Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W. 1116, William Wilson, N.C.
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N.C.

Wilson, William
Wilson, Nancy

W. 1116
Page 4

State of Tennessee
Rutherford County

          On this nineteenth day of November in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
thirty eight personally appeared before the Honorable
the Circuit Court of the State of Tennessee
begun and held for the County of Rutherford on
the first Monday instant, Nancy Wilson aged about
seventy five years who being first duly sworn according
to Law doth on her oath make the following
declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision
made by the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838,
entitled "an act granting half pay & pension to
certain widows" that at she is the widow of William
Wilson who was a Captain of the revolutionary
war, He was in the whole of the southern War
of the revolution. This deponent cannot remember on
this late period the campaigns her served. She knows 
he was at the Battle at Ramsour's at the Battle of
 Gates' defeat she thinks of the Cow Pens. He served
as Captain every time that she recollects of his
going out. He was wounded at Ramsour's. This
declarant does not recollect the dates. Her husband
sometime during the war was wounded in one or
both arms, a bayonet stab (or sword) in the small of 
his back. On one shoulder he was cut, on his back
he was wounded with a ball, His face was burned
badly, with powder. Captain Steele was with him
at Ramsour's. John Todd or James Todd
was Lieutenant of his company at Ramsour's.
She does not recollect the officers under whom he served.
She thinks he served at times under Generals Locke
and Rutherford. There was not a campaign from
the time the war broke out in the south till
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he was wounded in February 1781, in which
he was not in the Service. He served as a 
volunteer. She further declares that she 
was married to the said William Wilson in 
the County of Rowan, on the fifth day
of March in the year Seventeen hundred and
eighty five and that her husband the
aforesaid William Wilson died on the 
fourteenth day of August
eighteen hundred and seventeen--
that she was not married to him prior to his
leaving the service, but marriage took
place previous to the first of January
seventeen hundred and ninety four, viz,
at the time above states.

Nancy   Wilson
     her  X mark

Subscribed and sworn to 
in open court, the date above.
Hon. Saml. Anderson Judge
presiding

Saml. H Hodge   Clerk
of Rutherford Circuit Court.

State of Tennessee
Rutherford County

To wit

I Samuel H. Hodge clerk of the Circuit
Court of said Rutherford County, do hereby
certify that the foregoing proceedings were
had in open Court, at the November Term A.D.
1838 thereof at the Court house in our
said Rutherford County.
In testimony whereof
I have hereunto set my
hand & affixed my seal of office of
at office this 19th November 1838

Saml. H. Hodge  Clerk of the Circuit Court
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State of Tennessee
Rutherford County

Before me Georg A. Sublett a Justice of
the peace in and for said Rutherford County
personally appeared James Wilson, who after
being first duly sworn deposeth & saith that 
he is the second child of William Wilson deceased,
and Nancy Wilson, that many years since he saw
in his father's possession an old Bible, in which
was written the births of the children of Captain
Wilson & wife, that said Bible is still in Nancy
Wilson's (the widow's) possession-- but the
family record has been lost for some time.
Some fourteen years since this deponent 
transcribed into another Bible, from what he saw in the old record, his own birth, which
is here amended as originally drawn off by
this deponent at that time. This deponent
also saw in said original
Bible the birth of the oldest child 
of Capt. Wilson &

Nancy Wilson, which
he thinks occurred
some twenty
three months before his own.  This deponent
has never seen any other documents going
to show his father's marriage or services 
in the war. Nor does he believe there
are an now in possession of the family.
The record in the old Bible was written by one Benjamin
Leach some thirty years since.

James Wilson

Subscribed & sworn to before
me this 20th November 1838

Geo. A. Sublett
Justice of the Peace

[ Inset right side of page copy of family record]

FAMILY
BIRTHS

James Wilson was
Born the 5th day of 
February 1788
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State of Tennessee
Rutherford County

I Samuel Anderson, Judge of the 
Circuit Court for the State of
Tennessee in & for the fifth Judicial Circuit do
hereby certify that Samuel H. Hodge, who has
given the foregoing certificate on the
Declaration of Nancy Wilson, is and was at
the time of giving the same Clerk of our said
Court for Rutherford County; that said
certificate is in due form of Law and
sealed with out County Seal. Given under
my hand and seal this 24th day of
November A.D. 1838.

S. Anderson  [Seal]
Judge of the 5th Judicial
Circuit for the State of
Tennessee
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To the Hon. The Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States.

          Your petitioner, Nancy Wilson, aged eighty years,
some twelve months since, made an application to the War Department
for a pension under the act of Congress passed in
1838. The introduced proof, and established the services of
her late husband Captain William Wilson-- who served
as Captain during the greater part of the Revolutionary
War. He entered the service from Rowan County, North Carolina.
The proof as to his service was irresistible; but for want
of documentary proof, a pension (as the widow of a Captain)
could not be allowed. For many reasons your petitioner
could not waive her right to a Captain's pay, and take 
that of a private.   Your petitioner informed the Pension
agent that she would receive the pay of a private,
reserving to herself the privilege of still applying for
that of Captain when she could get such proof as
would be satisfactory to the department. But, on account
of this reservation, the Commissioner of Pensions declined
allowing her any pension whatever. In his letter to
her of the 27th August last, he says, "The offer (of a
private's pension) was made to the claimant in this
case; but as it has not been unconditionally accepted, no 
certificate will be granted."
          The proof is satisfactory that her husband was a
meritorious officer. He was in many a hard fought battles,
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and carried honorable scars to his grave. John Wilson,
his brother, was killed in the war of the Revolution. Two of 
his sons, (the sons of your petitioner) fought under the command
of Gen. Jackson in the late war. one of them died at
Fort Strother, the other was wounded in an engagement with
the Indians. one of her nephews, was killed at the Battle of
the Horse Shoe, another at Fort Strother, a third was
taken prisoner of New Orleans, and a fourth (in the 
regular service) was wounded at New Orleans. There
are some of the family of your petitioner, who have
done Service for their Country. That her husband
was stripped of every thing, and received for hi long
services only "promises to pay," is but the history of
thousands; and, if the tardy Justice of her Country
at last directs that the relicts of those Revolutionary
heroes should receive a recompense for a life of privation
and poverty, it is hard that these ends should be
defeated by rules impossible, in almost every case,
to be fulfilled.
          She lays these things before your honorable
body, with the documents & papers touching her
case (which were laid before the Commissioner of
Pensions) and prays that she may have such
pension as the proof will justify.

And as in duty,

Nancy Wilson

Rtherford County Tenn.
Nov. 20, 1839