Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 6,678, Shearwood Bowman, N.C.

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SERVICE'N.C.

Bowman, Shearwood

NUMBER
S.6678

carded

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order to pay June 1, 1837

North Carolina 12.709
Shearwood Bowman
of Burke in the State of North Car
who was a pri: [private] in the
 ______ commanded by Captain

of the Regt commanded
by Col. Holmes in the North Car:
line for 6 months
Inscribed on the Roll of North Car:
at the rate of 20 Dollars - Cents per annum,
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 22d day of May '33
and sent Jas. Erwin
Morgantown C.H.
Arrears to the 4th of March '33-40
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Sept - 10
$50
Revolutionary Claim,
Act June 7, 1832. 
by Wm Miller Clerk,
Vol. 6 - Page 34

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State of N Carolina  This day [illegible]
Burke County appeared before me the
under signed an acting Justice of the Peace
in and for the County & State afore said 
Sherwood Bowman who after being duly
Sworn according to law doth on his Corporal Oath 
Make the following declaration in order to
obtain the benefit of an Act of Congress
passed June the seventh 1832 for the relief of
certain surviving officers and soldiers of the
Army of the Revolution, that the
he entered the service of the United States
under the following named officers and served
as here in stated that he was drafted as a
Private from the County of Burk & State
aforesaid in the later end of the year
1779 & served a lower of Three Months and was
discharged in Charlestown South Carolina that
When he was drafted he marched Imediately [immediately] to Charlestown where he served the time afore said untill the time of his discharge which was on the 24th of March in the year 1780 Said Bowman further swares [swears] & declares that the officers under whome [whom] he served was as followers Captain Peter Ford Lieutenant Thomas Little John Masting Sergant name forgotten Insign Benjamin White in Col Holmes Regiment [illegible] of the Regiment for gotten General Lincoln Commander in Chief said Bowman further Swares [swears] & declares that he again entered the services of the United States as a drafted private [illegible] in the year 1781 for a three Month Tower [tour] under the following named officers Capt James M Farlan Lieutenant & Insign forgotten in Col Charles McDowels Regiment General Rutherfords Commander in Chief and that he was Marche near Wilmington & where he continued his services until the expiration of his term
of Services

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Which took place some time in the
Month of December 1786. But that he
has lost Both of his discharges he believing
that they would never be of any service
to him. Said Bowman further swears
that he knows of but one man living by
whom he can prove his services
namely Nicholas Fry, Said Bowman
being entirely deprived of his sight
has had no intimate Enter course beyond
his immediate neighborhood since he was
Blind which has been about Eleven years.
Said Bowman further swears that his name
is not nor Never has been on
any Pention [Pension] Roll of the United States or any of
of the States Governments and that he here
by Relinquishes all & Every other Annuity
Except the present Sworn to and
Subscribed before me this 9th February
1833
& Philip Warbet [illegible]

Shearwood Bowman
his mark

After which the following Interogatory
ware Expounded
1 Where was you born answer in the
State of virginia in the year 1758
I think Amherst County
2nd Have you any Record at your
age
answer I have not but I have seen it
3rd Where was you living when you
Entered the servises [services]
Answer I was then living in Burk
County N Carolina
4th Where have you lived since
your servises [services]
answer in the same County
5th Where was you called in to Service
Were you drafted or a volunteer
answer

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I was Drafted
6th State the names of your officers
answer was in Peter Fords Company
in my first tower [tour] to Charleston SC
Thomas Little John was Lieut & Benjamine
White was the insign in Col Holmes
Regiment General Lincoln was commander
in Chief on my 2 Tower [tour] to Wilmington
N Carolina I was in James McFarlands
Company I do not Recollect the names
of his subordinate officers I was in Col
Charles McDowels Regiment General
Rutherford was commander in Chief
7th Did you ever receive a discharge
and if so by whom were they given
Answer I did receive two discharges
But I cannot Recollect by whom
they was given 8th what has become of your Discharges answer I do not know what I have lost or mislaid them 9th State such men as you can prove your Carracter [character] by and who can testify your services by answer I am known by the Reverand Mr. Alexander Abernathy & Joshua Ballew Sg and Mr Wm Fr Canon and I can prove my tower [tour] to Wilmington by Mr Nicholas Fry Sworn to and Subscribed this 9th February 1833
Philip Warbeck
Shearwood Bowman
his mark

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State of N Carolina Burk County
We whose names are
here unto subscribed
do here by Certify that we have for
many years known & have the intimate
Aquaintances of Sherwood Bowman
and that he is a man of varasity [veracity]
and in Whoes [whose]
oath unlimited confidence
can be pleased and that he has
always been reputed as one of the
Soldiers of the Revolutionary war sworn
to and subscribed before me this 9th February 1833
Philip Warbeck
Joshna Ballew
William Fr Cannon 
State of N Carolina Burke County
Alexander Abernathy
minister of the Gospel do here by
certify that that I was present at the
above Examination and that I fully Conder
in the opinion and oath of Joshua Ballew
and Wm F Canon given under my hand
this 9th February 1833
Philip Warbeck
Alexander Abernathy

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No 24981
Shearwood Bowman 
Burke County North Carolina
Admit as a private
for [illegible] $2000
N. Carolina
Jas Erwin Clk Burke County
N. Carolina

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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 shew 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 Shearwood Bowman Burke County
North Carolina
Period when the  
1779 ┃ 
1781 ┃  
Duration of the claimant's service.
3mo.
3mo.
Rank of
the
claimant.
private
Names and rank of the Field officers
under whom he served.
Gen. Lincoln
Col Holmes
Col McDowell &
Gen. Rutherford
Age at present.
and place of abode
the service.
years
┃ Burke
County
┃ N. Carolina
Proof by which the declaration is supported.
Traditionary evidence certified credible, one witness not certified credible papers correctly attached
I am, respectfully,
Your obedient servant
J. L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner of Pensions.

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REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1850.
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, mucicians 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

A. B. a resident (b)    of     in the county 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
with
line, under the following named officers:
and
{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 belong 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 his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in the 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
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
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 
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  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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3 [page number]

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?
{To an Officer.}
Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what 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 recollection, 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 (a) to (i) are all equally applicable to the case of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule
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) The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.

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6678
INVALID.
---
File No.
6678
Shearwood Bowman
Pri Rev War
---
Act: June 7th 32
Index: -- Vol. A, Page 38
[Arrangement of 1870.]

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Shearwood Bowman 24981

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State of N Carolina Burke County 
SS I Philip Warbeck
 an acting Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State afore said and one of the Justices of our County Court of Record and the Justice before whom the above Examination
of Sherwood Bowman was taking do here by certify that Alexander Abernathy is a highly respectable Clergyman Regulary  ordained and that Joshua Ballew and Wm F Canon are Respectable planters in whose oath Explicit confidence can be reposed
I further certify that the applicant Shearwood Bowman is old and blind and in firm [infirmed] and is unable to attend 

Given under my hand and seal February the 9th 1833
Philip Warbeck

State of N Carolina Burke County
 SS this day came Personally before me the undersigned an acting justice of the peace in and for the County and State afore said Nicholas Fry who after being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath certify that he was intimately acquainted with Shearwood Bowman in the Camps near Wilmington
which was in the year 1781 or 1782 if I mis take not and I belive [believe] that he has served a tour of three month as he stated
in his Declaration
Sworn to and subscribed this 9th February 1833
Philip Warbeck[illegible]

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Note the names of the nearest
Bank of the us is at Fayette C
the nearest post office is at
Moganton

State of North Carolina
Burke County
I James Erwin Clerk of the Court of pleas and Quarter Session for the
County and State aforesaid do hereby certify that Philip Warbeck who hath appears to the forgoing diclation and several affadavit was at the time of as doing the same an acting Justice of the peace for the County and State aforesaid duly appointed and qualified and that his signature is genuine In testimony whereof I have hereunto at my hand and seal of
Office done at Morganton this 23rd
day of April 1833
J Erwin