Georgia: Oglethorpe County: Larkin Smith, Application for Pension For Revolutionary War Service, 3 September 1832 ==================================================================== 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: Thomas Smith TomS11429@worldnet.att.net ==================================================================== The information contained on the attached pages is abstracted from an application for a pension made by Larkin Smith on the third day of September 1832. Larkin Smith was 73 or 74 years of age at the time of the application. This places his birth date as 6 March 1758 or 1759. At the time he enlisted for the Revolutionary War, he said he was 18 or 19 years old. (1974). Later information indicates he was only 17 years old when he enlisted. (1976). Information contained in GONE TO GEORGIA by William C. Stewart states that Larkin received a bounty land warrant (1975) there is no evidence of this in the National Archives. Later information (1961) indicates he received land in the 1832 Gold Lottery. There were two Larkin Smiths from Cumberland County Virginia, born within a year of each other that were in the Revolutionary War. One was a Captain in the Cavalry and one was a Private in the Infantry. The attached information is for Private Larkin Smith. There is no information within the application for a pension about his parents, but an older brother testified on his behalf. The attached documents are transcribed as accurately and as identical as possible, spacing, spelling, punctuation and markings. GEORGIA Oglethorpe County ( ) On the third day September eighteen hundred & thirty two personally appeared in open court before the Justice of the Inferior Court of the County & State aforesaid now sitting for ordinary proper & Larkin Smith a resident of said county aged seventy three or four years & who being duly sworn according to the law doth on his oath make the following declaration in or- der to obtain the benefit of Rel. act of Congress prefixed on the seventh of June of the present year entitled an act supplementary to the act for the relief of certain surviving officers and soldiers of the Revolution. That he enlisted in military service of the United States against the mother country in the revolutionary war under the following named officers & served herein after stated. That he was born in Cumberland County Virginia & that according to the information then received by him from his mother there being no family record he is seventy three or seventy four years of age. He volunteered in the United States service against England on the twelfth day of February seventeen hundred & seventy seven without fixed admission of his age & (spared?) to serve his country as a soldier for the space of three months without intermission. This purpose he (accomplished) under the command of the following officers whom he particularly END OF PAGE remembers --- He belonged to General’s (Woodford’s) bre gade was a member of the seventh Virginia (Reg ment?) afterward the fifth and third regiment but not until after he left it. Commanded by Colonel Heath a one eyed man but a keen fellow as ever lived. The names of the Majors he does not recollect & the name of the Captain was James Baytop – He marched from Cumberland County in Virginia to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania under the active command of Lieutenant Mayo Carrington - - his service that year was performed in the north & consisted of principally marching from place to place & guarding different points as necessary required – he was in but one battle & that was at Monmouth under the same officers he thinks whose names are before mentioned - - On the twelfth of February seventeen hundred & seventy nine he was discharged at Middle(brook?) in New York near a small town called Brunswick a river parallel between the two places – he had received something for his services & there was a small balance due on his discharge when he gave it to Carrington (the Captain Carrington) who said he was going to Richmond & promis- ed to collect that balance & pay it over but the applicant had never seen the discharge mmm mmmmmmmm mmm mmmmmm from that day to this. He had not been home very long but cannot say precisely how long before it fell to his lot to serve a tour of three months in the lower part of Virginia & North Carolina – this he did perform & though there was no battle the (labor?) END OF PAGE of this tour were accordingly (hard?) & consist ing of continuous & heavy marching. Some of which was through the dismal swamp guarding & defending from the beginning to the end of the tour. The length of the tour he cannot fix as to months & days but he thinks it was between the last of the year seventeen hundred & eighty & the spring of seventeen hundred & eighty one – His officers on this occasion were Colonel Downman Major Edmonds or Edmondson & Captain Richard Allen. He does not know that he ever got a discharge from the service. Thinks it probable that his Cap- tain got a discharge for the whole company if there was any given at any rate officers and soldiers all went home together being discharged at (Cubin?)Point. Afterward but during the same year 1781 he served two months more under General (Lowdon?) & Colonel Thomas Watkins & Major Phillip Holcombe recollects to have been made to wait on this Major Holcombe as a nurse during his illness in quarters at Williamsburg & was at Jamestown when the French landed guarding some prisoners that had not been carried down to Williamsburg (prison?) in escorting them to that place & continued searching the country between Williamsburg and Little Fork & even after the expiration of the two months service last mentioned he was for the same space of time been forced in going over the country in every direction collecting beef for the army - - Thinks there was law in those days regarding every man who had beef cattle to give up such a portion of his stock according to numbers to provision the army & it was made his business to drive these cattle & bring them within reach of the camp. END OF PAGE He thinks he can establish a part of his service by the (testomony ?)of his brother Robert Smith & he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declare that his name is not & has never been on the pension roll of any state in the Union. Given to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid /S/ Larkin Smith [My note: at a 30 degree angle on the page] /S/ P.W. Hutcheson JIC /S/ Edie Cose JIC /S/ John Banks JIC /S/ Burt Pope END OF PAGE ( ) Miller Bledsoe a clergy man residing in Oglethorpe County & John Moore residing in the same place hereby certify that they were well ac- quainted with Larkin Smith who had subscribed and sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be of the age there in stated that he is (de ponent) & he lived in the neighborhood where he resided to have been a soldier of the Revolu tion & that we concur in that opinion Sworn & Subscribed /S/ Miller Bledsoe M.G. The day & year aforesaid /John Moore /S/ P.W. Hutchson JIC /S/ Edie Cose JIC /S/ John Banks JIC /S/ Burt Pope That the said Court d hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter & after finding the (interogations?) prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolution ary soldier & served as he stated & the Court finds this certifies that it appears to them that Miller Bledsoe who had signed the preceding Certificate as a clergyman resident in Oglethorpe. END OF PAGE GEORGIA Oglethorpe County ( ) Before me. Inferior Court one of the Inferior Justice of the Peace in & for the 236 District of said county & by virtue of our office holding pleas of Debt of Thirty five Dollars & under and qualified to administer the oaths required by law. Personally appeared Robert Smith an aged and infirmed person. Before me in open Court & being duty (bound?) maketh call and saith that he and his brother Larkin Smith who had called on him to state what he knows concerning the service rendered by said Larkin in the Revolutionary war. Lived not far apart in Cum -berland County Virginia & that Larkin volunteered against the British & performed a one year tour, be- -ginning in the early part of that year 1778 & ending in the early part of that year 1779 in the North Carolina New York & Philadelphia --- That not long after he Returned home from the army in the north he & this de- ponent were called upon to perform a three month tour of service in the lower part of Virginia & North Carolina & the deponent employed his brother in law as a substitute for $75.00 to serve in his place & Larkin he believes served in his own place. Deponent does not know the date of this three months service pre- cisely but he knows that his substitute had not been gone many days before his own name was drawn to perform duty at Guilford & this deponent took his place, so that the deponent in truth had performed duty in two ways by himself & his substitute. Deponent does not recollect whether Larkin performed any other duty that that described; but had no doubt that he did if he says so for he believed him to be a man of dedicated truth & he had a better memory than deponent. /S/ mmmmmmmm {Larkin’s name struck over} Sworn to & subscribed this 25 day of August 1832 before us J. Js Carter J.P /S/Robert Smith We the undersigned Justices of the Inferior Court truly certify that J. Js. Carter J. P. has taken the above affidavit is a Justice of the Peace for the County of Oglethorpe State of Georgia & that his signature As such is intitles to Larkin Smith to wit is Given under my hand in such court this fourth Day of September – eighteen hundred & thirty Two. /S/ John Banks /S/ Edie Cose /S/ Burt Pope J P [at a 90 degree angle ] William ( ) Justice of the Inferior Court Of Oglethorpe County Georgia