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Facts and Events
Military Service
- American Revolutionary War Veteran
Revolutionary War Pension Information
Information from “Virginia/West Virginia Genealogical Data from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Records”, Vol. 5, compiled by Patrick G. Wardell, Lt. Col. U.S. Army Ret. :
Stephens, Lawrence - born 1755 in Frederick County, Virginia; entered service 1775 when residing in Fincastle County (County name later Montgomery), Virginia, in 1st Virginia Regiment; granted Pension 1832 in Wythe County, Virginia, per County Court Clerk John P. Mathews; John Draper & William Calfee made affidavit there then; query letter in file states soldier married Joanne, daughter of Captain William Hurbert; query letter in file in 1806 from descendant Miss Woods Stephens, of Martinsville, Virginia & she also was descendant of Revolutionary War Soldier Samuel Shepherd who entered service in Montgomery County, Virginia & she was a great granddaughter of John Cecil (b. 6/24/1751 in Cecil County, Maryland, moved in 1786 to Pulaski County, Virginia) who was eldest son of Samuel W. Cecil & Rebecca White who married 1750 in Maryland, Samuel W. having come from England to Maryland & moved 1760 to southwestern Virginia. F-S7639, R2280.
Notes
Foster parents: Peter Stephens and Anna Chrisman (1)
From: Peter Stephens and some of his descendants 1690-1935, Author - D an V. Stephens. Published by Hammond & Stephens Co. Fremont, Neb. 1936
Lawrence Stephens came with his father to Montgomery County, Virginia, abt. 1767. In 1775, he enlisted in the Army and saw service in the Revolutionary War, as a Private and as a Corporal (see Claim S 7639 - Cert. 16465, Veterans Bureau, Washington, D. C.). After the war he and his brother Joseph Stephens went to Wythe County where, in 1787 he married Joanna Herbert and located on a 600 acre tract of land, on Little Reed Island Creek, which he acquired August 17, 1793. He built for his residence, a small two room log house, in which he lived until he could build a larger one, which he built about early 1795, the ruins of which are still standing, and lived there until his death May 3, 1847 at over 90 years of age. His will which is recorded in the Clerk's Office of Carroll County, Virginia, WB 1 p 1 48, leaves his estate to his children.
MILITARY: (Revolutionary War)
References
- ↑ Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source).
- Graves, William T. Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters.
Pension Application of Laurence Stephens S7639 VA
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris. Revised 26 Sep 2014.
State of Virginia }
Wythe County } ss.
On this tenth day of December 1832 personally appeared in open court in the county court of
Wythe County Va before the Justices of said court, it being a court of record having power to fine and imprison, Laurence Stephens resident of said county of Wythe and state of Virginia, aged seventy eight years, who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he enlisted and served in the army of the United States in the fall of the year 1775 while then a resident of the county of Fincastle now the county of Montgomery state of Virginia under Daniel Trigg Lieutenant for the term of one year. He served one year under the following named officers Capt William Campbell of Holston, Lieutenant Cunningham Bedford, Ensign Lampkin [probably Lumpkin] also from Bedford, he thinks he served in the first Regiment of Riflemen, and Patrick Henry was the head commander at Williamsburg, that after being in the company some time he recvd the appointment of Corporal, and served in that capasity the ballance of the time of his enlistment; That he marched from the place of his enlistment, now the county of Montgomery to Bedford and from there to Williamsburg where they troops remained a while, the precise time he does not now recollect from there, they were marched to Hampton Roads, where they remained a short time, and from there back to Williamsburg, where he remained until he was discharged as he thinks was early in the fall in the year 1776 and he supposes he was discharged which he thinks was early in the faul in the year 1776 and he supposes he was discharged by Capt William Campbell, as he served under him the whole time of his enlistment, which discharge has since been lost by time and accident so that it cannot now be had, that he was marched to Gwens Island [sic: Gwynn Island] to assist the American Army there but before he got entirely there he received orders to return, the battle [8-10 Jul 1776] being over before he could reach there, that he was in no battle during his term of service aforesaid and has no record of his age that
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and he declares, that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state or territory whatever.
Sworn to and subscribed on the day & year aforesaid
[Signed] Lawrence Stephens
State of Virginia }
Wythe County }
On this 12 day of June 1833 personally appeared Laurence Stephenson and in open court, the
county court of Wythe County it being a court of record, having power to fine & imprision, and in addition to what is stated in the above declaration by him made on the 10 day of December 1833 [sic] in this court and by him then sworn to and subscribed as aforesaid, after being first duly sworn according to law he answers to the following interrogatories propounded by the court (Viz) Question by the court wh[ere] and in what year was you born?
Answer. I was born in [the] [y]ear 1755 in the county of Frederick in the state of Virginia
Question by same, Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it? Answer. I have no
record of my age that I can [one or two illegible words] to that I know of; Question by same, where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionary & [w]here do you now live?
Answer, at the time of my enlistment [part of word missing]latia in the foregoing declaration, I was then a resident of the county of Fincastle now Montgomery, and moved from there to Wythe County where I now live and have lived ever since
Question by same; How were you called into service, were you drafted, were you a volunteer or were you a substitute?
Answer, I was enlisted as stated in the foregoing declaration, and [s]erved under the said officers there named, and as their stated for the term of one year (Viz) from the faul Sept’r 1775 until September [1]776 and six months of that time I served as a [Cor]poral (viz) from March 1776 to September 1776
Question by same. State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops where you served; such Continental and Militia regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services, All that my memory will allow me to state on that subject is stated in the foregoing declaration made in this court on the 10 day of December 1832
Question by same; 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 did receive a discharge. I think according to the best of my recollection from Capt William Campbell, but it has long since been lost or mislaid so that I cannot at this time [p]roduce it
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 of your services as a soldier of the revolution.
Capt. John Draper & William Calfee
Sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid
[Signed] Lawrence Stephens
https://revwarapps.org/s7639.pdf
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