Person:Rebecca Avant (3)

Text: From the research of Marvin Senter Type: E-Mail Letter Text: 1800 Cumberland, NC Census, Tilson Census, p. 226 and Text: Genealogicla library, Mesa Arizona. (from James A. Veregge on Text: Senter forum The following is taken from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and represents a claim made by Rebecca for pension rights based on Henry's service in the Revolutionary War. The record is in quill pen hand script. "On this twenty-sixth day of July A.D. one thousand eight hundred andfifty three personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace, within and for the County of Carroll, State of TN Rebecca Senter, aged eighty-eight years, who, being first duly sworn according to law, doth,on her oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the Act of Corgress passed July 4th, 1836: That she is the widow of Henry Senter, who was a private in the militia in the State of North Carolina and served in the Revolutionary War. He was draughted and served two terms. The first for three months, and was stationed at Moor's Bridge in the State of North Carolina. He served the second tour three months and was stationed at Fayettville, to the said Henry Senter in the year seventeen hundred and seventy one; that she has remained a widow ever since that period, as will be more fully appeared by reference to the proof mereto annexed." Rebecca "X" Senter [(the "X" is her sigature) This was accompanied bya witnessing affirmation signed: Wm. Senter & Jincyann Senter.] It appears that the claim was denied by the government with on explanation. There are two possible reasons: Henry was in the militia instead of the regular Army and that may have disqualified him; of the statement was adjudged to be false. Why? The statement is dated 1853 and says Rebecca was then 88 years old. That means she was born in 1764 of 1765. But then it says she married Henry in 1771. She would have 6 or7 years old! Henry, born in 1760, would have been 11! Further, the first child was not born until 1787. Did they wait 16 years to have their first child, then have five at one and two year intervales? It was more likely they were married around 1785, well after the war was over, and thus Rebecca was not a war widow.

1. ↑ Rodney Dale Senter. Senter Family History. (Name: Location: Ashe County Historical Society, West Jefferson, N.C.;;)
   Senter Family History by Rodney Dale Senter, (Untitled document in the library of the Ashe County Historical Society, West Jefferson, N.C.).
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census. (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2005;)
   Database online. District 1, Carroll, Tennessee, roll M432_873, page 7, image 15.

   Record for William Senter