REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - ZACHARIAH JERKINS/GHERKINS

Contributed by: Jack Butler (jackvbutler@worldnet.att.net)


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The document that I have transcribed below is the second deposition given by 
Zachariah Jerkins in support of his application for a pension for his 
Revolutionary War service. His first one was given in January of 1828 in the 
same Court. Apparently, it was rejected for lack of documentation - so Zack 
appealed in 1831. Apparently, that one was lost because no action was ever taken 
-so appealed again in 1833. This time he won and they paid him back to Marh of 
1831 - when his pension should have started based on his first appeal. In this 
deposition, and supporting documents, the Clerk of Court, Leon County, spelled 
Zachariah's last name three different ways and 166 years later that has had 
reprecussions:

GHERKINS, ZACHARIAH
OR GERKINS
OR JERKINS

Service Number
N. C. S. 45843

ss { Territory of Florida, County of Leon

On this 17th day of January 1833 personally appeared in open Court before John 
A. Cameron, Robert H. Read and Thomas Randall, Judges of the Court of Appeals 
for said Territory, now sitting. Zacheriah Gherkins, a resident of the County 
and Territory aforesaid, aged seventy seven years, who first being 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 7, 1832. That he entered 
the service of the U. S. under the following officers and served as herein 
stated.

That he first entered the service of the U.S. in the year 1776. At that time he 
resided in the County of Halifax, N.C. and entered as a volunteer in Capt. 
Tronten's company of the Regt. commanded by Colonel Nicholas Long under command 
of Gen. Jones (he thinks) and served in that tour of duty for about four months. 
While on this tour of service he marched from Halifax County, N.C., up to 
Charlotsville and Hillsborough in said State at which last named place he was 
discharged. Shortly after his discharge at Hillsborough he entered as a 
volunteer in Capt. Turner's Company, Col. Lowry commanding Regiment and under 
these officers he marched to Charles Town, S. C., in which place he remained for 
three or four months and left there a short time previous to the British making 
an attack on that place. That in this tour of duty he was in no engagement 
except light skirmishes with small parties and received his discharge shortly 
after leaving Charles Town, returned to Halifax, N.C., and a short time after 
reentered the service in Company of Capt. Williams Col. Sen---(unreadable) and 
John Brickett, Lieut. Col. Then marched toward S. C. to join the command of 
General Gates whom they met retreating after his defeat, joined his army and 
accompanied it to the Pedee River and thence to Salisbury, N.C., where he 
received his discharge. He later served in the army of General Green at Guilford 
Court House, N.C. He served other tours of duty before being discharged.

Signed, Zachariah X Jerkins
His Mark X

Thomas Randall, Presiding Judge
Court of Appeals

(Note - Zachariah's deposition was accompanied by a supporing deposition of a 
man named Blackshear who swore that he served with Zachariah (Blackshear and 
Zack were neighbors in Tatnall County, GA). Richard Keith Call, who became 
Territorial Governor two years later, also wrote a deposition stating that he 
had known Zack for 5 years and supporing his character and his own belief that 
Zack was a Rev. Vet. Judge Randall ruled that Zachariah Jerkins was entitled to 
a pension)

Official Record

Zachariah Gherkins

Certificate No. 6832, Florida Terry., issued March 8, 1833, at the rate of 
$80.00 per annum to commence March 4, 1831, Act of June 7, 1832. Agency, Leon 
County, Florida

Service: company commanded by Capt Tronten, regt. commanded by col. Nicholas 
Long, in the N.C. line and militia for 2 yrs.

(Note. The reprecussions of the Clerk spelling Zachariah's name as Gherkins that 
I spoke of at the beginning of this document came this past April when the 
Daughters of the American Revolution erected an in Bloxham Park in downtown 
Tallahassee an Historical Marker to old Zack and four other Revolutionary War 
Veterans who settled in Tallahassee after the Revolution. Because of the Clerk's 
error, old Zack, for whom I have never found another record with his name 
spelled with a "G" is immortalized as Zachariah Gherkins, American Patriot.