Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 8565, for John Rakestraw, Virginia
Page 1

Va
Rakestraw, John
Rhoda
R8565
Page 2

No
Rhoda Rakestraw
Window of John
---
Geo.
July 7, 1838,
N.G. [Smethero], Priest
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State of Georgia
Newton County
Personally came before me A M. Ramsey a Justice of
the peace in Newton County, who attended in person at
the house of the hereinafter named affixed, on this the first
day of September in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred & fifty three
Mrs Rhoda Rakestraw, in person, who having been injured by a fall
she recently received, and by reason of said injury, & her extreme
old age, is unable to appear in open court, being confined to
her house, and who being sworn according to law, deposeth &
says, that she is ninety one years of age, or there abouts, that she is the widow
of John Rakestraw deceased; that she never intermarried with any one
else, since the death of her said husband; that she & her said deceased
husband, her maiden name being Rhoda [Lain] were married by the
Nathaniel Jones Esqr at the house of Jesse Lain in the State of North Carolina
on the 30
day of July
in the year 1783 that she & her said deceased
husband lived together as man & wife in the bonds of wedlock, lawfully joined,
until on or about the 20th day of March in the year 1794
in the State of Georgia When her said deceased husband departed
from home, that while her said deceased husband was absent he died
as she was informed, and believes, that she never saw him after he
left his home as above stated; that her deceased husband served two
tours in the Revolutionary war as he stated, and as she believes, namly
on or about the year 1780 and 1781 one tour as a drafted Soldier
the other as a volunteer, and Ensign in Capt Robert Rakestraw's Company;
but cant say what Col. or General, commanded, but believes her deceased
husband served the full tour, served by the soldiers of those years as a
above stated, he often spoke in his life time of the trying years of the
Revolution. She believes her deceased husband was honorably discharged;
but that said discharges have all been lost or destroyed; that she never
applied to the United States for any pension which the laws may have
entitled her to, hitherto, because she was in easy circumstances, but that
now her circumstances are such as to induce her to ascertain whether
she may not be entitled under the laws of the United States to receive
a pension or bounty land or both, and if so, she desires to obtain such
allowance, that with a view to ascertain this fact and obtain such
pension or bounty land or both, she now appoints Wortherington G. Snething
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of Washington Dist, C. her attorney to prosecute to a conclusion this her claim
if any, hereby ratifying all that he may lawfully do in the premises; that
she makes this Declaration [original = Deccloration]. All the material averments of which she is
prepared to prove, so far as in her power to do so, for the purpose of obtaining
such pension and bounty land or both, as she may be entitled to as the
widow of the said John Rakestraw, under the laws of the United States
provided in virtue of his said services.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this the 1st, day of Sept.
1853
Alfred M. Ramsey J. P. Rhoda
her RR Rakestraw ["seal" in cloud]
Georgia
Newton County
Clerk's Office Inferior Court
I William D. Luckie Clerk of the
Inferior Court in & for said county
do hereby certify that Alfred M. Ramsey before whom
the above affidavit was made, was at the date of
the same a Justice of the Peace in & for said
County legally commissioned & qualified & authorized
to administer oaths & attest written instruments, & that the
above signature purporting to be his is genuine
Given under my hand & seal of Office
this 13th
day of September 1853
Wm D. Luckie C.I.C.
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Act July 7 1838
case of
Rhoda Rakestraw
//suspended for further
Evidence//
Proof herein of her marriage
to John Rakestraw decd
Submitted by
W.G. Suethen
atty of Rhoda
New York
25 Feby 57 [or 52]
[Certification illegible] .50
[Rain Ray illegible] 50
1.00
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Proof of marriage of
John Rakestraw deceased, & Rhoda
Rakestrow
County of Macon
State of Alabama
Personally appeared this 21st
day of January 1854 before me
B. F. Johnston an acting Justice of
the peace in and for said County and State.
Winnaford [?] Rogers, of said County and State, to
whose credibility, in and out of court. I hereby
certify that she is personally known to me to be
1
worthy of all credit, who being duly sworn
according to Law, doth depose and say, that
She Knew John Rakestraw deceased, and
Rhoda Lane, afterwards his wife,
that the said
Rhoda is her sister, that she was present at his
and her marriage, which took place at her
Fathers house in Wake County North Carolina
[illegible] Lanes ) the date of the year she does not
Recollect, but that the manage was shortly after the
close of the Revolutionary War, that she believes
the said John deceased & the said Rhoda, were
Lawfully united in the bonds of Wedlock, does
not recollect who married them, that she knows they lived together as husband & wife, that the
said John Rakestraw lift his home in Georgia
as she understood, and while absent he died,
that she can't say when or where he died,
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But has been informed that he died in
North Carolina, that his death took place
about the year 1821, that he is dead she
fully believes, that she knows the said
Rhoda Rakestraw, was never married after
the death of her said husband, and
she is now the widow of the said John
deceased, and that she further says
[Oct, illegible] 
W. Rong [illegible]
[Winnifred Lee ?] Rogers
[mark showing crossed out initial]
John W Jones
Sworn to and subscribed before me the day
and date first above written, and I do hereby
certify that I have no interest in this claim
B. F. Johnston J.P.
The State of Alabama
 J Lewis [Alman illegible]
Macon County 
[illegible] Judge of [illegible]
for said County do herby
Certify
that I Benjamin F. Johnston whose name
is signed to the foregoing affidavit is
and was on the 21st day of Jany [January]  1854
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an acting Justice of the Peace in and for
said County duly qualified and Commissioned
as said that his signature is
genuine
and that faith & credit is due
to his official acts.
Given under my hand and
seal of office this 30th day
of January 1854
Lewis Alexander
Judge of Probate
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[The following line is crossed out]

Act of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.

8,565
P.O. Rhoda Rakestraw
Service:
Enlisted: [stamped on angle REJECTED] , 18 .
Discharged: , 18 .
Application filed: , 18 .
Alleges: 
Re-enlisted:
Attorney:
P.O.

Recognized.  Contract
Cert. of Dis. Searched for , 18
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[Entire image is very dark]

No 15,039
Rhoda Rakestraw
and of John
Jeo
[illegible].W. J. Sarether [illegible]
Gotij/53
To Danne March 11/54
8565
July 7, 1888
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New York
21 of Sep '53
[illegible salutation]
Herewith please
find Mrs Rakestraw's application
for pension,
Law or Land, or both,
claimed to be due her
by virtue of her husbands
services in Revolutionary
War.
Respectfully
W.G. Snethen
[illegible]

Washington, DC
.
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New York
26 Feby '54
[illegible salutation could be Sir, Dr, Dear?]
Herewith please find declaration of Rhoda
Rakestraw of Newton County Georgia. ( case
suspended for further proof) duly executed,
as required by your office, and proof of her
marriage with her deceased husband John
Rakestraw. This is a case wherein the widow claims
the benefit of the act of July 7th 1838.
Craving your early attention hereto,
I am, [illegible but same as salutation]
your [illegible norm]
W.G. Snethen
Hon L. P. Waldo
Washington [possible]
Sec
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Halifax County in the State of Virgina, but when she cannot say - That she
was married to the said John Rakestraw on the 31st day of July in the year 1783.
By Nathaniel Jones Esqr. That her maden name was Rhoda Lane, and
that they lived together as husband & wife in the State of North Carolina
a few years, and then moved to the State of Georgia, when they lived
together as husband & wife, That the said John Rakestraw left home
on a trip to the western country, and on his way stopped in Edgcome
Dist, North Carolina, that he then died as he was informed and believed
in the year 1821 on or about the 25th of October, that she can't say
positively as the letter that conveyed the intelligence of his death has been
lost, but that he is dead, she is well convinced, and thinks his death
must have taken place as above stated, That she was not married
to him, prior to his leaving the service, but that the marriage took place
previous to the first of January 1794, namely, at the time above stated, that she
is now a widow, and was never married a second time after the
death of her said husband, and that she has never before the present
time made any application for a pension, that her husband, during
his life time, never was a pensioner of the United States, that she
is very weak and infirm by reason of old age & disease, and is
unable to appear in open Court to make this declaration, which she now makes in presence of the honorable Judge Manson Glafs [inserted] one of the Judges
of the Inferior Court of Newton County in the State of Georgia, a
Court of Record, as I am informed & believes that she submits
herewith, the accompanying proof of the date of her marriage with
her said deceased husband, his service & death, and further
said Rhoda does not say.
McKendree [illegible] Tucker
Rhoda RR [her] Rakestraw
Robert M. Rakestraw
Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year first above written, and I certify, that the
said Rhoda, Rakestraw could not attend in open Court to make this declaration because of bodily infirmity, and that I attend in person at her house to take said declaration.
Manson Glafs J.J.C
Georgia Newton County
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Declaration
of
Rhoda Rakestraw
to obtain benefit of the act of Congress of 7th July 1838
State of Georgia
County of Newton
To wit
on this 17th day of January in the year [page torn]
before me Marson Glafs and of the Judges of the Inferior
Court of the County of Newton aforesaid being a Court of Record, personally
appeared Rhoda Rakestraw who, by reason of bodily infirmity and
her extreme old age and debility could not appear before me in open
Court and at whose house I have, therefore, attended in person, and who is a
resident of the County aforesaid, and is 91 years of age, and who being
Sworn according to law, deposes and says, in order to obtain the benefit
of the act of Congress of 7th July 1838, entitled "an act granting half pay
and pensions to certain widows," says that she is 91 years of age, that she is
the widow of John Rakestraw, deceased, who was an Ensign in Captain
Robert Rakestraw's Company, Colonel Campbells Regiment, under command
of General Green, during portions of the years 1780 and 1781, that he served two
tours, one in 1780 as a drafted soldier & the other in 1781, as a volunteer, that in
one of these tours, he held the post of Ensign in his brothers Company, Capt
Robert Rakestraw's which tour she thinks was in 1781, that she remembers to have
heard him say that he was appointed [illegible] master, and that he was
at the battle of Gilford Court house, and also in the battle of Eutaw Springs,
in which battles he often spoke of the Extreme hardships, he endured, that she
does not remember when & where he was drafted & volunteered for the two
tours he served, nor how long he served in each tour, but knows that
he served out his full time, each tour, whatever it was, that she is not
sure as to the names of the General & Colonel under whom he served, other
than above given, she thinks is correct, that she is sure he served under
his Brother Captain Robert Rakestraw, That while her deceased husband
was in the service of his country, that she with her own hands spun
and wove the clothing, and maid clothing for the soldiers, that she cannot
say when & when he was discharged, as all his papers has long since
been destroyed, that she knows of no witness living by whom the
services of her deceased husband can be proved, than the one herewith
sent, that she has no documentary evidence of the facts she herein
swares to, that she remembers, he did enter one of his tours of service in
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Georgia
Newton County ⎬ Clerks Office Inferior Court
I William D Luckie Clerk of the Inferior
Court in & for said county do hereby certify that Manson Glafs before whom the affidavit hereto attached was
made of Mrs Rhoda Rakestraw as the widow of
John Rakestraw and was at the date thereof a
Justice of the Inferior Court for said County legally authorized to 
administer oaths, & that the signature purporting to
be his is genuine.
Given under my hand and seal
of Office this seventh day of
February 1854
Wm P. Luckie Clerk
[Seal illegible]
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Proof of the service
of
John Rakestraw deceased being a soldier in the Revolution
State of Georgia | To wit
Walton County   |
Before me William H[?]. Allen Justice of the Peace for said County, on this 18th day of January 1834
Milner Echols, who being sworn, deposeth and sayeth that
he was acquitted with John Rakestraw, That they were raised [illegible] in
sight of each other I lived in Hallifax & the said John in Pittsagalvania [?]
Countes of Virgina, that the said John Rakestraw he thinks was
some ten or twelve years older than himself, that he had an 
uncle, who serve with the said John Rakestraw in the Revolution
as his uncle stated to him, that it was the common report that the
said John, was a soldier, that he thinks he serviced about
the year 1780 or 1781. That he can't say positively as to dates, but thinks
it was about the time as above stated. That he did not see him in
the army, but believes he was a soldier, that he knows he the said John Rakestraw, did serve as prefs master for General
 Green, that he had a difficulty with one David Logan
because he prefsed his horse for the army, that the said
John Rakestrow Married one Rhoda Lane, That he did not see them
married, but knows, that they lived together as husband & wife in the
State of Virgina, that he moved the said John Rakestraw and 
Rhoda his wife to the State of Georgia in the year 1787, That he
knows they lived together in Georgia, as husband & wife, that
he has understood that the said John Rakestraw was dead,
That he believes he is dead, that he has understood that he
died in North Carolina, but can't say what date, but knows that
Rhoda Rakestraw was the wife of John Rakestraw decd,
and further said Milner Echols does not say
McKendre, Tucker
R C Patrick
Milner Echols
Sworn to & subscribed before me the day & date first above written and I do
hereby certify that I have no interest in
this claim whatever
William H[?] Allen, J.P.
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State of Georgia
Walton County
I W W Aonill [?]
Clerk of the
inferior Court of said County & State
Certify that M.[?] Allen whose name appears
to the within as Justice of the Peace is and
was at the time of the signing the same an
Acting
Justice of the Peace in and for
said County, duly authorized by Law
to administer oaths and take depositions and
Acknowledgement & that his signature
within is genuine
and that I have
no interest whatever in the claim
Swornn under my hand &
Seal of said Court this 19th
January 1854
W W Aonill [?] Clk
[Seal]