Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 8841, for James Lewis, North Carolina

Page 1

Service 
N.C.
S.C.

Lewis, James

Number
S8841

Born in N. C.     Carded

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Agt ordered to pay 16 March 1836
order to pay 9 Dec 1837
Letter to Pen agt 23 Dec 1837
Paid at the Treasury order 
the Act of the 6th April 1838
from 4 March 1836 to 4 Sept 1838 Agt notified 31 Aug '39

North Carolina  23.692
James Lewis
of Bladen in the state of N C.
who was a pr. in the  __ commanded
by Captain __ of the Reg commanded
by Col Brown in the N.C.
line for 11 mo 24 days.

      N.C. and S.C.
Records completed Dec 5, 1904.

Inscribed on the Roll of N. Carolina
at the rate of 30 Dollars 00 cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued 24th day of Mar 34 and [illegible]
McKay - H C

Arrears to the 4th of March 1834           117.90
Semi-anl. allowance ending [illegible]       19.65
                                                               =====
                                                               $137.55
                                                               =====

                    {Revolutionary Claim,
                      Act June 7, 1832.}
Recorded by Nath. Tud Clerk;
Book E Vol. [illegible] Page [illegible]

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[Declaration page 1]

State of North Carolina
New Hanover County
Court of Pleas and Quarter Session
June Term 1833

    On this tenth day of June AD 1833, personally appeared in open court before the Worshipful William L Larkins, Timothy Bludworth & L H Marsteller Justices of the Peace for the County of New Hanover holding the Court of Please and Quarter Sessions for said County now sitting.  James Lewis , a resident on Black River in the Count of New Hanover and State of North Carolina, aged seventy six years August 22nd 1832, who being first duly 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 7th 1832.
  That he entered the service of the United States, under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
1. In the early part of the Year 1776 as well as now recollected & immediately after the defeat of the Tories under McDonald [Donald MacDonald] and McLeod at Moores Creek Bridge [Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina 1776], he volunteered as a Private in a company of Bladen Militia of which James Shipman was Captain, and James Moorehead Lieutenant.  The Company marched first to Wilmington, thence to Jumping Run, where they remained two months and then moved to Casewells Camps in the immediate vicinity of Wilmington, [NC] where they were stationed one month, and where a Regiment of Militia from Bladen [County], and some of the adjoining Counties was stationed of which Thomas Robeson was Colonel and Thomas Brown Lt Colonel. From Caswells Camps Capt. [James] Shipman and Capt. Doziers Companies under the command of Lt Col Brown were ordered to the upper part of Bladen (now Robeson) County to suppress a body of Torries who some short time previously had killed Nathaniel Richardson, a distinguished whip whose residence was in  that part of the County, the Company returned to Elizabeth Town, Bladen County where they were discharged.  How long he was engaged in this last service he does not recollect but it must have been more than a fortnight.  He does not recollect to have received any written discharge.  He has forgotten the names of the Militia officers with whom he served except those named and has no recollection of any Continental officers.

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[page 2]

and Capt. Doziers Companies under the command of Lt Col Brown were ordered to the upper part of Bladen(now Robeson) County to suppress a body of Torries who some short time previously had killed Nathaniel Richardson, a distinguished whip whose residence was in that part of the County, the Company returned to Elizabeth Town, Bladen County where they were discharged. How long he was engaged in this last service he does not recollect but it must have been more than a fortnight. He does not recollect to have received any written discharge. He has forgotten the names of the Militia officers with whom he served except those named and has no recollection of any Continental officers.
   Shortly afterwards he removed with his father to the neighborhood of Brittains Creek, South Carolina, where he remained until the Fall of Charleston, and while residing there he performed the following tours of duty.
2. He volunteered as well as he can now recollect in the Year 1779, but at what particular time he cannot remember, as a Private in a Company of South Carolina Militia under the command of Capt. Graves.  They marched in company with a body of South Carolina Militia, under the command of Colonel Giles to Lewes Bay , East of Charleston where they were stationed three months and at the expiration of that time were discharged.  He does not recollect the names of any of the other officers or that he received any written discharge; if he did he has lost it.

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[page 3]

3.  He again volunteers in the same Company, shortly afterwards, they marched from the neighborhood of Brittain's Neck to Long Bluff on Big Peedee, thence in the direction of Augusta, and on their way they received from the officer in charge of them a number of British Prisoners whom they conducted to Charleston and there delivered them to the officer in command of the Prison Ship; and were afterwards stationed in Charleston and in its vicinity until the expiration of six months (the period for which they were called out) and were then discharged.  He does not now recollect the names of any of the Continental officers with whom he served, or any Militia officers except Capt. Graves or does he recollect whether he received a written discharge or not - indeed his memory is so much impaired that he has no precise recollection of any of the occurrences of that period.  If he received a written discharge, he has lost it.  Not long after, Charleston surrendered to the British and he returned with his Father to Bladen County, North Carolina and performed while resident there the following tours of duty.
4.  In the month of July 1780, as well as he can recollect he volunteered on an expedition against the Tories in a Company of Bladen Militia, of which Daniel Shipman was Captain, and Wm Bryan Lieutenant, with a body of Bladen Militia under the command of Col Brown and Major James Richardson.  They marched from Elizabethtown to Fair Bluff on Drowning Creek or Lumber River in Columbus (then Bladen) County it being understood that the Tories were embodied at Ford's plantation on Little Peedee to which place they marched from Fair Bluff, and in not finding the Tories there, they proceeded in pursuit of them into the upper part of Bladen (now Robeson) County, thence returned to Elizabeth town and were discharged having been in service at least a fortnight.  He received nothing but a verbal discharge.
5.  He volunteered in the same year on another expedition into South Carolina against the Tories in the same Company under the same officers and again with a body of Bladen Militia under Col [Thomas] Brown.  The Company marched from the Brown Marsh to Fair Bluff where they remained a few days making in the meantime excursions into the adjoining County without meeting the Tories.  When all the mounted men of which he was one were placed  under the command of Capt. James White and were sent to collect cattle [illegible] was said for the American Army! They collected a number

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[page 4]

same officers and again with a body of Bladen [County, NC] Militia under Col [Thomas] Brown. The Company marched from the Brown Marsh [North Carolina] to  Fair Bluff [North Carolina], where they remained a few days making in the mean time excursions into the adjoining Country without meeting the Tories-

when all the mounted men of which he was one were placed under the command of Capt James White and were sent to Collect cattle as was said for the American Army! They collected a number of Cattle on Little PeeDee [River, SC], Bear swamp [SC], and Ashpole and drove them to a plantation a few miles above Cross Creek [North Carolina] (now Fayetteville) and were then verbally discharged. He was engaged six weeks on this expedition.  

6. Not long after the service above detailed, he was with two other men from 
Daniel Shipman's Company, and an equal number from two or three other Companies  in the same part of the County drafted to drive Cattle from the plantation of Col Thomas Owen (where they had been previously collected) to a plantation (the same as

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[page 5]

mentioned above a few miles above Fayetteville [North Carolina] having performed that duty they were discharged verbally, having served at least two weeks. The detachment was under the command of one James Green from Daniel Shipman's Company.

He has no documentary evidence of his service, and knows no person who can testify to his service except James Shipman Richard M Lewis and Francis Davis, who are residents of Bladen County [NC] and whose attendance he cannot procure, but will endeavor to obtain their affidavits and have them here to attached.

He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension role of the agency of any State.
Sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
[signed] James Lewis

Answers to the Interrogatories prescribed by the War Department as propounded to the applicant by the Court.

1. I was born in Bladen County North Carolina  August 22nd 1750.
2. I have a record of my age, in my family Bible.
3. In Bladen County until about the year 1778 or 9 when I removed to South Carolina, returned to Bladen in the year 1780 or 81, and resided there until about twenty years since, when I removed to Black River New Hanover County  [NC] where I have resided ever since.
4. I was a volunteer in every instance except the last when I was drafted.
5. I have no particular recollection of any Continental Officers. General [Benjamin] Lincoln I believe commanded the Troops at Charleston [SC] when I was there, and I have an indistinct recollection of Col Harry being in service when I served in South Carolina.

I have no other recollection of any Continental or Militia Regiment: and the general circumstances of my service are detailed in the body of my declaration to which I beg leave to refer.

6. I have no recollection of ever having received a written discharge, and if I did I have lost them.

7. Peter Pridgen, Francis Pridgen, Francis Davis, George Larkins, & Benjamin Larkins

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We Peter Pridgen and Francis Pridgen residing in New Hanover hereby certify that we are well acquainted with James Lewis, who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be seventy six years old; 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 & year aforesaid
[signed] Peter Pridgen
[signed] Francis Pridgen

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James L. Edwards Esqr
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington 

Mar 8 got papers NC
[black ink round postage stamp]
[illegible words]

Page 28

[left hand page]
1933 Nov 21- Hist to Mrs Sadie Homberg- ILL
1934 March 21 Hist to Mr. George R. Lewis -ILL

[right hand page] 
8841
RevWar
INVALID. 
File No. 8841
James Lewis
Pri Rev War
Act: June 7th 1832
Index:- Vol. 1st, Pag 220
[Arrangement of 1870.]