Person:James Kelly (65)

Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters Pension Application of James Kelly W7969 Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

The State of Ohio Clark County Ss

    On this fourth day of October in the year eighteen hundred and thirty two personally appeared before the Court of Common Pleas of Clark County being the October Term of the said Court James Kelly a resident of Green Township in Clark County aforesaid aged seventy and nine 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 7, 1832.
    That he enlisted in the army of the United States in the year 1775 one or two days before Christmas in Monongalia County in the State of Virginia [now WV, formed 6 Nov 1776 from Augusta and Preston Counties] with one John McMahon a Lieutenant in Captain David Scott's company and served in the thirteenth Virginia Regiment of the line under the following officers Uriah Springer was a Second Lieutenant John McMahon first Lieutenant David Scott was captain of the company untill some time in the winter of 1776 when he was wounded by a Rifle ball fired by an Indian and George Berry succeeded him in the office of Captain and continued in command untill in 1779 when the said Kelly was discharged [see endnote] the Regiment to which he belonged was commanded by Col'n. John Gibson who lived in Fort Pitt was an old Indian trader.  John Campbell [sic: Richard Campbell] was Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment he does not recollect the name of the Majore General Samuel Hand [sic: Edward Hand] who lived about seven miles from Fort Pitt was the commanding general he enlisted for three years at the time stated above and he remained at Fort Pitt untill some time 1777 when he went down the [Ohio] River with about (he believes) two thousand troops and built Fort McIntosh [at present Beaver PA] and afterwards in November following he was marched to build Fort Lawrence on the Tuscarawa branch of Muskingum River [sic: Fort Laurens on Tuscarawas River in OH, completed Jan 1779] he remained at the latter place about three months and was marched back to Fort McIntosh and from there to Fort Pitt in 1778 he went up the River to destroy an Indian town on the Allegany [sic: Allegheny] called Cornplanters Town this was called Broadheads Campaign [Col Daniel Brodahead's and Gen John Sullivan's, Aug 1779] Col'n. Broadhead of the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment commanded the expedition he then returned to Fort Pitt and staid a short time and was went to Fort McIntosh then he remained untill the term for which he enlisted expired then he went to Fort Pitt and was discharged by Lieutenant Col'n. Campbell who was then in command Col'n. Gibson being absent. at the time of his enlistment he lived about half a mile from the site of the Town of Morgantown in Monongahela [sic] County in the State of Virginia from which place he was marched down through the Red Stone Country [around present Brownsville in Fayette County PA] to Fort Pitt during his service as already stated he never was in any battle he was in a skirmish with a party of Indians who were descending the river when our troops were on their way to the Indian Town as above stated three Indians were killed and several wounded but none of our men injured the affidavit accompanying this declaration was taken with a view to preserve the evidence of the witness and his is now deceased.
    He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any State
    He states that he received a written discharge from Lieut. Col'n. Campbell which he did not preserve and does not when or how it was lost.
         Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court
        James [his X mark] Kelly

The State of Ohio SS' Clark County

    Personally before me the subscriber one of the associate Judges of the County aforesaid came Charles Botkin who being duly sworn as the law directs - deposeth and saith that some time in the year 1776 being in the service of the United States myself, I became Intimately aquainted with James Kelly who was then Inlisted in the service of the United States in the company commanded by Capt David Scott in the 13th regiment of the Virginia line in which Company I know he served until some sometine in the year 1779 when he was discharged at Pittsburgh.  I served in the same company with the said Kelly during the said term.  The command of said Company devolving on Capt George Berre he was discharged under him.
    Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of January 1820.
    [signed] Charles Botkin

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A letter from the Pension Office dated 4 Nov 1847 notes that rolls show that James Kelly enlisted for only 12 months.

    On 13 Aug 1847 Catherine Kelly, 80, applied for a pension stating that her maiden name was Catherine Stewart, that she was a native of County Tyrone in Ireland, that she married James Kelly in Sep 1783, and that he died 30 Apr 1837.  With her application she submitted a family record, which James Kelly, Jr. certified as being that of his father, and which is transcribed below.  Other documents state that shortly after James Kelly settled in Clark County, his oldest daughter, then Mrs. Kirkpatrick, moved there with her husband and several children.

Rachel Kelly was born Aug 4th 1784 Joseph Kelly was born Dec 23rd 1785 John Kelly was born March 3rd 1789 Sam'l Kelly was born March 3rd 1791 Thos Kelly was born Aug 1st 1792 Nathan Kelly was born May 12th 1794 Mary Kelly was born March 24th 1796 James Kelly was orn Jany 15th 1798 Catharine Kelly was born June 7th 1799 Steward Kelly was born June 13th 1801 Francis Kelly was born May 12th 1803 Leah Kelly was born Jany 7th 1806

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950.

   database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X16W-G9R : 2 January 2015), James Kellie, 23 Jun 1752; citing , reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 990,986.