Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W. 8548, for George Reese, North Carolina
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Reese, George                 W.7548

             Anna
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N.C. Reese, George W8548
Anna
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State of South Carolina
Pickens District
March Term 1833

On this eleventh day of March in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and thirty three personally
appeared in open court by one the
Court of Sessions and [illegible] [illegible]
[illegible]now sitting George Reese a by court
of Anderson District in the State 
upon said age is eighty years who
being first duly sworn according to
Law, doth on his [illegible] the [illegible] the
following declaration as order to obtain the
benefit of  the act of Congress June 7th 1832
That he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer early in December 1775 under the command of Col Thomas Polk &
in the State of North Carolina and County of Mecklenburg They are
[illegible] [illegible] a at Charlotte Court House & from thence marched  into the State 
of South Carolina and [illegible] [illegible]
Thompson & Richardson  of the last
[illegible] state-H under the commander
of the aforesaid officer Polk
[illegible] to the upper part of South Carolina
to [illegible] the Tories and was one that
performed what is usually denominated
the Snow campaign they had a
[illegible] with a body of going Tory or Rudy
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We, Anthony W. Ross, a clergyman in the District of Anderson, and Joseph N Whitner    residing in the same, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with George Rees who has subscribed and    sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be eighty years of age, that he is by reputation and  [?]   in the neighborhood where we reside to have been a soldier in the Revolution and that we concur in the opinions sworn to and subscribed this day 

before William L Keith
CC &
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11.555
So.Carolina
Anna Reese decd
widow of George
who died on the
of
in the State of S.C.
who was a private in the
commanded
by Captain
of the  commanded
by  in the Rev. Z
line for [illegible]
Inscribed on the Roll of S.C.
at the rate of 27 Dollars 54 cents
per annum, to commence on the 
11" Nov. 1837.
Certificate of Pension issued the 15 day of
Sept 1853
and sent to
Evans & [illegible]
Arrears to the 4th of
Present
Semiannual allowance ending
Revolutionary Claim,
Act July 7, 1838.
Recorded by H E Robinson
Clerk.
Book D
Vol. 1
Page
313
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No 13.412 
July 19/47 
Anna Reese, 
widow of George 
Act July 7/38.
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State of South Carolina
District of Pickens
On this 16th day of February 1845 personally appeared before William D. Steele Judge of the Court of ____ for the District aforesaid, Mrs. Anna Reese (widow of George Reese decd) a resident of the District and State aforesaid, aged 80 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 ___ July 7th, 1838, entitled "An act granting half pay and pension to certain widows; That she is the widow of George Reese, who was a private in the North Carolina line, in the War of the Revolution; that her husband the aforesaid George Reese resided in Mecklenburg County NC at the time of his entering the service, she cannot recollect under whom he served, as she was not then married to him, and does not recollect anything of consequence as to his service; thinks he marched through North and South Carolina, and that he was in the siege at Charleston in the Battle of Eutaw Springs.  Her husband the said George Reese made proof of a past of his services, however, and was placed on the Pension list of the United States on the 27th August 1833 and by reference to the said statements and proof made by him, more satisfactory evidence will appear.
She further declares that she was married to the said George Reese on Black River in Sumpter District SC by the Rev. Thomas Reese a Presbyterian minister, on the 20th day of January (1785). One thousand seven hundred and eighty five that her maiden name
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was Anna Story.  That her late husband the aforesaid George Reese died on the eleventh day of November 1837 that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service, but the marriage took place previous to the first of January, 1794, at the above stated.  She declares further, that the family record, which is herewith forwarded, and which contain the record of her marriage, as stated above, as well as birth of the children. He was made worthy by her son George Reese she believes; taken from the family record is an older Bible, which was taken by her said son George, to Alabama, where he resides.  The death of her said husband, she thinks, was put down on the said record by her son Eli.  This Bible, out of which the said record was taken, was in the family some years previous to the death of of her said husband, and the said record known by him, as well as herself and family to be the correct record of the family; and that the said record has been carefully kept as such by her ever since.  She further declares that she has not married since the death of the said George Reese, but yet remains his widow.  Anna Reese
Sworn to and subscribed, on the day and year above written, before 
William D. Steele
Judge of the County of Ordinary for Pickens District, So Ca
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Charles and Rossanna Story had the 
following Children viz 
Truby Story was born September the 
25th 1747 
Elizabeth Story was born February 
1st 1749 
John Story was born March  
15th 1752 
Margaret Story was born March  
15th 1754 
Rebecker Story was born August 
25th 1754 
And by the second marriage with 
Mary Story who he had viz 
Anna Story who was born November  
16th 1764 
Charles Story Born September  
the 13th 1766 
Esther Story Born December 8th   
1765 
Charles Story died December the 
12th 1794 
Mary Story was born 
November 29th 1742 
July 4th 
Died Sept. 12th 1822 
Aged eighty years & 36 days 

George Reese was born March 1753 
and married to Anna Story the 20th of 
January 1785 — and had the following 
Children viz 
Horatio Reese Born April 8th 1786 
Charles Milton Reese, born February 
26th 1788 
Mary Story Reese, Born February the 
17th 1790 
Susan Reese, Born February the 
17th 1792 
David Addison Reese, Born 
March 3d 1794 
George Reese, Born September 
17th 1796 
Thomas Sidney REese, Born August 
the 12th 1799 
James Elihee Reese, Born July 
12th 1802 — married May 1845 
Edwin Reese, Born July 17th 
1804 
Esther Anne Reese, Born January 
first 1807, died August 12th 1823 
was married May 29 1823 
Alexander Hamden Reese, born 
July 12th 1810 
Horatio Reese died May 22 1830 
Margaret Reese 
died 22d of September 1839 
Susana Story died April 4 1847 
Charles Story died January 22 1835
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State of Georgia 
Whitfield County 

On this 29th Day of March 
One Thousand Eight Hundred and fifty three 
personally appeared before the Justice of the Inferior 
Court in & for the State & County Aforesaid Susan 
Harris a Resident of the said County aged Sixty Years 
and after being duly sworn according to Law doth 
on her oath make the following Declaration in order 
to obtain the amount of Pension which accrued and 
fell due to her mother Anna Reese decst. Under the 
provisions made by Act of Congress Passed July 7th 
1838. March 3rd 1843. June 7th 1844, and February 
2nd 1848, the her Mother the said Anna Reese was the
widow of George Reese formally of Pendleton District 
South Carolina who was a Pensioner of the United 
States and for whose service she refers to his 
Declaration upon which he was Pensioned which 
is on file in the Pension Department 

She further Declares that her Mother the said 
Anna Reese was not married to her Father the said
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hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of 
Said County at my office in the [illegible] of 
[illegible] this 29th day of March 1853

[[signature]] B.C. Tyler e.s.q.
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No 26029 

George Reese Pichius District 
South Carolina

Admitd as provale 
8 mo & 10 days
$27.54

Miles. M Norton, Pendleton 
S. Carolina
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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, 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. 
--- 
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
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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 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. 
----- 
[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.
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Will you please 
give me any in
formation you 
can as to the Revolu
tionary service and 
family of George 
Reese who married 
Anna Story – was 
at the battle Eutan 
Springs and captur
ed at fall of Charleston 
S. C. He was a Pension
er. I desire this record 
to make application 
for membership 
in Daughters of the 
American Revolution 
Respectfully Mrs. Rachel Patterson 
5901 Walnut St. Philadelphia
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July 6. 1853 
Ad ol W. in case 
of Ann, widow of 
John Reese 
S. Carolina 

Ad 7th July 1838 
Evans & Fant 
Present 

[[right margins]] [[preprinted]] DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 
PENSION OFFICE OFFICIAL BUSINE (cut off) [[/right margins]]
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Hon. David A. Reese 
H. R.
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Hon. David A. Reese 
Dec 13/53