Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 16,478, for Britain Meeks, North Carolina
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(8-1776)                                         nc
SERVICE                                  NUMBER

N.C.         Meeks, Britain       S. 16.478

carded

CONTENTS
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Georgia 23.128-
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Britain Meeks
of Meriwether in the State of Ga: - who was a pr: in the [blank] commanded by Captain [blank] of the Regt commanded by Col Caswell in the N. Car - line for 6 mo: 10 days.
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Inscribed on the Roll of Georgia at the rate of 21 - Dollars 10 - Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
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Certificate of Pension issued the 13 - day of [illegible]: 33. and Sent W.B. Ector Greenville - Ga
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Arrears to the 4th of Sept 1833    52.75
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Mar: 34  10.55
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$63.30
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{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832. }

Recorded by Nath: Rice - Clerk,
Book E    Vol. 6     Page 97.




Paid at the Treasury under the Act the 6th April 1838. from 4 Sept 1837 to 4 March 1838, Agt [Agent] notified 20 Decr. 1838.
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Paid as above from 4 Sept 1838 to 4 Sep 1839. - Agent Notified 30. June 1840
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State of Georgia
Meriwether County   [seal]
On this second day of September 1833, personally appeared in open Court before the Inferior Court, now sitting Britain Meeks, a resident of said County & State; aged sixty nine years & upwards 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 dated June 7th 1832:
1st That, he was born on the eighteenth day of November in the year 1713 in Pitt County state of North Carolina, has a record of his age in an original entry in an old Bible now in his possession, was raised & lived there until grown, after marriage then & after the Revolution removed to Anson county same State where he resided upwards of twenty years removed from there in 1816 to Jones county State of Georgia where he resided one year removed then into Baldwin County same State, removed then to Gwinett County same State in 1825 where he resided until February 1831 when he removed to this county, his present neighbors are John Rush, Bennett Laurence & Marcus Caldwell, his present residence Meriwether County, Georgia.
1st Service.--He entered service whilst he resided in Pitt County North Carolina as a volunteer private soldier in Infantry of Militia under State authority when a draft
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was ordered & five out of six of his class were required, he was then in his seventeenth year of age, he rendezvoused at Geeneville the Court House of Pitt County N.C. his captain was Austin Spain, Lieutenant forgotten, major forgotten colonel also his General was Caswell his christian name Richard he thinks, marched them to Kingston on Neuse river Dobbs county, marched thence to the Town of Cross Creek, marched thence to Cheraw Hills South Carolina shortly after the British had been in possession of it & injured it, marched thence through the country by Ramsays Mills where remained not less than two days & left in the night for Camden S.C. in concert with the Army under General Gates, near & with whom we were marching, our Corps were the advance, & in the night met the British advance but half way between Ramsays Mills & Camden who apparently had the same intent of surprize [sic] that we had, he had entered this service fifth May 1780 & this battle took place 16th August 1780, the picket guards had some skirmish fighting that night, & in the morning the general battle took place between Gates & the British troops, he never was in Camden but was said to be six miles, or rather than the battle was about half way between it & Ramsays Mils which were twelve miles apart, on the attack the militia in a panick [sic] & our corps with them retreated, our officers tried to rally & called out several times to form but such was the confusion, & the spirit of escaping at the time the rush of the British, that there was no general present in the rally, & I being young, & seeing officers
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3.
& all flying join in the retreat also & we were set on [ileg] again until reaching Kingston Dobbs County N.C. where we had been stationed before;--& where we remained not less than three weeks, marched thence through the county, State of North Carolina, to near Salisbury & about on Crab Tree creek, where he was discharged by General Caswell, by written discharge, which he has lost "many, many years ago" in the month of November 1780 he can not particularize the day of the month but it was later than the fifth day on which day six month's service was complete.  All this time he served as a private, & he thinks his colonel was Caswell also, a son of the General but he is not sure.  During the above service, marches & stations, his corps was generally reconnoitering & protecting the country against the Tories, supporting the inhabitants, & as being prepared to repel further inroads of the British, [illeg.] & remained little time at any point.--
2nd Service.--He served ten days as a Volunteer private in Infantry State militia, North Carolina, under a call of public emergency, his captain was Moye, sometime in the Summer of the year 1788, rendezvoused at Greeneville Pitt County North Carolina in which county he resided, scouted through Pitt & Dobbs counties under an apprehension & report that a party of British would attempt to retake some British prisoners which we had in custody & to observe the state of country lying between Greenville & Kingston.--From that service was discharged at Little Contentny [Contenea] creek in
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Pitt County, received no written discharge, was discharged by Capt. Moye-- He cannot recollect the month or day of entrance of the service.--
Summary of service.--
1st Service 6 months
2nd ditto 10 days
6 mos & 10 dys. in all

During these services he was engaged both times with an embodied Corps of Troops & was called into service by State authority, that in all said service of six months & ten days he was in the field or in garrison nor during that time engaged in any civil pursuit.  And he further swears & states that by reason of old age & consequent loss of memory he cannot swear more positively than he has done as above , but to the best of his knowledge & recollection he did not serve less than said periods & in said grades to wit For six months & ten and ten days I served as a Private Infantry volunteer militia for which Service I claim a pension.--
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except for the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any State.  And that he knows of no person by whom to prove his services as here set forth & that he had no original documentary evidence to present in proof or corroboration of the same, all Revolutionary vouchers which he ever had being long since lost or destroyed.
Sworn to in open Court, & subscribed, now sitting, the day & year aforesaid  W. B. Ector JIC.  Britain Meeks
his mark
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We, Allen Dykes, Clergyman, & John Rush both residing in the County of Meriwether State of Georgia hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Britain Meeks who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be sixty nine years & upwards 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.--
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
W.B. Ector J.I.C.     Allen Dykes
                            Clergyman
                              John Rush

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter & after putting the Interrogatories presented by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier & served as he states.-- And the Court further certifies that it appears to them that Allen Dykes, Clergyman, & John Rush--who have signed the preceding certificate are residents of this county & are persons as they represent, are credit persons & their statement entitled to all due credit.--
W. B. Ector J.I.C.
Georgia,
Meriwether County.
I Edward W. Hussey, Clerk
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of the Inferior or County Court in & for said County do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Britain Meeks for a Pension.--
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this second day of September 1833.
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16.478
INVALID.
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File No. 16.478
Britain Meeks
Pri Rev War
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Act: June 7" 32
Index:-  Vol. D,    Page 255

[intentional brackets as printed]
[Arrangement of 1870.]
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27.674
Britain Meeks



Admit as a private 
[illegible]
$21..10



WB Ector
Greenville
Ga
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TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
Second Comptroller's Office,
June 24th, 1840.

Sir:

Under the act of the 6th of April, 1838, entitled "An act directing the transfer of money remaining unclaimed by certain Pensioners, and authorizing the payment of the same at the Treasury of the United States," Britain Meeks, ---- a Pensioner on the Roll of the Georgia Agency, at the rate of Twenty one Dollars and ten Cents per annum, under the law of the7" June 1832, has been paid at this Department, from the 4th of Sept. 1838, to the 4th Sept. 1839.

Respectfully yours,
S/Albion K. Parris 
Comptroller.


To the Commissioner of Pensions,
Present.
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Treasury Department, 
Second Comptroller's Office,
December 11th, 1838.

Sir:

Under the act of the 6th of April, 1838, entitled "An act directing the transfer of money remaining unclaimed by certain Pensioners, and authorizing the payment of the same at the Treasury of the United States," Britain Meeks, ---- a Pensioner on the Roll of the Savannah, Geo: Agency, at the rate of Twenty one Dollars and ten ----Cents per annum, under the law of the 7th June, 1832, has been paid at this Department, from the 4th -- of Sept. 1857 - to the 4th March, 1838.

Respectfully, yours,
S/Albion K. Parris
Comptroller.


To the Commissioner of Pensions,
Present.