Pension Application of William Eskridge W4192 Elizabeth Eskridge VA
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris. Revised 9 Nov 2019.
I do hereby Certify that I sold a land warrant for Two hundred acres granted by the United States to me for services as Lt in the Late Virginia Continental Army To Capt Griffen Taylor & that I have no further Claim to s’d Warrant William Eskridge
Late Lt of Virgin’a Cont Ay
Frederick County 3rd Feb’y 1796
[On 3 Feb 1796 Griffin Taylor stated that he had lost the warrant, and he applied for a replacement.]
Virginia to wit I Hugh Holmes one of the Judges of the General Court of Virginia do hereby Certify that on the third day of April in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred and eighteen Captain William Eskridge now a resident of the Town of Winchester in the County of Frederick and Commonwealth of Virginia, personally appeared before me, and made the following Declaration under Oath, to wit, I William Eskridge residing in Winchester in the County of Frederick in the Commonwealth of Virginia, do solemnly declare under Oath, that I Enlisted on the third day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy five, as a private in Captain Richard Parker’s [BLWt525-500] Company [raised in Westmoreland County], in the second Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colo. William Woodford, and served in the Revolutionary War for one year (the time of my said Enlistment) and was then discharged. That immediately after my discharge, I Enlisted as a Sergeant in the same company and regiment, then on Continental establishment, for during the War; this last mentioned enlistment was at Williamsburg in Virginia, from thence the Reg’t. proceeded to Middle-Brook [Middlebrook] in the State of New Jersey, then the Headquarters of General Washington. In May 1777 I was promoted to an Ensign in the same Regiment, which was then commanded by Colo Alexander Spotswood [R18089], and the Company by Capt. William Sanford. I continued in the American Army until the end of the War and Peace was proclaimed and was then discharged having been previously promoted to the Office of a first Lieutenant and served in that grade for about one year before the end of the War. I also acted as Adjutant for about two years of the time of my service; was a prisoner in Charles Town [Charleston] South Carolina about ten months [beginning 12 May 1780], and was at the seige and taking of Corn Wallace [sic: Cornwallis at Yorktown, 19 Oct 1781] and I held the Office of first Lieutenant at the conclusion of the War and the time of my discharge. After the end of the war I married a native Citizen of the State of Virginia, who is now living, and by whom I have had twelve children, to wit, nine Sons, and three Daughters, two of which Sons served in the late War with Great Britain (as Lieutenants) one of which died in the Army, my youngest child is about eight years old, and I am in reduced circumstances in life, so as to need assistance from my Country for support. he also offered the affidavit of Doctor Cornelius Baldwin [BLWt255-400] now enclosed from which testimony I am satisfied that the said William Eskridge did serve as an Officer during the Revolutionary war more than nine months against the common Enemy certified under my hand and the seal of the county of Frederick the day & year first above mentioned.
[Signed] H’h. Holmes
Virginia Sc.
Personally appeared Doctor Cornelius Baldwin before me Hugh Holmes a Judge of the Gen’l Court of the state afores’d and made oath that he was well acquainted with the now Capt’n William Eskridge formerly an Officer (the grade not recollected) more than nine months, was taken prisoner at CharlesTown with this affiant and after being exchanged continued he believes in the army untill the end of the war. Given under my hand this 3rd April 1818
H’h Holmes
State of Virginia
Staunton Chancery District, to wit,
On this 29th day of July in the year 1820 William Eskridge personally appeared in open Court, being a Court of record by the provision of the act of the General assembly establishing the same with a jurisdiction unlimited in point of amount, keeping a record of its proceedings, & having the power of fine and imprisonment, & the said William Eskridge aged sixty four years being first duly sworn doth on his oath declare that he served in the revolutionary war as follows: He served in the 2 Regiment Virginia line, after said Ridgment was put on continental establishment in Capt Sandfords Company, first as ensign & afterwards as Lieutenant, as will more fully appear from his original declaration; & before the said Ridgment was put on continental establishment, he served therein in a company commanded by Capt. Rich’d Parker. The date of his original declaration is about the 3rd April 1818 & the number of his pension certificate is 1791. He further solemnly swears that he was a resident citizen of the united States on the 18th day of March 1818, & that he has not since that time by gift sale or in any manner, disposed of his property or any part thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring himself within the provisions of an Act of Congress entitled “an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the revolutionary war, passed on the 18th day of March 1818, & that he has not, nor has any person in trust for him any property or securities, contracts, or debts due to him, nor any income other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed & by him subscribed. He further deposeth that his occupation was formerly that of a farmer, but that he is now unable to procure the same or any other occupation for a livelihood.
He & his family have been for several years past principally supported by his two eldest sons. He has no property necessary clothing & bedding excepted. The articles of furniture which he has for houskeeping have been furnished by & belong to his said sons. The members of his family residing with him are his wife aged fifty-three years & four children, to wit two unmarried daughters, one aged twenty and the other nine years old & two sons one aged fourteen & the other eleven years. His two sons last mentioned are now going to school at the expence of his two eldest sons – His said family are not able to support themselves – His wife receives the annul am’t. of $120 from the Cincinnati society, which contributes to the support of the family, but is not sufficient for that purpose the principal support thereof being derived from his two eldest sons as aforesaid. The said allowance from the Cincinnati is entirely voluntary & may be withdrawn at pleasure – His said eldest sons are under no obligation to aid him or his family than that of filial affection and have families of their own to provide for, & have never received any property from this declarent
Schedule of the said William Eskridge,
I have no property necessary clothing and bedding excepted – William Eskridge
Sworn to & declared on the 27th day of July in Open Court
[Certified by William L. Eskridge, Clerk of the Superior Court of Chancery.]
State of Virginia
Corporation of Staunton, to wit
This day Wm Eskridge made oath before me Wm. S. Eskridge a Justice of the peace for said Corporation that he did by virtue of his declaration, made on or about the 3rd day of Apl 1818 & in pursuance of the act of Congress passed in the month of March 1818 obtain a pension and continued to enjoy the same until the act which passed on the [blank] day of [blank] 1820 by which humiliating and distressing as it is to a man of feeling & to one who has seen better days, the pensioner in order to obtain a continuation of his pension is required to make oath in open Court to the amount of his effects & give a skedule thereof, the amount of the value of which is to be certified by the Court in which the Statements is made — That in pursuance of that law he did on the 27th day of July 1820 make the annexed statement by which it will be seen that this affiant states that he has no property whatever necessary cloathing and bedding excepted, indeed this affiant might have said further and stated that a part of that had been furnished by the sons alluded to in s’d statement, Viz, his two eldest sons — But that statement has been returned with two objections endorsed thereon, to wit, that the place of residence of this affiant is not stated & that the amount of the value of his property is not certified by the Judge – as to the first objection this affiant states by way of explanation that at the time of his original declaration he was a resident of the Town of Winchester in the County of Frederick in the State of Virginia; but being unable to support his family in any kind of comfort even with the aid of the s’d pension he removed to the County of Augusta in the s’d State of Virginia where his two eldest sons resided in order to obtain their aid and assistance, where he at present resides – with regard to the second objection it must have been made without proper examination or reflection as this affiant supposes – This affiant stated he had no property – it would in his conception be absurd for the Judge to state, that the amount of property was not worth any thing; therefore no certificate was given – This affiant having as he conceives complied with the substantial requisitions of the law on the subject hopes that his pension will be no longer witheld from him, The with holding it subjects him to great inconvenience — This affiant thinks he can with great propriety appeal to the justice and liberality of his Country for aid as he spent his best days in the service of that Country, he entered the army at the early age of nineteen, in the year 75 and and continued therein until the end of the war, had he spent the time between 75 and 83 in some useful employment he might not have been under the necessity of making this application; he was in most of the important engagements during the war, to wit, at Monmouth [28 Jun 1778], was taken a prisoner at the seige of Charleston & was at the seige of York – besides several others of less importance, & suffered in ennumerable hardships —
This affiant would make a new statement in Ct But the Court in which he made the first statement sits but twice a year & he cannot with convenience wait until the next Session to renew it, & he feels a real reluctance such as may be well conceived in going through the buisiness again, in another Court – But should it be deemed indispensible (by the secretary of War) (though he confidently hopes it will not) he must make another, as it is almost next to impossible for him to subsist in any kind of comfort with out this aid —
This affiant particularly refers to his original declaration made before the Honorable Hugh Holmes one of the Judges of the General Court
Sworn to & subscribed this 16th day of October 1820 –
[In the file is a sheet with the heading “The United States In a/c [account] with William Eskridge” and identified as follows: “The above is truly copied from a Book of Settlements of the Officers of the Revolutionary Army. Given under my hand at the Auditors Office Richmond this 23rd of October 1843.
Jas E Heath Aud of Accts.” The following information is included:]
To pay as Ensign from 1st May to 15th June 1777
To pay as Lt. from 15 June 77 to 31st Dec’r 1781
To pay as Adj’t from 15 May 81 to 31st Dec’r following
By Sundries at Charlestown of Mr Simmons
By Cash at Charlestown
By D’r at Yorktown
[The following are from bounty-land records in the Library of Virginia in two files.]
[The following is said to have been signed by Lt. Col. Samuel Hawes.]
Winchester Barracks March 2[rest illegible]
I do Certify that Lt. Wm Eskridge was appoin[ted] an Adjutant to the Regiment Comm[anded] by Lt. Colo [undeciphered] the fifteenth of May [seven]teen hundred & eighty one, & continued as such till the end of the same war [the rest illegible]
Winchester Barracks Dec 28th 1782.
This is to Certify that Lieut. Eskridge of the Virg’a Line entered the Service Sept’r 3d 1775 and is now in actual service.
P Muhlenberg BG
[Peter Muhlenberg BLWt1495-850]
I do Hereby Certify that William Eskridge Esquire Entered into The Second Continental Virginia Regiment on or about the 3rd of September one thousand seven hundred & seventy five and that he continued to serve untill the army was disbanded about the 3rd of November one Thousand seven hundred & Eighty three at which Time he held the Rank of a Lieutenant
Given under my hand the 1st of June 1807
Thomas Parker [BLWt1741-300]
Formerly a Captain in
[Frederick County] the 2nd
Va State Reg’t
NOTES:
The Society of the Cincinnati included those who had served at least three years as Continental officers. Its original purpose was to preserve the ideals and fellowship of Continental officers and to ensure that Congress kept its promises to them.
On 7 June 1828 William Eskridge applied for an additional pension under a law passed in that year.
On 5 Sep 1836 Elizabeth Eskridge, “aged sixty years and six months,” applied for a pension stating that she married William Eskridge on 28 Feb 1783 while he was a Liutenant, and he died 3 Oct 1830. Comfort Woods deposed that she had been present at the marriage of William Eskridge to Elizabeth Scott on 27 Feb 1783
.
On 7 Mar 1843 Elizabeth Eskridge applied to have her pension transferred to Mississippi, having moved to Carroll County “with her only daughter and in so doing was actuated by a design of spending the rest of her days with her children & grandchildren.” On 11 Oct 1843 in Shelby County TN she applied for an increase in the pension on account of William Eskridge’s having served as an Adjutant. On 9 Feb 1844 William S. Eskridge of Rockbridge County VA, administrator of the estate of Elizabeth Eskridge, applied in Washington, DC, for that increase in pension. The younger Eskridge stated that “Elizabeth Eskridge resided in Shelby County Tennessee for about a year previous to December last, when she returned to the County of Frederick in the state of Virginia and there died, on the 12th day of January 1844, leaving five children who survived her, vizt, the affiant William S. Eskridge; George Eskridge, James W Eskridge, Alexander P. Eskridge, and Elizabeth S. Wall, the wife of George W. Wall.
http://revwarapps.org/w4192.pdf
