Person:Samuel Eason (2)

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. :

Eason, Samuel - entered service in Botetourt County, Virginia; died 3/6/1813; married 3/16/1778 to Nancy Goodson there, who was born 11/1760, widow applied for pension 1844 in Adair County, Missouri, Pension Application Rejected, insufficient proof of service; son Samuel only child mentioned. F-R3197, R886.

1.   Kegley, F. B. (Frederick Bittle). Kegley's Virginia Frontier: The Beginning of the Southwest, the Roanoke of Colonial Days, 1740-1783, with Maps and Illustrations. (Roanoke, Virginia, United States: The Southwest Virginia Historical Society, 1938)
   386.

   By February, 1778, a number of the justices having been cut off with the
   territory of Greenbrier, a new group was recommended for Botetourt. This
   list included William Christian, Patrick Lockhart, Thomas Lewis, Geo.
   Rutledge, Jonathan Taylor, Wm. Hamilton, Thomas Rowland, John Arm­
   strong, Robert Poage and James Barnett. Justices who refused to qualify
   under the old commission were left out. In September Luke Pryor, Samuel
   Eason and Josiah Martin were recommended.

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

   Pension application of Eason, Samuel R3197 Nancy f27VA
   Transcribed by Fred Weyler 2/26/13
   
   (p2) State of Missouri
   County of Adair
   On this twenty three day of March in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and forty
   five personally appeared before the countersigner one of the Justices of the County Court of the County of Adair and State of Missouri Nancy Eason aged eighty three years in November last (1843) who being first duly sworn in 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 Congress passed July 4th 1836 That she is the widow of James Eason who was a Captain in the army of the revolutionary war who residence then in the County of Botetourt in the State of Virginia. And that he commanded a company of volunteers from Botetourt County in in (sic) the State of Virginia at the battle of the Reedy Fork [February 8, 1781] of Haw river and thinks that one of the field officers was General Pickens [Andrew Pickens]. She further states that she remembered of hearing her husband say that on the night after the battle of the Reedy fork of Haw river that it was very rainy and disagreeable and that General Pickens addressed him as follows “this is very discouraging to young soldiers but men of virtue do not mind it.” She further declared that she was born in the month of November (but does not remember the day of the month) in the year of our Lord seventeen hundred and sixty and that she was married to the said
   
   (p3) Samuel Eason on the sixteenth day of March in the nineteenth year of her age and that her marriage to the said Samuel Eason took place before the last term of his service expired.
   She further declares that the rites of matrimony was solomnised (sic) between the said
   Samuel Eason and herself by the Rev Robert Jones a clergyman of the Baptist Church in the
   County of Botetourt in the State of Virginia where the said Samuel Eason and herself then
   resided.
   That her husband the aforesaid Samuel Eason died on the sixth day of March in the year
   of our Lord Eighteen hundred and thirteen and that she has remained a widow ever since ↑that↓ periods as will more fully appear by reference to the proof hereto attached.
   Nancy Eason x her mark
   Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year above written.
   Joseph Wilson one of the Justices of the County Court
   of Adair County Missouri
   
   (p4) standard supporting statements by son Samuel G Eason and clergy
   (p5) typed response to inquiry from War Department 28Jun1929
   Myra Hazard,
   Corinth Mississippi
   Madam:
   I advise you from papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim R.3197, it appears that
   Nancy Eason applied for pension, March 23, 1844, while residing in Adair County, Missouri,
   and alleged that her husband, Samuel Eason was captain of militia in Botetourt County, Virginia, and served under Colonels Hugh Crockett, and Lynch, and was in the battle of Reedy Fork of Haw River, and Alamance, was out against the Tories, also guarded the lead mines, no dates of service given.
   Her claim was not allowed, as she failed to furnish proof of six months service, as
   required by the pension law.
   It also appears in said claim that Samuel Eason married March 16, 1778 Nancy Goodson
   of Botetourt County, Virginia, she was born in November 1760. He died March 6, 1813.
   Son, Samuel G. Eason, is the only child mentioned.
   Respectfully,
   Earl D Church
   
   Commissioner Several letters of inquiry and deposition of Nancy Eason’s brother William Goodson which named private John Loyd. Among the 27 page file. One was a DAR Regent request to Gen Winfield Scott for assistance to no avail. The file shows no pension for the widow.
   Note: Samuel Eason was a patriarch of Botetourt and Montgomery County Virginia and was of
   some fame in Bedford County VA after Botetourt was split. Montgomery County Court journal
   recorded his commission as Major of the militia. The marriage to Nancy Goodson is witnessed
   in several deeds of land transactions. Eason’s brother in law, William Goodson was also well
   known in the New River watershed of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge.
   In Summer 1821, Col Samuel and Jane Montgomery Newell went from Clio KY to Lynchburg
   Va re/Julius Sanders, a Revolutionary War veteran. They attended his funeral. Newell knew
   several of the Ft Chiswell lead mine guards and had relieved Captain Eason’s company guarding the mine.
   Soldier confirming service under Samuel Eason:
   S31508 Josiah Zerry (Terry)
   S6796 Elijah Dickenson
   S13413 Daniel Howel (Howell)
   
   Supplemented by Will Graves 2/26/13
   [pp 25-27]
   I believe Samuel Eason was a commanding a militia Captain and when Cornwallis had forced his
   way through South Carolina and North Carolina and had got near the Virginia line, it was
   reported that a general Battle was expected every day, Captain Samuel Eason turned out a
   volunteer and raised a company of volunteers, my Brother Thomas Goodson¹ was his Lieutenant and I was his Ensign, we marched to General Green's [Nathanael Greene's] Army Joined the same and was subject to orders under the command of Colonel Hugh Crockett and there was also three other companies with us that had volunteered on the same principle from the same County which was Botetourt County Virginia Captain Eason was in one Battle as a reserve, at the Ready fork [sic, Reedy Fork] of Haw River, and Captain Eason was also a reserve in another Battle on the Alamance [Creek] Guilford County North Carolina as well as I remember. This service was rendered without any special call by government. We done it on my own accord. Captain Eason also joined Colonel Lynch in suppressing the Tories the contents of which is as follows there was some Tory Captains in Botetourt County that was privately enlisting man under King George and among others listed [enlisted] a young man by the name of John Loyd and as said Loyd's father was a true friend to the American cause he told his father and gave him a list of the names of the Captains and all the men he had knowledge of. His father immediately went down into Bedford County and told Colonel Lynch and gave him a list of the men Colonel Lynch raised about one hundred men and marched into our neighborhood before we had any knowledge of it and as soon as his business was found out Captain Samuel Eason Joined him and continued with him until the Tories in my neighborhood was discharged. There was another Service Captain Eason rendered = which was = as follows there was a [2 or more words written over and illegible]
   Regular Soldiers posted at the lead mines commanded by Captain Isaac Taylor and it was
   reported that it was the opinion of said Captain that the Tories was about to embody and take possession of the lead mines on New River which was about fifty miles distant. Captain Eason raise a company of volunteers and marched to the lead mines in order to check the attempts of taking possession of the same as we got a great part of our lead for the use of the Army from those mines.
   I cannot remember the amount of time Captain Eason consumed in any of the
   aforementioned towers [tours] it has been so long ago that I have forgotten.
   I remember that it was on the 16th day of March that Captain Eason and my Sister Nancy
   Goodson was married but the date I have forgotten and she has remained a widow ever since the death of her husband – Captain Eason was a married man in the time of the Revolutionary War.
   S/ William Goodson²
   
   _____________________
   ¹ Thomas Goodson S6901
   ² William Goodson S30440
   
   http://revwarapps.org/r3197.pdf

3. ↑ Will abstract of Francis Eason, in Worrell, Anne Lowry. Early marriages, wills, and some Revolutionary War records, Botetourt County, Virginia. (Baltimore [Maryland]: Genealogical Pub. Co., c1976)
   55.

   Eason, Francis. Will probated Aug. 1788.
   Names children: Samuel, Joseph, Nancy and Elizabeth.
   Says the two daughters are now 'in captivity" but provides for them should they ever be found"

4. ↑ Floyd County Heritage Book Committee (Floyd County, Va.). Floyd County, Virginia. (Summersville, WV: S.E. Grose & Assoc, 2001).

   List of Tithables of the Upper Settlement of Little River 1772:
   Francis Eason, Samuel Eason.... Thomas Goodson.

5.   Greene County Biographical Sketches, in Goodspeed Publishing Company. Goodspeed's history of Tennessee: containing historical and biographical sketches of thirty east Tennessee counties: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, James, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington. (Nashville, Tennessee: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886-1887).

   ... Elizabeth (Eason) Susong ... The mother was born in Montgomery County, Va., a daughter of Samuel Eason, a native of Virginia, and owner of the Virginia site of Bristol, Tenn. ...