Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 931, Abel Blankenship, Va.
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(3-1776) Number
Va. [Virginia]
Blankenship Abel R.931
Fanny
Contents [bank]
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6439
Fanny Blankenship of Abel Kentucky
on roll page 19 - L41:6
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State of Kentucky Russell County ss.
On this the 25th day of March 1839 personally appeared before me John Vaughan a Justice of the peace for the county of Russell and state aforesaid Fanny Blankenship a resident of Russell County and sate of Kentucky aged seventy nine 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 pension made by the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 intitled An act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows. That she is the widow of Abell Blankenship who was a soldier and served in the revolution under Colonel George Rogers Clark under an enlistment for two years which term of service he fully performed. She further declares she was married to the said Abell Blankenship in the fall of the year of seventeen hundred and eighty two (1782) that her husband aforesaid Abell Blankenship died in the month of June eighteen hundred and twenty. That she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service but her marriage took place previous to the first of January seventeen hundred and ninety four viz at the time above stated. She knows of no record of her marriage nor of the age of her children.
Fanny Blankenship - by her mark
State of Kentucky Russell County set
The above declaration was this day subscribed and sworn to before me John Vaughan a Justice of the peace by the above named Fanny Blankenship and I certify that she is a woman of good moral character and a person of truth and veracity and in consequence of old age and bodily infirmity she is unable to attend court.
Given under my hand this 25th day of March 1839
John Vaughan JPRC
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Abel Blankenship Act of [strikeout "1832"] 38
A.H. Markland
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State of Kentucky
County of Russell
Be it Known, That on this 10th day of January A. D. 1853, before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid, personally appeared Nancy Pierce resident of Jamestown in said County and made oath according to law that she is the legal heir of the identical man who was a soldier in the war of the revolution and who has heretofore made application for the Pension Act of [blank] that she is directly interested as a claimant in said pension and makes this affidavit to be filed with such additional evidence or arguments as my Agent may use in prosecuting said claim.
Countermanding and revoking all Powers of Attorney, and authority heretofore given, I hereby constitute and appoint SAMUEL M. KNIGHT, of Washington City, my true and lawful attorney to prosecute the claim of Abel Blankenship for any amount of Revolutionary Pension, or increase of Pension that may be due; and I hereby authorize my said Attorney to examine all papers or documents in relation to said claim on file in the Department at Washington City, or elsewhere, to file additional evidence or arguments, and to receive for my exclusive benefit, the certificate which may be issued for said claim, which certificate I wish made payable at the Washington City, D. C. Agency; 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.
Nancy Pierce her mark
Sworn to Subscribed and acknowledged before me the day and year above written and I hereby certify that I believe the said Nancy Pierce to be directly interested in said claim as set forth, and to be the identical party therein alleged.
Thomas H Lucas JPRC
State of Kentucky
County of Russell
It is Hereby Certified that satisfactory evidence has been exhibited before me, Clerk of the Court of said County that Nancy Peirce [Pierce]
the party who has sworn to, and acknowledged the foregoing declaration and Power of attorney is the child of the reputed soldier aforesaid.  I further certify that Thomas H. Lucas Esq. before whom the preceding affidavit and Power of Attorney were made and acknowledged, was, at the time of so doing a Justice of the Peace, in and for said County, and that the signature purporting to be his, I believe to be genuine.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal of Office,
this Fourteenth day of January 1883
1_2
Will S. Patterson
1. Claimant's name or names in full. -2. Post Office address.
3. "That he is the identical man", or that she is the widow of the identical man", or "that he or she is the legal heir of the identical man," &c., &c.
4. Leave this line blank. -- 5, "He is," "she is," or "they are." -- 6 Revolutionary soldier's full name. 7. Claimant's signature. 8. Claimant's name. 9. Magistrate's signature.
10. "Identical," "widow of," or, "child of." -- 11. Magistrate's name -- 12. Clerk's signature.
N. B. -- Should two or more heirs join in the foregoing, the plural should be substituted for the singular number.
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Ex'r. Invalid
No. 937
[strike out "Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1878."]
Fanny Blankenship
P.O. [blank]
Service: [blank]
Enlisted: [blank], 18
Discharged: [blank], 18
Application filed: [blank], 18
Alleges: [blank]
Re-enlisted: [blank]
Attorney: [blank]
P.O. [blank]
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6439
Fanny Blankenship of Abel 
Kentucky
Suspended
[illegible] 23 March 1848
Chr Chinn
A. H. Markland Mch 2/54
931
Act of July 1838
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Harrodsburg (Kenty) [Kentucky] 2 December 1839
Sir,
I herewith forward you Mrs. Fanny Blankenships papers for a pension. Also the papers of Mrs. Elizabeth Smith for the same purpose. Both of which I should be pleased to hear from when convenient.
Your Obt Servt [obedient servant]
Chr Cherry
Col. [Colonel] J. L. Edwards
Commissioner of pensions
Washington City
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Harrodsburg (Ky) [Kentucky] 22nd January 1840
Sir,
On the 2nd of December last I enclosed to you from this office the papers of Mrs. Fanny Blankenship widow of Abell Blankenship Dec'd [deceased]. Also at the same time the papers of Mrs. Elizabeth Smith widow of William Smith Dec'd [deceased] for their pensions I now forward the certificate of the Clerk of Halifax County Va [Virginia] in both cases to be filed with their other papers.
Yours Respectfully
Chr Cherry
Col. [Colonel] J. L.. Edwards
Commissioner of pensions
Washington City
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Fanny Blankenship 
Ky [Kentucky] 1838 Susp'd [suspended]
A H Markland
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Washington Feb [February] 22 1854
Hon. S. P. Waldo
I herewith additional evidence i the case of Fanny Blankenship of Ky [Kentucky] suspend under 1838. I respectfully request that the case be re-examined and report made to me. My power of atty [attorney]  will be found on file with the papers.
I am very respectfully your obt servt [obedient servant]
A. H. Markland
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State of Virginia Halifax County to wit
I William Holt clerk of the county court for the county of Halifax aforesaid certify that I have made diligent search for the record of a marriage of Abel Blankenship and Fanny Worsham from the year 1781 to 1794 and that no such record (nor any other evidence of the said marriage can be found in my office. I further certify that there is no record by marriages in my said office of an earlier date than that first above mentioned, 1781.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said county this 1st day of January 1840
Wm Holt Esq.
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State of Kentucky
Russel County SA
On this 2d day of July AD 1853 personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the Peace within and for the county of Russel and state of aforesaid Jesse Blankenship a resident of Russel County and state also aged 86 years and 6 months who being duly sworn according to law makes the following declaration to wit he was acquainted with Abell Blankenship now deceased from their youths say from small boys up to his death first in Chesterfield County afterwards in Bedford County Virginia [illegible] he enlisted in the United States Service as a soldier in the Army of the United States for the term of two years about the year as near as I can recollect in the fall of the year 1782 in company with my [illegible - brother?] Daniel Blankenship he does not recollect the Captain's name that commanded the company which he started in, he was present when they stared they lived [illegible] 3/4 of a mile of each other my brother died myself then living at our father's Hudson Blankenshiip. The said Abells father was by the
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name of Nail Blankenship a brother of my father they tho said Abell and my brother Daniel was gone about two years and six months I was still living with my father when they returned home again and had when they returned their discharges for their terms of enlistment and my best impression is that they served under 
Col or General Clark. I saw their discharges frequently my brother sold his to Cal Henderson of Bedford County Virginia. Abell did not sell his that I have any knowledge of after his return in the year 1786 he married Fanny Washham a daughter of Drury Washham who lived about 15 miles from my fathers. I was not present at the marriage he stayed all night with me at my fathers the night before his marriage and the night after his marriage and he settled in the neighborhood. My fathers in the same county of Bedford Virginia and lived there for about twenty years when he the said Abell and myself moved out to Kentucky and settled in Cumberland County on Cumberland [illegible] where is now live and and [illegible] has been stricken off in Russell county
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where he the said Abell lived untill his death which took place in the year 1830 he was killed by the fall of a [illegible] before which time he had made application for a pension but after his death there was no further attention paid to it I together with Nail Blankenship took out letters of administration on his estate which was very small, his wife Fanny Blankenship lived a widow near by [illegible] untill her death which was in the summer of 1844 They the said Abell and Fanny Blankenship did live together as man and wife and had a large family from the time of their marriage as above stated untill said Abells death and was so reputed and recognized by the community at large and the laws of the country they had eight children all of whom are dead except two Nancy Pierce and Fanny Blankenship he states that the reason of his recalling the facts above stated so particular are the following I married the sister of Fanny, Abell's wife about two years after him and we lived near neighbors up to Abells death and Fannys death from [illegible] as above stated secondly we
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we considered ourselves brothers in law and felt ourselves as such and was certain we was notwithstanding I was not present at the marriage of Abell, but the circumstances I testified no other conclusion and never heard any thing to the contrary there never was any family record of their marriage hardly the circumstance of my marriage to date of which is a date I never have forgotten and the circumstance of my brother Daniel going out with him in the war enlisting at the same time and having seen their discharges frequently that because of said discharge I do not know it was not among his papers when he died at least it could not be found whether it was filed with his declaration for a pension I do not [illegible].
Jesse Blankenship by his mark
Subscribed and sworn to before me the day and year first above written and I certify that the said Jesse Blankenship is a reputable and credible person and I further certify that I have no interest in the result of the case and am not
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concerned in its prosecution. interlineated before signed.
Marcellus Baugh JPRC
State of Kentucky
Russell County sct
I hereby certify that Marcellus Baugh Esq before whom the foregoing declaration was and who has thereunto subscribed his name was at the time of so doing a Justice of the Peace within and for the county aforesaid duly commissioned and sworn as such. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of my office as clerk of the Russell county court this 8th day of July 1853
Will S Patterson
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The deposition of Jesse Blankenship of Russell County Ky [Kentucky] taken at the residence of Nancy Pierce before me John Vaughan a Justice of the peace for the County of Russell and State of Kentucky to be used as evidence in favour of the application of Mrs. Fanny Blankenship for a pension under the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838. Deponent being seventy four years old deponent and saith that he is the cousin of Abell Blankenship deceased that he was well acquainted with the said Abell Blankenship and well recollects being at a muster in the county of Campbell in the state of Virginia in the fall of the year of seventeen hundred and eighty eight (1788) or seventeen hundred and eighty nine and there at said muster saw the said Abell Blankenship enlist as a soldier for the term of two years to serve in the regiment of Colonel George Rogers Clark but what Captain the said Abell enlisted and marched under the deponent cannot now recollect. But the deponent well recollects seeing the said Abell Blankenship start with the company that he enlisted in and in something more than two years thereafter the deponent saw the said Abell return from the army back to Campbell County Va [Virginia] and related to the deponent the services which he had performed stating that he was stationed a part of his time at the falls of Ohio now Louisville Ky [Kentucky] and during his whole service which was her full two years he served he was attached and belong to Col. G R Clarks regiment and deponent further saith a short time after the said Abell released from the army he the said Abell got married to a Miss Fanny Washam in the county of Halifax in the state of Virginia the marriage must have taken place in the year seventeen
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hundred and eighty one or seventeen hundred and eighty two Deponent further saith that the aforesaid Abell Blankenship died in the month of June in the year eighteen hundred and twenty and that the aforesaid Fanny Blankenship has remained a widow ever since that period.
Jesse Blankenship by his mark
State of Kentucky
Russell County sct
The above deposition of was this day subscribed and sworn to by Jesse Blankenship and [illegible before me John Vaughan a Justice of the peace for the county of Russell and state aforesaid and I certify he is a man of good moral character and a person of truth and veracity
Given under my hand this 25th day of March 1839
John Vaughan JPRC
State of Kentucky
Russell County sct
I William Peterson clerk of Russell County Court certify that John Vaughan whose name appears to the certificate of Jesse Blankenship deposition now is and was at the date of the said certificate a Justice of the peace for the county aforesaid an by law authorized to administer take oaths his certificate is in due form of law and full faith and credit is to be official acts as such and his signature is known to me to be genuine In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the sale of the office this 27th day of March 1839.
Will Patterson Clk