Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 9146, John Caldwell, Va.

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(3-1776)

SERVICE
Va.

Caldwell, John

NUMBER
S9146

Carded
CONTENTS

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12.115
VIrginia
John Caldwell
Ohio_in the State of Va
he was a pri_in the Compy commanded
Captain Wall_ of the _ commanded
_ in the Va:
ne for 2 years_
Indian fight - drop [this line added in pencil]

Inscribed on the Roll of Virginia
the rate of 80-Dollars-Cents per annum,
commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 20 day of March
1833 and [illegible] of Jacob
Wheeling, Va

Arrears to the 4th of March 1833 160-
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Sept " 40-
[English pound sign] 200.-

[Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.}

Recorded by Nathan Rice_Clerk
ook E Vol. 6 Page 4_

Lt. Jno McCulloch Augt. 7. 35
" Agent _ _ _ _
Drop'd from the roll.
Papers copied Ident to L.C. Draper Nov 11/50

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Declaration

In order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed Jun 7 1832.

Commonwealth of Virginia
Ohio County

On this the 10 day of August in the year of our Lord 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of the County Court of Ohio County in said Commonwealth, now of Ohio County in said Commonwealth, now setup, (being a Court of record) John Caldwell a resident of the said County of Ohio & Commonwealth of Virginia aged seventy-nine years. Who being first duly sworn [illegible] doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7 1832.

That he entered the service of the Country and as herein states that in the year seventeen hundred & seventy six he served as a volunteer under Captains Herrod & Walls eight months in & near the Grave Creek in the now County of Ohio. While in this service he went with others by Command of Capt. Herrod & with him to a place a little below the mouth of the little Kanawha river to buy some men who had been killed by the Indians & to save & to bring up men who had been badly wounded lying in the woods.

That in the year 1777 he served as a volunteer under Capt. Or Lieutenant Samuel [illegible] for months at Shepherds Fort at the Forks of Wheeling Creek in the now County of Ohio & about six miles from the present

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town of Wheeling.

In 1778 he served as a volunteer guard in Rails Fort six months. Rails Fort was on the waters of Buffaloe Creek in the now County of Washington in the state of Pennsylvania.

In 1779 he served in like named as a volunteer guard in the same Rails Fort six months.

In seventeen hundred & seventy nine he served under Col. Broadhead as a volunteer in Captain Samuel Mason [illiegible] up the Allegheny against the Munsee Indians. Was in this service four months having commenced it in May 1779 & returned to Pittsburgh following & being there discharged. In this Campaign we had a little battle or scrimmage. In the commencement of the Battle a Captain Hardin was shot in the thigh.

He served as a guard (a volunteer guard) in Wheeling Fort in the year 1777-1778-1779 six months at least tho he thinks more, under Captain Mason he was on the Frontiers of Western Virginia, during the whole of the time between the year 1776 & the [illegible] of 1783; and served as a volunteer in different expeditions against the Indians & watching & keeping guard in different frontier Forts or Blockhouses & in scouting parties, exclusive of the services above mentioned at least more than one year. He was one of what were called minutemen who held themselves in constant readiness to march on any alarms and affiant did so & at more times than he can now repeat.

For the services above named he never received any pay or compensation whatsoever.

He was born in seventeen hundred & fifty three (1753) in Ireland and Emigrated with his father,

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James Caldwell when ten years old to Baltimore in the then Colony of Maryland and moved to the now County of Ohio in seventeen hundred and seventy two.  His age is recorded in an old family Bible brought from Ireland & now in his possession. During the services aforesaid he was living in the now Counties of Ohio & Tyler in Virginia & the now County of Washington in the State of Pennsylvania; and ever since the Revolutionary War has lived & does now live in said Ohio County. He was called into the service & served as is before stated.

During the time he served he recalled the following names of the following officers who were engaged in the Indian wars on the [illegible] Frontiers of Virginia; viz; Capts Herrod & Wall, Capt. Mason, Capt. Jno. Boggs, Col. Broadhead also a Col. Campbell & a Major [illegible] or [illegible]

He duly relinquishes any claim what [illegible] a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the Pension Bill of the agency of any State.

He now has any discharge or discharges other than verbal [illegible]

He also states that he is known to the following persons in his neighborhood who can verify as his character for veracity and [illegible] that he rendered the service as aforesaid [illegible] in his declaration; viz; Col. Abraham Woods, Samuel [illegible] Capt. Alexander Mitchell, Judge Alexander Caldwell, William [illegible] & General Moses W. Chapline & others.

							John Caldwell

					Sworn to & [illegible] the day & year aforesaid
					Teste John McCollouch Col.

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We Moses W. Chapline & William Hoskins residents of the sd County of Ohio do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John Caldwell who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration. That we believe him the said John Caldwell to be seventy nine years of age.  That he is reputed & believed in the neighbourhood where resides to have rendered the aforesaid mentioned services during the War of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion. 

Wm Hoskins
[illegible] M Chapline

Sworn to & Subscribed the day and year aforesaid
Teste John MColloche CoC
  And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after investigating the said matter & after [illegible] the [illegible] prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant rendered the services by him described in this said Declaration during the War of the Revolution: and the Court further certifying that it appears to them that  Wm Hoskins & Moses W Chapline who have [illegible] the preceding certificate are residents of Ohio County aforesaid & credible person: and that their said statement is [illegible] to full credit & belief.
  I John McColloche Clerke of the County Court of Ohio County aforesaid do hereby certify that the forgoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of John Caldwell for a pension.

In testimony Whereof I have here unto set my hand & seal of office this 13th day of August in the year 1832
John MColloche

[ large seal on top of what appears to be a flower shaped piece of paper with triangular edges.  Some edges of the flower petals were bent.]

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John Caldwell
Pensioner, Ohio cty -

The service herein [illegible] appear not to have been military [illegible] but simply the result of domestic management of a self defense against the Indians.

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John Caldwell Served two years

I saw this old Gentleman on the [30th] of [illegible[illegible] [illegible] [illegible] blind and very much enfeebled in Body and mind - almost worn out out with age an infirmity. I learned from him that he is a native of Ireland - Came to the United States with his father & family when a child and lived upon the ohio waters during the war of the Revolution and has lived there ever since 

That in 1776 he volunteered under Capt. Herod for two months. Served under  [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] of [illegible] at Grave Creek at its Junction with the Ohio River. Was engaged in building a fort at that place there was about one hundred men at that station. Capt. Herod was Sent [word struck] [illegible] Monongalia with about fifty men. he Caldwell Joined Herod with others at Grave Creek. He furnished his own arms and clothing but drew ammunition and rations never accepting pay. Captain. Herod was relieved by Capt. Wall. he Caldwell after Serving under Herod for the two months above mentioned. Served two other months at same place and in same occupations under Capt. Wall. that the men at Grave Creek about 100 in number were variously employed. Some times engaged in building the Fort at others Scouting and rangeing [sic] about and armed the Fort. and batery {sic] off the Indians - his (Caldwell) Father & his family lived in the fort - as other families did -  he Caldwell was [illegible] [illegible] Since as above stated [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible].

In the Spring of 1777 his father and his family including himself moved from Grave Creek to the forks of Wheeling creek. there was a station of troops at that place about fifty in number under Capt. Samuel Mason. He [caret ] Caldwell [written above the next word] volunteered & served Capt. Mason and was with him in active Service until late in the fall. he think not less than six months - during the summer himself with twenty others were Sent out to range around.

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and through this adjacent country. whilst out their party was attacked by Indians and twenty of their number killed by the Indians.  [illegible] includeing [sic] himself made escape, their retreat to the fort [illegible] was cut off. They made good this way to dements Fort. there Joined Col. Shepherd [illegible] about 150 men, and marched to the relief of Wheeling Fort. [illegible] [two words struck] arriveing  [written above struck words] there [word struck] found that the Indians had retreated. - 

In the years 1778 & 1779 he aided his father (who then lived near Where Washington Pensylvania now stands & in the early parts of the Summer in raising  [illegible] crop.  when his services could be spared. [illegible] [illegible] sometime in July of each year he went down to Wheeling volunteered  his services [illegible] the officers then commanding and aided in the defense of that Station. in those two years he could not have been in actual Service less than six months _ a Capt. Bigs and a Major Varner and other officers [illegible] [illegible] [word struck} has [written above word that was struck] [illegible] commanded _ he drew rations and ammunition . but received no pay _ he things [thinks] Bigs & Varner were regular officers. but of this he is not confident.

He was with Genl. Brodhead in an expedition up the Alleghania River adjacent the [illegible] [illegible] . _ [illegible] [illegible] were destroyed & [Seven?] Indians killed. was in the expedition [illegible] [illegible] months. was a volunteer.

In the year 1780 he aided in building Rail Fort near Washington Pa [a is superscripted] in this year he was out on several expeditions (as volunteer) up, down, and cross the Ohio River defending this country and beating off the Indians was in actual Service not less than [illegible] in this year. he to continued in Service in the [illegible] [illegible] above detailed, at least three months in every year until and after [illegible] of the Revolution [illegible] [illegible]. [illegible] expeditions thus ]illegible] were under  different officers (Many of whose names he has forgotten) and of a shorter or longer duration according to circumstances. Some times a month at a time. Sometimes less - whenever there was an alarm. he always turned out as volunteer

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and aided in beating off the Indians - in this last mentioned service the officers were generally [selected?] from among the settlers. - is confident that he was in actual service during the war of the Revolution not less than two years. - he thinks more - 


Note - from all I could learn the reference to the Gentleman's services. he certainly was a very [illegible] in the Indian war.  Then carrying on in this [illegible] of this country. he sustains a good character among his [word struck through] neighbors. - Was once a man of Property & Consequence  but is now reduced to great poverty [illegible] [illegible] and his [benevolent?] [illegible]. Such I understand to be the fact. - he is exceeding infirm in mind and body -- his memory turns pail [sic], and his is totally blind - his is the most respectable family in the county- Judge Caldwell, (Federal Judge) is his brother -

   WV Jacobs. ( a Gentleman of high character) informs me that he himself drew his declaration, and that every material [illegible] contained therein the most respectable evidence.
                         Respectfully Represents
                                   W. G. SIngleton
                                   July 4, 1835

Add the [symbol] was a Special Agent of Pension Office
        for investigations.
                                    X

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October 2, 1936

Mrs. Julia McCracken                                         RA-J/ILL
Box 52                                                                       John Caldwell
Cameron, West Virginia                                     S. 9146

Dear Madam

Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of John Caldwell, shown on the Census of Pensioners in 1840, as aged ninety year, living with Ezekiel Caldwell, in Western Virginia.

You are furnished herein the Revolutionary War record of John Caldwell of Ohio County, Virginia, the only soldier with that name found on the pension records as residing in that section Virginia, later West Virginia.

John Caldwell was born in the year 1753, in Ireland, and at the age of ten years, migrated with his father, James Caldwell, to Baltimore, Maryland, thence in 1773, to that part of Virginia which was called later, Oho County. The name of his mother was not given.

While residing with his father at Grass Creek and at Wheeling Creek, in Virginia, he enlisted, and served on various tours between the years 1776 and 1783, amounting to at least two years, as a private under Captains Wall, Herod, Samuel Mason, and Bigs, Colonels Shepherd and Brodhead; he was engaged on the frontier, at forts in Ohio County, Virginia, and in Washington County, Pennsylvania, against the Indians, and was in the battle of Wheeling September 17728/

He was allowed pension on his application executed August 10, 1833, at which time he resided in Ohio County, Virginia, in which county he had resided ever since the Revolutionary War.

The soldier made no reference to wife or children at the

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time he made his application for pension, in 1833.

In 1833, reference was made to Judge Caldwell (federal Judge) of Ohio County, Virginia, who was a brother of John Caldwell, the Revolutionary War soldier.

In order to obtain the date of last payment of a pension, name of person paid, and, possibly the date of death of this pensioner, you should apply to The Comptroller General, General Accounting Office, Records Division, this city, and cite the following:

John Caldwell
Certificate number #13115
Issued March 20, 1833
Rate $80 per annum
Commenced March 4, 1831
Act of June 7, 1832
Virginia Agency.

Very truly yours
A.D. HILIER
Executive Assistant
to the Administrator.




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