Person:John Vest (21)

The following is a transcription of the pension papers of John Vest, from File S 15692, from the National Archives Military Records. Transcribed verbatim June 1993 by Sandra Lake Lassen. John Vest was awarded $20 per month pension as of 25 Feb 1833 in Russel Parish, Bedford Co., VA, his place of residence.)

On this 25th day of February 1833 personally appeared in open Court before Lodewich McDavid, George Steptoe, William Leftwich, Jr. and William Perry, Gentlemen Justices, the Court of Bedford County said sitting: the same being a Court of Record. John Vest, a resident of the Parish of Russel in the County aforesaid and State aforesaid aged eighty-two years who being first duly sworn on his oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June the 7th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. His register which he has seen and recollects but which is now mislaid states that he was born in the County of Powhatan in the State of Virginia in the year 1750.. In the ninth year of his age, his father moved with him into the County of Brockingham in said State where he lived about eleven years. From thence he moved into the County now called Campbell then a part of the County of Bedford in said state where he resided till he became of age and lived then through the whole of the Revolutionary War. In 1789 he became a citizen of Bedford County or that part of it which now retains that name and has ever since and does now reside there by his calculations he is now about eighty-two years, six months and seven days.

The first call of Militia from the said County of Campbell then a part of Bedford as aforesaid was to a tour of duty to the lead mines in Virginia to protect and guard the works from the Tories, Indians and a number of Negroes that were taken in attempting to escape to Governor Dunmore from their masters who after they were taken were sent to the lead mines and employed in digging ore to make lead to carry on the war, but who had to be closely watched either the Tories, Indians or Negroes set fire to the furnace house and burnt four rafters in the roof before the fire could be extinguished but with great difficulty the deponent and others saved the house and utensils. The same night a ferry boat and a large canoe which was used in bringing the ore from the other side was lost from the lading set adrift and was no more found. In this tour of duty he enlisted as a volunteer and thinks it was on the first day of August 1774, but if he is mistaken as to the date of the year he is quite certain it was the same year that the battle was fought at the falls of the Ohio against the Indians. He served in the company commanded by Captain William Leftwich and Lieutenant Johnathan Richardson from the said County of Bedford now Campbell. From the rendezvous they marched through the county now called Franklin to the county in which the lead mines are situated then called Fincastle, now Wythe. In their march through the mountains they were divided and a part sent to the salt peter works and he was one of these he is at a loss to tell how long they remained at the salt peter works but thinks it was about a month. From thence they were called to the lead mines under the circumstances above stated where they served the balance of the tour. He ever did and now believes they served three months fully and not less that that period and he is an old man and erelong will stand before the judge of the quick and dead to answer for the deeds done in the body and therefore cannot swear to -------(not readable) to gain a day if he were to lose a month they were regularly relieved to another ---(not readable) --- of men on returning home he remembers to have met Capt. Thomas Bedford and his company from Bedford there on his way out to the falls of Ohio against the Indians and that they lay at the Big Lick in the now County of Botetourt on the same night. This was in the month of October or November the same month in which he was discharged and returned home. The second time he was called to go into service he was discharged as were the rest of the company also with marching from the place of rendezvous where they had met with all things proposed to march and were told that they had or would have credit for a full tour of duty of three months, he supposes as if they had actually served it and and such was the common understanding in those days. This call was to go to the eastern shores of Virginia. He remembers that Williston Talbot the forage master bought a load of flour for the use of the army and the whole was condemned on his hands by Colonel Jeremiah Early and Capt. John Clayton. It seems the enemy had left the place and the company after being from home three days at the rendezvous as aforesaid were discharged. He was occasionally called out against the Tories in the neighborhood and remembers being on tour of five days in hunting then at one time three days and another in guarding them and three days in waiting the call of Gen. Green. He then, again in the year 1778 judging from all the circumstances he can recollect while Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia in the latter part of the year but the month or day he cannot tell, he marched from Campbell County, then Bedford as aforesaid under the command of Capt. John Talbot, Lieutenant Thomas Holmes who was afterwards killed in the battle of Guilford and Ensign Arthur Moseley. The Company met at Hunters Tavern passed Charlotte Cumberland. The said Talbot was at that time a member of the Legislature and went after his company was discharged from the army into the house of Burgesses which was then sitting at Williamsburg. In this tour of duty he entered the service as a volunteer and marched under the aforesaid officers first to Williamsburg in Virginia, crossing James River at Richmond and Manchester passed through Henrico, New Kent, Hanover and remained at Williamsburg about six weeks as well as he can now remember. Col. Mason then had the command of the Regiment to which he was attached. From Williamsburg he was marched to York Town where his company was attached to the Regiment under the command of Col. Lightfoot as well as he can remember at this distant day. He is unable to say how long he remained here but is satisfied it was until he was regularly discharged and feels assured that the tour was one of not less than three months duration. He remembers that some of the men were tried at Williamsburg while he was there for burning and otherwise injuring the inclosure around park of Governor Henry. In this tour he was at York Town when the British vessels came in sight within the capes and commanded the American Row Gallies from about 9 o'clock in the morning till near one hour by sun in the evening. It was said one of the enemies vessels was very much damaged. The land troops were drawn up in a line of the shore in view of the enemy with as much display as possible having the Colores unfurled , drums beating, etc. when after having anchored there for several days the enemy disappeared without endeavoring to effect a landing. There was no doubt at the time that they would have landed but for the troops stationed at the place. For this tour of duty he received a written discharge but has lost or mislaid it and in fact he never expected after receiving it to want it again. He thinks the discharge was obtained by his father for him from Capt.Talbot some time after he returned from the Legislature of which he was a member as aforesaid. He recollects it was said that the discharge would have been obtained at the expiration of the service but for the hurry of the Captain to take his seat in the Legislature. In about a year after the expurgation of this tour he was preparing to march again upon another to York Town, had all things ready for actual service, his knapsack, etc. and had left home in the said County of Campbell, then Bedford, as a militia man regularly drafted when at the rendezvous of the militia at the head of (ma.....lies) creek he got into conversation with Col. James Calloway, the commandant of the regiment and was told by him that if he would go and catch one William Carver, a deserter from Col. Washington's core of horse and withal a noted Tory he would receive a discharge from the whole time for which he had been drafted. Col. Washington had sent officers to Prince Edward Courthouse in Virginia authorized to advertise in the public Gazettes the names of all deserters from his core and that if they would come and deliver themselves up they should be pardoned for the offense of desertion, which most if not all accepted but this celebrated Carver. This deponent understanding the proposition of the Colonel thus made to him, he accepted it and did so with the assurance that if he caught Carver, delivered him to the officers at Prince Edward Courthouse as aforesaid obtained a receipt for him and got Capitan Heaths discharge who was Caption of this deponents company, he would be released from the full tour. He accepted the proposition at the time the more readily as he was in such a situation with his family that he could not readily leave home. Accordingly he went in pursuit of the said Carver as he had been requested and was fortunate enough to apprehend him, then in pursuance of the instructions received delivered him to the proper officers in Prince Edward County forty miles (he thinks) from where he apprehended him, obtained a receipt for him and then afterward a discharge for the full time from Captain Heath, which he has also lost. On his return homeward he met the company of Captain Heath on their way down at Cub Creek in the County of Charlotte. This was toward the fall of the year, he thinks, or in the first part of fall, as best he remembers that the surrender of Cornwallis took place soon after this and he should have been there also had he not been discharged in the manner aforesaid. He has no documentary evidence by which to prove his services but he refers to the affidavits of John Hunter of County of Campbell and John Turner of the County of Bedford to prove his services to the lead mines and the tour to Williamsburg, York Town, etc. under Captain Talbot each of three months duration. He has no testimony by which to prove his other services and there is no one living to whom he can have access to prove the same. He perhaps could do it if he was not too old and infirm to ride so far as he must necessarily to ascertain the facts. He has been made to procure the certificate of a clergyman as the other individual as required by the act of congress simply because there is no one living in the neighborhood that can testify to such a belief ---this deponent having moved to Bedford in that part of it in which he now lives subsequent to any of his services as aforesaid renders it difficult to refer to any individual particularly as to the General belief in the neighborhood. The distance is about 30 miles.

He makes the following answers to the interrogatories propounded by the war department:

"To the first interrogator, see body declaration for all answers. "To the second - same "To the third - same "To the fourth - same "To the fifth - the names of many of the officers am familiar with but few if any of the regular officers were ever with me that I now remember. "To the sixth- I did receive discharge for my service in each case I believe and I think they were given by my Captain except when we were all discharged in a body and then I did not ...they are now lost. "To the seventh - See the body of the declaration for an answer the whole of his actual services will amount to not less than six months and eleven days and if he is paid for the other tours when he was discharged as stated he would be entitled to pay for not less that 12 months.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is never on the pension roll of the agency of any State - sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court.

John Vest

We William S. Goffin and Joseph Wilson residing in the County of Bedford hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John.

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1. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
2. ↑ Jomartin1@@worldnet.att.net. Research by Mary Jo Martin. (Dec. 2005).
3. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
4. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
5. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
6. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
7. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
8. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
9. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.
10. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II
    File S 15692.
11. ↑ NARA Military Pension Records - John D. Vest II.