Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 7555, for William Smith, North Carolina
Page 1

[printed form, handwritten responses]
(3-1776)
SERVICE 	NUMBER
N.C. 	Smith, William 	S. 7555
carded
CONTENTS
born in Pa Dec. 1. 1^753
res. at Enl & up to 1833 in that part of Orange Co that became Guilford Co. NC.
Page 2

[printed form, handwritten responses]
5148
5148
North Carolina
William Smith
Guilford in the State of N.Car. who was a pri in the Compy command by Captain Forbes of the Regt commanded by Col. Gillas -  in the N. Car: line for 2 years from 1775-
Inscribed on the Roll of North Carolina at the rate of 80 - Dollars -- Cents per annum,
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 5th day of Feby: 1833 and sent [illegible] [illegible] House of Reps-
Arrears to 4th of Sept 1832 			120-
Semi=anl. allowance ending 4 Mar 33 	40-
Died June 17, 1833				160-
---
{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.}
Recorded by Nathan Rice - Clerk
Book D Vol. 8 Page 44-
Page 3

[handwritten letter]
North Carolina Guilford County}
Be it known that on this 12th day of January A.D. 1833 personally appeared before me Marshel
McLean an acting Justice in and for the County of Guilford William Smith resident in the County and State aforesaid aged seventy nine years, who being first sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit  of the act of Congress passed June the 7 AD 1832 that he served under the following named officers and as is herein after stated to wit, That he was born in Pennsylvania but knows not in what County on the 1st day of
December AD 1853 as always stated to him by his father who had it written in his family Bible
which he once copied into his own family Bible- that his father moved when he was about three years of age to North Carolina upper part of Orange County now Guilford County when
Page 4

[handwritten letter]
has lived ever since - that from the commencement of the revolutionary war the citizens of his section of North Carolina were divided into two parties the whig and the Tory that he
joined The Whigs the friends of freedom, liberty and Independence and served this county from 75 to 1781 sometimes at home a few days and again out on service sometimes days some times weeks and sometimes months at a time but from the dangers to which his party was constarly & [illegible] from the circumstance of his joining at an early period of the war, many of his neighbors who formed themselves into a company called [illegible] he stood constantly on the defensive both when out service under the immediate command of hisofficers, and when at
home - that from old age and any great failure of his memory he is unable to give any correct history of his services so as to point out all the tours he made when they were made or the time he spent in performing each-
Page 5

[handwritten letter]
that in or about the summer of 1775 it was rumoured in his neighbourhood that the Tories
had arisen down in the County of Orange and had committed depredations on whigs when
the people of the Alliance (his own) neighbourhood met together to consult what it would
be best for them to do-- that it was resolved by the meeting to send some two to ascertain whether this report was true; and that he and one Jesse Macombs volunteered and went and found that the Tories were in arms and had wounded in a skirmish one Wm Dent Esqr a whig
that they returned immediately and brought to their friend this inteligence when they formed themselves into a company and marched with this company commanded by [illegible] Wiley
Capt. Horbis Col Paisley and Col Gillaspee and brought away said Dent who was severely
wounded and placed him under the care of Dr Agnew, and returned
Page 6

[handwritten letter]
after to the Tories, took some prisoners and dispersed the balance, that he marched with
Capt Forbes guarding the prisoners to Martinsville Guilford Old Court house when they were dismissed on a promise be peaceble citizens in future that he cannot tell the length of this trip
that after this he was out [illegible] after tories down into Randolph County after the
Tories and that from home in variousother sections which he cannot now recollect and continued thus to serve until about 77 when he was marched down to Fayetteville after the Scotch Tories  and continued some weeks scouring the rafts swamps, took many prisoners
and lodged them in jail at Cross Creek now Fayetteville- that in this tour he was commanded by Capt Forbis & Col Paisley that he cannot recollect the time he spent in this tour but must
have been gone towards two months
Page 7

[handwritten letter]
that from this time untill the summer 1780 he continued to serve under Capt Forbes and Col Paisley in various short trip down into Randolph County and down into Scotch Country after the Tories who were often headed by one Col Fanning, who always escaped as altho his company
were after successful in catching some of his men- that a description or history of these tours he cannot safely or satifactorally give but conserved in them all many months that he recollects a tour of some month which he made in the summer and fall of 1780 towards South carolina after the Brittish, commanded his aforesaid Capt Forbis & Col. Paisley- that there were other companies marched from his own county other than the one in which he served
Page 8

[handwritten letter]
and recollects of one commanded by Capt McAdoo that he joined other troops from other sections of North Carolina at Salisbury N.C. that he marched thence further south and encamped at a place called New Providence not for from a creek called waxaw that a Tories
were taken prisoners by a party sent out, but that he was not sent. That the troops at New Providence were commanded by Col Paisley, C. Armstrong Genl Davidson and Genl Rutherford
and other whose names he has now forgotten - that the Americans were forced on account of the approach of a superior force of British to retreat north-- thatafter they had marched to
Charlolle these took place a slight skim between the American and British Cavely-
Page 9

[handwritten letter]
that when this retreat commenced his Capt (Forbes) continued his march home where he arrived late in fall-- that he again marched under his Capt Forbis & Col Paisley and joined Gen Green on his march north before the British and marched with him on Dana River to Halifax Verginia, when he with his Capt was permitted to return home to oppose the ravages of the Tories and British in his own neighbourhood and to be some means to secure his property in which he was engaged when the Armies met and fought at Martinsville - that his Capt had joined the troops again before the battle of Guilford and was mortally wounded in said battle
that his company was after this battle again collected commanded
and marched under Capt Robt
Page 10

[handwritten letter]
Paisley after the Brittish on their retreat march South and continued this pursuit until
they arrived at Ramseismill when he was again marched home- that he continued
to serve as above stated after the tour until the close of the revolutionary war that
has always been a labouring man and from old age and decrepitatude is confind
much to his bed and makes this declaration from his bed- that he could not be taken to the court of his county constant great pain and fatigue that there are few men of his age who have
more failed in memory that there were six years from 75. to, 81 he was out on service near half his time and feels that he can state with safety that he done service in all ^not by [illegible] but the least two years - that he is known to Rev. Wm Paisley Capt Marshall Lean and in fact to all his neighbors
Page 11

[handwritten letter]
who can and are willing to testify to his character and their belief as to his revolutionary services and likewise to John Finley who can from his personal knowledge testify to his said service, that he has no documentary evidence of his services- that he was not in any regular fought battle except a skirmish at Blair will, that he was alway a volunteer
He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension except the present & declares that his name is not on the Pension roll of the agency of any state
Sworn to and subscibed the day
and year above written
Marshall [illegible] Mlean J P [hand drawn seal]
William Smith The Wm Parsley a clergyman, residing
in Guilford County and Marshall McLean
sen residing in the same hereby certify
Page 12

[handwritten letter]
that we are well acquainted with Smith, who has subscribed and Sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be 79 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 day and year above written
Marshall [illegible] McLean [illegible] J.P  	William Paisley
						Marshall McLean same
And I Marshall McLean [illegible] further certify that have always lived since my birth a close neighbour to Wm Smith mentioned above that I was not large enough to be a soldier
in the Revolutionary war but distinctly recollect of his being often out on service during the revolution
Page 13

[handwritten letter]
and do believe that he served as he has stated
Sworn and subscribed the date above written
Marshall [illegible] McLean jr J.P.	Marshall McLean sin
I John Finley hereby certify, that I served in the revolutionary war with Wm Smith named in the above declaration that I was after out with him after the Tories down towards and at Fayetteville and many other places - with him in a trip to the south beyond Charlotte and marched with him north over Dan river-- and heard his declaration read and do believe from personal knowled
that he has stated the truth
Subsribed & sworn to the date above written
Marshall McLean jr J.P.
John Foley
Page 14

[handwritten letter]
And I Marshall McLean Justice as aforesaid do hereby declare my opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the war department that the above named applicant was a soldier of the revolution and served as he he states. And I further certify that Wm Paisley who has signed the preceding certificate is a Presbytenan Clergey and resident in Guilford County, and that John Finley and Marshal McLean[illegible] who has also signed certificate ^following are resident in said county all credible persons and that the
statement is entitled to credit
Marshall McLean jr J.P. [hand drawn seal]
Page 15

[printed form, handwritten responses]
7555
[vertical on page] RevWar
INVALID
ile No. 7555
William Smith	Pri  Rev War
Act: June 7th 32
dex: -- Vol. [illegible] Page 347
[Arrangement of 1870.]
Page 16

[handwritten]
WiIlliam Smith
from 1775 private 2 years $80 Mr. Smith [illegible]
Declaration filed
by A. W. Shepherd
31. Jan. 1837
Hon A. H. Shepperd
Page 17

[handwritten]
from 1775 private 2 years
$80.
Hon A. H. Sheppard
Page 18

[handwritten letter]
State of North Carolina Guilford County}
Be it known that on this 19th day of January A.D. 1833 personally appeared before me an acting Justice in and for the County of Guilford John Finley whose name is attached to a preceeding certificate who being duly sworn according to law doth on his
Oath make the following affidavit to wit, that since giving the certificate before mentioned
he has been requested to explain more fully how he became acquainted with the services of Wm Smith named in the preceding declaration- that he was well acquanted with William Smith during the revolutionary war and did service with him from the commencement thereof to its termination that the citizens of this section of North Carolina were from the commencement of the war divided into two parties, the whigs and the Tory - that said Smith belonged to the whig party and always stood ready and took any magnanimous and active part
in defending his friends and the friends
Page 19

[handwritten letter]
of freedom and independence from the aggressors of the common enemy and those who took
part with them-- that his services were rendered in the manner which he states in in his declaration - that at the first of the war the whigs (among whom was Smith) were compelled to resist the depre dation of the Tories, they assembled and went out into service as necessity seemed to [illegible] when their aggressions seemed rather to increase than diminish, it was resolved by many of the Whigs to form themselves into a company called minut men to
be ready at any and all times to march in a moments warning, so that there operation against the Tories might be united and more efficient- that said Smith and himself both belonged to this company- that the regulation was that this company was to march at all times when there was
necessity under whatever captain the Col (mostly Col Paisley) Should assign to
Page 20

[handwritten letter]
command it- that those who composed this company were considered, called & looked upon as soldiers of the Revolution from the time the company was formed until the end of the war - that owing to his memory having greatly failed he is now unable to state the precise time when
this company was formed but knows that it was formed shortly after a tourwhich those who formed afterwords the Company, made after the Scotch Tories  down about Cross Creek now Fayetteville in making which trip said Smith was in Company - that this time was in, 76 or77-
that this company was liften very often down the country after the Tories, sometimes down
among the High Hills of Randolph County called the Caraway mountains down among the Raft Swamp down on deep Creek - up the Country on the Fadkin River and after in the immediate neighbourhood- that this Company would be out sometimes days, sometimes
Page 21

[handwritten letter]
weeks few and then many and the time which they spent at home, they were compelled often to go armed when in field engaged at work- that this company was commanded much and
very often by Capt Arthur Forbis who was mortally wounded in the Guilford battle, sometimes by Capt Robert Paisley Capt Gillaspie and Capt Whitesel, and about always under the command of C. John Paisley. that the tour mentioned to have been made down the country were
made mostly to disperse companies of Tories to collected by one Col Fanning that many of Fanning's men were taken prisoners. Others killed and the balance mostly as much dispersed as practicable, that said Smith was a with him in these tours-- that he was also with him (Smith) on the hour which he mention he made to the south, into the County of Mecklenburg, new-
Page 22

[handwritten letter]
Providence and on the confines of South Carolina in the latter part of 1780 - that after he returned home he again set out joined Genl Green's Army on its march north, and marched with him to Halifax old Court House Va, but that he had to return home with his Captain to quell an insurrection of the Tories– that Smith was along with him that said Smith has for many years been a member and Elder in the Presbyterian Church, that he has ever been an exemplary and
consistent Christian and that he never heard his piety as veracity disputed or questioned - that this affiant has recently been called on the Pension list under the act of Congress of 7th June last that he cannot state the precise time that said Smith served as aforesaid but thinks that he must have served at the least and not less than two years - that it has alway been reported among his neighbors
Page 23

[handwritten letter]
and generally believed that he (Smith) was a faithful soldier of the revolution and believes that [illegible] have ever been disposed to dispute it-- & that he served mostly if not always a private
Volunteer
Subscribed and sworn to the day
and year aforesaid John Finley
J.A. [illegible] JP

I Marshal McLean acting Justice for the County of Guilford and State of North Carolina hereby certify that I am well acquainted with John Finley and Capt Marshal McLean sen mentioned
above, that they are men of fair character-- that their statement is entitled to credit and that they are all and have had feasibly every opportunity to know what they have certified
Marshall McLean JP
Page 24

[handwritten letter]
I John A. Mebane an acting Justice of the Peace for the County of Guilford and State of North Carolina hereby certify that I am well acquainted with William with Capt Marshal McLean Esq John Findly and William Parsly that they are credible persons that these statement is entitled to full credit
This 25th day of January 1833
J. A. Urbane JP

I Alfred E. Hanner Clerk of the Court of pleas & quarter sessions for the County of Guilford
Do hereby certify that I am well acquainted with William Smith, Capt Marshall McClain jr John Findley, Revd William Paisley and John A [illegible] Esquire who have signed the foregoing affidavits an all person of good standing & persons of truth & credit whose statements are entitled to full credit and belief
Given under my hand this 25th of January 1833
A.E. Hanner C.C.C.
Page 25

[handwritten letter]
State of North Carolina
I Alfred E. Hanner. Clerk of the Court of pleas & quarters for the County of Guilford
Do hereby certify that Marshall McLean & John Urbane Equires whose signatures appear to the foregoing affidavits is and were both acting Justices of the peace in and for said County legally commissioned and qualified as such and that due faith and credit as has been given to all their acts as such
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my
hand and affixed the seal of said Court at
Office this 25th of January 1833
A.EHanner C.C.C