Pension application of Matthew Leeper W26205 Margaret P. f65NC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 4/11/10 & 5/14/13
[p. 12]
State of North Carolina, Lincoln County
On this first day of June 1846 personally appeared before me Whiten Stowe one of the acting
Justices of the Peace of the Court of Record in and for said County Matthews Leeper a resident of Lincoln County aged Ninety one years and after first being duly sworn according to law doth 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 the said Matthew Leeper entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated; that he was drafted and put under the command of Captain Barber and marched against the Indians in the Cherokee nation and served one tour and afterward he was drafted and served again under the command of Captain Barber and Colonel McClain in North Carolina one tour and was discharged and this deponent further saith that afterwards he was drafted under the command of Captain White and Colonel Graham and marched near to Wilmington where he was discharged and this deponent further saith that he was out several short tours as a volunteer and was at the battle of King's Mountain making in all the time of his service about ten months. This deponent further 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 and under the said officers and for such service I claim a pension.
I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares
that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State. This deponent further deposeth and saith that the reason why he did not apply for a pension sooner is that he was a man in very good circumstance and did not stand in need of a pension but I have become old and almost helpless therefore petition for a pension for my service. Sworn to and subscribed before me this day and date above written.
S/ Matthew Leeper, L his mark
S/ Whiten Stowe, J. P
[p. 19]
State of North Carolina Cleveland County: on this 16th day of June 1846 personally appeared John
Harmon1 aged 83 years before me Joseph Carroll one of the acting Justices of the Peace in and for said County and after being first duly sworn according to law deposeth and saith that he was well acquainted with Matthew Leeper in the day of the Revolution war and that he was drafted and put under the command of Captain Barber and marched against the Cherokee Indians and served one tour and this deponent saith that he lived a near neighbor and saw the said Leeper in the Army and afterwards he was drafted and put under the command of said Captain Barber and Colonel McClain and was at the battle at King's Mountain. This deponent further saith that he was in the same Regiment at that time this deponent further saith he knew that the said Leeper was drafted again for he himself was and they were both put under the command of Captain White and under Colonel Graham and General Rutherford and marched down in this State near to Wilmington and served out their tour of 3 months and were discharged. Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and date above written.
Test: S/ Joseph Carroll, JP S/ John Harmon
[p. 35: Certificate dated April 12, 1852 from the North Carolina Comptroller General showing
payments made to Matthew Leeper for service under Captain Samuel Martin and under Captain Joseph
Dickson.]
[p. 49: letter dated Jan. 27, 1848 from Matthew Leeper to Jno. P. Edward.]
[p. 54]
State of North Carolina Catawba County: on this 30th day of May 1846 personally appeared before me one of the acting Justices of the peace for said County Abraham Forney aged 87 years old a resident of said County and after being first duly sworn according to law deposeth own oath and saith that he was well acquainted with Matthew Leeper in the day of the Revolution who is now making application for a pension upon the account of the service he rendered in said war. That he the said Matthew Leeper was a private Soldier in the war of the Revolution in the North Carolina Militia this deponent further saith that he knew that the said Matthew Leeper served two three months Towers under Captain Barber and he further states a three month tour under Captain White in the same Regiment that he served himself in the year 1780 and 1781 under Colonel Graham and he further states that he has always been recognized as a revolutionary soldier ever since. Sworn to and subscribed before made this day and date above written.
S/ J. Helderman, JP
S/Abraham Forney2
, A his mark
[p. 58]
State of North Carolina Gaston County: I William Rankin3 a resident of the County aforesaid do hereby Certify that I was well acquainted with Matthew Leeper during the revolutionary War and was in service with him under Captain Samuel Martin and Major Joseph Dixon, on one occasion at Dutchman's Creek in Lincoln County where we attacked and killed a small party of Tories, and have no hesitation in saying he served at different times during the War from the commencement to the end of it. And have always believed him to be a Soldier of the Revolutionary War. I have always understood that he would not receive any pension for the reason that he had enough to live on and did not need it.
S/ Wm Rankin
Sworn to before me the 14th of February 1852
S/ J. Holland, JP
[p. 9: On February 16, 1852 in Gaston County North Carolina, Mrs. Margaret Leeper, 51, filed for the arrears she claimed to be due her husband Mathew Leeper under the 1832 act for his services in the revolution; she states "that she is the widow of Mathew Leeper who was a soldier of the Revolutionary War under the command of Captain Samuel Martin and Major William Croncile [sic, William Chronicle] at the battle of Kings Mountain and Captain Samuel Martin and Major Jos. Dickson in a skirmish at dutch-may's [sic?] Creek in Lincoln County and at other times and places not recollected making a term of service 2 years at different times..."; she states she married him September 7, 1837 in Lincoln County by Robert Alexander Esquire and that her husband died October 12, 1849, "that his reasons for not applying for a pension in his lifetime was that he thot [sic, thought] and believed he had effects sufficient to maintain him as long as he lived, but a short time before his death he did agree for a Mr. Carrol to make application but for reasons unknown nothing was ever received...."]
[p. 5: On August 20th, 1855 in Gaston County North Carolina, Margaret P. Leeper, 55, a resident of Gaston County made application for her bounty land entitlement stating that she is the widow of Matthew Leeper, a revolutionary war soldier pensioned at the rate of $30 per annum; that she married him in Gaston County on September 7, 1837; that they were married by RM Alexander, JP; that her name prior to her marriage was Margaret P. Mariner; that her husband died October 12, 1849 and that she remains his widow.]
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $30 per annum commencing March 4, 1831 and ending October
12, 1849 for 9 months service in the revolution].
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1John Harmon W2795
2Abraham Forney W3976
3William Rankin S7342
https://revwarapps.org/w26205.pdf
