Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 4401, Edward Gwin, N.C.
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(3-1776)

SERVICE
N.C.

Gwin, Edward
Rachel

NUMBER
R. 4401

CONTENTS
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Edward Gwinn
wid
Rachel Gwinn
[illegible]

Pension Claim

4401

rejected
See letter 10 Nov to W.B. Lewis Esqr. 2d Auditor
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State of Tennessee
Davidson County}ss

This day personally appear’d before the Court of pleas and quarter Sessions for the State & County aforesaid in open Court Hugh Telford of the County of Wilson, state aforesaid, aged sixty eight years, and makes that he was personally acquainted with Edward Gwin, late of the County of Carroll, state aforesaid, who is said to have departed life October 10th 1831. Deponent became acquainted with the deceased in the County of Orange North Carolina, when deponent was a young lad, the said decedant bing a man grown, and knew him to his death. Deponent well remembers that before he himself had any hand in the troubles of the day, the decedant was reputed to be, as he has no doubt he was, one of the first militia Captains that embarked in the war of the American Revolution in the Country: In the month of June 1780, this deponent being sixteen years, & one day old, and the 5th day of that month, he volunteered under the decedant as his Captain, and was in actual service under said decedant about seven months, in detatched periods- the descendants operation with his command, was most generally under the order’s of Gen’l Butler, Col’l Taylor; & Major O’Neal. he was at times under Gen’l Greene, & sometimes Col’l Washington. The decedant was one of the most brave, daring, & enterprising officers in the South and distinguished in the whole Country. he was the terror of the tories in the whole country. From deponents own Knowledge, and from the information of others, and the common report at that day, he has no doubt, that the decedant Edward Gwin was a Captain in the American army in the South, from the first to the last of the war there, and that no man served his country with more persevering zeal, usefulness, & fidelity

Hugh Telford

Sworn to and subscribed in open court October 16th 1832 Henry Ewing clerk
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And in the Court aforesaid, came James Gwin, a resident of said County of Davidson; for the last twenty seven years, a regular minister of the methodist church; aged sexty three years, who being sworn, makes oath that he is the brother of Edward Gwin dec’d, the individual referred to in the foregoing statement of Hugh Telford- said Edward departed life in the County of Carroll state of Tennessee, on the 10th October 1831, leaving a widow, (Rachel Gwin) & three children- at his death, he was Eighty four years old, of a powerful constitution, firm, & active to the last: Deponent states, that to his knowledge, the deceased was Captain in the army, during the whole of the war of the Revolution in North Carolina- he was in many battles, and engagements- At the battle of Guilford: one of his men is said to have shot the first British officer that fell- In justice to the character of a brother, I may be permitted to say, that he distinguished himself as an officer and as a brave & enterprising soldier during the whole war and descended to his grave full of years, and universally respected as a good man, & a christian, by all who knew him

James Gwin

Sworn to and subscribed in open court October 16th 1832 Henry Ewing clerk

And in the court aforesaid came Enoch P. Connell one of the justices of said court, and Ephraim H. Foster, who made oath that they have been long & intimately acquainted with the above named Hugh Telford & James Gwin- they further state, that they are both of them men of great respectability & undoubted truth & integrity

Ephraim H. Foster
E.P. Connell

Sworn to and subscribed in open court October 16th 1832 Henry Ewing clerk
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State of Tennessee}
Davidson County}s.s.

Cour of pleas and Quarter Sessions for said County October Term 1832
The said court after having the foregoing statements and the examination of said several Deponents on oath do hereby declare their opinion that Edward Gwin within named was a Captain in the revolutionary army and served as is represented in said Statements and is now dead and has left a widow Rachel Gwin and three children. [illegible] court further certify that they are personally acquainted with Hugh Telford, James Gwin, and Ephraim H. Foster (E.P. Connell being one of their own [illegible]) who have made said statements and they are all persons of good character in whose statements the most implicit faith and confidence may and ought to be placed

Signed in open court in Nashville October 16th 1832
E.P. Connell
Will: Williams
J. Wharton

State of Tennessee Davidson County Ss.
I Henry Ewing clerk of the court of pleas and quarter Sessions for said county do hereby certify to whom it may concern that the foregoing contain the original proceedings in the matter of the application of Rachel Gwin for a pension

In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of said court to be also affixed at office in Nashville on this seventeenth day of October A.D. 1832 Henry Ewing
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November 5th 1832
Pension Office}

Major Wm B. Lewis
Washington City
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Major Wm B. Lewis
Washington,

Nashville Oct. 24th 1832

My Dear Sir
Availing myself of your king promise when here, I inclose this you, to the proper Department of the Government, the pension statements of Moses Brown, James Brown, Jno. Anderson, Jos Vick, of the representatives of Edwin Gwin, & of William Jackson:
With Moses Brown & Jos Vick, I have been intimately acquainted for more than twenty five years, they were, most of the time, near neighbors of my father, and have ever been considered, honest, worthy, & truthful men. I have also known Jno Anderson for many years: he is a man of great consideration among his neighborhood, and in my opinion as correct an old gentleman as lives: With James Brown, and Wm Jackson, I have but a slight acquaintance, and can only refer to the evidence accompanying their statements: Jackson says he lives in the neighborhood of the Hermitage, & is personally known to the President: If this be the fact, & the Gen’l. Can commend him, it will do him great service: At the instance of Mrs. Gwin’s father (old Mr. Perry of Manscer’s Creek) I send the statement, relative the services of Edwin Gwin:
I need hardly say to you, how much I shall be gratified, at the success of, these people, in their applications: I believe I shall be as much pleased to hand over to them, the evidence of their countrys gratitude, so long with-held, as they will be to receive it: In these, & all declarations heretofore transmitted thro Col. Bell, I have, gratuitously devoted much time, of which you know, I have none to spare:
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My reward will be complete, if they can succeed
Pray write soon, and believe me
Yours truly,
Ephraim H. Foster

Old Mr White, who you saw in my office, was suddenly taken ill, before his papers could be finished. he is very sick, and may never recover: My father intends going to his [illegible] and taking his declaration there, when it will be immediately transmitted
[illegible]
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Rev. War Section

MMHF
Dictated by Miss Wilson

August 28, 1923

[in pencil: Edward Gwin R. 4401]

Ruth Simpson 
Edna, Box 373
Texas.

Madam:
I have to advise you that in the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim R. 4401 it is alleged that that Edward Gwin enlisted in Orange County, North Carolina and served from the beginning to the end of Revolution as a Captain in the North Carolina Militia, generally under Major O’Neal and Colonel Taylor, sometimes under Colonel Washington, and that he was engaged in the battle of Guilford.
He died in Carroll County, Tennessee October 10, 1831 aged eighty-four years, leaving a widow Rachel, of Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee in 1832, and three children whose names are not stated. Date of marriage and maiden name of widow are not on record.
Pension was applied for on October 16, 1832 in
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behalf of his widow Rachel, but the claim was not allowed as the soldier died before the passage of the Act of June 1832 which entitled Revolutionary soldiers of the Militia to pension and said Act did not extend to the heirs of soldiers who died prior to its passage.
Respectfully

Commissioner.

[in pencil: The letter to Maj. W.B. Lewis with reference to Mrs. Gwin’s father, was added to this claim July 15- 1924 and said data are not included in this letter to Ruth Simpson-
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR SECTION
JUL 16 1923
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Box 373
Edna, Texas
July 12, 1923

Bureau of Pensions
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:
Will you please give me any information you may have of the military history or family connection of my ancestor, Edward Gwin, who served in the War of Revolution as captain of a North Carolina company under Colonel William O’Neal.
Gwin is thought to have resided in Western North Carolina, probably Guilford County.
Thanking you for your pains in this matter, I am,
Very sincerely yours,
(Miss) Ruth Simpson
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War Department
Pension Office
Nov 10, 1832

Sir,
The documents received from you in the cases of the widow of Edward Gwin, dec’d, James Brown, Joseph Vick, John Anderson, Moses Brown and William Jackson have been examined.
It appears from the papers in the case of Edward Gwin, that he died on the 10th of October 1831, The act of the 7 June 1832, makes no allowance in any case where the death of the person on account of whose services the arrears of pension is claimed took place prior to the passage of that act, The widow of Mr. Gwin is not therefore entitled to any gratuity on account of the services of her husband, The papers in this case will remain on the files of this office
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The claims of Joseph Vick, William Jackson, John Anderson, Moses Brown and James Brown have been admitted and I enclose herewith certificates of pension for them.

Col

W.B. Lewis Esq
2d Auditor

WB Lewis Esqr
Nov 10th 1832
[illegible]

Recorded Vol 8.
Page 35
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1923- Aug. 28- Hist: to Miss Ruth Simpson. [illegible]

REJECTED
4401.
P.O. Rachel Gwinn
Service: Edward

Enlisted: [blank], 18
Discharged: [blank], 18

Application filed: [blank], 18

Alleges: The printed list of 1852 gives cause of rejection of claim of Rachel Gwinn of Nashville, Davidson Co. Tenn. as “Died before passage of the Act.”

Attorney: [blank]
P.O. [blank]

Recognized. [blank] Cont
Cert. of Dis. Searched for [blank], 18