Pension Application of Zepaniah Nichols S9439
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
[Washington G. Singleton named in the following documents investigated many pensioners from Kanawha and other counties of present West Virginia. For details see pension application S6111
of David W. Sleeth and the endnote.]
Memo. In the case of Zephaniah Nichols – the original papers were copied by Dennis
McCardy who gave a deposition on the 13 th of August 1839 shewing that he took the copy. The Commissioner of Pensions swore that the originals were sent to W. G. Singleton U.S. Atty on the 26 May 1836. On the 13 Aug. ‘39 the copy was handed to W. G. Singleton for the purpose of bringing suit for the recovery of money paid on false papers.
Zepheniah Nichilas. Pensioner. receives $80. p annum.
on the 20th of august 1834 Zepheniah Nichelas gave the following narative of his
Revolutionary Services and statement of his age – that he was born in Maryland in the year 1763 or 1764. wont be certain which – when a boy he moved to Red Stone [now Brownsville] Pensylvania and upon the braking out of the Indian wars went back to Maryland where he lived for several years – and then returned to Redstone – in his second removal to Red stone served with and under the consent of his father for four or five years – after which he moved with his Father to Jackson Run [possibly in present Jackson County WV]. Some time prior to the close of the war & directly after his settlement on Jackson Run, hired as a substitute for two months. was out on a Scout for about ten days under Capt. Poge – and that this was all the service he rendered prior to the year 1783. James H. Bennett & R H Lowther engaged to get his pension & wrote his Declaration – and that the statement now given is in strict accordance with the statement given to Bennett & Lowther. by the terms of the contract they were to have the first draw and that he has received only fifty seven dollars.
I do hereby certify that that the forgoing statement contains the truth the whole truth & nothing but the truth.
Test P. B. Byron[?] C. Cooke Zephaniah hisXmark Nicholas
A Copy. W. G Singleton Jany 13, 1835
NOTE: James H. Bennett, Delegate-Elect to the Virginia legislature, and Robert H. Lowther were part of the group termed by Singleton the “Lewis Speculating Gentry,” who tricked many illiterate old men into putting their Xs on fraudulent claims.
http://revwarapps.org/s9439.pdf
