Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 3176, Stephen Cole, N.C.

SERVICE
NUMBER
N. 6.
Cole, Stephen
S. 3176
Done in N.C.
CONTENTS
carded

Copy of ordn. sent to Hon. E. Deberry June 20. 1835 As see letters 26 Feb. 1847 to Hon. L. B. Chase & 3 d Auditor Hon Tho s Rivers March
10. 1857-
H. M. B. Craig, H. D. [?], 25/19 1887 Sept 8. S.P. Cole that there is not the slightest ground for a claim against U.S. except to surviving child who was a minor March 3, 1855 which is hardly probable (see copy of letter inside.) Prior
See letter, May 25, 1848 To Franklin Pierce in case Ambrose Cayce R. 1821
25430 West Tennessee Stephen Cole of Robertson in the State of Tennessee who was a pr & capt in the _____ commanded by Captain _____ of the regt commanded by Col. Love in the _____ line time for 4 months private 1 year captain
Inscribed on the Roll of West Tennessee at the rate of 25.3 Dollars 33 1/3 Cents per annum, to commence on the 14th day of March, 1834.
Certificate of Pension issued the 8 th day of Jan y 1834 and Heav. Co. Johnson W.P.
Arrears to the 14th of Sept th 633.33 Hemi-ant. allowance ending 4 March 126.67 $760.00
{ Revolutionary Claim, } { Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by Sam Boyd Clerk, Book 8 Vol. 7 Page 75

Stephen Cole 18820

State of Tennessee Robertson County } S.S. 3
This the twentieth day of November in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred & thirty two. Captain Stephen Cole personally appeared before the County Court for the County of Robertson in said State now in session aged seventy three (73) & being duly sworn according to law, doth upon his oath make the following declaration for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of the act of Congress passed the 7th day of June 1832 for the benefit of the officers & soldiers of the Revolution - he declares that he was born in Anson County in the State of North Carolina & that in the year of 1776, he thinks in the month of August, he entered the service of the United States as a substitute for his father who was a drafted militia man, in the company commanded by Capt. Gray & Lieutenant Edward Davidson in a Regiment commanded by Col. David Love & Maj. Davidson that they marched in the summer of 1778 from Anson County against the Cherokee Indians under the command Genl. Rutherford that he believes they were called out for a tour of three months but that the Regiment to which he belonged was actually in service about four months, when upon our return to Anson County we were discharged - that he does not recollect whether he received a discharge or not, but that he never received any compensation therefor - that after this time the Tories became very troublesome in that part of North Carolina, he was engaged as a volunteer in a great many scouting parties against them, & without any definite time being specified

for serving, & performed such services very frequently as occasion required, until he received the Commission of Captain signed by Governor Caswell, authorizing him to raise and command a Company of Volunteers. That in pursuance thereof he raised a company of Volunteers, took the command of them as Captain and Israel Medlock was appointed his Lieutenant and John Bunt the Ensign. That he is unable to specify the time when he received his Commission, but immediately upon his receiving the Commission, he was actively employed in ranging & scouting in force in the country around Anson when he resided. That whilst engaged in the performance of such services, he was under the command of the various superior officers in whose district he happened to be employed. He recollects to have been under the command of Col. Wade who commanded in Anson and also of Col. Medlock who commanded in Richmond County, which had been was a part of Anson. Also of Col. Williams & also of Col. Donelson. In that section of North Carolina & also in the upper part of South, the times were very troublous & dangerous and that in the discharge of the various duties assigned him after he was commissioned as a Captain, he sometimes had the command of a whole Company but other times of the smaller number of men, depending upon the services to be discharged and that his whole time was given to the service of his Country. That he recollects he had been at one time ordered together with some others to take charge of a drove of cattle & drive them to the army of Genl. Gates. That after crossing the River Pedee with the cattle he met the troops of Genl. Gates who had been defeated at Camden on their retreat. & then returned to the opposite side of the Pedee. That he was well acquainted with Genl. Caswell, who commanded

3 under Genl Gates in that battle I was slightly acquainted with the Baron de Kalb & Genl Smallwood who were in the battle - That he had joined with his troop of Cavalry, the army commanded by Genl Gates, at a plantation of Montgomery on Deep River in Chatham County, near Wilson's Ironwork, on his march to South Carolina & he was then ordered to pilot Col. Arming a French officer who commanded a Regiment of Dragoons, to some part of South Carolina, which is not now recollected & after the performance of this service, he was returning to join the army of Genl Gates with the drove of bees, when he met the troops of Genl Gates flying from Camden - That after the battle of Camden, his company as well as most of the Militia scattered & were dispersed in various parts of the Country, where they could be most secure - That in his brother James Cole who had served under him as one of his soldiers, retreated to the neighbourhood of Raleigh, where James was taken sick & remained confined to his bed for some months at the house of Mr. Bledsoe a true whig & an honest benevolent man - after his brother had so much recovered as to be out of danger, he returned to Pedee for the purpose of collecting if possible his scattered company, that he succeeded in collecting a few men & as early as practicable again marched with them into South Carolina, & took his station on the Pedee River at a place then known by the name of Culps ferry, his command then amounting to about thirty men, of the whig refugees & took possession of a large brick dwelling house of Col. Culps & occupied it as a fort, & guarded that bank of the River, the British being about three hundred

strong on the opposite side of the River; at what was then called the long bluff court house about three miles from the ferry - that they & the company remained in the occupation of Culpeper until the arrival of Genl. Greene, when I met him at the mouth of Rocky River. That he the company was then ordered East toward the Fayetteville district where there was a great abundance of forage for the purpose of making discoveries & getting information of the situation of the Country - that he continued after that time in the command of his company ranging & scouting & acting as spies until the close of the war - that recollects in one of the scouting parties to have met Genl. Marion, at Colis Bridge on Roundtree creek in Richmond Co., where we had but two men with him & I had but two or three - I was personally acquainted with Genl. Greene, having been repeatedly sent for by him to his tent for the purpose of giving him information as to the situation of the Country and the parties - that he was constantly employed in that section of the Country in the performance of such duties until the taking of Cornwallis at York-town until peace was finally made.
After the Battle of Camden, when the Country seemed to be lost & the Whig cause almost desperate, I became apprehensive that I should fall into the hands of the Tories upon the part I had taken against them. I did not expect humanity or mercy from them. I thought the best way to secure myself in such an event would be, to keep them in ignorance of my name therefore destroyed all the papers I had & suppose that the commission I had received was destroyed at that time.

He further Declares, that he has no written evidence of his commission or services, further than a letter addressed to him after the peace was made by Charles Brooks, who was one of his soldiers, requesting him, to send a Certificate of his services to John Hunt, who was a Cousin of s d Brooks & who was the ensign in my Company - The s d letter bears date in 1784 & is addressed to me as Captain & is enclosed in these papers for the satisfaction of the department - He does not know of any person now living by whom he can prove his services except the following - one man by the name of Sol Stricklin, who I am informed now lives in Richmond County North Carolina, who served under me as one of my soldiers and my brother James Cole who now resides in Carroll County in the State of Tennessee - he is informed that a few others are probably living who might possibly prove some incidents in the revolution which would tend to shew, that he had been an officer in service but none so- fully as his brother James said Sol Stricklin - that after peace was made he settled himself in Richmond County North Carolina & remained there some years & removed himself to the State of Tennessee in Robertson County where he has  now since resides - That he is not upon the pension list of any state or that of the United States - and that he hereby relinquishes all claim for any pension except that under the act of 1832 for which this declaration is filed -

6 I have procured the deposition of Col. Strickland spoken of in the foregoing declaration which I hereby transmit in support of my declaration I have endeavoured by the means above to obtain the deposition of James Cole but have failed to obtain it from what cause I am unable to state whether he is dead (being seventy seven years of age) or what is the cause is unknown Sworn to & subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court Test W. Seal Clerk Stephen Cole
We Thomas Gunn a clergyman residing in the County of Robertson and James Seal residing in the same hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Stephen Cole who has subscribed and sworn to the above declara- tion, that we believe him to be seventy three years of age that he is reputed and believed in the neighbourhood where he resides to have been a soldier officer of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court Test W. Seal Clerk Thomas Gunn M. G. James Seal
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories presented by the War department that the above named applicant was a revolutionary officer soldier and served as he states, And the Court further Certifies that it appears to them that

Thomas Gurn who has signed the preceding certificates is a Clergyman resident in the County of Robertson and that James Seal who has also signed the same is a resident in the County aforesaid and is a credible person & that their Statement is entitled to credit
I William Seal Clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for the County of Robertson in the State of Tennessee do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Stephen Cole for a pension In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & Seal of office this day of November 1832
W. Seal

8 The answers of Captain Stephen Cole to the interrogatories put to him by the court in open court and ordered to be entered as part of his declaration.
Interrogatory 1. When & in what place were you born etc. I was born in Anson County State of North Carolina in the year 1760.
2. Have you any record of your age and if so where is it.
Ans. I have at home a copy of an original record at home made by my father his family bible, which shows my age to be as above stated
3. Where were you living when called into service where have you lived since the revolutionary war & where do you now live.
Ans. When called into service I lived in Anson County North Carolina after the revolution Anson Co. was divided, I fell in Richland Co. taken from Anson where I resid- ed until I removed to Robertson Co. Tennessee, from Robertson Co. Tenn. I removed to Tuscaloosa Alabama, where I remained three or four years, then removed back to Robertson County where I now reside. I have lived in Robertson Co. Tenn. in all upwards of twenty years.
4. How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute & if a substitute for whom.
Ans. I was called first into service as a substitute, for my father John Cole & served subsequently as

Stated in the body of my declaration
5. State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops where you served; such continental & militia regiments as you can recollect & the general encampments of your services
Ans. I knew Genl Green intimately well Genl Smallwood & Baron De Kalb all of whom commanded where I occasionally served. I remember also the different Colonels mentioned in the body of my declaration to which I now refer for brevity's sake
6. Did you ever receive a discharge certificate & if so by whom was it signed & what has become of it Ans. I received a certificate as stated in my declaration and it was signed & delivered as then stated
7. State the names of some persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood & who can testify as to your character for veracity and their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution
Ans. Col Shannon. John Bulchman & John Shoemaker. Esq. Stephen Cole
Sworn to and subscribed in open Court
Test W. Seal, Clerk

18.826.
Stephen Cole Robertson Co Tennessee
for 1776 print Capt 16 month
  P. 4 m  $13.33    Capt 1776  240.00    (E)  $253.33  
requisition not completed with.
  126 66    5    633.33  
E. Johnson
Springfield Stephen Cole Robertson Co Tennessee

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office,
8 Aug
1833
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, shewing the Service of Stephen Cole Robertson Co Tennessee
   Period when the service was rendered. Duration of the claimant's service. Rank of the claimant. Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served. Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service. Proof by which the declaration is supported.   Years. Months. Days.     Ag th 1776 Ab th 4 " Priv Col. Love May Davidson Capt. Hay Gen Rutherford 73 years Anson Witness L. Stricklin   No date end of the war Capt t Col. Ward " McColloch " Williams " Donaldson 60 N. Car. a person named James Cole 77 years  
The different terms of duty performed by the applicant should be set forth as required in note (2), In volunteer service it is well known that those who served were only occasionally called out the applicant could not therefore have been in constant service in the field so long as two years.
I am, respectfully, Your obedient servant,
J. L. EDWARDS, Commissioner of Pensions.

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 } ss. County of }
On this day of personally appeared (a) before 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 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 , 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 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 traditional 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 services; 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 _____; For _____ 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 place-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.
[k] The notes from [a] to [i] 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.
[l] This traditional evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
[t] 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.
Joseph Rowen.

Rev. & 1812 Wars Section
January 15, 1925
Mrs. Patti T. Seabaugh 402 East St. Belton, Texas
Madam:
I have to advise you that from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S.3176, it appears that Stephen Cole, the son of John, was born in 1760 in Anson County, North Carolina.
While a resident of said county he enlisted in August 1776, as substitute for his father and served four months as private in Captain William Hoy's Company, Colonel David Love's North Carolina Regiment.
He was commissioned Captain in 1778 or 1779 and served with the North Carolina Troops at various times until sometime in 1783, about three years and eight months in all, under Colonels Wade, Medlock, Williams, Donelson, and Thomas Crawford.
He was allowed pension on his application executed November 10, 1832, at which time he was a resident of Robertson County, Tennessee.
There is no data on file relative to his wife and children.
Respectfully,
Acting Commissioner

State of Tennessee } Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions Carroll County } December Term 1832.
On this 10 th day of December A.D. 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before the Justices of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions for the County of Carroll, James Cole, a resident of said County, aged 77 years, who being first duly sworn according to Law, deponeth and saith, that his Brother, Stephen Cole, now residing in the County of Robertson, State of Tennessee; but at the period mentioned below preceding in the County of Anson, State of North Carolina, in that part of said County which has since become Richmond, went, as a substitute for his Father, John Cole sen r , in 1776, under command of Captain Hoy, David Love, Colonel, in an expedition against the Cherokee Indians, and was thus engaged about the term of six months— After his return Deponent does not recollect, particularly of his being engaged in the service until the year 1780. when he volunteered, Deponent thinks, under Colonel Crawford, or Colonel Wade, and some time after, time not particularly recollected; he (Stephen Cole aforesaid) obtained the appointment of Captain, and Deponent will recollect, serving under him as such— but how long said Stephen Cole acted as Captain, or whether Deponent ever saw his Commission, or what has become of it, he is unable to say— He will recollect, having heard his brother Stephen frequently say, that, being in some close place, & fearing that he might fall into the hands of the Tories & British, he collected his papers & burnt them— Deponent further states, on his oath aforesaid, that his Brother, Stephen Cole, from this time, was constantly in the service of the United States, until the surrender of Cornwallis and for several months afterwards, the Tories acting as tho' they were sensible that there was a desperate case after the news of Cornwallis' surrender.

This Deponent further says that the time of service of his said Brother Stephen Cole, from first to last exceeded Two Years, but cannot say that he acted as Captain as long as two years & wishes not to be understood as saying that he did not -
James Cole
Sworn to & subscribed in open Court the day & year first above mentioned, by Me
Edward Irwin Clerk
State of Tennessee Carroll County
I, Edward Irwin Clerk of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions for the county of Carroll, hereby Certify That James Cole who has sworn to & subscribed the foregoing Affidavit is a Credible person, & that his State- ments are entitled to Credit.
In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and seal of office, the 10 th day of December A.D. 1832, & the 57 year of the Independence of the United States.
Done at Huntingdon -
Edward Irwin Clerk

Pray please to let John Hunt have my ticket for that tour of duty that I owed under you & you will oblige your humble servant May the 10 W 84
To Col. Smith
Charles Brooks
Stephen Cook

Rockingham N.C.
Sept 12
[Large decorative flourish]
Capt. Stephen Cole
Cypress Springs
Robeson County
Mississippi

State of North Carolina } Personally appeared before me Richmond County } Henry W Harrington one of the Justices of the Peace in & for the said County, Sott Stricklen of Citizen of the said County, who being first duly sworn, deposeth & saith, that he is in the twenty third year of his age, that during the War of the Revolution he was a resident of Anson County in the said State, that he was well acquain- ted with Captain Stephen Cole who was then a resident of the said County of Anson, now a resident in Robertson County in the State of Tennessee, that said Cole was, sometime in the year 1776 called into service as a private, (the said Stricklen being called into service at the same time) under the Command of Capt Wm Hoy, Edward David lieutenant, under Col. David Love, that he said Cole & Stricklen served a tour, together, under the said Officers which was to have been a rout of three months, but that they served four months or thereabouts, all being under the command of Genl Rutherford. After the expiration of this term of service this deponent saith that he was engaged, in company with the said Cole in various excursions against the Tories & that about the latter part of the year 1778 or early part of the year 1779 as the said Stricklen believes, the said Stephen Cole was appointed a Captain of a Volunteer Company & that he the said Stricklen volunteered & served as a private in the said Company under the Command of the said Capt Cole during the whole

of the remainder of the war. That the said Capt Cook held himself as a minute man & served his country faithfully as a captain at different times & routes against the Tories & enemies of the country, in patrolling the movements of the enemy & in giving intelligence of those movements; reconnoitering the country & procuring provisions for the army. And whenever we would fall in with any part of the main or standing army, we were commanded by our superior officers & held ourselves subject to their orders and obeyed them in detached routes. And that the said Capt Cook as capt of the said Volunteer Company of Minute men held himself subject to all calls & obeyed all legal calls, as this deponent believes, & served faithfully, punctually and resolutely during the war until peace was made, discharging all the duties enjoined on him as capt of the said Volunteer Company of Minute men, faithfully & voluntarily, as this deponent fully believes.
And further this deponent saith not.
Sworn to & subscribed before me the 7th day of Sept 1832.
Lot Strickland
W. Harrington

State of North Carolina } I Henry W Harrington the Richmond County } of the Justices of the Peace in and for the said County do hereby certify that Lott Stricklin whose name appears to the foregoing deposition, is and has been for many years a resident of the said County, that he is a man of good moral character, & is reputed in his neighbourhood as a man of honesty, probity & truth and to be relied on in his assertions, for veracity, & that I believe him to be of the age he states.
Given under my hand & seal the 7th Sept 1832
H. W. Harrington Esq.
State of North Carolina } I Christian C. Richmond County } Cranford Clerk of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions for the County aforesaid certify that H. W. Harrington Esq. who attested the within or foregoing deposition of Lott Stricklin, is an acting Justice of the Peace for said County of Richmond, & is duly authorized to administer oaths - In testimony whereof I have hereunto set My hand & Seal of office at Rockingham this 11 th day of September A.D. 1832 - Ch. C. Cranford Clerk

State of Tennessee
Robertson County } This day being the 27 th day
of May 1833 Personally appeared before me
John Hutchinson a Justice of the peace in and
for the County aforesaid Stephen Cole the appli-
cant in an original declaration made on the
13 th day of March 1832 for a pension under the
act of Congress passed June 7 th 1832 to which this
is appended as an amendment to form a comple-
ment part This applicant being first duly
sworn states that the first term of service men-
-tioned in his original declaration he will from the
best of his recollection say in the position that
he served four months as a private and was by
his officers placed to drive a wagon in the army
He also states that in the year 1777 he volunteered
and received the commission of Captain and
commanded a Volunteer Company accordingly
as set out in his original declaration in Rutherford
and scouting through and across the Country
in various sections and under the various
Standing commanding officers as stated in his
original declaration as to precisely identify the
precise length of time he was with and under
each commanding General he cannot possibly
now recollect the best he states in the proposition
that he continued in the service of the United
States in the manner and mode under the
Commission of Capt. of a Volunteer Company
as specified in his original declaration and
was not employed in any civil pursuit whatever
until the close of the war in 1783 making his
service in the Revolutionary War as a Captain five
years from the best of his recollection

We herewith transmits the deposition of James Cole in support of his claim which he has received since he sent on his original declaration That he also states that he served some portion of his time under Col. Thomas Crawford Stephen Cole
I John Hutchinson Justice of the peace for the County of Robertson and State of Tennessee do certify that Stephen Cole whose name purports to be signed to the above amended declaration was before signing the same duly sworn before me and that he signed the same in my presence In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 27 th day of May 1833
John Hutchinson
State of Tennessee Robertson County I William Seal Clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for the County aforesaid do hereby certify that John Hutchinson Esq. whose name purports to be signed to the foregoing certificate is a Justice of the peace in the said County duly com- missioned & qualified as such & that full faith and credit ought to be due to his signature as such & that his signature is genuine
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this 27 th day of May 1833
W. Seal

I was born & raised within a few miles of Capt! Stephen Cole I have known him & his character well from my earliest recollection - I often inform the departm ent that no man has a higher character for veracity & truth & that I have always understood him to have been a captain in the Revolutionary war
Dec 27 1833
E Johnson

State of Tennessee
Robertson County
I personally appeared before me John Hutchinson a Justice of the peace in and for the County aforesaid Stephen Cole the applicant in the declaration for a pension to which this is appended as an amendment who being first sworn depose and say that as to the time he received his commission of Captain of a volunteer Company he perhaps may be mistaken in saying it was in 1777 it probably was in the latter part of the year 1778 or early part of 1779 this matter he states from the best of his recollection, he can not say in the proposition the precise length of his service but from the best of his recollection he served as a private in the year 1776 four months and from the time that he received his commission as Captain he served actually and continually not less than three years and eight months as Captain of a volunteer Company and for which service he claims a pension
Stephen Cole
Subscribed & sworn to before me this 14 th day of December 1833
John Hutchinson Justice of the peace for Robertson County

State of Tennessee Robertson County ss. I. William Seal Clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for the County aforesaid do hereby certify that John Hutchinson Egan whose name is subscribed to the foregoing affidavit is a Justice of the peace for said County duly commissioned and qualified as such & that his signature thereto is genuine
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court at office this 14 th day of December 1833 W. Seal

H of Rep
Jan'y 3 rd 1834
The Com ee of Pensions will be pleased to prepare a pension certificate as indicated in his letter for Capt a Gole - as a captain for 12 mo s & a private for 4 mo s - I presume no further evidence can be afforded by Capt a Gole as to the length of his service
Very respectfully
C Johnson

Sturminster Newton Feb 25-57
Dear Sir
Will you please examine the within letters and give me all the information as file in your office also returns me the enclosed letter -
Your attention to this will greatly oblige me - the writer expected me to see you in person but the sickness of my wife forced me to come home
Yours Resp t Thomas Rivers

House of Rep. U.S. Jan. 21 st 1859.
Hon. G. C. Whiting.
Be pleased to furnish me with the information asked for in the enclosed letter - Respectfully & Yours B. Cruise

War Department,
\frac{3617}{6}
Washington City,
August 30, 1887.
Sir:
In reply to your letter of the 18 th instant, requesting information concerning a claim for services rendered during the Revolutionary War by Stephen Cole, I beg to advise you that no record relating to said claim is found in the Revolutionary Archives of this Department. As many of the records of the Revolutionary War are deposited in the Department of State, it is possible that application to that Department

may elicit the desired information.
The records of the Third Auditor's Office, Treasury Department, may show claim in favor of Mr. Cole for pension.
Very respectfully, R. Macfeely
Acting Secretary of War.
Mr. S. P. Cole,
Louisville via Nashville R. R. Depot,
Nashville, Tenn.

6206. Euclid Ave. San Antonio Tex
Aug 26-1926
Department of Interior Washington D. S.
Dear Sir:-
Will you please look in your revolutionary war records and see if you can find fur- nish me with any

information of Stephen Cole and John near Cole of N. S. during the Revolu- tionary War.
Sincerely yours (Miss) Ruby Cole

#402 East St. Belton, Texas, Dec. 9 '24.
Com. of Pensions:- Dear Sir:-
Sir, if you want to do a good  deed in this "naughty old world" - please examine your records for the name of "Stephen Cole," of N. C., who at the age of 16 served under Gen. Rutherford

in a war against the Indians on the border of N.C. & Tenn, for six months prior to the Rev, he settled in Tenn, after marrying Nancy Terry & to them was born William Terry Cole who married Judith M. Leake (1785) in Rockingham, Richmond Co. N.C. & moved to Waverly ville Wm Terry Cole was a

at your earliest and I shall sure write "Santa" to remember you abun- dantly.
With all good wishes - Very hastily & cordially, (Mrs.) Patti Thompson Seabough
Belton,
Tex.

Cole S. P., Nashville, Tenn. September 2 d , 1887.
Department of State Washington, Sept 6, '87
(2 enclosures)
Asks if record exists of claim for pension for Stephen Cole , "who served in the Revolutionary War. "
Respectfully referred to the Commissioner of Pensions and the Writer so advised.
By direction of the Sec- retary of State.
Alfred Williams Acting Chief Clerk

Louisville &amp; Nashville Railroad Company
Office of Agent,
Nashville, Tenn.
Sept. 7 d
1887
Gov. Jas. D. Porter asst Secy of State Washington D.C.
Dear Sir -
Please note the att'd papers, and see if there is any record of Claim for pension in your Department for Stephen Cole who served in the Revolutionary War.
If no record of Claim found, will you please refer these papers to the Third Auditor's Office Treasury Department with request that search be made through records there. If you will investigate this matter thoroughly and ascertain for certain that there is a claim there, it may be of some importance to you. Hoping to hear from you as soon as convenient, I am with respect
Yours truly
S. P. Cole
Genl Depot Nashville Tenn.

U. S. Pension Agency, Washington, D. C. Aug 11 1887
Respectfully returned. This is the Agency for the payment of pensions only.
You should ad- dress the Depart- ment having charge of claims of the nature of the one referred to.
J. L. Wilson Pension Agent L.

Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company Office of Agent,
Nashville, Tenn. Aug 7 th 1887
United States Pension and Claim Agent Washington DC
Dear Sir -
I have recently learned that there is a large sum of Money (perhaps One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100 000. 00 )) in the U.S. Treasury for the heirs of my Great-Grand Father Stephen Cole who served in the Revolutionary War Commanding a Company the greater part of the time. After said war he moved from North Carolina in 1806 to Robertson Co. Tenn. where he died June 5 th 1840, leaving a family of ten Children, all of whom are dead except one - the youngest - who is now about 80 years of age.

V Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company Office of Agent.
188
Will you please examine the records and see if there is such a Claim or pension there, and if you find there is, please advise me at once, and let me know what is necessary for me to do and how to proceed for the collection of said Claim. Awaiting your reply
I am with respect
Yours truly
J. P. Cole
Gr N Depot
Nashville
Tenn
over

1925 Jan 18. Wish to Mrs. Patti T. Seabaugh mes. 1926 Oct. 20 wish to Miss Ruby Cole West.
Beulah
3146 INVALID.
File No. 3176
Stephen Cole Capt. N.C. Line
Act: June 7/93
Index:—Vol. A , Page 73
[Arrangement of 1870.]

Rev. & 1812 Wars Section On W.S.
October 20, 1926
Miss Ruby Cole 620 E. Euclid Ave. San Antonio, Texas
Madam:
I have to advise you that from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S. 3176, it appears that STEPHEN COLE , the son of John, was born in Anson County, North Carolina, in 1760.
While a resident of said county he enlisted in August, 1776, as a substitute for his father and served four months as a private in Captain William Hoy's Company in Colonel David Love's North Carolina Regiment.
He was commissioned Captain in 1778 or 1779 and served with the North Carolina troops at various times until sometime in 1783, about three years and eight months in all, under Colonels Wade, Medlock, Williams, Donelson and Thomas Crawford.
He was allowed pension on his application executed November 10, 1832, at which time he was a resident of Robertson County, Tennessee.
There are no data on file relative to his wife and children.
The above noted is the only Stephen Cole of North Carolina that is found on the Revolutionary War records of this bureau.

As means of identification of a particular John Cole of North Carolina you should furnish as much as possible of the following data relative to him; approximate dates of birth and death, places of residence at enlistment and after service, and first name of widow.
Respectfully,
WINFIELD SCOTT Commissioner