Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 38,375, for William Smothers, Virginia
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(3-1776)
Service |  | Number
Continental (Va.) | Smothers, William | S 38,375

CONTENTS
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19,431
Virginia
William Smothers

of Cumberland, in the State of Virginia,
who was a private in the company commanded
by Captain Southall of the regiment commanded
by Colonel Harrison in the Virginia
[ne], for the term of two years,
from 1781 to 1783.

Inscribed on the Roll of Virginia
at the rate of 8 Dollars per month, to commence on 
the 26th of July 1824.

Certificate of Pension issued the 4th of May 1825
and sent to James W [Laramie?] 
Gaitersville, VA

Arrears to the 4th of Sept 1825. $34..40
[typed over - illegible]
$34..40

Revolutionary claim,
Acts March 18, 1818
and May 1 1820

Handwritten at bottom:
See letter to agent [agent crossed out]
[Jas] [McLourine]
July 14 1825 &  1 March 1823
3 Aug: 1825, & 12 Oct 1826. Also to Pen
sion agent & J. [McLaurine] 16 Nov 1825
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Declarations 
of
William Smothers
(On roll)
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Original Claim

Declaration in order to be placed on the pension list, under
the Act of the 18th of March 1818.
Virginia, Cumberland County Court;

On this 26th day of July 1824, personally appeared in open Court (being a court of record) for the county aforesaid, William Smothers, resident in said county, aged sixty five years, who being first duly sworn, according to law doth on his oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the provision made by the acts of Congress of the 18th March 1818, and the 1st May 1820: that he, the said William Smothers, enlisted for the term of two years, on the     day of     in the year 1781, in the state of Virginia, in the company commanded by Cpt. Stuplian Southall, in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Charles Harrison, in the line of the state of Virginia on the Virginia Continental
establishment.  There he continued to serve in said Corps until the close of the war, when he was discharged from the service in Richmond, in the state of Virginia, that he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension, except the present; that his name is not on the roll of any state, except that of Virginia and that the following are his reasons for not making earlier application for a pension; to wit that he was illiterate himself and had no friend, who would urge his claim, and take the necessary steps towards obtaining it, that he twice engaged a lawyer to attend to it, each of whom after disappointing him for a long time, finally did nothing......And in pursuance of the Act of May 1st 1820 I do solemnly swear, that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818 and that I have not since that time, by gift, sale or in any manner whatever disposed of any
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manner whatever disposed of any property
or any Grant thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of Congress, entitled “An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War”, passed on the 18th of March 1818 and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me, any property, or securities, contracts or debts due to me.  Nor have I any income, other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed, and by me subscribed, so help me God. Schedule of property belonging to William Smothers towit: one cow, three shoats. two sows, one pine chest, one pot, one Dutch oven, one loom, six chairs, on pine table, six plates, six knives and forks, one dish, one flax wheel, one cotton wheel, one hauking reel, two axes, two hilling hoes, two plough hoes, one pair wedges, and four acres of land:  his occupation is that of a labourer, and his ability to pursue it, depends principally on his health, which is as good as that of most persons of his age, and that the only person of his family, is his wife, Nancy who is about fifty years of age, and can only attend to the affairs of the house. 
That since the 18th of March 1818, no changes have been made in his property, except of a very trivial nature.

his
Wm   X   Smothers
mark

Sworn to and declared on the 26th day of July 1824 in open court.
I Miller Woodson clerk of the County of Cumberland do hereby certify, that it appears to the satisfaction of the Court that the said William Smothers, did serve in the Revolutionary War as stated in the preceding declaration, against the common enemy, for the term of nine months, under one engaged on the continental establishment.  I also certify, that the foregoing
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oath, and the schedule thereto annexed, are truly copies from the records of the said Court, and I do further certify that it is the opinion of the said Court, that the total amount in value of the property exhibited in the aforesaid Schedule, is forty dollars.  In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the seal of the said Court, on this 26th day of April 1825.

Miller Woodson, CC
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February 9, 1937

H. O. Verney
1514 East 65th St.,
Chicago, Ill.

Sir:
   I have to advise you that from the papers in the Revo-lutionary War pension claim S. 38375 it appears that Wil-liam Smothers enlisted in Virginia in 1781 as a private in Captain Stephan Southall's Company, Colonel Charles Harri-son's Virginia Regiment and served to the close of the Revo-lution.
   He was allowed pension on his application executed July 26, 1824 while a resident of Cumberland County, Virginia aged sixty-five years.
   At the time of this application, he referred to his wife Nancy then aged fifty years. There is no further data on file as to family.

Respectfully,
WINFIELD SCOTT
Commissioner
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Garfield W. Brown            Geogh Olson
Public Examiner                  Deputy

Office of the Public Examiner
St Paul

Chicago, Ill. Jan 26 1927

Bureau of Pensions
Washington, D.C.

   Will you kindly send me a copy of the application for pension of William Smothers a revolutionary pensioner from Cumberland County, Virginia. His name is shown in the printed pension rolls of 1832.

Respectfully,
H.C. Varney [signature]
H. C. Varney [typed]
State Registrar Minn S. A. R.

1514 East 65th St.
Chicago, Ill.
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS SECTION
3-525
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF PENSIONS
S.F. 38.373-

Washington, DC [blank] 19 [blank]

In reply to your request of [blank], received [blank] for a statement of the military history of William Smothers a soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired information as contained in his (or his widow's) application for pension on file in this Bureau.

Dates of Enlistment or Appointment: 1781
Length of Service: To close of war
Rank: Pvt [Private]
Officers Under Whom Service Was Rendered: Captain: Stephen Southall
Colonel: Charles Harrison
State: VA [Virginia]

Battles engaged In [blank]

Residence of soldier at enlistment Enlisted in VA

Date of application for pension July 26, 1824 His [illegible] was [illegible]

Residence at date of application Cumberland County, VA

Age at date of application 65 years

Remarks: In 1824 Soldier referred to his wife Nancy then "about 50 years old" there is no other data as to his family and no claim on file for a widow.

Respectfully, Commissioner
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Denver Colo.
March 27th 1917

Hon Commissioner of Pensions, Washington DC

Dear Sir:
The Virginia State Library has a volume 2 of the "Report from the Secretary of War in relation fo the pension establishment of the United States" Washington 1835, on page 53 of that part of the book which gives a list of the Pensioners living in Virginia appears the name of William Smothers.  He was a private in the Virginia line and was placed on the United States pension roll on May 4 1825 or 1835.

Will you kindly give me the descriptive roll of this William Smothers and where he lived during the time he drew this pension.  If he died did he leave a widow who drew a pension and what was her first name?

Yours very truly, 
Jno Grass
690 Lafayette St.
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Grass
[Stamp of US Pension Office April 2 1917]
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38375

Revy INVALID

File No 38375
William Smothers
Pri Rev Nav

Act: 18th March 18th
Index Vol 2, Page 384
Arrangement of 1870.

1917 Apr. 10 Hist. to Jas. Grass
1927 Feb. 2 Hist to H.C. Varney
[illegible]
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[illegible] written [partially crossed out]
and then the
letter of [illegible][underlined]
this [illegible]
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War Department
Pension Office
July 13 1825

Sir
In answer to your letter of the 9th inst, I have to state that the pension of William Smothers was made to commence in conformity to a provision of the law of the 1st of March 1823, which limits the commencement of all revolutionary pensions granted thereafter to the time of completing the testimony in the respective cases.

I am respectfully
Yr. obt. serv

James Mc Laurine, Esq.
Centreville VA
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Cartersville July 10 1825 [illegible letters on right side] James Barbour Esq. Secretary at War Washington 
Mail [curlicue symbol drawn]
[another address is written upside down at the bottom of the page]
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Centersville, July 9th, 1825

Dear Sir,

Some time last fall, as the friend of William Smothers, who was applying for a pension, I enclosed to the War Department his declaration made in open court for the County of Cumberland, on Monday, the 26th of July 1824, which Mr. Calhoun returned to me to have [illegible] improper forms, the Clerk having neglected to affix the county seal.

Soon after I received it, I applied to the Clerk of the County, to make the necessary alterations, [illegible] copying the Original Declaration, he through mistake (I suppose) signed it on the day he affixed the seal, to wit the 26th of April 1825, which I enclosed to your Department.

I would respectfully suggest, whether the applicant should not have been inscribed on the pension list to commence on the 26th day of July 1824, the day he made his declaration in court, instead of the 26th of April 1825, the time from which his pension is to commence, as by certificate forwarded [illegible] particular by as he has delayed as long to ask for a pension at all.

Be so good sir as to examine the declaration in your office, and if the suggestion which I make is a correct
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one.  I will than you to let me know.  I think an Act of Congress says, if an applicant for a pension is enrolled at all by the Secretary, that his pension shall commence from the time of his making his declaration in open court.

Very Respectfully,
Your friend [illegible]
James Mc Laurine

James Barbour Esq
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William Powell D.C.
Certificate
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Cumberland County Court

The certificate of William Powell, Deputy Clerk of Cumberland County, Virginia, States that on the 26th day of July in the year 1824, William Smothers, an applicant for a pension, made his declaration in writing in open court for said County, according to law when an order was made by said Court, directing the clerk to transmit his said declaration to the Secretary of War.  I was requested by Mr. James Mc Laurine, who appeared as the friend of Smothers to prepare the papers as soon after Court as convenient, and enclose them to him in Cartersville in order that he might send them to the War Department.  This, I did in a short time afterward, neglecting however through inadvertance to affix the Court seal.  The declaration was returned to Mr. Mc Laurine some few months afterward with a letter from the Secretary of War, apprizing him that before Smothers case could be acted on, that the seal of the county should be affixed.  We thought proper to copy the declaration before affixing the County seal, and in annexing the certificate, we made it to [illegible] date the 26th of April 1825, the day on which the seal was affixed, thinking it of no cause since, when the certificate was dated as the declaration itself would show when it was made in open court.  The copy certificate on the 26th of April 1825 was signed by [initials] Woodson, who is also a Deputy Clerk in this office.  Given under my hand this 25th day of July 1825.

William Powell
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Cumberland County,
State of Virginia,
to wit

I, Miller Woodson, Clerk of the County Court of the County aforesaid, do hereby certify that William Powell, who has signed the within Certificate, is now, and has been for the past two years, the acting deputy clerk in my office, and I believe his said certificate to be true, and entitled to credit.  in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of my office to be affixed this 4th day of October in the year 1825

Miller Woodson
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[Illegible]
May 1 1825

James Barbour, Esq.
Secretary of War
Washington City
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Cartersville, April 28th 1825

Dear Sir

I herewith transmit as the friend of William Smothers, his declaration in order to be placed on the pension list made in July last. I sent on the same declaration and schedule to W. Calhoun last fall, which was returned to me for want of form, the Clerk having neglected to affix the seal of the County. I hope the declaration herewith enclosed will be found to be in proper form, and that you will answer our petition as soon as convenient as the affiant is in distressed circumstances.

Very Respectfully,

Your Obedient Servant

James M. Lausine

Jas Barbour Esq.

P.S. Please direct to Cartersville, Cumberland County, Virginia JML