REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION: James Fraley, Floyd County, Kentucky Surnames: Fraley ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Posted by Patrick O'Kelley on Mon, 08 Mar 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NATIONAL ARCHIVES, REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATIONS; RECORD 3736 JAMES FRALEY STATE OF KENTUCKY COUNTY OF FLOYD On this day of June 1834 personally appeared before the undersigned one of the Commonwealth, Justice of the Peace, for said County, James Fraley, resident of Lawrence County, Kentucky. Aged 75 years of age 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 7, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States and served under the following named officers; Colonel William Camel, Captain Snody, for 9 months as an Indian Spy in the County of Washington, and the State of Virginia then was the 3rd of March 1779. His employment was as a Scout and Spy. He served with no Continental Officers of Militia Regiment during the period of his tour, and traveled and spied during that year on the frontier of the state bordering on the Clinch River Settlement in the County of Washington. The Spies did not go all together, by twos and by fours, chiefly by two. He marched and spied during the months of April, May, and June, not far from the fort on the Clinch River known by Moores Fort situated about a mile from the Clinch River. In this fort there was constantly about 20 or 25 men besides the Spies. The indians were not so troublesome in the immediate vicinity of Moores Fort, but they were more troublesome lower down on Clinch and Powell's Valley. In August the Wyandots from the north appeared in our vicinity. When out he saw indian sign, 3 persons only were killed in his neighborhood. To wit John English's wife, Molly and two of her little boys. The Indians retreated down Sandy and they were pursued by the Spies as well as the others who remained in the Fort to guard it. They were unable to overtake the Indians. They had stole some horses. These are the particular circumstances that I now recollect of. The Spies had particular sections allotted to them, where the war parties of the indian sign passed, and some time we would not return unless indian sign was seen, for a month. That in August and September the indians were always most troublesome in stealing, murdering, and burning. The Spies before had a running fight with the indians and they retreated. This was with the lower squads. He received his discharge sometime about the 10th of December, 1779 for 9 months served, he thinks it was a kind of recommendation and stated his service to get his pay. He has never seen it since. The man who spied with him this year was Lazarus Damron. In April, the date has escaped him, 1780 he enlisted for one year in the County of Washington and state of Virginia as an indian spy under Colonel Camel, Captain Snody again, and Lieutenant Cowan to spy in the same section. The Spies were to be recollected to find themselves. They lived on venison and bear meat. Early in June the indians made their appearance in his quarter of Washington County. They first stole two girls, to wit, Ann and Mary Bush, and made off for Canada. They succeeded in getting down on the waters of Sandy with them as far as Jurney's Creek in Floyd County, about 12 miles from the court house. At that time there was not a single white person living in Floyd County. It was entirely indian country then. Our Company came up to the indians when they were in the act of skinning a buffalo they had just killed. Our men fired on the indians and they retreated to the camp about 200 yards distant, and as they ran by they tomahawked Ann Bush. Mary jumped down the bank and escaped any violence. Ann Bush got over it, and afterwards married and was again tomahawked by the indians after that time and still survived. Our Company lost in the running fight only one man, James Coyle. When the indians retreated from the camp he followed and as he now recollects, shot only once. One indian stopped behind a tree top, fired, and mortally wounded him. He was carried back to Clinch river and died at Moore's Fort. The father of this applicant was the surgeon that extracted the bullet. He served with no Continental Officers of Militia Companies. He marched and spied in the same section of the county that he did the year previous. When the Spies enlisted, they enlisted under this kind of arrangement. They then could be retained for one year or discharged at 9 months in January. At the end of 9 months we were all discharged. The Shawnee indians had killed several persons down the river. The lower settlements were in a bad situation in that fall as Colonel Camel had taken many of the frontier men with their rifles to King's Mountain. Some of which had to break up their forts and come further up to the north fork of the Holstein. This he believes are chiefly the circumstances as he now remembers them that occured during the year 1780. Colonel Camel was the Colonel of Washington County, but he was never in company with Spies, but it was under his orders his Captain acted. Camel was killed and Colonel Henry Smith succeeded him, as he now remembers. During this service Lazarus Damron who enlisted the second time when said Fraley did, again spied as his comrade. The Spies were divided out in twos. The first day of March 1781 he again enlisted for 9 months in Washington County, Virginia to spy that season under Colonel Smith, Captain Cowan. His range was changed. He and Samuel Auxier spied together that nine months on the headwaters of the Cumberland and Kentucky rivers. The Shawnee came up there the most frequent, and portions of the county he spied in is now Perry County, Kentucky, and Harlan county, Kentucky. It was all Virginia then. This year the Shawnees done more injury than any year since 1775 or 1776. When the Cherokee attacked the Clinch river forts in his neighborhood they killed Colonel Hendrick. They ran him into Clinch river and shot and killed him in the river. The men from the Fort sallied out then got Kendrick's body in the river, and took him and buried him in Beckley's Fort. They also killed the wife of John Carter and four of his children and set the house on fire and burnt them up in it. From August till the leaves were pretty near all fallen down indian sign was fresh and they killed, burnt and scalped a great many persons that fall down Clinch and Powell's river and valley. He thinks that there was another murder that year committed by the indians. One Ally's daughter, but it might have been the year after. He received his discharged for nine months service. He then in the month of May 1782 was again engaged for a Spy for nine months in the same county as stated before. He was to get 5 shillings per day and spying was a good business, as the state paid her spies in good money. Colonel Smith was still the Colonel and Captain Charles Beckley was the Captain of the Spies. Cowan was made Major. He was transferred from Moore's Fort to Beckley's Fort, but he served a portion of his time at Blackamore's Fort. His range this year was from Elk Garden, down as far as usual in that section of the country. The indians came more than usually early and the circumstances of his service and the county that transpired during 1782 are about there. He spied altogether on the Clinch water course, and generally in Virginia. Our settlement was attacked, and the indians killed Thomas Osburn, and Minny his wife, which he helped bury in the same coffin. They took two girls prisoner, to wit, Lucretia Osburn, the niece of Thomas Osburn, and Betsey Wall. In spite of all that could be done they took off the girls to Canada and kept Lucretia Osburn four years. Betsey Wall the indians killed by beating her on the head. He learnt Lucretia Osburn was exchanged and brought to Detroit. She then married one Armstrong, who brought her back to Virginia, and from whom he learned the fate of Betsey Wall. About 9 June or a few weeks after they killed Mary Hamlin, wife of Henry Hamlin and one Isaac Newland. These are not half the murders, only those in his range during the evolution. He states he is the identical man that killed the celebrated murderer and Indian Chief Bench. He states that he fought the indian in 1777 and 1778, but he is informed it was under no organized Corps. He is now very infirm in body and is unable to attend our Court. He never took any care of his papers, and therefore his discharges have been lost for a great while. He submitted his declaration in Floyd County in March. He could not get any person there to do his business...He has no documentary evidence in his favor. He has always lived in the backwoods and as a hunter he never served with any Continental Officers, nor did he ever see one to his recollection. He was born in North Carolina in Rowan County. He hereby relinquishes his pension or annuity, and he declares his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. Sworn to and subscribed to me this 23rd day of June, 1834. JAMES FRALEY x his mark Daniel C. Hage, Esq.