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[edit] Related[edit] TranscriptNote:Minor reformating to improve readability: Pension application of James Houston S1914 fn47VA Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 6/13/11 County of
Blount in the State aforesaid aged nearly seventy-five years having been born on the 12th day of
November 1757 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 7th 1832. That he
entered the service in the spring season as well as recollected in the year 1776 under Captain
William Buchanan as a volunteer in a patrolling Company, – that Declarant resided in the County of
Augusta in the State of Virginia at the time he entered the service, that he does not recollect the
Lieutenant and – Ensign in said company. – Declarant cannot recollect the precise time he served as
a volunteer in said Company, but supposes it to be not more than one month, when he was discharged
and returned home. Declarant has certificate of discharge, – Said Company during said time patrolled
in the County of Augusta as a company of discovery to protect the frontiers and guard against the
incursions of the hostile Indians. Declarant removed from Augusta County where he was born & had
before always resided to Washington County in Western Virginia in the month of September 1777 [?],
and in the month of February 1778 again entered the Service in said County of Washington, Virginia
as a volunteer in a volunteer Company commanded by Captain Aaron Lewis whose subaltern officers in
said Company were Lieutenant Robert Edmonson1 [sic, Robert Edmondson] and Ensign not recollected.
Said Company belonged to a Regiment of Infantry who embodied at Long Island on Holston River
commanded by Colonel Evan Shelby – from Long Island on Holston the Army proceeded in canoes down
Holston River to its junction with the Tennessee, then down the Tennessee River to the Mouth of
Chickamauga Creek, where we proceeded to destroy the encampments and provisions of a party of the
Cherokee Indians, called Chickamaugas, but had no encounter with the Indians – The Infantry then
separated from a Company or Regiment of Regulars by whom they had been accompanied under the command
of Colonel Montgomery destined for the Illinois Country, and returned home. Declarant was discharged
in the month of May of the said year of 1778, but obtained no certificate of discharge. Declarant
about the first day of October 1778 again entered the service as a volunteer in the Company
commanded by Captain Nathaniel Williams being a Company of Guards to reconnoiter the frontiers, and
marched to Powels Valley [Powell's Valley]in Kentucky and continued in service on the frontiers of
Kentucky protecting the interior from the incursions of the hostile Indians until the month of
January 1779 when the Company returned home to Washington County Virginia and in the latter part of
said months, having been discharged as Declarant believes in Powell's Valley Declarant again about
the first of April 1779 entered the service in Washington County Virginia as an Ensign in the
Volunteer Company commanded by Captain William Edmondson, Robert Edmondson was Lieutenant and
Declarant Ensign now the subaltern officers of said company who held themselves ready & equipped as
mounted Riflemen and volunteers to march at a minute's warning wherever their services might be
required, that from the time Declarant entered the service as aforesaid in the month of April 1779
until the month of October of the same year, said company reconnoitered as a company of discovery
and guards on the frontiers of Washington, Virginia and on the head of New River, for the purpose of
suppressing the disaffected and Tories. In the month of October 1779 [sic, 1780], said Company
joined the Regiment of volunteers commanded by Colonel William Campbell at Watauga River in what is
now Carter or Sullivan County in the State of Tennessee – then North Carolina – from thence the Army
were marched under the command of Colonel Campbell into the State of South Carolina. That Declarant
commanded as an Ensign of Captain Edmondson's company at the defeat of the British and Tories at
King's Mountain under the command of Colonel Furgason [sic, Patrick Ferguson]. In the Battle Captain
Edmondson & Lieutenant Edmondson were both killed, when the command of the Company devolved on the
2nd Lieutenant Patrick Campbell – from King's Mountain said Regiment returned home to Washington
County and were discharged about the first of December 1779 [sic, 1780], having been in service from
the month of April preceding as aforesaid. Declarant states that he has no documentary evidence, and
that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service – declarant
removed from the County of Washington, Virginia in the year 1782, to Green County, then North
Carolina now Tennessee, where he resided three or four years when he removed to what is now Blount
County in the State of Tennessee where he at present resides and was a member of the Convention from
the County of Blount in 1796 which formed the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, and was also a
member of the first General Assembly of the State of Tennessee. Sworn to and subscribed the day and
year aforesaid. We, Davis Hart a Clergyman residing in Maryville and the County of month in the State of Tennessee,
and Jacob F. Forte, Jesse Wallace, Alexander McNutt, Robert Houston, Andrew Early residing in the
County and State aforesaid hereby certify that we are well acquainted with James Houston who has
subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration, that we believe him to be seventy-five years of
age, that he is reputed and believed to have been a soldier and officer of the Revolution in the
neighborhood in which he resides and that we concur in that opinion. State of Tennessee Blount County: SS: Amended Declaration On this 25th day of December 1832
personally appeared in open Court being the County Court about County aforesaid, and being a Court
of record, before the justices thereof presiding in said Court, James Houston a resident of said
County of Blount in the State of Tennessee aforesaid aged seventy-five years on the 12th day of
November last past having been born in Augusta County in the State of Virginia on the 12th day of
November 1757, who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following
Amended declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed the 7th day of June
1832, – That he entered the service in the County of Augusta in the State of Virginia as a volunteer
Soldier under Captain William Buchanan in a patrolling company of volunteers in the spring of the
year 1776 (but being aged, from defect of memory cannot be more precise as to the time) – Declarant
cannot recollect the names of the subaltern Officers of said Company nor the precise time he served
in said company, but believes it was not less than 25 days, when he was discharged in said County of
Augusta, and returned home. – Declarant received no certificate of discharge, – Said Company during
said time patrolled in said County of Augusta, as a company of discovery to protect the frontiers,
and guard against the incursion of the hostile Indians. Declarant removed from Augusta County
Virginia where he was born, and had always before resided to Washington County in Western Virginia
in the month of September 1778 and in the month of February, as near declarant can recollect on the
15th day of the month 1778 he again entered the service in the County of Washington Virginia as a
volunteer soldier in a volunteer Company commanded by Captain Aaron Lewis, Robert Edmondson
Lieutenant, the name of the other subaltern officers not recollected. Said Company belonged to a
Regiment of Infantry commanded by Colonel Evan Shelby, which embodied at Long Island on Holston
River. From Long Island on Holston River, the Army proceeded in canoes down the River to its
junction with the Tennessee, then down the Tennessee River to the mouth of Chickamauga Creek, and
then proceeded to destroy the encampments and provisions of a hospital party of the Cherokee
Indians, called Chickamaugas, but had no rencounter with the Indians, – The Infantry then separated
from a company or Regiment of Regulars by whom they had been accompanied, under the command of
Colonel Montgomery, and destined for the Illinois country, and returned home. Declarant was
discharged as near as declarant can recollect on the 14th or 15th of May 1779 having been 3 months
in service. Declarant received no certificate of discharge. On the first day of October 1779 as near
as recollected declarant again entered the service in Washington County Virginia as a volunteer in
the company commanded by Captain Nathaniel Henderson (instead of Williams as stated by mistake in
the original declaration) – the names of the subaltern officers in said company not recollected
being a Company of guards to reconnoiter on the frontiers, and marched to Powells Valley in
Kentucky, and continued on the frontiers of Kentucky protecting the frontiers from the incursion of
the hostile Indians until the first of January 1780 as well as declarant can recollect, when
declarant was discharged, as he believes in Powells Valley, and returned home having been 3 months
at least in service. Declarant received no certificate of discharge. Declarant again as near as he
can recollect on the first of April 1780 entered the service in Washington County Virginia as an
Ensign in a volunteer Company commanded by Captain William Edmondson, Robert Edmondson Lieutenant,
with declarant Ensign were subaltern officers of said Company, who held themselves ready and
equipped as mounted volunteer rifleman to march at a minute's warning wheresoever their services
might be required – that from the said declarant entering the service as an Ensign as aforesaid on
the first of April 1780 until the month of October in the same year, said Company reconnoitered as a
company of discovery and guards on the frontiers of Washington County Virginia and on the head of
the New River for the purpose of suppressing the disaffected and Tories. In the month of October
(declarant cannot recollect the day of the month) 1780 said company joined a volunteer Regiment
commanded by Colonel William Campbell at Watauga River in what is now Carter or Sullivan County in
the State of Tennessee – then North Carolina. From thence the Army was marched under the command of
Colonel Campbell into the State of South Carolina. That declarant commanded as an Ensign in Captain
Edmonson's Company, at the defeat of the British and Tories commanded by Colonel Ferguson at Kings Mountain. In the battle
Captain Edmondson and Lieutenant Edmondson were both killed, when the command of the Company
devolved on Patrick Campbell the 2nd Lieutenant of said company. From Kings Mountain said Regiment
returned home to Washington County Virginia and were discharged, as well as declarant can recollect
on the first of December 1780, having been in service as an Ensign as aforesaid 8 months. Declarant
received no certificate of discharge. Declarant further states, that he was elected Ensign by the
company in which he served, as was then the custom in volunteer Companies, and never was
commissioned as an Ensign, but held his appointment, and acted as such under and by virtue of his
election by said Company. Declarant has no documentary evidence of his services aforesaid, and that
he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure to testify to his service except John Houston,
whose affidavit is hereto annexed. The only record evidence declarant has of his age is an entry
thereof in an old family Bible now in his possession & reentered in a new Bible. Declarant removed
from the County of Washington Virginia in the year 1782 to Green County, then North Carolina now
Tennessee where he resided 3 or 4 years, after which time he removed to what is now Blount County in
the State of Tennessee, where he at present resides. He was a member of the convention from the
County of Blount, which framed the Constitution of the State of Tennessee in 1796, and was also a
member of the first General Assembly of the State of Tennessee. Declarant hereby relinquishes every
claim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present, and he declares that his name is not
on the pension roll of any Agency in any State or Territory. Declarant further states that by reason
of old age and consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively to the precise length of his
service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned
in this his amended declaration being 6 months and 25 days as a private soldier and 8 months as an
Ensign, and for such service he claims a pension. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
in Open Court. S/ Jac. F. Foute, Clerk S/ J. Houston We, Isaac Anderson a clergyman residing in
Maryville in the County of Blount in the State of Tennessee states that I verily believe the facts
set forth in the foregoing declaration and we, Jesse Thompson, Andrew Cowan, P. H. Fitzgerald &
Samuel Gold residing in the County and State aforesaid hereby certify, that we are well acquainted
with James Houston, who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration, that we believe him
to be upwards of 74 years of age as he states; that he is reputed and believed to have been a
soldier and officer of the revolution in the neighborhood in which he resides and that we concur in
that opinion. Sworn to and subscribed the 25th day of December 1832. John Houston3 makes oath that he has been acquainted with the foregoing declarant, James Houston, from his infancy, that he believes the facts set forth in the foregoing declaration of his services during the revolution are true – that affiant knows that said declarant served some time in Augusta County Georgia as a Ranger, but cannot recollect the precise time, but believes it was at the time & during the period stated by declarant. Affiant lived at declarant's fathers (the uncle of affiant) at the time declarant returned home from his expedition down the River against the Chickamauga in the month of May 1779 having as affiant understood and believes been in service three months. Affiant was with declarant & served with him in the campaign to Powell's Valley from the first of October 1779 until the first of January 1780. Affiant was in the neighborhood at the time on or about the first of December 1780 when Declarant returned home from the battle at King's Mountain having been in service as an Ensign in Captain Edmondson's company eight months as affiant believes, it being so understood & believed in the neighborhood at the time and also understood & believed in the neighborhood that Declarant had been in the battle at King's Mountain & served as an Ensign in that engagement. Sworn to & subscribed the 25 th day of December 1832. S/ John Houston Sworn to & subscribed in open Court 25 December 1832 S/Jac F. Forte, clerk |
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