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Facts and Events
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. 2, compiled by Patrick G. Wardell, Lt. Col. U.S. Army Ret. :
Gritton, John - born 1755 in Winchester, [Frederick County], Virginia; moved at abt. age 15 with parents to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where entered service in 1775 when resided on Youghigheny River; granted pension 1832 in Merceer County, Kentucky; died 8/7/1840; widow died before him; children included [son] Aaron; query letter in file in 1936 from descendant Bess Gritton (Mrs. R.B.) Nelson, Harrodsburg, Kentucky, who was daughter of John Rowan Gritton, states soldier married Elizabeth & their son Aaron (b. 1779) married an Elizabeth, further querier also was a descendant of Revolutionary War soldier Isaac Bowman, whose daughter Rhoda remarried after soldier died. F-S13203, R1139.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (i)International Genealogical Index (IGI)(/i) (Salt Lake City: Family History Library) (3).
- Edmund West (compiler). Family Data Collection - Births (not a reliable source). (Ancestry.com Operations Inc).
Name: John Gritton
Father: William Gritton
Birth Date: 1755
City: Winchester
County: Frederick
State: VA
Country: USA
- ↑ Graves, William T. Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters.
Pension application of John Gritton S13203 fn36PA/VA
Transcribed by Will Graves 10/2/11
State of Kentucky Mercer County viz.: On this 3rd day of December 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Justices of the County Court of Mercer now sitting John Gritton a resident citizen of said County & state aged 76 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 act of Congress passed the 7th day of June 1832, That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated – viz.: I John Griffin do hereby state on oath in answer to the several interrogatories put by the court according to the direction of the War Department, That I was born in the town of Winchester & State of Virginia in the year 1755 as I my parents informed me, and my parents removed to West Moreland County Pennsylvania when I was about fifteen years of age and I lived on the Youghegany River [Youghiogheny River] in that state when I was called into service of my country as follows, in the month of May 1775 I was drafted in Captain John Rice's Company of Colonel Broadhead's Regiment for four months
and was marched to a place six miles above what was called the Turkey foot settlement and built a Fort called Hoagland Fort where I was stationed until my time expired which was four months and I was honorably discharged. My next tour was in the fall of the same year I volunteered in a company of Rangers commanded by Captain Drake for three months and we marched to
Conemaugh River in said state and ranged on that River and adjacent frontiers until my time
expired and we were discharged.
And again in the year 1776 after harvest I again volunteered in Captain Drake's company
of Rangers on another tour of three months and we marched up to a place called the Glades then on the waters of Turtle Creek and Youghegany River on these Frontiers of Westmoreland County until our time expired and I was again discharged – we had no Colonel with us in either of those tours but were ordered into service by Colonel Broadhead who was our principal officer in our County.
My next tour was in the month of January 1777 I again volunteered in Captain Drake's
Company of Rangers for one month In order to take some deserters from the main Army we
marched to the Glades and several other places in the neighborhood of Bedford and took several, and others came in and delivered themselves up at Bedford in our time expiring I was discharged.
Again in the month of August 1778 I performed a tour of duty of one month as a
volunteer in a company of Rangers or Indian spies under Captain Kilgore and we marched to
Cheat River where we ranged until I time expired and I was discharged and again in the fall of 1778 I performed another tour of one month as a volunteer Ranger in Captain Brown's Company to a place called the [indecipherable word] Glades where we ranged until my time expired and I was discharged.
In 1779 I was employed in building boats on the Youghegany River and in the month of
April 1780 I sailed down the Ohio River to the falls of that River, and in the month of July of that year I volunteered in Captain Mcgary's Company at Mcgary's Station now in Mercer County for three months on an expedition then about to March under Colonel Geo. R Clark [George Rogers Clark] against the Indians and we marched to the mouth of Licking and from thence to a place then called Piqua on Mad River a Branch of the Big Miami which place we burnt and destroyed after we had a severe conflict with the Indians and at the expiration of my time I was honorably discharged.
Again in the fall of 1782 I volunteered in Captain James Ray's Company on another
campaign and tour of three months against the northern Indians under Colonel or General George R. Clark and we marched across the Ohio at the mouth of Licking about the first September and thence to Piqua on the Big Miami which place we took and burnt several other towns after a severe conflict with the Indians – previous to this time in the year 1781 I performed a tour of two months as an Indian spy at McMurtry's Station in Kentucky now Mercer County, under Captain Ray, and one month at Mcgary's station in the summer 1781, and one month at the mouth of Salt River. At Mcgary's I served under Captain John Gordon, and at the mouth of Salt River under a Lieutenant whose name I cannot recollect at this time but I solemnly aver that I actually performed the tours of duty and services as above specified, and I know of no person now alive by whom I can prove my services in the State of Pennsylvania, and my services in the State of Kentucky I believe I can prove by General James Ray1 and James Hutton2 – I further declare that I have no documentary evidence of my services as I have long since lost my discharges and I am not now a pensioner of the United States nor of any state and I hereby relinquish all claim that I may have to any pension or annuity except the present. Witness my hand this 3rd day of December 1832
S/ John Gritton, X his mark
Mercer County: On this 3rd day of December 1832 personally appeared in open court General
James Ray and being sworn according to law doth on his oath state, that his acquaintance with the above John Gritton who has sworn and subscribed the above declaration commenced in the spring 1780 soon after he came to Kentucky and I have known him ever since. I know that he
marched with General Clark on his expedition in the year 1780 and in the year 1781 the said
Gritton perform duty as a guard at the places he has stated above, part of his time was at
Mcgary's Station where I was stationed and again in the fall 1782 he marched with me and in my company on Clark's campaign against the Indians on the Big Miami the said Gritton was always considered as a brave soldier and discharged his duty. I also well recollect at that time the said Gritton told me of his services in the Western parts of Pennsylvania on the Youghegany River as he has detailed in his declaration which I have read. The said Gritton was always considered a man of truth and I have no doubt of his having performed the services as he has stated. Witness my hand this 3rd day of December 1832
1 FPA S31314 transcribed and posted in this database 10/2/11
2 FPA 31147 transcribed and posted in this database 10/2/11
[Martin C Duncan, a clergyman, Stephen Tyler and Peter Huff gave the standard supporting
affidavit.]
[fn p. 12]
State of Kentucky Mercer County viz.: On this 26 day of November 1832 personally appeared
before me a justice of the peace in and for said County he being infirm and as he lives more than 20 miles from Harrodsburg where our court sets and it being very inconvenient for the said Hutton to attend court on account of his infirmities and being duly sworn according to law states, as follows, viz.
I James Hutton do hereby state on oath that I am well acquainted with John Gritton
Senior, of the County of Mercer and have known him sinse he first came to Kentucky in the
spring 1780 and I was intimately acquainted with him from that time to the present, and I know that he performed the several tours of duty which he has stated viz. He was in Clark's Campaign in 1780, and also in 1781 he was stationed at McMurtrey's Station and at Mcgary's & on Salt River also on Clark's Campaign in the fall 1782 I also well recollect of the said Gritton telling me of his services in Pennsylvania in the year 1775 – 6 & 7 in the Western parts of that state and of his building forts on the Youghegany River all of which services he has often told me of soon after he came to Kentucky and before the war ended, I have always considered the said Griffin as a man of truth and a respectable Citizen, I was sworn as a witness to his first declaration, and no personally of his services since he first came to Kentucky. Witness my hand this day 26th of November 1832.
[facts in file: veteran died August 7, 1840; his wife, whose name is not stated in the documents in this file, did not survive them. The only child of John Gritton whose name is contained in the file is Aaron Gritton about whom there are no details given. No other child is referenced in the documents in this file.]
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $73.33 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for 22
months service in the Pennsylvania and Virginia militias.]
http://revwarapps.org/s13203.pdf
- ↑ Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source).
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