Georgia: Morgan County: Josiah Dennis Declaration of Revolutionary War Service, 5 Sept 1839 ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store this file permanently for free access. This file was contributed by: Carolyn L. Harper Johnson clhjohnson@aol.com ==================================================================== Declaration of Josiah Dennis in Order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June Seventh 1832. State of Georgia} September Term 1838 Morgan County} Superior Court for said County On this the Fifth day of September personally appeared in open court Before the Superior Court for said County now sitting. Josiah Dennis a resident of the 282nd District Georgia Militia in the County of Morgan and State of Georgia, aged eighty three years and three months on the third day of this month September as aforesaid. Who being first duly sworn according to law 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 to wit: John Pope Mitchell, Captain; Daniel Fookes, 1st Lieut.; John Farlow, 2nd Lieut.; does not recollect the names of the field officers, but was mustered into the service of the United States by Adj. Hamilton Carilow or Carilo (____ ____) at Painceton in Somerset County, Maryland after having marched from Snowhill in Worcester County in said State last aforesaid. Does not recollect the year or month that he was mustered into the service of the United States but in his ____ ____ signed not having any documentary evidence to refer to but it was in warm weather, but the _____ of time that has super…. the exact ____ of the ____ the service has departed this necessary, but perfectly recollects that it was on the commencement of the revolutionary war in the time served at least two months in this the first tour, recollects having served something longer but as his recollection does not serve him as to positive dates and times he prefers petitioning for the shortest time, does not also for the foregoing reasons as he recollects the recollect the exact month & year he left the service, was never in any engagement but was stationed at Princess Ann to guard that place from the inroads of the British forces and particularly to protect a wind mill that was expected to be attacked by the enemy. He lived in the County of Worcester in the State of Maryland when he entered the service of the United States and volunteered and served as a volunteer the whole time He volunteered as the ______ and marched to Snowhill in Worcester County and from that place to Princess Anne where he was stationed as aforesaid. March and served with a company of United States soldiers that were commanded by Captain Watkins and also another commanded by Captain Grisby?, served as a private soldier and was not deployed at any time during the above, stated time of service in any civil deployment or pursuit whilst stationed at Princess Ann made several tours by Wicomico River to the seaboard to the Trap & other places to scour the country. Though declarant only served the term as above specified after that? Time ceased or in other words, When his immediate experience of the case was over he was permitted to return to his home under the consideration of his being considered a minute man to return to duty at a minutes warning and was accordingly called out several times but only for short spaces of time at which times he performed the marching from Wicomico to the Trap on the Seaboard last above mentioned. That in this second tour of service he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as hereafter stated. Served as a volunteer under Capt. Hobart Handy (or Hardy) on Wicomico_River, does not recollect exactly the time he was mustered into the service of the United States, but recollects that it was between one and two years after he was married to his wife of which circumstances he has a record to wit, on the twenty first day of January, seventeen hundred & seventy eight (1778) making it the year seventeen hundred and seventy nine when he entered the service after field officers ___ ___ ___ Adjt. James Trussum, a drill officer, made some tours during this last tour of service by water down Wiconico River to a place as well as he recollects called muddy hole. When he was eventually discharged from the army after serving two months to the best of this declarant’s recollection and was never in any engagements with the army. Served as a private. The ___ relinquishes his every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension role of the Agency of any state. Answers to the following interrogatives propounded by the court as follows to wit: 1st Where & in what year were you born? He answers that he was born in the County of Worcester in the State Of Maryland on the Third day of June, seventeen hundred and fifty six. 2nd Have you any record of your age and if so where is it? He answers he has a record of his age & that it is in his family Bible and is presented in Court in which Bible also is a record of his marriage as stated in the body of this declaration. 3rd Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the Revolutionary War, & where do you now live? He answers that he was living in Worcester County, Maryland when called into service. That he has lived several years in Maryland Since the war in the said County, about four years in Henry County in the State of Virginia and has lived ever since in the State of Georgia ___ for near Forty Eight years in this state part of the time in Hancock, but mostly in Morgan County, Georgia. 4th How were you called into service, were you draughted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute, if a substitute for whom? He answers that he was a volunteer in both tours of service as above stated. 5th State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops where you served such Continental & Malitia regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service. He answers that he has as particularly done same in the body of this Declaration that preceeded this interrogative as he can from his Failure of memory and the great lapse of time that has intervened Since the time of his service. 6th Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, & if so by whom was it given & what has become of it? He answers that to the best of his recollection he never did receive A discharge from the service but that if he did it has long since Been lost or destroyed. 7th State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood and who can testify as to your character for veracity and their belief of your services as a soldier. He states that were it necessary that he is of opinion that he could procure such an expression of opinion from his very Countymen, but in order specifically to comply with the requisitions of the Pension Department he will state the Hon. Earnest L. Wittiche, Dr. Elijah E. Jones & John C. Rees Esq. & Geo. Spence. Sworn to and subscribed- In open court Josiah Dennis September the 5th 1839 Jno. C. Rees, Clerk, S.C. =========================================================================== Georgia} Morgan County} In addition to the statement and affidavit Personally appeared in open Court Josiah Dennis who being duly sworn do Proveth and saith by reason of old age the consequent loss of memory, he Cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service in ____ Their tour as stated as the above declaration but according to the best of His recollection he served not less than the period as mentioned in the above declaration and in the grades there stated to wit: as a private soldier and for such service that he claims a pension. Sworn to and subscribed Josiah Dennis In open Court September 5th 1839 Jno. C. Rees, Clark, S. C. Georgia} Morgan County} We Earnist L. Wittiche a Minister of the Gospel residing in the town of Madison and in the County of Morgan and state aforesaid and Elijah E. Jones and John C. Rees and George Spence residing in the same county and hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Josiah Dennis who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be eighty three years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution & that we concur in that opinion. Sworn and subscribed in Ernest L. Wittiche Open court this the day Elijah E. Jones & year aforesaid Jno. C. Rees Jno. C. Rees, Clerk, S. C. George Spence