Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 8403, for William Powell, Pennsylvania

SERVICE
Penn
NUMBER
R. 8403
Powell William Elizabeth
CONTENTS

Allegheny County, Pa.
Before The Honorable The Court of Common Pleas for The County of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania now sitting, personally came, on this
day of _____ in the year of our Lord 1833, William Powell, of said County, an Applicant for a Pension, under the Act of Congress of 7 June 1832, who on his solemn oath deposed to as follows:
That he was born

1519
Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson Thomas Wilson
Thomas
Thomas a/c
Thomas
THOMAS

was born in Dauphin county, State of Penn a  on 4 Apr 1766. by the Family Bible of which he is now possessed the Family Bible is now in the possession of his son his Father removed to the Western County to Turtle Creek in the month of May 1766. When the Family had remained even some time he was living at Turtle at the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. and remembers as if it was yesterday the report of the burning of the Tobacco at the East end  the West end . His Father was an old soldier having been in the Braddock's defeat and took an active part on the American side as a Yeoman to guard in 1775 to guard against any attack of the Tories. a volunteer company of Riflemen was formed. His Father Elected to the command - company consisting of about 60 men. He remained organized & stationed permanently together for 3 years at Turtle Creek. During that time all agricultural labour was suspended. A company of this time was a stout and active boy. His Father had taken special pains to instruct him in the use of the Rifle from the moment he could lift one. His Mother also was a resolute Woman. He remembers her loading the Rifles for him & others during several attacks on the Block house by the Indians. The guerrilla company occupied the Block house & other out buildings at Turtle Creek. A company accompanied his Father on the Scouts except when it was supposed the March would be very long & fatiguing - then he and the youngest Volunteers were left in charge of the Block House and on the look out. They continued in this way until the 5 March 1778. on that day Colonel John Smith joined Capt Benj Harrison's Comp. of Pen a Militia as a Substitute for some Recruit who had been killed . This Comp. formed a part of Col. Crawford's Regiment. It came from Stewart's crossing. now in Fayette Co. It was sent on by Col. Crawford as a reconnoitering to the Militia in this quarter. Samuel Knapp was a Virginian who left his Family very unwell. He was exceedingly anxious to return to them and Capt Harrison at length agreed to accept Michael as a Substitute for him & to permit old Michael to return home, previous to this Colonel had been out on Scouts with Capt Harrison and had attracted the attention of this Officer. From his knowledge of the country and aptness as a Woodsman - said company remained stationed at the Block house for 9 mos afterwards during the whole of which time Michael acted as a regular member of the

compr. - at the expiration of this time the company was returned and capt Harrison gave to declarant a written discharge This discharge is no longer in his possession but declarant having handed it to Pen n Com t . received a certificate which he saw at the land office in Pen n - he paid me for a tract of land it being accepted as cash. I kept for the land office fees. On 6 Mar 1799 he acted as a substitute for John Turner in a company commanded by Capt John Bickett which came from the Forks of Youngs to relieve Capt Harrison Coy. - some there by back St. Col. Co. It is of the county of Westminster - owing to disputes in John Turner family - he obtained permission to return - at the request of Capt Bickett declarant took offic'd John Turner's place. Declarant served in this capacity nine months. When he received a written discharge. which was employed in the same manner as the one last mentioned. In 1780. owing to the great alarm occasioned by invasion of the States. There was a general draft for Militia Service & declarant was enrolled in Capt Evans company Penn t Militia Station at Turtle Creek. The company was at first commanded by Ensign Gorey. before Capt Evans came on declarant served on this occasion 9 mos. When he received a written discharge which was dismissed by in the same manner. as then before spoken of - On 3 or 4 Mar. 1781. Declarant was again called out as a Dragoon Militia Man under Capt Evans and performed an other full Term of nine months duty. at the expiration of which he rec d a similar discharge. which was employed in the same manner as the others. Declarant states further. that in the intervals between these periods of service served as an enrolled Militia Man. He was constantly on the alert with his rifle acting in conjunction with his neighbours in scouting and covering the country and so continued to the close of the Revolutionary War.

residing in
and
residing in said
do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with William Powell who has subscribed and sworn to the above Declaration; that we believe him to be in his Sixty-seventh year; that he is reputed & believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn & Subscribed } the day & year } aforesaid }
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after

Declarant further states that he
is not aware of any person now living who can testify to his service or to any part of it.
Since the War of the Revolution he has resided in the neighborhood of Turtle Creek, and has continued to reside there up to the present time.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a Pension or Annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the Agency of any State.
Sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
We
a Clergyman

1832 1766
66
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 who has signed the preceding Certificate is a Clergyman resident in and that who has also signed the same is a resident of said and is a credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I, William M c Callagh, Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, Allegheny Co., State of Pennsylvania, do hereby certify that the foregoing

Contains the original proceedings of said Court in the matter of the application of William Powell for a Pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this day of _____ in the year of our Lord 1833.
W. Powell
Mr. James [?]
1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850
Ms. A. 9. 2. 10. 10

Elizabeth Powell. widow of William Powell deceased - Act of 7 th June 1832.
William Powell deceased New York Pennsylvania suspended
Act of 7 th June 1832

State of Pennsylvania } County of Allegany }
On this 17 th day of April 1879 personally appeared before me Samuel Jones one of the judges of the courts of Record of said County Elizabeth Powell aged Seventy two years, resident of the Township of Wilkins in said County who being first duly sworn doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the amount due to her as the widow of William Powell deceased under the act of 7 th June 1832 -
This declarant states that she is the widow of William Powell deceased late a resident of the Township of Wilkins in said County who was a soldier in the war of the revolution -
This declarant states that her said husband in his lifetime made an application for a pension under the act of 7 th June 1832 - and he transmitted to the Department at Washington, as this declarant believes, some papers in support of his claim - but that his pension was not allowed him - and that the reason of his failure to secure a pension is unknown to this declarant - This declarant further states that the annexed is a copy of the declaration made by her said husband, and contains as she believes a correct description of his services in the war of the revolution -
That her said husband served as she believes in the war of the revolution as follows - one tour of nine months as a substitute for Samuel Powell from March 1878 in a company commanded by Capt Benjamin Harrison in Col. Crawford's Regiment of Pennsylvania Troops - at the end of which time he received a discharge from Capt Harrison which was subsequently disposed of in payment for a tract of land - that he served on another tour of nine months

from March 1779- as a Substitute for John Turner in a company commanded by Capt John Bicket in a Regiment where commanded by Lieut. Col. Cook, and at the end thereof he received a discharge which was also disposed of in payment for land.
That in the year 1780- he served on another tour of nine months in a company commanded by Capt Evans, in a Regiment commanded by a Colonel whose name is unknown - & that he received a discharge which was disposed of in the same manner as his other certificates of discharge.
That in the year 1781- he again served on a tour of nine months in a company commanded by Capt Evans & received a discharge which was also disposed of in the same manner as above described -
This further declarant further states that her husband, the said William Powell died on the sixth (6 th ) day of March in the year eighteen hundred & thirty nine (1839-) and that since his death she has not again intermarried - And further says not -
I sworn & subscribed before me the day a year first above written
E. G. Elizabeth Powell
V. Jones.
I hereby certify that by reason of old age & bodily infirmity the above named declarant is unable to appear & make her declaration in Open Court - and further certify that satisfactory evidence was adduced before me that William Powell, the husband of the above named declarant died on the sixth (6 th ) day of March in the year eighteen hundred & thirty nine, (1839) and that the above named declarant still remains his widow - I further certify that William Powell was known to me, and that I believe

(1837) and that the above named deceased was survived by his widow. I further certify that William Powell was known to me, and that I believe
the above named Elizabeth Powell to be his widow and that she has not been married since his death.
J. Jones
I Hiram Wultz Notary of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Allegheny Commonwealth of Pennsylvania do certify that I was before whom the above Declaration and Certificate were acknowledged as at the time thereof and now are of the Associate Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, and duly authorized by law to take such acknowledgments, and before the above took his signature.
Witness my hand and the seal of the said Court this 17th day of Feb 1837 Hiram Wultz Pro.

Return of the Pennsylvania line, Entitled to Donation Lands Reported by the late Comptroller General, &c,
William Powell Private 200 Acres N o 1758. 1 st district
I do hereby certify that the above is a true extract of, the officers and soldiers of the Pennsylvania line, entitled to Donation Lands, In testimony whereof. I have hereunto set my hand and Affixed the Seal of said Office this 11 th day of October 1848.
For John Laporte S. S. R. M. Crain

William Powell, died
Acad. of Phila Pennsylvania suspended
65 yrs July 1849
to L. M. Downs
Sec. to L. M. Downy, Oct 16, 1849
8 H 03
At 7 June 1882

Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
8403
P. O. William Powell
Service: _____
Enlisted: _____ REJECTED _____, 18 .
Discharged: _____, 18 .
Application filed: _____, 18 .
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract.

N.Y. Canandaigua, May 3 rd 1849.
Sir;
The claim of Elizabeth Powell, widow of William Powell deceased under the act of 7 th June 1832 is herewith presented.
It will be seen by examining the papers that William Powell in his lifetime preferred his claim to a pension under act of 7 th June 1832. and in his declaration, which is supposed to be on file in the Pension Office, gave a description of his service in the war - The copy of his declaration which accompanies this claim shows that his service in the war amounted to three years - that on the termination of each period of engagement he received a discharge which was given to the Penn. Commissary & he received a certificate in return, which he gave to the agent of the Land Office when he obtained his donation lands.
I wish to call your attention to the certificate of the Surveyor Gen. of Penn. which shows that William Powell received 200 acres of land.
This certificate fully sustains the statement of Powell in his declaration and it is submitted, conclusively establishes the claim.
Respectfully Your obedt. Servt. L. M. Drury.
J. L. Edwards Esq. Commr of Pensions Washington, D. C.

Canandaigua N.Y. Oct 12. 1849.
Sir;
In your report of the case of William Powell, dec d of Penn. under act of June 1832. dated July 9. 1849. you state that it appears by the papers filed in the case, that three tours were performed, and that you propose to issue a certificate for 6 months service - By referring to the papers again you will perceive that there were four tours alleged to have been performed instead of three, and that according to your estimate, of two months to each tour, there would be eight months service instead of six, for which a pension may be claimed. A certificate therefore for eight months service is requested to be issued -
I am respectfully
Your O bt Servt.
L. M. Drury -
J. L. Edwards Esq. Agent of Pension - Washington D.C. -