Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File B. L. Wt. 2254-300, for Dennie Porterfield, North Carolina

SERVICE
NUMBER
N.C.
Porterfield, Dennis or Dennis
B.L.Wt 2254-300.
CONTENTS

We James Owen and John Owen Heirs at Law of Majr Dennie Porterfield do on our oath declar that Majr Dennie Porterfield who was a Majr: in the North Ca- rolina Line in the War of The Revolution and was killed at the Battle of Eutaw Springs. we further declar that we his nephews are the only Legal Representatives of the said Majr Dennie Porterfield and that we have never received The Bounty Lands due to us as his Heirs & Representatives, nor has the same been assigned or transferred by us in any manner whatsoever. Therefore - Know all men by these presents that we the undersigned Heirs & Legal Representatives of Majr Dennie Porterfield of the North Carolina Line in the War of The Revolution do hereby authorize and empower Richard H. Mosby of Virginia as our attorney to demand and receive from the Secretary of War of the United States or any other person authorized to issue the same all Bounty Land Warrants due to us as the Heirs of Majr Dennie Porterfield on account of his Revolutionary services - and all such Bounty Land Warrants issued in our names to sell assign or transfer in the same manner that we could do if personally present, with power to appoint one or more substitutes or attorneys under him and all the acts of our said attorney or his substitutes we hereby bind ourselves to ratify and confirm
Given under our hands and seals this 8th day of April 1839.
W. Owen Seal
John Owen Seal

State of North Carolina } New Hanover County } This day personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace for the County & State above written The Hble John Owen and Genl James Owen and subscribed and swore to the foregoing declaration and power of attorney in due form of law Given under my hand and seal this 8 th day of April 1839
James T Miller JP Esq
State of North Carolina } New Hanover County. }
I hereby certify that the signature of James T. Miller which to the foregoing affidavit of Ltr. Owen & Genl. Owen is the proper handwriting of the said James T Miller & that the said James was, at the time of affixing his signature, an acting Justice of the Peace for the County of New Hanover duly commissioned and sworn; and that due faith and credit should be given to his signature therein, as well as thereto —
Witness Thomas F. Davis, Clerk of the County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for the County of New Hanover, under seal of office This 12 th day of April A.D. 1839
Thos F. Davis clk

October 14, 1937
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Mr. Frank B. Porterfield 402 Richelieu Avenue, South Roanoke, Virginia
DENNIE PORTERFIELD B. L. Wt. 2254-300 BA-J/MLB
Dear Sir:
You are furnished herein the record of Dennie Porterfield as found in the papers on file in claim for bounty land based upon his service in the Revolutionary War.
The date and place of birth and names of the parents of Dennie Porterfield are not shown.
The Revolutionary War records of this office show that Dennie (name borne on the military rolls as Dennis) Porterfield, a resident of Bladen County, North Carolina, entered the service April 2, 1777, as lieutenant in Captain Child's company of the 6 th North Carolina Regiment and served until January, 1778. He again entered the service in January, 1779, was commissioned Captain February 1, 1779, and continued in service until September 8, 1781, when he was killed in the battle of Eutaw Springs on that date. He was referred to as Major Donnie Porterfield but no explanation was made of that rank.
No reference was made in the claim to wife or children of Captain Dennie Porterfield.
April 8, 1839, Honorable John Owen of Bladen County, North Carolina, and General James Owen of the Town of Wilmington, sons of Captain Dennie Porterfield's sister, whose name was not given, applied for bounty land which was due on account of the service of their uncle, Captain Dennie Porterfield, in the Revolutionary War, and stated that they were his only heirs at law.
Warrant No. 2254, for three hundred acres of bounty land, was issued May 9, 1839, to the above-named heirs. If you desire information in regard to location of that land which was granted by the United States, you should apply to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Interior Department, this city, and furnish that official the number of the warrant, the acreage and date of issuance.

The records show, also, that Warrant No. 100, for three thousand eight hundred and forty acres of land, was granted the heirs of Captain Dennis Porterfield by the State of North Carolina. For information relative to the location of that land, you should consult the archives at Raleigh, North Carolina.
Very truly yours
A. D. HILLER Executive Assistant to the Administrator

State of North Carolina } New Hanover County }
This day personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace for the county above written Mr. Christopher Dudley who being first duly sworn according to Law testifies & says. That the Hble John Owen of Bladen County N. Ca. and the Hble James Owen of The Town of Wilmington are the nephews of Majr. Dennis Portefield of the North Carolina line in the war of the Revolution and was killed at the Battle of Eutaw Springs. This affiant testifies that the said John & James Owen are the only Heirs and Legal representatives of Majr. Portefield Their mother being his sister and only Heir, from whom they claim - Given under my hand this 8th of April 1839.
C. Dudley
State of North Carolina } New Hanover County }
This day personally appeared before me Mr. Christopher Dudley of the Town of Wilmington and subscribed and swore to the foregoing affidavit in due form of Law Given under my hand and seal this 8th day of April 1839.
Edward J. Miller J.P. Clerk

State of North Carolina
New Hanover County } I hereby certify that the signature of James T. Miller which appears to the foregoing certificate is the proper handwriting of the said James T. Miller & that the said James was at the time of affixing his signature an Acting Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid duly commissioned & sworn; And that due faith & credit should be given to his signature therein, as well as thereto —
Witness Thomas F. Davis clerk of the County Court of the County aforesaid, Given at office under the seal of said County this 23 rd day of April A.D. 1839
Thos. F. Davis Clk

State of Mo. Platte County
I hereby certify that I have made diligent search of the Records of my office & find that Major Daniel Porterfield who was a Citizen of Platte County died left no last Will and Testament as appears from Records In Testimony whereof I have unto set my hand & affixed my seal of office at E. B. H. Town this 18 th April A.D. 1839
David Lewis Clerk

State of North Carolina New Hanover County
Superior Court of Law Spring Term 1839
Ordered That satisfactory evidence has this day been produced before the court now in Session, to prove that the Honble, John Owen, and Genl James Owen are the only Heirs and legal representatives of Major Denina Porterfield, of the North Carolina line in the war of the revolution
J. Owen Holmes Jr Clerk of the Superior Court of Law of New Hanover County, do hereby certify that the above is a true transcript from the records of my office. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of my office at Wilmington this 22 nd day of April 1839. and in the 63 rd year of American Inde- pendence
W. H. H. H. Clerk

10
R. H. Mosby Esq. Littleton Warren County Ga.

Raleigh 30 th April 1839.
R. A. Mosby Esq r .
Your letter of the 28 th instant was received this morning. Denny Porterfield entered the service as a Lieut t in Capt. Childs Coy of the 6 th Reg t on the 2 nd April 1777, was omitted in Jan y 1778, mustered in Jan y 1779 in 5 th Reg t . was Capt t 1 st Feb y 1779; this is all said of him on the rolls. A warrant for his services issued to Jas. Porterfield as heir & $100 for 3840 Acres, the full pay for Capt. during the war, or for death in the service. — Capt. John Brown was omitted in June 1778. This is the last of his service, as appears by the musterrolls. The son of Colo. Thomas Brown may insist that his Father rec d bounty land, but he never has, nor will he ever find it. I rec d an answer a few days past from Doct r Bowman in which he says he had no relation of the name of Joshua, and that he knew nothing of any person of that name. I am therefore at as great a loss as ever to find where his heirs are. My fees for the searches we re made amount to 30 cents. Yours respectfully W m Hill + called Dennis on the rolls.

Dennie Porterfield N. 2254

Names of Continental Commissioned Officers, Killed & wounded in the action of Eutaw 8th. September 1781.
X X X X X X X X X
N. Carolina Brigade.
Capt. Goodman, Capt. Goodwin, } Killed Capt. Portefield, } Lieut. Dillon. }
X X X X X X X X X
O. H. Williams D. A. Q."
The above is a true extract from a paper contained in the 2 d vol. of the Letters of Genl. Greene, on file in the Dept. of State,
M c D. Wilkins.
Keeper of the Archives.

October 14, 1937
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Mr. Frank B. Porterfield 402 Richelieu Avenue, South Roanoke, Virginia
Charles Porterfield B.L. Wt. 1145-450 ****
Robert Porterfield S. 8965 ****
Dennis Porterfield B.L. Wt. 2254-300 **** BA-J/MLB
Dear Sir:
Reference is made to your letter addressed to the National Archives, in which you request the names of the parents of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Porterfield and Captain Robert Porterfield, also, the name of the mother of Captain Denny Porterfield, son of James, all officers in the Revolutionary War. Your letter has been referred, for reply, to the Veterans Administration, custodian of Revolutionary War pension records.
The Revolutionary War records of this office show that April 14, 1931, you were furnished the record of Captain Robert Porterfield, as found in pension claim, S. 8965, based upon his service in the Revolutionary War. In the papers on file in that claim, the date and place of his birth and names of his parents were not shown. June 22, 1936, you were advised that this office had no further information in regard to that officer than was previously furnished. The records show, also, that April 15, 1931, you were furnished the record of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Porterfield, the data of which were obtained from the claim for bounty land based upon his service in the Revolution. The names of his parents were not given in that claim and the only reference to family was the reference to his brother, Robert Porterfield, of Augusta County, Virginia.
You are furnished herewith the record of Captain Dennis Porterfield.
Very truly yours
A. D. HILLER Executive Assistant to the Administrator

  ROUTED TO-  DATE    E. V. RUSSELL  OCT 4 1937    402 Richelieu Avenue, South, Roanoke, Virginia, October 1, 1937.  
5 Apr 15, 1931 51 files " 14, " 5-Post.
Chief, Division of Reference, The National Archives, Washington, D. C.
My dear Sir:
I am trying to find out who were the parents of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Porterfield and Captain Robert Porterfield who were connected with General Daniel Morgan during the Revolution.
They were from Frederick County, Virginia, born about 1750 and 1752. There were two sisters one married (Eleanor) Colonel William Heth and the other sister (Rebecca) died unmarried. In that way I judge that Eleanor and Rebecca were older than Charles and Robert, and that their father and mother must have married in Frederick County, Virginia, about 1744, and that the mother must have died about 1753. If not she was very old when she married. The records of Frederick county do not give any facts.
Eleanor died without offspring, so did Charles, and Rebecca, Robert left one son. His name is now extinct.
Somewhere I saw the statement that Charles who was at the time an officer, perhaps Captain or Adjutant, was given a leave of absence to go back to Frederick County and settle the estate of his father. But I can not find the statement again, and I do not know what year it was, perhaps about 1778. I thought that you may be able to tell me when he settled this estate, and something about his father and mother. Have you any idea how I may get this information?
Captain Denny Porterfield of Cumberland County, North Carolina, was also distinguished in the Revolution and his mother was a bullet maker for the American patriots and I can not find who she was. His father was James Porterfield and had gone to North Carolina from Pennsylvania just before the Revolution.
I will thank you for any information your records may give.
Very sincerely,
Frank Burke Porterfield Frank Burke Porterfield
RECEIVED OCT 4 9 42 AM '37 THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES MAIL ROOM