Person:Samuel McClure (11)

Information from “Virginia/West Virginia Genealogical Data from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Records”, Vol. 3, compiled by Patrick G. Wardell, Lt. Col. U.S. Army Ret. :

McClure, Samuel - born 5/16/1748 in Augusta County, Virginia; entered service 1774 & 1775 against Indians; entered service 1778 in Virginia Regiment; resided after Revolutionary War for 1 year in Tennessee, thence to Fayette County, Kentucky for 17 years, thence to Clark County, Illinois, where granted Pension in 1833; query letter in file in 1930 from descendant Mabel Milligan Semler, Benton Harbor, Michigan; query letter in file in 1931 from descendant Mrs. H.H. Murray, Riverton, New Jersey, states soldier married Sarah Allen, & (2) Elizabeth Gould Rutan. F-S33079, R1669.

References

Graves, William T. Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters.

Pension application of Samuel McClure S33079 f41VA
Transcribed by Will Graves 4/10/13

[p 31]
State of Illinois, Clark County: Sct.
At the April Term of the Circuit Court in and for the County of Clark and State of Illinois begun and holden at Darwin on Monday the 22nd day of April A.D. 1833 came Samuel McClure who made the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress of 7th of June 1832 relative to the Surviving Officers and soldiers of the Revolution. The said Samuel McClure being first duly sworn in open [court] doth on his oath say that he was born in Augusta County Virginia in the year A.D. 1748 – that he first volunteered for a period of three months under Captain George Mathews that they rendezvoused at Staunton in Virginia – from thence they marched to the head of Green=brier [Greenbrier] Creek where they erected a Fort (Warrick), that in the next year he volunteered for and Served for a period of three months under Captain William Anderson – That they marched to a place on brier Creek called Clover lick – that he subsequently served under Captain Thomas Smith. That in his last named Expedition they had three or four companies and the companies under the command of one Colonel Boyer who marched from Staunton to the South East side of the Blue Ridge where they rendezvoused a few days and then marched directly towards Richmond in Virginia and when they arrived at Richmond were joined by other forces and all marched from there down James River towards Jamestown under the command of Baron Steuben that they were subsequently discharged at Richmond. That he again volunteered under one Captain Zaccheus Johnson [probably Zachariah Johnson, or Zachariah Johnston] that they rendezvoused on the top of blue ridge at Rockfish = gap. That they were then joined by several other companies – marched towards Norfolk and continued their march for near two hundred miles when they turned to the left towards the Rappahannock River and went to about three miles above York Virginia from thence to a place called Burnt Church which was then head quarters. That he served two tours of three months each under Captain Johnson. That in the Expedition under Captain Smith he served three months – that he has no documentary evidence of his service and that John Caldwell is the only person known to him who can testify as to his services. That he hereby relinquishes every claim 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. The court then put the following interrogatories to the aforesaid Applicant viz. –
Qu 1st Where and in what year were you born? Answer in Augusta County Virginia in the year 1748 –
Qu 2nd Have you any record of your age – and if so where [?] Answer in my father's Bible –
QU3 –Where were you living when called into Service and where have you lived since the Revolutionary war and where do you now reside? Answer I have since the war lived one year in Tennessee – 17 years in Fayette County in the State of Kentucky. I now live in the County of Clark and State of Illinois.
QU 4th How were you called into Service were you drafted or did you volunteer or were you a Substitute and if a Substitute for whom – Answer I was a volunteer –
QU 5th 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 service
Answer – The General Circumstances of my Service so far as I recollect them have been already stated. I can recollect the names of many officers – but I cannot after such a length of time attempt to say whether they belong to the Regulars or Militia or what particular Regiment they belonged – I recollect the names of Baron Steuben, General Scott, General William Campbell, Colonel Boyer, Major Willis, Major Long, Major guy Hamilton, Captain Johnson, Captain Thomas Smith, General Lafayette and Washington.
QU 6th Did you ever receive a discharge from the Service and if so by whom was it given and what has become of it? – I received discharges when my tour of duty expired – I cannot say who signed them but I lost my discharges and all evidence of my services in the year 1784 under the following circumstances. I was moving from North Carolina to Kentucky and we with several other families were attacked and defeated on our way at Skagg's Creek.
Sworn to and subscribed in open Court the day and year aforesaid.
S/ Samuel McClure

I John Caldwell1 do hereby certify that I was born in the year 1755 that I first became acquainted with Samuel McClure who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration in the year 1778 – that in the year 1780 I was drafted as a Militia = man – under Captain Long – that I served several months in the Revolutionary war against the British – that said Samuel McClure served also for some months to my certain knowledge but I cannot at this day say how long – I knew him three or four years before we served together. I knew him afterwards in Tennessee and also since he resided in the State of Illinois. I have never heard any doubts expressed as to his services – I am seventy-eight years old and the said Samuel McClure is several years older than I am. I remember hearing of the defeat of Samuel McClure and his party on their way to Kentucky while I was at Richmond in Virginia.
Subscribed and sworn to in open court the day and year aforesaid.
S/ John Caldwell

[George Snider and James McCabe gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $42.50 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private for 9 months in the infantry and 3 months in the cavalry of the Virginia service.]
__________________
¹John Caldwell S16344

http://revwarapps.org/s33079.pdf