Pension application of William Tolley (Tolly) W11648 Elizabeth Tolley f30NC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 7/26/17
[p 13]
State of Kentucky, Mercer County} SS
On this 21st day of November A.D. 1833 Personally appeared before me Samuel Ewing a
Justice of the peace and one of the Judges of the Mercer County Court William Tolley a resident citizen of the said County of Mercer and State of Kentucky 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 Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and
served as herein stated.
First – That in the year 1776 shortly after the Declaration of Independence he entered
Captain Richard Singleton's Company of North Carolina Militia from the County of Rutherford
and joined Col. William Grimes' [sic, William Graham’s] Regiment and marched through the
County of Rowan to a place called Cross Creek where we arrived shortly after a battle with the Tories [Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, February 27, 1776], and where we were stationed until our tour expired which was fully three months, we marched back to Rutherford County and was honorably discharged – shortly after he emigrated to this state and joined Captain Henry Prather's Company of volunteers and marched and joined Colonel George Rogers Clarke's [George Rogers Clark’s] Regiment at Louisville this was in the year 1780 we left home in the month of July from Louisville we marched up the River to the mouth of Licking River, where we built a block house, from thence we marched to Chilicothe [Chillicothe], the Indians hearing of our approach left the place after setting fire to some of the houses, we then set fire to the balance of the Indian houses and destroyed all their corn and marched to a placed called Pickway [sic, Pekowee or Pekowi] where we engaged the Indians and defeated them [Battle of Piqua, August 8, 1780] we destroyed their corn and building & corn and marched back to the block house at the mouth of Licking River, where we were honorably discharged and returned home having served in this Tour fully three months during which Tour I was duly appointed and served as Captain Prather's orderly Sergeant again in the year 1781 he entered Captain John Cowan's Company at Herrod's station then marched around through the Shawnee run Country to the Kentucky River and acted faithfully as spies and scouts. This was a tour of one month we returned and was discharged at Harrod's Station, and again in the year 1781 or two he entered Captain Corn's Company of spies or scouts and marched into the now County of Shelby on a Creek called Bullskin where we acted as scouts and spies for two months and was sent for to come home as the Indians were killing the people near home they killed John Miller's family on the Rolling Fork six or seven in number, we returned home and he continued to act as a spy and some time on the scout until the year 1783, and after, really to speak the truth faithfully he cannot remember the number of Tours he served against the Indians, but he solemnly swears that he served three months in North Carolina before he removed to this Country and from the year 1780 to the year 1783 he was constantly engaged as a spy sometimes with scouts acting in and out of the different stations as occasion required some time at Harberson's Station sometimes at Harrod's Station and sometimes at Williams station. He further states that he was wounded in the left shoulder by a shot from the Indians near Harberson's station, he considers himself to have been in active service against the Indians in this Country acting some times as a spy, sometimes with the scouts, and some times in the fort fully two years & six months. He further states that he has no documentary evidence of his service and he knows of no person living in this Country by whom he can prove his service in North Carolina and knows of no person living by whom he can prove all his Services and this Country his Captains being long since dead, to wit, Prather, Willis, Captain John Little, John Harberson, Arthur Harberson and Ebenezer Corn under all of whom he served faithfully. His discharges have long since been lost he never thought that they would be of any service and he took no care of them. He further states that he is in feeble health and unable to attend to Mercer County Court to swear to his foregoing declaration without pain and great inconvenience he lives 14 miles from Harrodsburg where the County Court sits which is the only reason of his swearing to it is for a single magistrate. He hereby relinquishes 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.
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid before me.
S/ Saml. Ewing, JP
S/ William Tolley {Seal}
[James T. Smith, a clergyman, and Silas Harlan and James L. Williams gave the standard
supporting affidavit.]
[Facts in file: Veteran died April 20, 1835; Veteran married Elizabeth Hays on April 22, 1822 in Kentucky; widow still alive and living in Washington County, Ky, in 1867. The widow signed her name with her mark.]
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $35 per annum commencing March 4, 1831, for service as
a private & Sergeant for 9 months in the North Carolina and Virginia militia. His widow was
pensioned in a like amount.]
https://revwarapps.org/w11648.pdf
