VWILLIAM HENSON Harrison County, IL 1840 State of Indiana Harrison County On this day of in the year one thousand eight hundred & forty, personally appeared in open court before the Hon. the Judge of the Circuit Court of Harrison County within the second Judicial Circuit of the State of Indiana now sitting at the courthouse in said county, WILLIAM HENSON, a resident of said county aged about eighty one 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: That he, WILLIAM HENSON was born as near as he can recollect in the year 1758 or 1759 in Culpeper County, Virginia - he has now no record of his age having lost the book in which it was contained. That his parents removed with him while he was yet quite a small boy to Randolph County in North Carolina; that he continued to live in said Randolph County until called into service; that he volunteered during the Revolutionary War as a private soldier in a regiment of militia commanded by Colonel Thomas Dugan in a company of light horses under the immediate command of Captain John Rains who was the Captain of the company to which he belonged; that he served a tour of duty in said company for a period of six months commencing in the early part of the month of September and ending in the early part of the month of March following; that he cannot recollect whether the tour of duty commenced and ended on the precise first days of those months respectively and that he cannot now remember the precise year but that it was towards the end of the war. The company was made up chiefly of the persons living in his neighborhood in said Randolph County. The Lieutenants name was Acquilla Jones, the first sergeants name was Fulton - he thinks his Christian name was James. Among the privates who served in the same company he remembers the names of Thomas Garner, William Wright, John Hines, Evans Wright, John Stephens, Robert Stephens, Shubel or Terry York, Anthony Rains who was some relation but not a brother to the captain, Robert Duncan, and Charles Duncan or Dungan. That the company mustered at the house of JOSEPH HENSON (his father) in said Randolph County - which said house of JOSEPH HENSON continued to be their occasional place of rendesvous during his period of service; that it was the duty of his company to make excursions in various directions through the counties of Randolph, Chatham and Moore to protect the country from the British troops & Tories; that he was constantly employed in the service with his company during the whole of the period of service before mentioned viz from the early part of September until the March following, and was not engaged in any other business or pursuit during any part of that time. that his company performed important services in keeping the counties in which it operated clear of the enemy but was not engaged in any action with them. Some of the other companies under Col. Dugans command had several actions with the Tories during this period and while engaged in the same kind of service one of which was at the house of one Needham in the lower part of Randolph County and another at Harman Cox’s Mill on Deep River in Randolph County. Some officers of the regular army visited his company occasionally whose names he cannot now remember, but he thinks one named Littrel was with his company sometimes; that the company was discharged in March at said JOSEPH HENSON’s house - that the men received no written discharge and that he never received any pay or compensation for his services; that he continued to live in Randolph County North Carolina until about the year 1809 when he removed to Indiana and has ever since lived in Martin and Harrison counties in said state. The only persons he now knows of who could testify to his services as aforesaid of their own personal knowledge are William Wright who served in the same company with him and who he thinks is now receiving a pension and JESSE HENSON, his brother. He mentions as names of persons living in his neighborhood who can testify to his character for veracity and their belief of his services in the Revolution, the following: Elijah Burton & John Rankin. He further states that his recollection is now much impaired by age and that he has not made earlier applications for a pension in consequence of his removal to a greater distance from the place where he served and his ignorance of the provisions made by law for such cases as his - He hereby relinquishes his every claim whatsoever to a pension or an annuity except the present and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state. He further states that the term of service for which he engaged was six months and that he continued to perform military service during the whole of said term. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid WILLIAM (his X mark) HENSON I the undersigned JESSE HENSON upon my solemn oath do certify that the above named WILLIAM HENSON who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, did serve for the term of six months as a private in the Revolutionary War against the British and Tories in the State of North Carolina in the company commanded by Captain John Rains of the Regiment commanded by Colonel Thomas Dugan. The undersigned being a brother to the said WILLIAM HENSON, knows of his own personal knowledge many of the circumstances that occurred during the Revolutionary War - and hearing the aforesaid declaration read, believes it to be true and correct as for he can recollect. Deponant is aged between 70 and 80 years. JESSE (his X mark) HENSON We, Adam Sears, a clergyman residing in the county of Harrison and State of Indiana and Elijah Burton and Sherrod Burton - residing in the same state and county, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with WILLIAM HENSON who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be about eighty years old and upwards; that he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur on that opinion. Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.. Adam Sears Elijah Burton Sherod Burton And the said court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as he states in his foregoing declaration (in the foregoing three pages) of which this is the fourth, and the Court further certifies that it appears to them that JESSE HENSON who has signed one of the preceeding certificates is a resident of the county of Harrison and satte of Indiana and that he is a credible person and his statement entitles to credit and that Adam Sears who has signed one of the preceeding certificates is a clergyman resident of the county of Harrison and State of Indiana and that Elijah Burton and Sherod Burton who have also signed the same, are residents of the same county and state and that they are credible persons and their statements entitled to credit. I Henry W. Heth, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Harrison County within the second judicial circuit of the State of Indiana do hereby certify that the foregoing pages from 1 to 4 (inclusive) contain the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of WILLIAM HENSON for a pension. In testimony whereof.....I set my hand and seal at the office at Corydon this 14 day of April 1840. H.W. Heth State of Indiana Harrison County In the Circuit Court of Harrison County at it’s April term 1840: Be it remembered that on this fourteenth day of April in the year 1840 personally appeared in open court before the Honorable the Judges of the Circuit Court of Harrison County, WILLIAM HENSON an applicant for a pension and the following questions being propounded to him according to the directions of the War Department , answers as follows: 1st Interrogatory: Where and in what year were you born? Answer: I was born in Culpeper County, Virginia in 1757 or 58 as near as I am able to state. 2nd Intg: Have you any record of your age and if so, where is it? Answer: I have no record of my age, I left it in North Carolina 3rd Intg: Where were you living when you were called into the service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live? Answer: When called into service I lived in Randolph County, North Carolina. I removed from that county to Indiana where I have resided in Harrison and Martin county ever since. 4th: How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute and if a substitute, for whom? Answer: I volunteered 5th: State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops where you served; such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service. Answer: Col. Dougan was the highest officer I knew whether he was a regular officer or not, I do not recollect - in other particulars in answer to this interrogatory I refer to my declaration. 6th: Did you ever receive a discharge from the service? Answer: I never received a written discharge - I was verbally discharged by Capt. Rains 7th: State the names of persons to whom you are known by. Answer: Elijah Burton, Sherrod Burton, Adam Sears and John Rankin All which is ordered to be certified by said Court - the testamony whereof I, H. W. Heth. Clerk of said Court have hereto affixed the seal of said Court and signed my name this day and year above written. H.W. Heth, Clk note: William Henson filed for Pension from Martin County, Indiana in 1838 and those records can be found in Martin County Archives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by submitted by: Pat Saupe