Pension application of John Dougan (Dugan)1 W9836 Martha Dougan f63NC
Transcribed by Will Graves 4/5/08 rev'd 12/6/14
[p 5]
The State of Indiana, Wayne County
Be it remembered that on the 12th day of August A.D. 1833 then personally came into open
Court Before the Honorable Nathan Smith Judge of the Wayne Probate Court in session the same being the first judicial day of said Court of the term of August in the year aforesaid said Court being a Court of Record John Dougan aged Seventy years on January 9th past and a resident of said County of Wayne, who being 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, to wit: “I entered the service of the United States in the Army of the Revolution in the year 1778 the day and month I do not recollect in Randolph County in the State of North Carolina as a private volunteer in a volunteer company of horse militia commanded by Captain Thomas Dougan and served in said Company to the best of my recollection one year during which time we were stationed at Bell's Mill in said County of Randolph at a public store of provisions; said Bell then being a Commissary to furnish provisions for the Army of the Revolution. During said year's service I found my own horse, saddle and bridle and gun. Our company was raised for the purpose of guarding said public store and suppressing the Tories and disaffected with whom that country was then largely infected. During the year's service aforesaid we were employed in guarding said public store and in detached companies in guarding provision wagons conveying provisions to said store and in collecting beeves and other provisions for said Store and in traversing the Country looking out for Tories and protecting the Country from their incursions.
At the end of said year's service said Captain Dougan was advanced to the rank of Major and William Gray the Ensign of said company was advanced to the rank of Captain of said Company and took the command thereof. During said year's service the inferior officers commanding in said company were of the said Captain Dougan were Lieutenant William Clark and Ensign William Gray above named the said William Clark at the expiration of said year's service to the best of my recollection resigned his post as Lieutenant one Newland was Commissioned Lieutenant in his stead whose given name I do not recollect and one Joseph Clark was commissioned Ensign in said Company I continued in said company under said Captain Gray Lieutenant Newland and Ensign Clark and served as a private until the termination of the war during which time we were Stationed at said Bell's Mill when not engaged in active service until the latter part of the year 1782 to the best of my recollection after that time until the close of the war we were stationed when not engaged in active service at the House of Colonel Edward Sharp in said County of Randolph during all which time I found my own horse, saddle and bridle and arms the first active service during said latter period of my service was a short time after said Captain Gray took the command of said Company we were ordered out under the Command of Colonel John Collier and Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Belfour of said County of Randolph with a number of volunteers in all about 60 men we marched about 25 miles towards the east end of said last named County to oppose a company of Tories under the command of one Colonel Fannon [sic, David Fanning] a Tory Colonel who was embodying a Tory force in the County adjoining below ours the second night after leaving our Station we encamped at the house of one John Needham during the night we were attacked by Colonel Fanning and his Tory force after a short conflict we repulsed them with two of their men killed and four or five wounded. The next morning we pursued Colonel Fanning and two days after the conflict we came upon one Captain Michael Robbins a Tory Captain with 10 or 12 Tories under his command we dispersed them with three of their men killed we then returned to our station at Bell's Mill. The next active service we were engaged in was three or four months after the last named expedition we were ordered out in the fall I think in September the year I cannot recollect against the Highland Scotch of North Carolina who were embodying a Tory force about 60 or 70 miles from our station in the Highlands of said State we were joined by one Colonel Saunders of Wake County North Carolina with a body of over 100 men said Colonel Saunders took the Command of the whole and marched us into the highlands and across Cape Fear River we stole a march on the Tories by marching all might one night and took 14 prisoners. Our company was ordered to guard and did guard the prisoners to Hillsboro in Orange County North Carolina the District jail we lodged the prisoners in jail and returned to our Station. Another piece of service we rendered occurred a few weeks previous to the last named expedition (I did not think of it when I related the last named expedition) was in defending the public store at our station. The store was attacked by one Captain Edward Franklin a Tory Captain Commissioned by Lord Cornwallis and his company about 15 in number we repulsed them and the next day we pursued them, overtook them and killed Franklin (the Captain) and one of his men and dispersed the company. The next active service that I now recollect that we engaged in I think occurred in March 1782 (the spring after Lord Cornwallis surrendered). Colonel Fanning and his company consisting of 40 or 50 Tories came into our County and ravaged the Country and killed Lieutenant Colonel Belfour [March 11, 1782] and Captain John Bryan [John Bryant] in their own houses and burned my mother's house and barn (she being a widow), Colonel Collier and Esq. Milligan's houses. We pursued them and overtook them and put them to flight but the day being wet our guns misfired so that we only wounded two men. The next piece of active service and the last service I did during the war occurred as follows: Colonel Elrod [John Elrod], Captain Michael Robbins and Captain Samuel Still Tory officers were passing through said County of Randolph. They killed one young man and wounded another we pursued them several days and our company separated into two parties one part of the company overtook them and killed Col. Elrod and Captain Still the part of the company I was in was not present when they were killed we marched over 100 miles over the Blue Ridge from thence we returned to the station at Colonel Sharp's and shortly afterwards were disbanded.
I have no Documentary evidence to prove my services; owing to the great lapse of time and loss of memory I cannot now state positively whether I received any written discharge from my Captain But I do recollect that vouchers for my services were made out by my officers which were placed in the hands of my older brother Thomas Dougan who took them to Hillsboro North Carolina and purchased land for me with them. To the best of my recollection the rate of pay I received was $12 per month for my services. I hereby relinquish every claim to a pension or an annuity except the present and I declare that my name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any State in the Union.
Sworn to and subscribed in open Court the day and year above written.
S/ Saml. Hannah, C. W. P. C.
S/ John Dougan
And whereupon the Court proceeded to propound to the said John Dougan under his Oath the following interrogatories to wit:
1st When and in what year were you born?
Answer I was born in Lancaster County State of Pennsylvania January 9th, 1763, I was but six
months old when my parents left Pennsylvania and moved to North Carolina.
2nd Have you any record of your age and if so where is it?
Answer. I have a record of my age in my Bible which was taken from the Records of my family.
3rd Where were you living when called into service: where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live?
Answer. When called into service I lived in Randolph County North Carolina for several years
since the revolutionary war I continued to live in the County and State last named perhaps six years I then removed to the State of Tennessee where I have lived until I removed to this State from whence I removed to this County (Wayne State of Indiana) where I have lived for the last 17 years and where I now reside.
4th How were you called into service; were you drafted; did you volunteer or were you a substitute, and if in substitute, for whom?
Answer: I volunteered
5th State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served, such Continental and militia regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service.
Answer. General Butler was the Brigadier General in the [word or words missing as a result of
the tear in paper] in which I lived and was stationed one Suther-[word or words missing as a result of the tear in the paper] was the Colonel in the Regiment in which I served [word or words missing as a result of the tear in paper] he resigned before I entered the service and was succeeded in office by Colonel John Collier who was succeeded in office by Colonel James Dougan [sic, James Dugan?].
These were the militia officers having command in the bounds including the place of my residence and where I was stationed I was not out in service under those man except a few days at a time when circumstances made it necessary to collect together as many troops as possible I was principally engaged in watching the movements of the Tories and disaffected and there were a great many of them in the part of the country where I served they would lie in wait and surprise small parties of the Army and break in upon and destroy the public stores these I usually attended as one of the guard and in guarding the wagons were invading provisions to the public stores
6th Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given and what has become of it?
Answer: I was regularly discharged at the end of the war and I received my pay in the manner
stated in my Declaration so I cannot now recollect whether I received a written discharge or not if I did it is lost or mislaid
7th State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood and who can
testify as to your character for veracity and their belief in your services as a soldier in the revolution.
Answer Captain William Gray my Ensign during part of my service and my Captain during the
residue Captain Daniel Reid, Colonel Williams, Mr. Doughty and William Whitehead Esq. Sheriff of
this County
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And thereupon here comes into open Court before the Judge aforesaid on the judicial day
aforesaid William Gray2 a resident of Preble County State of Ohio of lawful age who being duly sworn according to law on his oath says that he has heard the foregoing Declaration of said John Dougan distinctly read and that the statements made by the said John Dougan are true to the best of his (affiant's) recollection that he (affiant) was the Ensign in the company stated in said Declaration during the first year's service and that said John Dougan served the first year as stated in his said Declaration.
That after the expiration of said year's service Captain Thomas Dougan was advanced to the rank of Major and this affiant was commissioned Captain of said Company and took the command thereof as stated in the in said John Dougan's Declaration and commanded the same until the termination of the Revolutionary War that this affiant thinks the year he was commissioned Captain of said company was [text missing as a result of a tear in the paper] and that said John Dougan faithfully served in said company under the command of this affiant as Captain as aforesaid as a private until the close of the Revolutionary War in 1782 and was honorably discharged that during the whole term of his service the said John Dougan furnished his own horse, saddle, bridle and arms for the service and that he served to the entire satisfaction of his officers that the said John Dougan is a man of good moral character and that his statements are entitled to the fullest credit and that said company was engaged in the service as stated in the said John Dougan's Declaration in manner as he has stated and that this affiant for his services as an officer of the Army of the Revolution as stated in said John Dougan's Declaration is now receiving a pension as a Revolutionary Pensioner on the roll of the Ohio Agency of $25 per month.
Subscribed and sworn to in open Court the day and year above named.
S/ Saml. Hannah, C. W. P. C.
S/ William Gray, Capt., X his mark
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State of Indiana, Wayne County
Be it remembered that on this 18th day of October A. D. 1833 personally appeared before me the
undersigned a Justice of the Peace in and for the said County of Wayne in this State of Indiana John Dougan aged Seventy years on the 9th day of January last (1833) who being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades. To wit: For one year commencing in the year 1778 and ending in 1779, I served as a private horse militia man as a volunteer Company of North Carolina horse militia commanded by Captain Thomas Dougan. And after the promotion of Captain Dougan of said company to the office of Major, I continued to serve in said Company of volunteers under the orders of Captain Gray as a private volunteer militia man for two years and six months more, being from sometime in the year 1779 to sometime in 1782 making at least three years and six months between the years 1778 and 1782 during all which time I was under an engagement to march, and did march at a moment's warning whenever called by my said Captains or either of them. One year of which I served under Captain Dougan and two years & six months under Captain Gray as stated in my declaration, during which service I was either in the field in garrison or stationed to guard some military position in actual service for two years and did not, nor could not in consequence of said service, during the whole of the said Term of two years actual service, engage in, or follow any civil pursuit, and for such two whole years of active and actual service as a private volunteer militia man I claim a pension, and pray that this deposition may be attached to my declaration heretofore made as an amendment thereto.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 18th day of October A.D. 1833
S/ Danl. Stratton, JP
S/ John Dougan
[p 12: On June 20, 1846, in Wayne County, Indiana, Martha Dugan, aged 83, made application for a
widow's pension stating that her husband died January 25, 1842, that she married him in 1784 (she could not recollect the precise date).][Other documents in the file indicate that John Dugan married Martha Collin or Collier in December 1784 in Randolph County North Carolina. Their oldest child Margarette was born November 24, 1785 and she married someone named Fryar.] The widow signed her application with her mark.]
[p 24: On October 19, 1846 in Wayne County Indiana, Moses Robbins Senior 81 years old on the 24th day of last January (having been born on January 26, 1765) gave testimony in support of the widow's application for a pension; he states that when he was a small boy he went to school with John and Martha Dougan and Randolph County North Carolina; he knows that John Dougan and Martha Collier were married in Randolph County North Carolina the particular day he cannot recollect but about 2 years before the affiant was married; the affiant states he was married April 25th, 1786. He knows they were married before January 1, 1794.]
[p 14: On July 21, 1855 in Wayne County Indiana, the widow, about 91 years of age, filed for her
bounty land entitlement as the widow of a revolutionary war soldier she signed this document with her mark. In this document her name is spelled Martha Dougan.]
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $100 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private in the cavalry for 2 years in the North Carolina service. His widow was pensioned in a like amount.]
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1BLWt31428-160-55
2William Gray W7576
http://revwarapps.org/w9836.pdf
