Pension Application of William Davis W6973
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
Virginia }
County of Fayette } SS.
On this 15 day of July personally appeared in the Court of Fayette th County William Davis a resident of said County and State aforesaid aged 77 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 provision made by the act of Congress, passed June 7th 1832
That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year 17__ (the precise year in the present [illegible word] state of his memory he can not recollect) with Captain Gabriel Penn and served in the [blank] Regiment of the Virginia Continental Line (the designation of the Regiment from old age and the consequent loss of memory has escaped him [see endnote]) under the following named officer –
He enlisted under the aforesaid Capt Penn in the County of Amherst and State of Virginia for the term of three years, the whole of which period he believes he served. Capt Penn not having a full company his men were united with those of Capt Cabell (Nic [Nicholas] Cabell) who had also an imperfect Company, and the whole were placed under the command of the last named officer by whom they were marched first to Williamsburg, thence to James Town at each of which places they made a short stay, thence this affiant made one of an escort of the amunition wagons to Halifax, from Halifax he returned to James Town & Williamsburg, he believes he marched thence to North Carolina, he believes he marched thence to North Carolina. He was in the battle of Guilford Ct House [Battle of Guilford Courthouse, 15 Mar 1781]. The American troops were in that engagement commanded by Genl Green [sic: Nathanael Greene]; this affiant also recollects that A Col. [William] Washington was in that engagement and also Col’s [William] Preston & [Charles] Lynch and as well as he recollects a Col or Genl Lee [Lt. Col. Henry Lee]. After the battle of Guilford he was marched to Little York and was in that engagement [Siege of Yorktown, 28 Sep - 19 Oct 1781] and at the Surrender of Cornwallis. Shortly after this event he was discharged. His discharge was in writing but has been misplaced or lost.
Sworn to and subscribed this 15th day of July 1833.
William [his "X" mark] Davis
Cabell County to wit
This day Henry Payton Snr [pension application S8943] personally appeared before me
Elisha McComas a Justice of the peace in and for said County and made oath that in the yeare of 1779 that William Davis of Fayette County and State of Virginia served a tower of duty in the Indian war under the command of Capt John Paxton and Colonel George Skilrun [sic: George Skillern] and also that the said William Davis served a tower of duty in the revolutionary ware in the yeare of 1781 under the command of Capt. James Franklin and Capt. James Dillard that he was Drafted in Amherst County in the State of Virginia and that he was marched to Gilford C. H. in the state of North Carolina where he joined the army commanded by General Greene and that to the best of his recollection he served two more towers in the Revolutionary war but that he was not with him only in 1777 in where we were stationed at Point Plesant [sic: Point Pleasant] at the mouth of the Great Kanhawa River [sic: Kanawha River] and in 1781 at or near Gilford Court House State of North Carolina – Given under my hand this 5th day of May 1834.
Elisha McComas JP for C. Cty Va.
[The following report is by District Attorney Washington G. Singleton who investigated many pensioners from present West Virginia. For details see the pension application of David W. Sleeth
(S6111)]
William Davis – Pensioner —
Col. Alderson of Greenbrier County says that Davis’ mind is entirely gone – that he can recollect nothing nor dont know his own family – Alderson also states that he himself was privy to Davis getting a Pension – that the evidence of his service (which he saw) was procured in amhurst county – alderson states further that he [page torn here and at *] known Davis for many years – that before Davis lost [*] mind – has often heard him repeat his revolutiona[*] services with great minuteness – that Davis was a man of good character and could be confided in – that the universal opinion of all of Davis’ acquaintances is that he is fully entitled to the Pension awarded him –
Col. Alderson is a man of character
W. G Singleton Febry 12, 1835
Note – the name of Davis was not furnished by the abstract for Greenbrier county – W.G S.
Lewisburg September 11, 1838
Dear Sir when recently at Clarksburg I had access to some papers & memorandums of
mine, taken when investigating the Pension claims in western Va. which were not at my command when you wrote me last winter, in regard to the claim of William Davis of Greenbrier, from which I discern that that claim was partially investigated, and I now return you a copy of my note then made in regard to it – which is all the information that came to my possession.
hopeing that it may promote your praise worthy efforts to have him restored to the pension roll.
I am Dear sr your obliged Hona’l Servt. W. G Singleton
NOTES: Gabriel Penn’s company was raised in Amherst County in Sep 1775 in the Buckingham District Battalion of Minute Men. If Davis enlisted at that time for three years, then he must have served at a later time to have been in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
Davis’s pension certificate issued on 8 June 1842 shows that he was initially pensioned at $80 per year for two or more years of service, but that the amount was reduced to $26.66 per year for eight months service in the militia.
On 16 Nov 1848 Benedicta Davis, 78, applied for a pension, stating that she was the
widow of William Davis “to whom a Certificate of pension was granted by the Department of War on the 8 day of June 1842 in lieu th of one dated 19th May 1834 for $80 per annum which was cancelled.” She stated that William Davis died 20 Jan 1846. The file includes a bond signed in Amherst County on 1 Jan 1787 by Peter Carter and William Davis, bachelor, for the marriage of Davis to Benedictor Milstred, spinster. On 2 Apr 1849 Walter Sandidge, about 74, of Amherst County, deposed as follows: “[W]hen a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old, he was at the marriage of William Davis and Benedicta Milstead…. they were married by Benjamin Coleman a clergyman of the Baptist denomination. That there was a great contrast in the ages of William Davis and his wife at the time of their marriage, he was called old Billy Davis, and this affiant believes his wife not to have been more that sixteen or seventeen years old and that they lived together as man and wife many years and had many children that he now recolects the names of several of them viz: Betsey, Polly, Nancy and William and that he understood and believes they went from this County to and settled in Greenbrier County of this state."
