Person:Peter Johnstone (1)

Johnstone vs. Johnson

• Although modern (i.e. post DAR application) records refer to Peter's surname as "Johnson", primary documents signed by Peter himself, such as his children's marriage bonds, personal correspondence, and his pension application, all show his surname as "Johnstone", therefore it is obvious that Johnstone was his preferred spelling.
• Records are also found under common variants of the surname: Johnson, Johnston, Johnsson, etc.

Childhood

• Most OLTs list his parents as Peter Johnstone and Mary Phillips - source needed
• Some OLTs list birthdate = 5 Jun 1752 - source needed

Military Service

• Peter Johnson is DAR Patriot A063562.
• 1776 - Enlisted under Captain John Wilson, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment, under Colonel Broadhead and Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Bayard.
• 1777-1779 - According to his pension application, Peter received permission from his captain in 1777 to go to North Carolina where he remained until 1779 which would mean that he missed much of the action of his regiment on the eastern battle front and the infamous winter of 1777 at Valley Forge. His command eventually returned to Fort Pitt where Peter rejoined them in 1779.
• 20 Mar 1782 - Mustered into Captain Thomas Stokely's Rangers as a private. Continued to make his headquarters at Fort Pitt. Served with Captain Sam Brady and Captain John Clark in the two companies that were given special duty there under Liutenant Colonel Bayard. These men, apparently picked riflemen, some of whom had served with Colonel Daniel Morgan's Riflemen, roamed and guarded the frontier from Fort Pitt and Fort McIntosh to Fort Henry, Wheeling, and other points on the frontier. Peter likely served in that company until his discharge in 1783 as a corporal.
• 1783 - Discharged as a corporal.
• 1829 - Peter Johnson started collecting his pension for Revolutionary War duty. Pension application filed in Monongalia County, Virginia.
  • In a document from the Veteran's Administration files regarding Peter Johnston's pension, the following statement was made: "the Declaration of Peter Johnston for Pension under Act of June 7, 1832, is a marvel of penmanship and his descendant might appreciate a photostatic copy, so perfect is the writing that it resembles copperplate."

Upon His Return from the War

• By 1788, Peter Johnson was residing in what was then Harrison County, Virginia in the Tygart Valley where he was a farmer and owned considerable property.
• He was also a ferryman on the Tygart River north of later day Grafton.
• 20 Feb 1804 - took oath of office as Justice of the Peace following an appointment of the governor. As such, he was a member of the Harrison County Court.
• He was one of the commissioners who established Pruntytown, the first county seat of Taylor County.
• 18 Sep 1820 - took oath of office as High Sheriff of Harrison County, serving 1820-22. According to tradition, some of his deputies were found guilty of misconduct and since Peter was responsible for them, he lost all of his property and personal possessions to pay the debts.
• 7 Jan 1824 - named in Deed of Trust ³ in which 2nd wife Susannah's possessions from her previous marriage were sold to Lewis A. Muse for the sum of $1
  • Q: Who is Lewis A. Muse? Is he a guardian of Susannah's sons John and Edmund?

Family Life of Peter Johnstone

• His first wife was Eleanor "Nelly" Peters.
• His second wife was Susannah (Unknown) Armstrong, widow of George Armstrong.
• He lived in the Grafton area until his death on September 6, 1840.

1810 Note written by Peter Johnstone requesting a marriage license for his daughter Mary and James Hall.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Peter Johnson, in Daughters of the American Revolution. Genealogical Research System.

   JOHNSON, PETER Ancestor #: A063562
   Service: PENNSYLVANIA Rank: CORPORAL
   Birth: 1753 PENNSYLVANIA
   Death: 9-6-1840 HARRISON CO VIRGINIA
   Pension Number: *NP
   Service Source: NARA, M881, COMP MIL SERV RECS, ROLL #826; PENSION ROLL OF 1835, VOL 3, P 850; PIERCE, VA FINAL PENSION PAYMENT VOUCHERS 1818-1864, P 307
   Service Description: 1) ALSO PVT; CAPTS JOHN CLARK, SAMUEL BRADY

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Military Service Recorded, in Johnston, Ross B. West Virginians in the American Revolution. (Baltimore [Maryland]: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1977)
   152.

   JOHNSTONE (JOHNSTON or JOHNSON)
   
   Service--Pensylvania Certificate No. 938
   
   Enlisted under Captain John Wilson, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment, in 1776 under Colonel Broadhead and Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Bayard. In pension application filed in Monongalia County, Virginia, he says that he got permission from his Captain, in 1777, to go to North Carolina where he remained until 1779; then rejoined his command which had returned to Fort Pitt after serving on the eastern battle front.
   
   Continued to make his headquarters at Fort Pitt until his discharge in 1783 as a corporal. He served with Captain Sam Brady and Captain John Clark in the two companies that were given special duty there under Lieutenant Colonel Bayard. These men, apparently picked riflemen, some of whom had served with Colonel Daniel Morgan's Riflemen, ranged the frontier from Fort Pitt and Fort McIntosh to Fort Henry, Wheeling, and other points on the frontier. His oldest daughter, says family tradition, was born in a blockhouse, possibly Fort Pitt.
   
   Johnstone appeared in Harrison County, about 1788 and lived there until his death, September 6, 1840, aged 88. He had been a pensioner since 1829. He was first married to Eleanor (or Nelly) Peters. The marriage bonds of all five children: Mary (Hall), Margaret (Current), Abraham, John and Robert, are filed at Clarksburg, his signature being "Johnstone" in every case. He was the ferryman on the Tygart Valley north of Grafton, was one of the commissioners who established Pruntytown, the first county seat of Taylor County, and was High Sheriff of Harrison County, 1820-1822. His second wife was Susannah Armstrong, a widow."
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   Googlebooks

3. ↑ Property Record.

   Harrison, West Virginia, United States. 1824 Deed Book.
   Vol 16, p 266, 7 Jan 1824, Deed of Trust

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   This indenture made this 7th day of January 1824 between Peter Johnstone of the first part and Susannah Johnstone his wife of the second part and Lewis A. Muse her next friend of the third part of Harrison County State of Virginia. Witnesseth that agreeable to an order and decree at Superior Court of Chancery continued and held at Clarksburg for the 4th District on the 23 day of October 1823 wherefore a will as in consideration of One dollar in hand paid by the said Lewis A Muse to the said Peter Johnson and Susannah his wife the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged these presents doth hereby grant bargain and sell a lien ? release and confirm unto the said Lewis A Muse upon trust for the said Susannah Johnstone and subject to her exclusive control during her life and after death for the use and benefit of John M Armstrong and Edmund ? Armstrong the following property [listing of property such as feather bed and a walnut chest] being the whole amount of the property which was belonging to the said Susannah on the 13th day of November 1822 all of which property as above stated are sold upon Trust agreeable to the decree as witness our hands and seals day and date above written.
   Peter Johnston
   Susannah Johnston

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   [Note: Transcription posted to ancestry.com by LALVec, 23 Apr 2014.]