)

SERVICE
N. C. 

Jones, Thomas

NUMBER
R. 5750

CONTENTS

b. Nov 5, 1753 in Baltimore, Md.
res at enl. Chatham Co N. C.
res in 1833 Weakley Co. Tenn.
Page 2

26632
Page 3

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of
the act of Congress passed June
7th 1832

State Tennessee
Weakley County

On this 20th day of May 1833 
personally appeared in open court before the Honble John 
W. Cook Judge of the Circuit Court for the
County afsd. now sitting Thomas Jones a resident in 
the County & State afsd. aged about eighty 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 Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832
That he (this Declarant) entered the service in Chatham
County North Carolina in the year 1780 immediately 
after Charlestown was taken by the British (but does 
not recollect the day or month) as a volunteer private 
in a light horse troops under the command of John
Butler General, Thomas Taylor Colonel, William
McCalla Major, & George Hodge Captain in which
he served a tour of three months - that they 
rendezvoused 
at Chatham Court house in North Carolina 
& Marched on through Fayette by the Cheraw hills near 
to Camden in South Carolina and then returned to Hillsborough 
in North Carolina where this Declarant was 
discharged but does not recollect what has become of 
his discharge - that during this tour he was in no 
General engagement but had a good many skirmishes 
that a part of the troops to which he belonged 
was in the battle at Guilford Court house but 
this declarant was guarding some of the prisoners 
that were taken a short distance from the 
battleground & this Declarant further states that 
he furnished his own horse during the above 
tour. That in a short time after receiving his 
discharge he again entered the service of the 
United States as a volunteer under the above named 
officers and served a tour of three months as 
a butcher & again received during this term of service 
this declarant was employed on expresses for eight days 
and went to Salisbury & the Caraway mountains
that he again recd. a discharged at Chatham 
Court house but does not know where it now is
Page 4

This Declarant states that he has no documentary evidence
& knows of no person living by whom he can prove
his service as afsd.  That he has a record of his age and was born in 
Baltimore in Maryland on the fifth of November
1753 and lived there untill he was twenty one years
old & then removed to Orange County in North Carolina and
after living there for one year removed into Chatham County
North Carolina where he continued to reside until he moved
to this county about five or six years ago in which he 
now resides.  This Declarant 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 any
agency of any state or if any only on that of the 
agency of the state of North Carolina

Thomas Jones  X  his mark

Sworn to & subscribed the 
day & year aforesaid

Mears Warner Clk


We Thomas Ross a clergyman resident of Weakley and 
Vincent Austin & George McClain citizens of same county &
state of Tennessee
hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Thomas 
Jones who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration 
that we believe him to be eighty years of age  that he is 
reputed & believed in the neighbourhood where he resides to have
been a soldier of the Revolution & that we concur in that 
opinion

Thomas Ross
Vincent Austin
George McClain

Sworn to & subscribed
the day & year afsd.

Mears Warner Clk


And the said Court does hereby declare its 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 Thomas Ross who has signed the above
certificate is a clergyman & resident in said County and that 
Vincent Austin & George McClain who have also 
signed the same are residents in said County & are credible
persons & their statement is entitled to credit

J W Cooke Judge of the 9th
Judicial Court for the State 
of Tennessee
Page 5

I Mears Warner Clerk of the Circuit Court for the 
County afsd. do hereby certify that the foregoing
contains the original proceedings of the said court
in the matter of the application of Thomas Jones
for a pension.  In testimony whereof I have 
hereunto set my hand & seal of office this 
20th day of May 1833

Mears Warner Clerk

[seal]
Page 6

26.632
Thomas Jones
Weakley County
Tennessee
-----------------
Rejected, served
three months in the militia
against the enemy and 
volunteered three months and
served as a Butcher per 
letter 26 Sep 33 to J. N.
Daveys, Troy, Tennessee

5750
No 2


J. N. Daveys
Troy
Tennessee
Page 7

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office.

Sir:

The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has
been examined, and the papers are 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.  These points to which your attention is more particularly directed,
you will find marked in the margin 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, shewing the Service of Thomas Jones
---------------------------------------------------

Period when the service was rendered.
1780
Duration of the claimant's services.
Years.  Months.  Days.
3 [months]
Rank of the claimant.
Pr. cav.
Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served.
Cap. Hodge   Col. Taylor
Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service.
80  N. C.
Proof by which this declaration is supported.
Traditionary

Period when the service was rendered.
"
Duration of the claimant's services.
Years.  Months.  Days.
3 [months]
Rank of the claimant.
Butcher
Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served.
[a line]
Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service.
[line continues]
Proof by which the declaration is supported.
not allowed


I am, respectfully,
Your obedient servant,

J. L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner 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, mucicians 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, 1832.
State, Territory, or District of
County of [blank]  ss.

On this [blank] day of [blank] personally appeared (a) before [blank]
A. B. a resident (b) of [blank] in the county of [blank] and State, Territory or District
of [blank] 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) [blank], with [blank] and
served in the [blank] (e) regiment of the [blank] 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 [blank]
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
A. B.

[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 [blank] of the Court of [blank]
do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of
the application of [blank] for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this [blank]
day of [blank] & 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 State 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 [blank] and C.D. residing in (the same)
hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with [blank], who has
subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be [blank]
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 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 [blank]
and that C. D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the [blank]
and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I, [blank] Clerk of the Court of [blank] do hereby certify that the foregoing
contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of [blank] 
for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal
of office, this [blank] day of [blank] & 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
possible, 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 be 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 
alleged service, as they are known at the Department.  A very full account of the services of each person
Page 9

3 

alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person will be indispensable to a favorable action upon his case. The facts stated will afford one of the principal
means of corroborating the declaration of the applicant, if true, or of detecting the imposition, if one be attempted; 
and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be expected. 
All applicants will appear before some Court of Record in the County in which they reside, and
there subscribe and be sworn to, one of the declarations above provided, according to the nature of his case.
The Court will propound the following (m) interrogatories to all applicants for a pension, on account of
service in the Militia, State troops, or Volunteers, except the Militia of New Hampshire and the State
troops of Virginia.

1. Where and in what year were you born?
2. Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
3. Where were you living when called into service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary
war, and where do you now live?
4. How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute?
And if a substitute, for whom?
5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served; such
Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services.
6. {To a Soldier.
Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given, 
and what has become of it?
6. To an Officer.
Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what
has become of it?
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 services as a soldier of the Revolution.

The Court will see that the answers to these questions are embodied in the declaration, and they are
requested to annex their opinions of the truth of the statement of the applicant.
The applicant will further produce in Court, if the same can be done, in the opinion of the Court,
without too much expense and inconvenience to him, two respectable persons--one of whom should be
the nearest clergyman, if one lives in the immediate vicinity of such applicant, who can testify, from
their acquaintance with him, that they believe he is of the age he represents, and that he is reputed
and believed in the neighborhood to have been a Revolutionary soldier, and that they concur in that opinion.
If one of these persons is a Clergyman, the Court will so certify, and they will also certify to the character
and standing of other persons giving such certificates.
The traditionary evidence of service is deemed very important, in the absence of any direct
proof, except the declaration of the party. And the Courts are requested to be very particular in the
inquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
Applicants unable to appear in Court, by reason of bodily infirmity, may make the declaration before
required, and submit to the examination, before a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper
county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duties, which the Court is herein requested to perform,
and will also certify that the applicant cannot, from bodily infirmity, attend the Court.
Whenever any official act is required to be done by a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record,
or by a Justice of the Peace, the certificate of the Secretary of State or Territory, or of the proper
Clerk of the Court or County, under his seal of office, will be annexed, stating that such person is a
Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or a Justice of the Peace, and that the signature annexed is
his genuine signature.
No payments can be made on account of the services of any person, who may have died before
the taking effect of the act of June 7, 1832; and in case of death subsequent thereto, and before the
declaration herein required is made, the parties interested will transmit such evidence as they can procure, 
taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period
of his death, the opinion of the neighborhood respecting such services, the title of the claimant, and the
opinion of the Court upon the whole matter.


[a] The declarant must appear in open Court, unless prevented from doing so by reason of bodily infirmity; in which case the declarant will follow the rule laid down for his guidance.
[b] The declarant must make his declaration in the county where he resides. If he should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not
conforming to the rule.
[c] The age of the claimant must invariably be mentioned.
[d] The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
[e] Every continental officer or soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the
claim cannot be had. Every claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language to
definite as to enable the Department to determine to what
entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the
loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A.B. 
who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith that, by reason
of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his 
recollection, he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades:  For [blank] year [blank] months, and [blank]
days, I served as a [blank].  For [blank] months and [blank] days, I served as a [blank]; and for such service I claim a pension."

It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law
directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service.  The use of the phrase  about three or four months,
is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state that they served two years
in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars 
respecting their service.  This form of a declaration is 
highly objectionable.  It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement;
the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into serivce by competent 
authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil
pursuit.
[f] The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
[g] The opinion of the Court is always required.
[h] The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
[i] The Clerk must affix his seal, and if it has no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no public
seal of office, the certificate of a Member of Congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the
papers.

Mode of authenticating papers.

In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticates the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains
the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must
pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.

Proof of Service.

[j] In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses
who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimant's entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well
as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged.  The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses,
and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
☞ The notes from [a] to [i] are all equally applicable to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops.  The proof required by rule in
note [j] applied to continental troops only.
[k] This traditionary evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
[l] If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the face.
[m] The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.
Page 10

REJECTED
5750
Thomas Jones
P. O.  [blank]
Service:  [blank]
Enlisted:  [blank date]
Discharged:  [blank date]
Application filed:  [blank date]
Alleges:  The printed list of 1852 gives cause of rejection as ,
"Not military service - served as a butcher."
Attorney:  [blank]
P. O.  [blank]
[blank] Recognized.    [blank] Contract.
[blank] Cert. of Dis.   Searched for [blank date]
Page 11

Sep 26. 1833
O C


Recorded Oct 28
16. 185-186
Page 12

War Department
Pension Office
Sep 26, 1833

Sir,

The claim of Thomas Jones has 
been examined.  He served three months
in the militia against the enemy, and three
months as a Butcher.  The act of June 7, 1832
makes no allowance for this latter service, and 
as the said act requires a service in a military capacity of at least six 
months against the enemy, his claim has been rejected.
The papers will be placed on the files in this 
office.




J. N. Daveys Esqr
Troy
Tennessee