Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 21156, Levi Davis, Va.

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Service: Va.

Davis, Levi

Number: S.21156

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East Tennessee 29.746
Levi Davis of Knox Co. in the State of Tennessee who was a Sergeant in the company commanded by Captain Tibbs of the Regt. commanded by Col. Ewell in the Virginia mil. line for 11 months & 25 days. 

Inscribed on the Roll of East Tennessee at the rate of 39 Dollars 45 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831. 

Certificate of Pension issued the 13th day of Feb. 1835 and sent to Hon. L. Lea H. R. 

Arrears to the 4th of Sep. '34 | 138.12 | 
Semi-an. allowance ending [illegible] March '35. | 19.77  | $157189 ⎨ Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.} 

Recorded by D. Brown Page Clerk
[illegible] Page 61

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31.958 
The certificate to this applicant will be directed to W. B. A. Ramsey 
Knoxville Tennessee

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State of Tennessee on this 14th day of August 1834 per Knox County personally appeared in open Court at a circuit Court now sitting for said County before the Honorable Edward Scott Judge & C Levi Davis - a Citizen of said County aged 82 years who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of ["the" strikethrough] an act of Congress passed on the 5th of June 1832 - That he was born in Prince George Cty. Maryland in March 1732 as well as he is now informed that he lived there untill he was eleven years old, when he moved with his father into Prince William County Virginia, where he lived about 16 years when he moved to Bedford County Virginia, where he lived untill sometime in 1892 when he moved into Rockingham County N.C. where he lived but one year when he moved into Stokes Cty. N.C. where he lived untill about 1809 when he moved to Knox County Tennessee where he lived 13 years when he moved to Aniston Tenn. where he has lived untill a short time ago when he came to this County, Knox.-- He states that sometime early in the year 1777 while living in Prince William County Virginia, he entered the army of the United States as a volunteer and enrolled himself for the term of one year into a company of foot commanded by Captain Tibbs Lieutenant James Tibbs, and Robert Young, Ensign applicant calls his enrollment, and enlistment but he does not believe his company was of the continental army but some peculiar organization of the militia - he knows however that he was enrolled for one year - some short time after his enrollment the report was that the British were going to land some where along the court of Prince William County, and applicant with his company were ordered to

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march to Dumfries - while here applicant frequently saw the British shipping and remained at that station he believes for four months or thereabout to prevent them from landing - about this time the shipping went out of view and there being a great call for men at Charleston and at Philadelphia applicants whole company except himself enlisted into the continental army for three years and marched as applicant believes to Charleston - applicant not wishing to serve longer than one year refused to go with them he was transferred into the [illegible] service and was under the command of Lieutenant Col McMillan and he thinks his new Regiment was under the command of Col. Lee - in this service applicant continued untill sometime in September he thinks early in the month he was transferred into a company of Militia commanded by Captain Valentine Peyton & Lieutenant Whitley which company was attached to a Regiment under the command of Col Jesse Ewell of Prince William County under these officers applicant marched on towards the main army then near Philadelphia and when he had passed through Lancaster Penn. he recollects of hearing the sound of Cannon which afterwards proved to be at the battle of Germantown - he joined the main army then under General Washington some where near or above Germantown and he continued in search of the main army making frequent excursions to the Rising sun and other posts up upon the schoolhill [Schuylkill] river untill the person for which has entered the service had expired when he was ordered to return home - applicant states that frequently during the year 1778 when there was a report that the British were endeavoring to land he volunteered his services and marched to resist them - he recollects once a report came that

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they had landed at Esq. Will Blounts, he thinks in Stafford County, on the Potomac river, he volunteered with several others and went and drove the British to their shipping after they had destroyed Blounts stacks of grain and his out houses - applicant thinks he was eight days in this scout - he states that he volunteered during the year 1778 for the purpose of preventing the British from landing so frequently and at so many places that he cannot describe particularly the movements or details of each campaign, nor did he march under any officer particularly but repaired to the scene of invasion whenever and where ever he thought his services were needed and when arrived put himself under any officers that the superior officers would direct he thinks that in this way he performed services equal to two whole months- applicant states that late in the summer or early in the fall of 1779 after he had moved to Bedford County Va. he was drafted for a tour of three months and was enrolled into a company commanded by Captain Jeremiah Pate which company was attached to a Regiment under the command of Col. Gallaway of Bedford County under these officers applicant marched down towards Elizabeth City to repel the British who threatened to land there - before reaching there however the British had sailed off, but hovered along the coast untill the three months for which he had been drafted had nearly expired when the enemy having entirely disappeared we returned home - applicant states that sometime about the first of February 1781 he was again drafted in Bedford County, for a tour of three months and was in

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enrolled into a company commanded by Captain Jonathon Richardson and Lieutenant Matthew Pate which company was attached to a Regiment under the command of Col. Charles Lynch - he states that he marched under these officers and joined the main army sometime before the battle of Guilford [the battle of Guilford Courthouse] and were then put under the command of Cols Washington [probably this refers to William Washington] and Lee as the light infantry of their Regiments - applicant states that he met the enemy on the 15th March near Guilford and was in the hottest and earliest part of the engagement-- after the battle at Guilford applicant continued with the main army untill they reached Deep river when the pursuit being abandoned applicant with his company were ordered to return home the three months for which he had been drafted having nearly expired - applicant states that he served as [illegible]have described twenty months as a private for which he claims a pension - he states that he has no record of his age but believes from the best information he has that he has stated his age correctly he states that the individuals to whom he is known in his neighbourhood who can testify to his veracity and his reputation for having performed revolutionary services are Edward Epps, Charles Price and others - he states that there is no Clergyman in his neighbourhood and he states that he never received discharge for any of his services nor has he any documentary evidence whatever of his services nor does he know of any person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his services - he hereby relinquishes every claim to an annuity of pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll

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of the agency of any state Sworn to and subscribed in
 
Levi | his X mark | Davis
 
open Court this 14th August 1834 

Will Swan Esq

State of Tennessee Knox County 
We Charles Price and Edward Epps citizens of said County do hereby certify that we are acquainted with Levi Davis who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration; that we believe him to be 82 years of age - that he is reputed and believed in the neighbourhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion 
Sworn to & subscribed in open Court this 14th August 1834 | Charles Price | Edward Epps | Will Swan Esq |

and the said Court does hereby declare its opinion after an investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was Revolutionary soldier and served as he states - and the said Court further declares the opinion that Charles Price and Edward Epps who have signed and sworn to the above certificate are citizens of Knox County are credible persons and their statements entitled to full credit |

Ed Scott one of the Judges of the Circuit Court of Law & Equity in & for the State of Tennessee aforesaid 

I William Swan Clerk of the Circuit Court for Knox Cty. do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of said Court in the matter of the application of Levi Davis for a pension In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand and private seal having no official seal this 14th August 1834 | Will Swan

[hand drawn seal]

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I Luke Lea a member-- in congress from the state of Tennessee do hereby certify that William Swan is Clerk of the Circuit Court of Knox County, and that being well acquainted with the hand writing of said Clerk I believed the foregoing signatures purporting to be his are genuine Knoxville August 14th 1834- 

Luke Lea 

Lea states in a letter to the Dept that the above was written by him without spectacles. Sep 20 '34

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Revolution 21156
INVALID

File No. 21,156
Levi Davis
Serg (Serving) Rev War

Act: June 7" 32"

Index: ___Vol. 2, Page 100

[Arrangement of 1870]

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Amended Declaration of Levi Davis

Hon. L Lea
HR

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State of Tennessee 
Knox County

On this 11th day of October 1834 Personally appeared before Zac. Boothe an acting Justice of the Peace for said County Levi Davis a citizen of said County and being sworn on the Evangelists of Almighty God doth on his oath make this additional or amendatory declaration in order to obtain the provisions of an act of Congress passed on the 9th June 1832. - That after the four months had expired which he performed at Dumfries as stated in his former declaration, and which he now believes to have been in the month of May- he states that at that time his impression is, that he entered the minute service and continued in constant service under the officers mentioned in his former declaration same times at Dumfries, after first leaving there then at other times marching along the Bay and guarding the coast of Prince William and Stafford Counties and when not marching were kept embodied and was in constant service applicant states that he cannot mention more particularly than he now does the incidents of this service - its whole theatre is confined to the territory of two counties which were under the constant apprehension of a sudden invasion and he and his comrades were always ready under arms and collected to repel it-- he states that at the time his company broke up at Dumfries by enlisting, he hold his officer this he was disposed to serve the year out, but no longer, and that he voluntarily attached himself to the minute service as a volunteer - it was the same way with his entering the militia in the campaign to Philadelphia he may be said to have joined it as a volunteer the states that his militia campaign was for three months

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which he served to the entire end and which brought his first year to within 15 days of a close - he states that the two campaigns which he has mentioned as having undertaken for three months, he performed actual service in each campaign of two months and twenty five days for which he claims a pension- 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 11th Oct. 1834
 Levi | X | Davis his mark
Zac. Boothel Justice Peace for Knox County. 

State of Tennessee - Knox County ⎬

I George M. White Clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for said County do hereby certify that Zac. Boothe before whom the above declaration was sworn to and subscribed is an acting Justice of the Peace for said County and being well acquainted with the hand writing of said Justice I believe the above signature purporting to be his is genuine- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and official seal at office this 13th day of October 1834 [a very faint and illegible seal is next to this text]
Geo M White Clerk

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31.958 Feb 18
[illegible] 
Levi Davis
[Illegible]
[illegible]

Col James L. Edwards 
Commissioner of Pensions ⎬ 
War Department 

Hon Luke Lea

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31.958 Feb 18 
[illegible] 
Levi Davis
[illegible]

Col James L. Edwards
Commissioner of Pensions 
War Department

Hon Luke Lea

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House Reps
Feby 18th 1835. 

Sir,
When at your office a few days since, I omitted to leave with you the enclosed papers of Levi Davis- 

Respectfully 
Your Obt Sert 
Luke Lea

J. L. Edwards Esq Commissioner of Pensions

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Levi Davis 
Tennessee 

[illegible strikethrough text, about 4 words, then] letter 13 Feb 1835 to Hon L. Lea [also strikethrough]


for 1777 pr 11 months & 25 days 
$39.45 [strikethrough, the 3 was overwritten and hard to tell from an 8]
$39.45

Hon L Lea,
[illegible]

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I Luke Lea, agree to accept for Eli [probably he meant "Levi"] Davis an applicant for a pension under the act of 7th June 1832. certificate for the time specified in letter of the Commissioner of Pensions to me under date of the 1 December 1834 being eleven months and twenty five days reserving the right of M. Davis on making further proof to have his pension increased. - Witness my hand this 12th Feby 1834.
Luke Lea

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War Department 
Pension Office 
September 20th 1834 

Sir,
The declaration of Levi Davis has been examined, and it is herewith returned, this engagement to serve for one year, was probably as a minute-man He could not have been in actual service for the whole of the time. It would appear that after performing four months actual service, he was attached to another company in the fall of 1777, and marched to the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, 

It should be shown whether this service was performed under a draft, or as a volunteer, and how long he was engaged in actual service during that expedition, he also alleges that he served two tours of nearly three months each, the precise period should be stated, as required in note in the enclosed printed sheet, No allowance can be made for any service, which is not specified as the regulations require, Thomas Davis pension will be increased, upon the return of the enclosed affadavit, and his original Certificate, his name has be found; as belonging to Col. Armands Corps of Infantry,  

I am  Respectfully 
Your Obt Servant 
J L Edwards

W. B. A. Ramsey Esqr 
Knoxville, Tenn

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Campbells Station
September 7th 1834.

Sir,

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your favour of the 25th ultimo [meaning the 25th of last month] together with the papers of Levi Davis and Thomas Dove applicants for a pension under the act of Congress of the 7th June 1832. In answer to which I have the pleasure to inform you that my signature to those papers are genuine and that to the best of my knowledge and belief the signatures of all the other persons one equally so-- I am well and intimately acquainted with [illegible abbreviation] Charles Price and Edward Eppes and know them to be men of undoubted veracity. My name was written without spectacles and under other disadvantageous circumstances and I remember remarking at the time that you  would think it a counterfeit.- 

I am with much Esteem your Obt. Servant

Luke Lea

Col. J. L. Edwards Comm of Pensions

[illegible seal] 

 P.S. The papers refered to above you have herewith.
LL