Pension application of John Neill R7578 Cynthia fn26NC
Transcribed by Will Graves
State of Kentucky, County of Logan On this 24th day of February 1854 personally appeared before the undersigned an acting Justice of the peace for said County of Logan and State aforesaid Cynthia Neill a resident of said County of Logan and State aforesaid aged 72 years who being duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provisions made by the acts of Congress passed on the 7th of July 1838, on the 3rd of March 1843, on the 17th July 1844, on the 29th of July 1848 and the 3rd of February 1853 granting pensions to widows of persons who served during the Revolutionary War, that she is the widow of John Neill (pronounced Nail) who was born and raised in the County of Rowan State of North Carolina and that he volunteered as a private early in the Revolution and marched against the Tories and Cherokee Indians as her said husband frequently informed her. That her husband the said John Neill was in the battle at Ramsour's or Ramsey's Mill in which battle his brother William Neill1 was killed the said William Neill had just returned from the Northern Army and was an officer in the same who on a visit to his family and friends volunteered his services against the Tories and was killed in the aforementioned battle. My husband the said John Neill was under Colonel Shelby or Colonel McDowell at the Battle of King's Mountain2 was with General Sumpter [sic, Thomas Sumter] at the time he was defeated by the Colonel Tarleton3 was under General Morgan and Greene in their retreat after the battle of the Cowpens and was in the battle of Guilford C. House4 as her husband has frequently informed her. She further states that she has no evidence that she knows of to prove her husband's service but that herewith enclosed she does not know whether her husband was ever promoted or not but frequently heard her husband say that he served in the War of the Revolution more than four years and received nothing but Continental money in payment which proved worthless. She further declares that she was married to said John Neill on the 30th day of October 1799 that her name before marriage was Cyntha Forgy [sic, also spelled “Forgay” in latter documents] that her said husband died on the 3rd day of May 1828 that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service but the marriage took place previous to the second of January 1800 viz. at the time above stated. She further swears that she has never married since and is now a widow and that she has never made application for a pension. Witness S/ John N. Naurse S/ Cyntha Neill [sic], X her mark S/ Hirum Neill
[On the same day and at the same place, James Neill made an affidavit that he is the second child of John and Cyntha Neill, that he was born February 2, 1803; his older brother, William, was born November 15, 1800, that said dates were recorded in his father's family Bible which has been destroyed.]
State of Kentucky, County of Butler On this 15th day of February 1854 before me personally appeared Allen Givens who being duly sworn according to law depose and say that he was born in the County of Mecklenburg in the State of North Carolina and raised in said County and State that he was born on the 28th day of October 1762 and that he the said Allen Givens was well acquainted with John Neill was born and raised in the County of Rowan and said State of North Carolina distant about 9 miles from said Givens that the said John Neill was some four or five years older than he the said Allen Givens. That the said Allen Givens states on his own knowledge that the said John Neill was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, that he the said John Neill joined the Army in company with two of his brothers Viz. Samuel5 and William Givens in the year 1779 to the best of his recollection and was in active service from the time he first joined the Army until peace was made whenever and wherever his services were wanting he the said John Neill was always at his post. The said Allen Givens also states that the said John Neill was under Colonel Shelby at the Battle of King's Mountain in the battle at Ramsour's Mill where his brother William Neill was killed, under General Sumter at his defeat and was in the battle of Guilford Court House the said Allen Givens states that his brothers of whom he has seven6 in the Army in the war of the Revolution and others that were in said battles informed him that the said John Neill were in the aforementioned battles and that he did signal service in them and was always esteemed as a gallant soldier. The said Allen Givens states that he settled where he now lives which was then in Logan County in the month of May 17 99 and that the said John Neill was living in Logan County distant about 4 miles from him and that they lived neighbors until the death of said Neill. Allen Givens states that in a few months after he settled where he now lives that the said John Neill was married to Cyntha Forgy also that he married in the same year that the said Givens settled where he now lives. The said Allen Givens states that he is a dissident her said witness. S/ Robert N. Hood S/ Allen Givens, X his mark S/ Thomas D. Stroud
