Person:Ralph Stuart (1)

Ralph Stuart was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia

Contents 1 Revolutionary War Pension Information 2 Records of Ralph Stuart in Augusta County, VA 3 Information on Ralph Stuart		Welcome to Old Augusta Early Settlers Beverley Manor Borden's Grant Register Data Maps Places Library History Index
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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. :

Stewart, Ralph - born 1752 in Augusta County, Virginia, where entered service 1773 as Captain of Rangers to fight Indians; entered service 1778 as Captain of Virginia regiment; moved abt. 1794 to Montgomery County, Virginia, thence to Giles County, Virginia, then to Logan County, Virginia, where granted pension in 1833; Patience Chapman made affidavit then in Lawrence County, Kentucky, age 73-74 that she knew soldier during Revolutionary War in Augusta County, when she was age 18-19; Edward Burgess made affidavit in 1833 abt. age 95 in Lawrence County, Kentucky he had known soldier ever since 1773 in Augusta County, Virginia; Mitchell Clay (no kinship given) made affidavit in 1833 in Lawrence County, Kentucky, that he knew soldier in Augusta County, Virginia during Revolutionary War; clergyman Richard Brooks made affidavit 1834 in Logan County, Virginia per County Justices of the Peace Anthony Lawson & Joseph Stratton, soldier died 11/18/1835; married 6/1788 to Mary Clay (Marriage Bond 6/25/1788, signed by William Tracy) Montgomery County, Virginia, per certificate 1846 by County Court Clerk Rice D. Montague & County Justice of the Peace Joseph Sedie; widow granted Pension age 74 in Logan County, Virginia, per County, Justices of the Peace James Cooke & Hugh Bryan & county Court Clerk William Straton; widow resided there in 1851 when her Pension agent wrote to Pension Office to complain that widow had yet to receive her first Pension payment; query letter in file says Mary Clay was soldier's 2nd wife. F-W6168, R2292.

Note: Birthdate of Ralph Stewart, based upon his guardianship records in 1762 [Chalkley's Vol. 1] was in abt. 1747, [see record below]:

Records of Ralph Stuart in Augusta County, VA

From Chalkley’s Augusta County Records:

• Vol. 1 - FEBRUARY 17, 1762. - (157) Ordered that Michael O'Hara, aged 12, September 1lth last, be bound to Alexander Millroy. Jane Lettimore, servant of Alexr. Stewart. John Stuart, orphan of James Stuart, aged 14, chose Henry Murray his guardian. James Stuart, aged 18, orphan of James Stuart, chose John Hamilton his guardian. Ralph Stuart, aged 15, orphan of James Stuart, chose Robt. Stuart his guardian. Ordered that the following orphans be bound: William Meek to William Warwick, Mary Meek to Andrew Settleton, Martha Meek to James Walker, James Meek to William Wilson, Jane Meek to Moses Moore. (Note: record establishes Ralph Stewart as age 15 in 1762, proving his birthdate in 1747).

• Page 244.--17th February. 1762. Robert Stewart's bond (with John Hamilton) as guardian (chosen) to Ralph Stewart, orphan of James Stewart.

• Page 348.--__ _____, 1772. James Stewart's estate appraised-- Notes of, viz: Richard Elliott, Jas. Scoolcraft, Daniel McLean (by the road), Patt. Hamilton by road, Charles Firnelson by road. Darby Connly by road, Geo. Westfall by the road, by a private balance of Ginsang by Ralph Stewart. (Note: this James Stewart was James Stewart, Jr., brother of Ralph Stewart).

• Page 85.--3d August, 1773. James Stewart's estate appraised--Accounts against, viz: Jas. Schoolcraft, Daniel McCan, Ralph Stewart.

• Vol. 1 - MARCH 17, 1774. - (327) Road from Joseph Gregory's to William Hamilton's, on Monongahela River, to be viewed by Jacob Warrick, John Warrick, Richard Eliot and Ralph Stuart.

• Vol. 1 - MAY 18, 1774. - (468)) Ephraim Richardson and Wm. Martin--road surveyors from Francis Wier's, on Monongahela River, to Thorny Creek, on waters of Greenbrier. John Warwick, Richard Elliott and Ralph Stewart are exempted from working on above road until it is built. William Hadden is ordered to clear from Thorny Creek to Nap's Creek, with tithables living below him on Nap's Creek, and from Alexr. Dunlap's to William Sharp's on Greenbrier. Jacob Warwick, road overseer, from William Warwick's to Back Creek, with tithables from Thomas Cartmell's up Greenbrier to the head and down Nap's Creek to Moses Moore's.

Information on Ralph Stuart

1802 Tazewell County, Virginia Tax List

Steward, Ralph

1806 Giles County, Virginia Tax List

Absolem Stuart 1 0 0 1 .12 Charles Stuart 1 0 0 1 .12 William Stuard 1 0 0 2 .24 Ralph Stuart 1 0 0 1 .12 Ralph Stuart, Jr. 1 0 0 1 .12

1830 Lawrence County, Kentucky Census

RALPH STEWART SR. 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

This family was of "The Cowpasture Stuarts" located in th e Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Ralph was an Indian fighte r at 14 years of age. When Ralph was a teenage boy durin g an Indian raid, his father was captured and burned at th e stake in the presence of his young son James Jr., who wa s also captured and carried away by the Indians, but late r escaped James Stuart, Sr. left among his children 3 sons : James, John, and Ralph. Wadell locates the date of the e vent as February, 1757 (page 511,Vol.2).

The second settler of present day Wyoming County, West Virg inia. There is some debate on Ralph's date of birth. Som e show it as 17 Dec 1752, others show 17 Jan 1749. I use t he date's I copied off of his headstone.

Ralph was commissioned captain in 1773 by Lord Dunmore, Gov ernor of Virginia, and served as a ranger. He was at Poin t Pleasant under Gen. Lewis in the "Battle of Point Pleasan t", fought against the Indians led by Chief Cornstalk, in 1 774.

In 1778, his commission was renewed by Patrick Henry, the n Governor of Virginia, was ordered with his company to Sou th Carolina to join the army under Gen. Green. Fought at G uilford Courthouse, Hot Water, Ground Squirrel, Charlottesv ille, and Yorktown. During one of these engagements, he re ceived a saber wound in the right arm, inflicted by Englis h General Tarleton. When Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktow n, Gen. Washington made Ralph one of the guard that kept th e English commander a prisoner of war.

After peace with the Indians was made, Ralph and his brothe r James (as teenage boys), went on a prolonged hunting trip . Ralph while alone in the camp, was set upon by a band o f Indians, who hung around for some time amusing themselve s by abusing and threatening him, while selecting article s to carry away, eating and being offensive in pillaging an d destroying the camp and supplies, then upon leaving the y carried away the furs, pelts and other articles they desi red to take.

The following night the 2 brothers followed the trail of th e Indians, slipped upon their camp and killed five of them . This act was indeed of great satisfaction and revenge fo r them, but was a violation of the law after the "Declarati on Of Peace" had been signed by the government, and made th em liable for prosecution for murder.

Later Ralph told of the incident to a hunting companion, who afterwards became a rival for the affections of a young l ady and therefore his enemy, thus the "Friend" swore ou t a warrant for murder and Ralph's arrest, whereupon the tw o brothers Ralph and James Stuart left the community and we nt to an uninhabited area of "Wilderness of the New River ", where they set up camp and stayed for a period of eighte en months, trapping and hunting and seeing only two other p ersons during that time. Then the Governor of Virginia lat er pardoned the brothers.

Ralph and his brothers hated, and were feared by Indians an d in the Army or not Ralph and others became famous atta cking 96 Indians, though outnumbered, they rescued six whi te prisoners.

He married 1st Mary Elliott abt. 1768 in Augusta County, Vi rginia. She was born bef. 1750 and died abt. 1787. He mar ried 2nd. Mary Clay June 25, 1788 in Montgomery County, Vir ginia daughter of Mitchell Clay and Phoebe Belcher she wa s born abt. 1762 in Bedford County, Virginia and died Apri l 25, 1851 in Wyoming County, (West) Virginia.

Yantis also has an interesting charts showing migration pat terns, according to this chart, Ralph's family moved from S cotland or Ireland to Fredrick, Shenandoah, Rockingham, Aug usta then to Tazewell counties. Information was based o n a Revolutionary War pension application, probably the on e mentioned on page 212. According to his Revolutionary Wa r pension record, on microfilm in Charleston, he died Novem ber 18, 1835 and was awarded a pension of $60.00 in 1833.

A letter in the file from a friend or relative expressed re lief that the pension had been awarded, as "Old Mr. S" wa s in poor circumstances, annually, he appointed an attorne y in fact to pick up the pension for him, describing himsel f as an invalid often, the attorney in fact was Anthony Law son, who also served as his administeror after Ralph's wif e relinquished her right to serve.

http://www.coalexchange.com/smith/mcdowella/pafn103.htm#1597

1. "Reference Book of Wyoming County History", Mary K. Bowman, page 347. 2. Ibid, pages 353-356. Ralph married a Miss Elliot, date unknown. They lived in VA until after the Revolution, then settled in KY. Nothing is known of this period of his life except that seven Children were born to them: James, John, Richard, Absolom, Pheobe, Becky, and Annie. All settled in what is now KY. 3. "Wyoming Co, WV Heritage...", "Danford E. Bragg Sr." article, page 86. Ralph Stewart was the son of James and Ann Lafferty Stewart. They were married in Ireland and settled in Augusta Co, VA in 1740. 4. "Heritage of Wyoming Co", David Dillow Walker Article, page 174. Capt. Ralph Stewart (17 Dec 1752 in VA- 18 Nov 1835 in Logan Co, WV) married Mary Clay (1772- ) on 15 Jun 1784. 5. "Logan Co, WVGW:Queries 1999", internet site www.rootsweb.com/~wvloagan/lquery99.htm Bob Kinner, bob.kinner@worldnet.att.net, 20 Jul 1999 Capt Ralph Stewart married Mary Elliott 1767. 6. Marriage Index: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV, 1728-1850, CD #229, Family Tree Maker. Ralph Stewart married Mary Clay on 1 Jun 1788 in Montgomery Co, VA. 7. "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in VA, 1745-1800" from records of Augusta Co, VA, Lyman Chalkley,and Will Book 3, page 244. Robert Stewart's bond dated 17 Feb 1762, as guardian of Ralph Stewart orphan son of James Stewart. 8. Wyoming Co, WV Web Site, Cemeteries http://members.aol.com/jlcooke2/cemetery.htm Ralph Stewart; born on 17 Jan 1749 (conflicts with other Ref); died on 17 Nov 1835; buried in Keathly Cemetery, Crany, Wyoming Co. Wife, unidentifed, is also buried here.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvrcbiog/RalphStewart1.htm

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Cemetery Headstone.