Person:James Curry (39)

Records

James Curry is mentioned in an affidavit made by his sister, Ann Curry, in the Revolutionary War Pension Application of her husband, James Curry, as follows:

State of Kentucky } Sct Mercer County } The farther declaration or affidavit of Mrs. Ann Curry now about 82 years old, widow of James Curry dec’d who was a soldier in the army of the Revolution, taken subscribed and sworn to at her own house in Mercer County, Ky. this 31st day of August 1837. She states that the statements made by her in her former declaration in regard to her marriage and the service of her husband in the War of the revolution are strictly true and she knows that he was in the service in virginia before they were married and was at the battle of the Long bridge [Great Bridge, 9 Dec 1775] but how long he was in actual service then she has no distinct recollection. She knows that he was with Clarke in all his Campaigns in this Country after they were married. She farther states that her maiden name was Ann Curry and was married to James Curry now dec’d at the time set forth in her former declaration. She has no documentary evidence of their marriage unless it can be found on the records of the Rockingham County Court Virginia that she knows of – her oldest child was born in Virginia and died in two or three years after his birth and she has no record of his age. The ages of the ballance of her children she finds recorded in an old Bible the leaf is herewith forwarded and made a part of this affidavit She farther states that her brother William Curry was killed at the battle of the point [Battle of Point Pleasant, 10 Oct 1774], and her brother James Curry was kill’d in the battle of Kings Mountain [7 Oct 1780]. She had five brothers all were in the struggle for Independance and two of them lost their lives in battles – in Conclusion she states that she knows of no person now living that saw them married, but god knows that her and her husband done their parts faithfully in the war of the revolution

(Signed) Ann [her X mark] Curry

1.   Summers, Lewis Preston. Annals of southwest Virginia, 1769-1800. (Kingsport, TN: Kingsport Press, 1929, 1967, 1972)
   Page 1071.

   At Court held at Washington County, Virginia. On motion of Mary Curry & Samuel Samples Administration is granted them on the Estate of James Curry Deceased whereupon they together with Robert Craig & John Davis entered into and acknowledged their Bond in the Sum of forty Thousand pounds for they faithful Administration of the Sd. Decedants Estate.

2.   .

   Sergeant James Curry
   Mortally Wounded 7 Oct 1780
   Attended by Micajah Frost
   Died on the battlefield Sunday 8 Oct 1780 before dawn
   Captain James Dysart's Company of
   Colonel William Campbell's Virginia Militia
   
   In his 04Aug1823 letter to David Campbell, Samuel Newell named James Curry among the privates. We must interpret this to mean not a commissioned officer. Micajah Frost, perhaps because of Curry’s leadership and maturity beyond the younger soldiers, called James a sergeant. Lyman Copeland Draper’s Heroes of Kings Mountain used Newell as the source, but changed private to ensign and the name to Corry. The Kings Mountain monuments changed ensign to lieutenant and continued Draper’s misspelling as Corry.
   Widow Mary Copeland Curry did not appear in Washington County court in the November session with other survivors of BKM casualties. Mary came to the next court session in March 1781 with Samuel Samples, Robert Craig, and John Davis as surety for administration of the estate of her late husband. Andrew Willoughby, John Blackburn, Andrew Colville, and James Piper were appointed to appraise the estate.
   In August 1781, Samuel Davies had a tract surveyed on Beaver Creek northwest of Blacks Fort adjoining Widow Curry. In 1782, Mary Curry was assessed personal property taxes on 12 horses and 25 cattle in Robert Craig’s precinct. In 1785 Parson Charles Cummings had a tract surveyed on Beaver Creek adjoining the Curry line and the John Davis line. In 1786 widow Mary Curry married widower John Davis. Kay White named Davis as a BKM veteran. Bobby Moss named him as a possible BKM participant.
   James Curry was born about 1746. His son John Curry, apparently the elder of four children, came of age and acquired 310 acres on both sides of Beaver Creek in 1788. John Curry’s survey adjoined John Davis (Davies) and Cummings and was authorized by treasury warrant 8464. That range of warrant numbers was also seen in a batch of April 1782 warrants issued to other militia members who served at BKM. We surmise that John became an adult between his father’s 1780 death and the 1788 survey. Instead of a commissioner’s certificate of preemption by settlement and improvement of a homestead, treasury warrants were issued because of service to the commonwealth and used to obtain land not claimed by others.
   Micaijah Frost S31043 -lead mines on New River and was stationed there as a guard and there came an express for us to march to King's Mountain and we immediately marched there & joined Colonel Campbell [William Campbell]. He states he was in the battle – that James Curry a Sergeant was shot through the bowels and the night after the battle he carried water to him in his shoe and attended to him until he died which was just before day – a Wm Blackburn was also killed & four men by the name of Edmondson (with whom he was well acquainted) werre also killed and Colonel Williams was killed likewise – with him he had no acquaintance.
   
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