Person:George Wade (22)

Military Service

American Revolutionary War Veteran

Revolutionary War Pension Information

Information from “Virginia/West Virginia Genealogical Data from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Records”, Vol. 6, compiled by Patrick G. Wardell, Lt. Col. U.S. Army Ret. :

Wade, George - born 9/15-1759/60; entered service 1779 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, where he resided, in Pennsylvania company; entered service 1781 in Virginia company; granted Pension 1833 in Monongalia County, Virginia, per witness Isaac Cooper; died there 10/25/1842 or 10/30/1842; in 1858 children Joseph & Denune resided there & son Thomas resided in Greene County, Pennsylvania; query letter in file in 1929 from Hazel (Mrs. O.K.) Yeager of Danville, Illinois, says her ancestor Alexander Wade came to Monongalia County, Virginia in 1775 when area was part of Augusta County, Virginia, had wife Eliza Moore, & died 5/10/1803, & was son of George; query letter in file says a George Wade resided in Halifax County, Virginia, at time of Revolutionary War, had son Richard who was born there in 1782. F-S7829, R2465.

1.   Graves, William T. Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters.

   Pension Application of George Wade S7829
   Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
   
   George Wade Served 1 yr. amt Pension $40
   I the undersigned George Wade in pursuance of the Secretary of War give the following narative of my age and services as a soldier in the war of the Revolution to wit, I shall be 75 yrs old the 18th September next. I was nineteen years the month I first went into service – I then resided in Fayette County Pensylvania [then claimed by VA] – was there drafted & marched under Capt Jno. cross to the mouth of
   Big Beaver [at present Beaver], and aided in building Fort McIntosh. remained there about ten months and then marched to Tuscarahua and aided in building Fort Laurence [sic: Fort Laurens on Tuscarawas River in present OH, erected Jan 1779; “1779" in margin]. – about two thousand men marched from Fort McIntosh to Fort Laurence – from Fort Laurence I came home. I was in service about four months – I left home on the first of September & returned a few days before Christmas – the second summer after I returned from the preceeding campaign, I served one month at Martin’s Fort Mon’ga Cty [on the W side of Monongahela River in Monongalia County] under Lieut. Philip Pierce. there was only some eight men at the Fort – I cant tell in what year the preceeding service was done, – In addition to the forgoing I scoutted and rainged as many as forty times. – the latter service was done without any direction from any one, and without officer or officers. – When ever the Indians came into the settlement, I among others would turn out and pursue them, these pursuits would generally continue for two or three days at a time – I was one of the early settlers. men got the settlement or Tomahawk right of 400 acres of Land – which was situate near Martins Fort – this comprises all my services. John Brookover [see endnote] wrote my Declaration – I gave him the same statement that I now give, and claims for no other services than he now details. In Witness of the above I hereto subscribe my name
   Nov’r. 6, 1834 George Wade
   Witness Isaac Cooper A copy W. G Singleton
   
   Memo. In the case of George Wade. copies of these papers made by R. Burdine May 26, 1835 were handed to W. G. Singleton on the 13th August 1839 to enable him to bring suit for the recovery of money paid on false papers, accompanied by affidavits of R. Burdine & J. L. Edwards [Commissioner of Pensions], &c.
   
   [David Houchin, Special Collections Librarian at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, kindly provided me with notes given to him by Ms. Terry Ward of Daughters of the American Revolution, which were compiled by an unknown researcher from documents at the Philadelphia depository of the National Archives and Records Administration (RG21 Records of the US District Court for the Northern District of
   West Virginia Clarksburg Misc. Case Papers Criminal 1834-37 Box 1 E-10-05-06-3). The notes include the following:
   
   “Age 72 in 1833. Born in one of the lower counties of MD 25 Sept 1760. His father moved to Augusta Co. VA when he was 6-7 years old, and to Monongalia Co. when he was about 15. Drafted in 1777. Indian Spy guarding the frontiers 1779-83. His brother, Wenman Wade now lives in Monongalia Co.
   
   “Ensign Pearce, Capt. Cross…. Charged with false swearing and for recovery of money paid on false papers. Defendant died just prior to 4 April 1840 [but see below]. Mentions George Wade Jr. as the administrator. A writ of scire facias was issued… The US Marshall was commanded to serve notice on George Wade Jr. for the money owed to the government. On the back of the Scirofacias to George Wade’s Administrator, issued September 12 1840 is the note ‘G. Wade, who purports to be deceased, is still
   living.’”
   
   Mount Morris, Greene Co Pa: Jany 29th 1857.
   Sir: I write you at the instance of Joseph Wade, and Denune Wade, heirs of George Wade, dec’d. of Monongalia County, in the state of Virginia, who state that their father George Wade, was an indian spy during the Revolutionary War, and as such made an application, and for several years received a pension under the act of June 7th 1832.
   For several years, however, previous to the decease of Mr. Wade, for some cause never known to Mr. Wade, or his children his pension was witheld, and as they conceive illegally and unjustly. Are there any data in your office that will give an explanation of the case?
   Very respectfully, Your obt. servant. J V Boughner
   
   Hon. J. E. Heath Comm’r. Pensions
   Mt. Morris, Green Co Pa: May 27th 1857,
   Sir: Your letter of the 12th ult in which you state that “George Wade of Monongalia County, Virginia was stricken from the Pension roll on account of insufficient evidence to sustain his claim” has been received.
   I understand from the heirs of Mr Wade that he made proof of his services by a respectable citizen named Amos Morris [pension application S7244], who had a personal knowledge of his services as an Indian Spy; and that Mr. Wade previous to his death was not apprized of the reason why his pension was discontinued.
   What is the character of the evidence required by your Department to sustain the claim?
   Very respectfully, yr. obt. servant J. V. Boughner
   
   Hon J. E. Heath
   [On 7 Dec 1858 Joseph Wade and Denune Wade both of Monongalia County, and Thomas Wade of Greene County PA, assigned power of attorney to James V. Boughner to obtain the arrears of pension that had been denied their father. A 23 Dec 1858 letter by Boughner refers to them as the only surviving children of George Wade.]
   [Punctuation partly corrected]
   
   Mt. Morris, Greene Co. Penna.
   Sir: I addressed your office on the 27 May 1857 in relation th to the claim of the heirs of the late George Wade of Monongalia Co. Va. a revolutionary soldier, and who had been pensioned in his lifetime under the act of June 7, 1832.
   In the reply of Mr. F. S. Evans for Commissioner, under date of august 30th of the same year, from facts that have came to my knowledge within the past year, I am satisfied that the office, at that time, was under a misapprehension of the nature and history of the claim.
   George Wade was engaged in the same kind of service that Peter Haught [pension application S6981] and Zachariah Piles [W10896] were, whose names have been restored to the Pension List, and if not in the same campaign under Genl. McIntosh, he was in the second of 1781, under the same officers. It is historical that Genl. [George Rogers] Clark, with a force raised in Virginia in 1778 was out in the North
   West Territory as far the present state of Illinois, and that McIntosh with a force principally drafted from the same state (Virginia) made two campaigns out as far as what is now central Ohio. The oldest surviving son of Wade thinks that his father and Piles were out together and infers so from the fact of having heard them frequently converse of the incidents connected with their military services.
   I find also that a suit was instituted against Wade by W. G. Singleton at the same time that suits were brought against Piles and Haught in the district court of the United States at Clarksburg. This suit was either voluntarily withdrawn by the Government, or test cases were made of Piles’ and Haught’s, and a non pros. entered.
   The Opinion of the district attorney, Lee, that the law and the facts in the cases of Piles and Haught, in which the Court concured were against the Government, if the issue had been joined against Wade, would unquestionably have been so affirmed. Wade was a man of excellent character and ample means. He devised, or by deeds of gift, I believe, gave all his children farms. Hence the government did not fail to press the suit against him because of his want of pecuniary responsibility but for the reasons I have indicated. Judge Lee, who first, as the sworn officer of the Government, gave the opinion adverse to the government is now a member of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and an ornament to the position, whist Singleton, at whose instance these old men were deprived of their stipends was the laughing stock of the legal proffesion and never even obtained a mediocre standing at the bar.
   Wade died on the 25th of October 1842, and to the period of his death was awaiting the prosecution instituted by Singleton that was hanging over his head. Singleton at one time visited him and made an effort to induce him (Wade) to give his Bond for the money he had received from the Government. This, two of his sons who were present he idignantly refused to do, ordering Singleton to leave his house and threatening to cane him.
   
   (These prosecutions were cruel, highly repulsive to public sentiment at the time, and resulted in nothing but the loss of thousands to the government to secure a few hundred dollars, and to the parties prosecuted to more sacrifice and loss than the arrears claimed by their heirs will reimburse.
   In addition to the evidence of service based upon the sworn declarations of the parties and proofs that accompanied the declarations, the following considerations furnish strong grounds for presumsion in their favour, to wit:
   1 The age of the parties. st
   2 Their character as hardy pioneers in leaving the settled country east of the Alleghenies in quest of homes for themselves and posterity in what was then a trackless wilderness, exposed constantly to the danger of Indian massacre. It required [illegible word] bravery to disregard these things.
   3 The circumstances of the country at the time required every man who was capable of bearing arms to unite their destiny with that of the Country in subdueing the enemis of both.
   Having allowed the claims of the companions of Wade – Piles and Haught – we can perceive of no reason, though late, of extending the same exact justice to the heirs of George Wade.
   I have a power of attorney duly executed by the parties interested, have the certificate & seal of the County Clerk, & will forward you in a few days. Very respectfully
   Hon. Geo. C. Whiting Comm Pensions Your obt servt.
   J. V. Boughner.
   [In a letter dated 30 May 1859, Boughner added James Troy (S7747) to those of Piles and Haught as one whose name was restored to the pension roll. In a letter dated 4 July 1859 Boughner stated that George Wade had recently been restored to the pension roll.]
   
   NOTE: The following is from a letter by Boughner in the pension application of Peter Haught: “Haught, Piles, and Wade, were pensioned, through an agent named John Brookover, assisted by a Mr Wilson or some other attorney in Morgantown. The parties refused to pay Brookover an exhorbitant fee he demanded. Brookover took offence, visited Clarksburgh and informed W. G. Singleton, Esqr U. S. dist. attorney that the pensions were fraudulently obtained. Brookover was a cunning and unprincipled man, but very ignorant.”
   
   http://revwarapps.org/s7829.pdf