Person:Joseph McClellan (3)

Joseph McClellan was born in December 1764 in the portion of Augusta County, Virginia that became Botetourt County in 1768. When Joseph was "not quite 16 years of age", he served in the Revolutionary War in the Virginia Militia beginning about October 1780 and participated in the "Battle of Guilford Courthouse" on March 15, 1781, per his Revolutionary Pension Application Declaration. After serving at the "Siege of York" on October 19, 1781 where British General Cornwalis was taken, he served for a "month or two" after that before "arriving at home a few days before the ensuing Christmas".

McClellan states that after the Revolutionary War that he resided in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky for the 19 years preceding his Revolutionary Pension Declaration in 1832. In addition, on June 15, 1844 in Lauderdale County Tennessee, Joseph McClellan applied for the transfer of his pension benefit to the Tennessee agency giving as his reason for removing to Tennessee that his wife had died, all his children & friends had left the region where he resided in Indiana and he wish to spend the remainder of his days with his daughter Mrs. John Nevill whose residence is in Lauderdale County Tennessee. John C. Nevils [his likely son-in-law] gave a supporting affidavit.

Joseph McClellan can be found in the Pension Roll of 1835 and in the 1840 U.S. Census in Heath, Harrison Township, Indiana before his coming to Lauderdale County, Tennessee to come to live with his [likely] daughter Elizabeth Nevils, whose husband John C. Nevils appears to have died sometime between 1844 and 1850.

The identity of Joseph McClellan's wife is undetermined, as is the identity of any additional children, except for a possible son, William McClellan, who was born about 1794 in Tennessee and was living in Lauderdale County, Tennessee from 1840 to 1870.

Additional research is needed on Joseph McClellan and his family.

American Revolutionary War Veteran

[edit]

Revolutionary War Pension Information

Information from “Virginia/West Virginia Genealogical Data from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Records”, Vol. 3, compiled by Patrick G. Wardell, Lt. Col. U.S. Army Ret. :

McClalon (McClellan) Joseph, entered service in Botetourt County, Virginia, where born December 1764 [Note: prior to 1768 was Augusta County]; granted Pension 1832 in Harrison County, Indiana; resided 1844 in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, where he had lately moved from Indiana after wife died & children had moved away, & wanted to reside with his daughter, Mrs. John Nevill there; resided 1850 in McCracken County, Kentucky. F-S31846, R1667.

[edit]

Records in Tennessee

Isaac Brashears assigned to Joseph McClellan I00 acres, being part of 400 acres whereon he lives on the North side of the Clinch River to the Tract conveyed by Robert King to said Brashears. Aug. 3, I807. N.&.K. X

References

Graves, William T. Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters.
Pension application of Joseph McClalon (McClellan) S31846 f23VA
Transcribed by Will Graves 4/8/13

State of Indiana Harrison County Harrison Circuit Court Sct. October Term 1832
On this 2nd day of October 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before the Honorable John F Ross President Judge and Marrs Boone & Craver Lynn Esqrs. his associate Judges of the Circuit Court for said County in the second judicial Circuit, in said State, now sitting, Joseph McClellan, a resident of the Township of Heth in the County and State aforesaid aged sixty-seven 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 June 7, 1832: That he entered the service of the United States and served under the following named officers and served as herein stated in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Lynch – Major Cummins commanded the Battalion to which he belonged, and Captain Joshua Martin commanded the Company to which he belonged, that he resided in Botetourt County Virginia, when he entered the service – that he served under the above named officers for the term of six months, as a substitute for Henry Williams, this applicant being at the commencement of this term of service, not quite sixteen years of age; that entered this term, sometime in the latter part of the month of September or the first part of the month of October 1780, he cannot state the day with certainty – recollects that his term expired soon after the battle of Guilford Court House [March 15, 1781]; that he was in a skirmish sometime before the battle of Guilford, at a place called Ramsour's Mill on the Reedy fork of Haw River, and was also in the battle of Guilford – that he marched from Botetourt County aforesaid and joined General Greene's Army in Guilford County North Carolina, sometime before the skirmish at the mills above mentioned. General Stevens [Edward Stevens] commanded the Brigade of Virginia militia to which this applicant was attached; Colonel Callaway commanded the Regiment belonging to the same Brigade. He also recollects a Captain Wilson and Captain Hale who commanded companies in the same Regiment to which he belonged; that he cannot remember the names of any of the regular officers, except General Greene the chief, also Colonels Lee [Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee], & Washington [William Washington] who commanded the Light horse; that after the battle of Guilford they marched to the High Hills of Santee, and some of the sick and wounded, and to the best of his recollection, his first term expired before he arrived at the High Hills of Santee a short time after the battle; that he then [was] hired [as] a substitute for one William Lekens [?], not less than two, but not certain whether for two or three months, in a company commanded by Captain Watkins – that Major Goodson commanded the Battalion to which he was attached this second tour, but cannot at this time recollect the name of his Colonel; he recollects Captains Eason and Thompson or Tompkins, thinks his name was Thompson who commanded a company in the same Battalion to which applicant belonged. After the battle at Guilford we pursued the British to Ramsey's Mills on Deep River at which place we halted; the next place he recollects of marching to was the High Hills of Santee at which place his brother who was in the Army died which circumstance enables him to recollect that place. He was not in the battle at Campden [second battle of Camden or Hobkirk Hill, April 25, 1781], and cannot state where he was at that time. He was discharged in the region of Country but cannot recollect the place. After being discharged from this tour, he returned to Botetourt in Virginia, and was not long afterwards drafted into the service for four months in the company commanded by Captain Williams, in a Regiment commanded by Colonel Madison, Captain Goodwin commanded a company in the same Regiment, that they marched from thence to a place called New London in Bedford County Virginia and there joined some other troops cannot remember the names of the officers; that they then continued their march towards Little York, and joined the main Army under Washington at that section of Country; that he was at the siege of York at which Cornwallis was taken [October 19, 1781]. This last tour of four months expired he thinks about a month or two after the surrender. He recollects of arriving at home a few days before the ensuing Christmas. He states that he had written discharges from each of his captains under whom he served as above stated but had the misfortune to have them consumed by fire in his father's house, which was burnt about two years after the above services; that he was born in Botetourt County Virginia, at which place he resided when called into service at each of the terms above stated; that he has no record of his age and his but according to the best information he has been able to get he was born the latter part of December 1764, he recollects that he was not sixteen years of age when he first entered the service, but arrived at that age during the winter preceding the battle at Guilford; that since the revolutionary war, he has lived in Virginia, in Tennessee, in Kentucky and for the last 19 years has resided in this state & County; that he has no documentary evidence and knows of no person whose testimony he can procure to testify to his said services; that he is known in his present neighborhood to Isaac Funk [?] & John Parkison who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution. He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.

S/ Joseph McClalon

[Isaac Funk & John Parkison gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
[p 6: On June 15, 1844 in Lauderdale County Tennessee, the veteran applied for the transfer of his pension benefit to the Tennessee agency giving as his reason for removing to Tennessee that his wife had died, all his children & friends had left the region where he resided in Indiana and he wish to spend the remainder of his days with his daughter Mrs. John Nevill whose residence is in Lauderdale County Tennessee. John C. Nevils gave a supporting affidavit.]
[p 22: On March 8, 1853 in McCracken County Kentucky, the veteran applied for the transfer of his pension benefit to the Kentucky agency giving as his reason for moving that he wished to live with his son [not named].
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $40 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private for 12 months in the Virginia service.]
United States. 1840 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M704).

1840 United States Federal Census
Name: Joseph Mcclelan
Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Heath, Harrison, Indiana
Birth Year: abt 1765
Age: 75
Military service: Veteran
Male: age 70 and under 80 [b. bet. 1760-1769], appears to be this Joseph McClellan based upon information in his Revolutionary Pension file.
Female: age 20 and under 30 [likely a daughter]
The Pension Roll of 1835: Report from the Secretary of War, in Obedience to Resolutions of the Senate of the 5th and 30th of June, 1834, and the 3d of March, 1835, in Relation to the Pension Establishment of the United States. (Washington, District of Columbia: Duff Green, 1835).

Name: Joseph M'Clellan
Rank: Private
Age: 69
Birth Year: abt 1762
Pension Enrollment Date: 4 Mar 1831
Residence Place: Harrison, Indiana, USA
Service Description: Virgina militia
North Carolina, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890: [database on-line]. (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999).

Indiana, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890
Name: Joseph McClelan
State: IN
County: Harrison County
Township: Age 75 Heath
Year: 1840
Page: 182
Database: IN 1840 Pensioners List