Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 5408, Reuben Fletcher, N.C.

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SERVICE N.C.
NUMBER S. 5408
Fletcher, Reuben
Born in Va. 
carded

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North Carolina    12.620
Reuben Fletcher
of Buncombe in the State of North Carolina
who was a pri. Regt commanded by Col. Lee in the North Car. line for 12 months.

Inscribed on the Roll of North Carolina at the rate 40 Dollars __Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 14 day of May '3_ and sent Hon. S.P.  Pleasant Gardens N.C.

Arrears to the 4th of         March 33        80
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Sep " [33] 20
                                                               $100
{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.}
Recorded by William Millon clerk
Book E Vol. 6  Page 40

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Reuben Fletcher's petition

12 mths services.

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Service N.C.
Fletcher, Reuben
Number S 5408

Born in VA
Carded

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Right hand edge of paper missing

Sworn to and subscribed the day mo & year aforesaid

We Benjamin King a clergyman residing in the County of Bun County and Charles Greer residing in (the same) hereby certify that we and Reuben Fletcher who has subscribed and sworn to the above believe him to be 76 years of age. that he is reputed and believed where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that
opinion.
  Sworn to and subscribed the day and year

And the said court to hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department -cant was a revolutionary solider and served as he states.  And the court further who has signed the preceeding certificate is a clergyman resident in the same Charles Greer who has also signed the same is a resident in the same and that their statement is entitled to credit.
  John Miller clerk of the Court Buncombe County do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proce -cation of Reuben Fletcher for a pension.  In testimony whereof I have here of office this 12th day January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & thirty
By

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Rueben Flecther
No. Ca.

Admit as a private for
12 mo.  $40==

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WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office,
183

Sir:
   The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has been examined, and the papers are herewith returned.  The following is a statement of your case in a tabular form.  On comparing these papers with the following rules, and the subjoined notes you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed, before a pension can be allowed.  The notes and the regulations will show what is necessary to be done.  Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed, you will find marked in the margin with a brace, (thus: }).  You will, when you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them; and you will by complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim.

A Statement, showing the Service of Reuben Fletcher

Period when the service was rendered:  vol. / 9 months / Rank Private / Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served: Col. Little / Age at present and place of abode when he entered the service:  76 years

Period : sub. / 3 months / Private / Col. Lee / Caswell Co. N.C. / Proof by which the declaration is supported:  Traditionary

I am respectfully,
Your obedient servant, 
J. L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner of Pensions.

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REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832.
The following regulations have been adopted:
This law has been construed to extend, as well to the line, as to every branch of the Staff of the Army, and to include under the terms "Continental Line," "State troops," "militia," and "volunteers," all persons enlisted, drafted, or who volunteered and who were bound to military service, but not those who were occasionally employed with the army upon civil contracts, such as Clerks to Commissaries and to Store Keepers, &c., Teamsters, Boatmen, &c. Persons who served on board of private armed vessels are also excluded from the benefits of the law, as well as persons who turned out as patrols, or were engaged
in guarding particular places at night, and were not recognized as being in actual military service.
Four general classes of cases are embraced in this law:
1. The Regular Troops.
2. The State Troops, Militia, and Volunteers.
3. Persons employed in the Naval Service.
4. Indian Spies.
As rolls of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department, all persons claiming the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians or privates, will, in the first instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of Record of the County where such applicant resides. And every Court having by law a seal and Clerk is considered a Court of Record.

DECLARATION.
In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June, 1832.
State, Territory, or District of
County of
ss.
On this        day of       personally appeared (a) before       A.B. s resident (b) of      and State, Territory or District of      aged (c)      years,  who being first duly sworn, according to law, doth on his oath make the
following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress, passed June 7th, 1832. That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year (d)       , with         and       served in the
(e) regiment of the       line, under the following named officers:

(Here set forth the names and rank of the Field and Company officers; the time he left the service; (and if he served under more than one term of enlistment, he must specify the particular period, and rank and names of his officers;) the town or county and State in which he resided when he entered the service; the battles, if any, in which he was engaged,
and the country through which he marched. This form is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons who belonged to the militia, volunteers, navy, &c.]

He hereby relinquishes every claim (f) whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State, or (if any) only on that of the Agency in the State of      
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
A. B.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.
I             of the Court of            do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of       for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this day of     & c.

If, on examination of the proper record, the names of applicants, making such declaration, cannot be found, they will produce such proof as the rule given in note (j) points out.
Every applicant who claims a pension by virtue of service in the State Troops, Volunteers or Militia, except those who belonged to the New Hampshire Militia and State Troops of Virginia, will make and subscribe a declaration similar to the foregoing, with the following additions, viz:
(k) We, A. B., a Clergyman, residing in the     
   and C. D. residing in (the same) hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with
and       who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be
years of age; 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 days and year aforesaid.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary
Soldier, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies, that it appears to them that A.B. who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the     and that C. D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the     and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I,     Clerk of the Court of     do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of     for a pension.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal     of office, this     day of
& c.

Every applicant will produce the best proof in his power. This is the original discharge or commission; but if neither of these can be obtained, the party will so state under oath, and will then procure, if possible, the testimony of at least one credible witness, stating in detail his personal knowledge of the services of the applicant, and such circumstances connected therewith, as may have a tendency to throw light
upon the transaction.
If such surviving witness cannot be found, the applicant will so state in his declaration, (l) and he will also, whether he produce such evidence or not, proceed to relate all the material facts, which can be useful in the investigation of his claim, and in the comparison of his narrative with the events of the period of his

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alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person will be indispensable to a favorable action upon his case The facts stated will afford one of the principal means of corroborating the declaration of the applicant, if true, or of detecting the imposition, if one be attempted; and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be expected. All applicants will appear before some Court of Record in the County in which they reside, and there subscribe and be sworn to, one of the declarations above provided, according to the nature of his case.
The Court will propound the following (m) interrogatories to all applicants for a pension, on account of service in the Militia, State troops, or Volunteers, except the Militia of New Hampshire and the State troops of Virginia.
1. Where and in what year were you born?
2. Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
3. Where were you living when called into service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary war, and where do you now live?
4. How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute? And if a substitute, for whom?
5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served; such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services.
6. {To a Soldier
Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given, and what has become of it?
6. {To a Soldier
Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what
Tanner has become of it?
7. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution.
The Court will see that the answers to these questions are embodied in the declaration, and they are requested to annex their opinions of the truth of the statement of the applicant.
The applicant will further produce in Court, if the same can be done, in the opinion of the Court, without too much expense and inconvenience to him, two respectable persons--one of whom should be
the nearest clergyman, if one lives in the immediate vicinity of such applicant, who can testify, from their acquaintance with him, that they believe he is of the age he represents, and that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood to have been a Revolutionary soldier, and that they concur in that opinion.
If one of these persons is a Clergyman, the Court will so certify, and they will also certify to the character and standing of other persons giving such certificates.
The traditionary evidence of service is deemed very important, in the absence of any direct
proof, except the declaration of the party. And the Courts are requested to be very particular in the enquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
Applicants unable to appear in Court, by reason of bodily infirmity, may make the declaration before required, and submit to the examination, before a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duties, which the Court is herein requested to perform,
and will also certify that the applicant cannot, from bodily infirmity, attend the Court.
Whenever any official act is required to be done by a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or by a Justice of the Peace, the certificate of the Secretary of State or Territory, or of the proper Clerk of the Court or County, under his seal of office, will be annexed, stating that such person is a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or a Justice of the Peace, and that the signature annexed is his genuine signature.
No payments can be made on account of the services of any person, who may have died before the taking effect of the act of June 7, 1832; and in case of death subsequent thereto, and before the declaration herein required is made, the parties interested will transmit such evidence as they can procure, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period of his death, the opinion of the neighborhood respecting such services, the title of the claimant, and the opinion of the Court upon the whole matter.

[a] The declarant must appear in open Court, unless prevented from doing so by reason of bodily infirmity; in which case the declarant will follow the rule laid down for his guidance.
[b] The declarant must make his declaration in the county where he resides. If he should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not conforming to the rule.
[c] The age of the claimant must invariably be mentioned.
[d] The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
[e] Every continental officer or soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the claim cannot be had. Every claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service; but, according to the best of his he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades:--For---year______ months________, and ______days, I served as a_______ ; and for such service I claim a pension."
It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months, is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state that they served two years in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is
highly objectionable. It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement; the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil
pursuit.
[f] The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
[g] The opinion of the Court is always required.
[h] The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
[i] The Clerk must affix his seal, and if it has no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no public seal of office, the certificate of a Member of Congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the papers.

Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticates the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.

Proof of Service.
[j] In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimant's entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
The notes from to are all equally applicable to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule in
note [j] applies to continental troops only.
[k] This traditionary evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
[l] If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact.
{[m] Tire answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.}

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May 17, 19938

Mrs Sadie Patton                 
Hendersonville 
North Carolina 

Reuben Fltcher
S.5408
BA-J/MLB

Dear Madam:

     Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War records of William Brittain and Reuben Fletcher who were pensioned for services while a resident of Buncombe County, North Carolina.

     Because of the large number of requests for Revolutionary War data and the limited trained clerical force available for furnishing such  information , it is impossible to comply in full with each request which requires so much time and research. The record of Reuben Fletcher follows as found in pension claim, S. 5408, based upon his service in the Revolutionary War.

     Reuben Fletcher was bornin 1757 in Essex County, Virginia. The names of his parents were not given.

     He moved from Virginia to Caswell County, North Carolina, where he volunteered, date not stated, and served a tour of nine months as private in Captain Robert Moore's company, Colonel Archibald Lytle's North Carolina regiment, was in the battle of Stono, after which he was discharged and returned home. He then volunteered and served three months as a private in Captain Douglass' company, Colonel Lee's regiment, during which tour he was in a skirmish with the Tories.

     About 1803 the soldier moved to Buncombe County, North Carolina, where he was allowed pension on his application executed January 12, 1833.

     It is not stated whether Reuben Fletcher was ever married.

     In order to obtain the date of last payment of pension , the name and address of the person paid and possible the date of death of Reuben Fletcher, you should write to the Comptroller General, General Accounting

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Office, Records Division, this city, and cite the following data;

 Reuben Fletcher
Certificate # 12620
Issued May 14, 1833
RAte $40 per annum
Commenced March 4, 1831
Act June 7, 1852
North Carolina Agency


Very truly yours

A.D. Hiller
Executive Assistant to the Administrator

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1938 May 17 - Hist. to Mrs. Sadie S. Patton
- MLB

Rev War [handwritten]

5408
INVALID.
File No. 5408
Ruben Fletcher
Prvt Rev War

Act: June 7" 1832
Index:-- Vol. M, Page 126
[Arrangement of 1870.]

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Hon: S.P. Carson
9 April 1835
GC

Buoru. Fol 25 1/2 page 1120

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Department of War
Pension Office
April 9, 1833
Sir
Rueben Fletcher in his declaration alleges to have served nine months under Col' Archibald Lytte in N.C. of this service no proof was exhibited
As the rolls in the Office of the Secretary of State at Raleigh will furnish this evidence if such was the fact, Mr. Fletcher will be required to produce his certificate. Please inform Mr. Fletcher of this
JAM

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Sadie Smathers Patton
Hendersonville, North Carolina
April 7, 1938.
Veterans Administration,
Pension Bureau
Washington, D.C.

Gentlemen:
I am anxious to obtain summary of pension papers of the following veterans of the Revolutionary War, who, as residents of Buncombe County, North Carolina, received their grants March 4, 1831:
William Brittain ["here" handwritten in cursive]
[handwritten check mark] Reuben Fletcher.
[handwriting in cursive in left margin "Reced one"] 
[Possible underline mark under Reuben Fletcher's name]
In explanation of my request for this and information concerning other names which I have recently made, our county, Henderson, is now preparing to observe the Hundredth anniversary of its founding during the coming summer.  In preparation for this, we are making an effort to locate the graves and establish the records of the early pioneer citizens.  In many cases, we find this can only be done through cooperation of your office.
Thanking you for information, I am,
Yours truly, 
(Mrs.) Sadie S Patton
County Historian.
[Stamped RECEIVED APR 8 1938
MAIL SUB-DIV.
VESTS ADM
[Illegible] 12