Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R 15990, for Samuel Martin, North Carolina
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N.C.  Martin, Samuel  R15990
Jennet
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5893
Jennet Martin
N. Carolina
Act July 4th 36
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State of North Carolina
Davidson County--
On this the nineteenth day of June one thousand eight hundred & forty three personally appeared before the undersigned a Justice of the Peace in & for Davidson County State of North Carolina, Jennet Martin a resident in the County of Davidson & State of North Carolina aged eighty years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on her oath make the following declaration in order the obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 4 1836: That she is the widow of
Samuel Martin who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. That her husband the said Samuel Martin in the early part of April in the year seventeen hundred & eighty, then residing in Guilford County State of North Carolina was drafted & entered the service of the United States under the command of Captain Peter Oneal, Henry Davis Lieutenant, Solaman Kable, Ensign & Caleb Johnson Sergeant. The company to which he was attached was employed a short time after he was drafted in defending the citizens against the tories who were very numerous in that part of North Carolina. In May, to the best of her recollection,  the company to which her husband the said Samuel Martin belonged joined the North Carolina Division under the command of Gen. Caswell near Hillsboro in North Carolina. Then they marched across the Peedee River in South Carolina thence to the neighborhood of Camden where the
North Carolina troops were joined by Gen. Gates soon after the battle near Camden was fought in which he the said Martin was engaged.   After Gates defeat, the said Martin with some more North Carolina
troops were ordered Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, thence to Salisbury in Rowan County, thence to Hillsboro in Orange County N.C.
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where he remained untill the latter part of November seventeen hundred & eighty when on account
of lameness in his right by he was discharged.  The claimant Jennet Martin States that he has
no documentary evidence to support her claim. She further declares that she was married to
the said Samuel Martin on the fourth day of September seventeen hundred & seventy nine in Montgomery County State of Maryland;  that her husband the said Samuel Martin died on the Second day of August one thousand eight hundred and twenty six, and that she has remained a widow ever since that period as will more fully appear by reference to the proof hereunto annexed

Sworn to & subscribed on the day & year above written
before James Robertson J. P.                         her
                                                                     Jennet    x  Martin
                                                                               mark
We William Patterson & John King residing in Davidson County State of North Carolina hereby certify
that we were acquainted with Samuel Martin mentioned in the above declaration during & since the
Revolutionary war.   that he was drafted as above stated and is believed served as set forth in the above declaration.  that he was reputed & believed in the neighborhood of his Residence to have been a soldier of the Revolution.  We further certify that the said Samuel Martin + Jennet Martin were married at the time mentioned in the above declaration & that they have always been regarded in this
neighborhood as husband & wife. We further certify that the said Samuel Martin died on the 2d day of August 1826 & that his wife the said Jennet Martin has not married since his death. Sworn & subscribed this 19th day of June 1843
Before James Robertson J.P
William Patterson
John King
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I James Robertson a Justice of the Peace in & for the County of Davidson State of North Carolina
hereby certify that William Patterson + John King, who have signed the preceeding certificate are residents in Davidson County State of North Carolina & are credible persons & that their statement is entitled to credit
I further certify that Jennet Martin the above named applicant cannot from bodily infirmity
attend court this 19th day of June 1843
James Robertson J. P.

North Carolina
Davidson County
                  I Charles Mock Clerk of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions for said County do certify that James Robeson is a Justice of the Peace for said County duly commissioned & qualified & that the foregoing signature purporting to be his is genuine
.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 
my hand & affixed the seal of the said
Court at office the 18th day of July
1843
Chs  Mock Clerk
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of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.  [scratched out]

15990   NC
         Revy

P. O. 
  Jennet Martin
Service: 
    widow of Samuel             
        
Enlisted:   ----18

Discharged:  ----18
               REJECTED

Application filed:  ----18

Alleges: 

Re-enlisted:   ----18

Attorney:
P. O.

Recognized.                      Contract

Cert. of Dis.                 Searched for
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No  5893
Jennet Martin
N Carolina
Suspended

C Brummell  Sep 20 1843
         ----"" -----         Oct 6 1843
----"" -----      July 8 1844
Act  July 4th  3{cut off}
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Davidson County N.C. July 19, ‘43

Sir
Enclosed is the declaration of Jennet Martin.  Let me know the result of her application as soon as practicable.
    Will you do me the favor to send me the North Carolina Pension Roll.  It is a document published, I presume, by order of Congress. It contains the names of all the pensioners in N. Carolina up to the time of its publication.   - -  Grant me this favor & I trust I shall not trouble you for any information
on the subject of pension soon. I expect to be pretty extensively engaged in the pension business
& am extremely desirous to get the document in question
               Direct your communications to Brummell's Post Office Davidson County N.C.

                                Your Obt servt
                                             C W. Brummell
J.L. Edward Comr
of Pensions
Washington City
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C. W. Brummell  Esq P Master

Brummells
Davidson County
NC
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                                               Raleigh 21st October 1843
                                                 Office of Secretary of State.

H. W. Brummell Esqr

Dear Sir

Your favor of the 19th instant was received this morning, and I have carefully examined
the musterrolls of the continental line of this State in the revolutionary war for the name of Sam’l
Martin a Soldier in said war, but do not find it.
  I find the name of Samuel Martin a Lieutenant who was a very short time in service, then resigned.
    I do not suppose he is the Sam’l Martin of whom you desire information. I have not the militia rolls, neither do I believe there are any regular Militia Rolls to be found in the State.
My fee for the search is only ten cents.

Yours Respectfully
Wm. Hill
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                                    Rockville Oct 4th 1843
Dr. Sir
   When we issue a marriage license, a mere memo is kept of it &  that
Memo extends no further back than 1798. Frequent applications, similar to
yours have been made in this Office & the result has been the same as now

                        Very  resp
                          yrs
                                        J B Selby
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Brummells NC                        free
Sept 28
 J.L. Edwards  Comm’r
of Pensions 
Washington DC

[bottom of page is copied on next page -]
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C Brummells
Brummells, NC
Oct 2, 1843

Jennet Martin


[Bottom of page is from page 12]
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                                                     Davidson County N.C. Sept 28 1843
Sir:
                      In your communication of the 20, inst.  in relation to Jennet Martin's application for a
pension, you state that the papers have been examined & filed. You further say that there is no proof
of the date of the Marriage, which should be established by Record evidence of a public or private character or documentary testimony showing the relation of husband & wife prior to January 1st 1794. You also say that the identity of the claimant as widow of the deceased revolutionary soldier is not shown. 
              In drawing declarations &c for Revolutionary Soldiers, and widows I take the rules presented by
the President of the United States for carrying into effect the several acts of Congress on the subject of
pensions for my guide & endeavor to conform as near be them as I can. I have carefully examined
the Rules but cannot find that they resolutely require the legality & time of Marriage to be established by record evidence. It is very implicitly stated in the 2d act of 7 July 1838 that record proof as to marriage is always required whenever it can be obtained but if there is no proof of that character when the marriage took place the fact must be established by the testimony of one or more respectable persons.
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Rule 6th act of July 4, 1836 says claimants under the 3rd Section must in all cases show when they were
legally married to the deceased officer or soldier, but does not specify the character of the proof
             It would operate as a great hardship on widows to exclude them from the benefits of the
act of Congress granting them pension for this want of Record proof.  For instance we will take the case of Mrs Boggs whose declaration I sent you a few weeks ago. She was married in 1776 her husband enlisted in the army + served three years. In 1784 the court house in which was kept the record of her marriage was consumed by fire with all the papers & record in it. She & her husband were illiterate & kept no record of their marriage.
       There is no doubt of the legality and time of her marriage for there are persons living who witnessed it.  Must she because she has no record proof be excluded from the benefits of the act of July 4, 1836?
            Mrs. Martin was married in Maryland & cannot obtain any record proof of her Marriage but produces the testimony of two very respectable men who were eye witnesses of the Marriage. Has she not then complied with the requisitions of the Rules.  What more must she do?   Will you do me the favor to inform me what course she must now pursue
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In a letter addressed to me May 23d 1843 you use the following language:  " No opinion
can be given as to the force of testimony in relation to the date of an alleged marriage untill it is
before the deponent. All that is required is satisfactory proof that the parties were regarded in
the neighborhood as husband and wife at a period within the limitation of of the law “ Have I not
in the case of Mrs Martin complied with that regulation & more.   As to her identity that can be
early Shown
            Please let me hear from you as early as it may suit your convenience
                                  Your Obt Sert
                                    Ch’s Brummell
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                                                        Davidson County N.C. Oct 26th 1843

Sir:
Enclosed you will find the declaration of Jennet Martin in which she swears that there is not within her knowledge any Record evidence either of a public or private character or documentary evidence by which she can establish the date of her marriage.

   She applied through her attorney to the Clerk of the County Court of Montgomery County in the
State of Maryland for a copy of the record of her marriage. The Clerk [scratched out] answered her application by saying that the record of Marriages in Maryland does not extend further back then 1798-
She has produced good and undoubted  personal evidence to establish the time and legality of the Marriage. The Secretary of State in his letter which is herewith transmitted says the Militia Rolls are not in his office consequently no evidence of the service of Samuel Martin can be derived from that source
I presume the Secretary of State's letter will satisfy you that it will not be necessary for me to apply to his Office hereafter for evidence to suport the claims of the N. Carolina Militia who apply through
me for a pension.  Please let me hear from you as soon as it may suit your convenience
Your Obt Sert
Chr Brummell
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State of North Caroline
Davidson County

                        On this Twenty fourth day of October One thousand eight hundred and forty three personally appeared before the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace in & for said County. Jennet Martin a resident in the County and State aforesaid who being first duly sworn according to law declares upon her oath that there is not within her knowledge any record evidence either of a public or private character or documentary testimony by which she can establish the date of her marriage to Samuel Martin as set forth in her declaration now filed in the War Department. She further decJares that she was married to the said Samuel Martin in Montgomery County State of Maryland & that she has applied to the Clerk of the County Court of said County for a copy of the Record of her marriage & that the Clerk of said County has informed her through her attorney that the record of Marriages in Maryland does not go back further than 1798
sworn & subscribed the day & year above written
before me    Michael Killion J.P.               her
                                                                Jennet  x Martin
                                                                           Mark
State of North Carolina
Davidson County
We the undersigned residents in the County & State aforesaid do certify that Jennet Martin who has
subscribed the above declaration was lawfully married to Samuel Martin above named in Montgomery
County in the State of Maryland on the fourth day of September Seventeen hundred and seventy nine We immigrated with them to N. Carolina in the latter part of that year & has known them
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ever since.  We further certify that Jennet Martin above named & who has sworn & subscribed the foregoing declaration is the identical Jennet Martin who was the wife and is now the widow of the said Samuel Martin, on account of whose Revolutionary Services she claims a pension
										William  Cecil
										James Meredith
Sworn and Subscribed this 24th day of October, 1843
before me Michael Killian,  J P

State of North Caroline
Davidson County
            I Michael Killian Justice of the Peace in and for the County & State aforesaid do certify that William  Cecil  & James Meredith who have subscribed the preceding certificate are residents in Davidson County of North Carolina that they are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit
October 24th 1843                                                Michael Killian JP

State of North Carolina
Davidson County
                 I Charles Mock, Clerk of the Court of Pleas & quarter Sessions for said County do
certify that Michael Killian is a Magistrate for said County and that the foregoing signature
purporting to be his is genuine
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed
the seal of the said Court at
                             office this 24th Day of October1843

Chs Mock C C C