Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 10571, for Samuel Thornton, North Carolina
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(3 - 1776)
SERVICE N.C.
Thornton, Samuel
NUMBER
R. 10571
CONTENTS
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Georgia
Appling county
I Samuel Thornton of the State & County aforesaid, who have applied for a pension as a Revolutionary soldier, do solemnly swear that in regard to the first interogation [interrogation] under the Regulation of the Act of June 1832 to which the affidavit is attached, I was born on Mathis's Bluffs, Savannah River, in the State of South Carolina in July 1755.
2d   That I had a Record of my age which was left in the lids of a Bible in Emanuel County & State of Georgia.
3d   That when I was called into Service I lived on the South fork of the Catawba river in the State of N. Carolina; and since the Revolutionary war I lived in South Carolina on Savannah River and in the State of Georgia in the counties of Scriven [Screven], Burke, Effingham, Chatham & Appling, where I now live.
4th   That I volunteered into Service.
5       That the names of some of the Regular officers, of whom I now recollect, were Genl Lincoln & Genl Pulaskio.
6th    That I received a discharge from the service from Captn Ryans, which got burnt in Burke County, Georgia in my house which was also consumed at the same time about forty two [forty-two] years ago. And
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that I was not employed in any civil pursuit during the time of the Revolutionary war from the comencement [commencement] thereof, and also served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority in the field.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this the 25th April 1834.
Mo Graham
Clk S & J @ A. C. Ga
There being no seal of officers
Samual Thornton  his X mark
Georgia
Appling County
It is the firm conviction of each of us the Justices of the Inferior Court aforesaid county, that the claimant, Samuel Thornton, has served his Country as stated in his declaration for a pension & the above affidavit, and also from his known character for veracity we unhesitantly say should the Government withhold his claim for want of evidence which is not in his power to give, by loss of memmory [memory], in consequence of old age & he must only die a creditor to that which never will be paid. Given under our hands the 28th April 1834
@est
Mo Graham
CLR S&I @ A. C. Ga
Wilson Blydy JJC 
Malcom Johnsom JJC
Silas O'Quin JJC
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Anderson
Revolutionary
Pension Claim
of Samuel
Thorton de?
of Georgia
Power of atty
from
his son
Isaac Thornton
To
M Thompson
Filed Sept 2 1852
Paper Cal for
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R. A. WATERS, Print., D street, bet. 9th and 10th.
POWER OF ATTORNEY - Revolutionary Pension Claims.
Know all men by these Presents, That I, Isaac Thornton hereby constitute and appoint M Thompson my true and lawful Agent and Attorney, to prosecute the Claim of Samuel Thornton, for any amount of Revolutionary Pension or Increase of Pension, that may be due; and I hereby authorize my said Agent to examine all the papers and documents in relation to said claim, on file in the Departments at Washington City, or elsewhere; to file additional evidence or arguments; and to receive the Certificate which may be issued for said Claim, which Certificate I wish made payable to Isaac Thornton, Bedic Thornton, Ezikel Thornton & Ebbert Thornton to appoint one or more substitutes under him for the purposes herein expressed; and to do all things that I might or could do were I personally present. Hereby ratifying and confirming all that my said Attorney and
Agent shall lawfully do in the premises.
WITNESS my hand and seal this 2nd day August A.D. 1852
Isaac Thornton IS
Signed and Sealed in the presence of
John G Ritch Jr
STATE OF Georgia
County of Appling
On this 2nd day of August A. D. 1852.
before me, the subscriber, a Justice the Peace in and for the County aforesaid, personally appeared Isaac Thornton
and acknowledged the foregoing Power,
of Attorney to be his act and deed, for the purpose there mentioned.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand,
the day and year aforesaid.
John G Ritch J. Peace
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Claim of
Act of
State of Georgia
County Appling

Be it known, That on this 2nd day of August 
A. D., eighteen hundred and fifty two, before the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid, personally appeared Isaac Thornton a resident of the 4th Dist in said County, and made oath according to law that he is the Son of Samuel Thornton
who was a Revolutionary Pensioner
at the rate of [blank line]
Dollars per annum; that he has been
informed that the said Pension ought to be increased; that he is directly interested as a claimant in said Pension, and makes this affidvit to be filed with such additional evidence or arguments as my Agent may use in prosecuting said claim.
Sworn to and subscribed, the day and
year aforesaid, before me.
John G. Kirk Peace.
John Smith Justice of the Peace in and for said County do hereby certify that
Isaac Thornton
who executed the foregoing paper, is a
said
John G Ritch Peace
Dep
John P. Johnson, Clerk of the Inferior Court in the County
and State aforesaid her a John Rick before whom the
foregoing papers were executed was, at the date of the same, a Justice of the Peace in and for said County,
duly authorized by law to administer oaths, and the name thereunto subscribed, is his ignature.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto subscribed my name and
print seal there being the and
no seal of office
day of
August A.D. 1852
John R Johnson Clerk
Download
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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, 1832. State, Territory, or District of County of On this ____ day of ____ personally appeared (a) before ____ A. B. a resident (b) ____ 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. 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. [____ 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 ____ 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 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 ____ and C.D. residing in (the same) hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with ____, who has 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 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 ____ 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 ____ for a pension. 
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 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. 
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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
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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 service, and if so, by whom was it given, and what has become of it? 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 enquiry 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. 
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[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 different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the 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 ____ year ____ months, and ____ days, I served as a ____ 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 in 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 service 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. 
[k] The notes from [a] and [i] are all equally applicable to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule in note [j] applies to continental troops [k] This traditionary evidence is indispensable in militia cases. 
[l] If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact. 
[m] The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.

Unless the applicant specifies his services as required above no favorable action can be had on his case.