Affidavit of Robert Humble Filed in support of his Revolutionary War Pension ************************************************************************ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any 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 by: "Donald Dearing" ========================================================= Affidavit of Robert Humble Filed in support of his Revolutionary War Pension Application. National Archives File Designation 10 Penn Regt. s13481, Rev. War State of Kentucky. Woodford County. On this 8th day of November, 1832, personally appeared in open court before the Justices of the County Court of Woodford County now sitting, Robert Humble a resident citizen of said County and state age seventy eight 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 of 1828, of the Act passed the 7th day of June, 1832, as his case may appear to the Honorable secretary of War To Wit; I Robert Humble, seventy eight years of age do hereby solemnly declare that I was a resident citizen of the United States in the year 1777 and took the oath of allegiance to the United States (tho I was born in England) and in the month of February, 1777, I enlisted in the City of Philadelphia where I then resided, in Capt. Harman Stouts Company of the 10th Pennsylvania Regt of the Continental Line commanded at that time by Col. Adam Houbly (or Hubly) for three years or during the war and I then marched up the Delaware and crossed it at Trenton to bbletown Gap in New Jersey where I joined my Regiment, the Brittish having then retreated to New Brunswick and from there I went with some wounded men to the Hospital at Morristown where I was stationed as a steward to draw provisions for the sick about three months. I then joined my Regiment in Pennsylvania and in September I was engaged in the Battle of Brandywine [11 sep 1777] where my regiment constituted part of the front line on the left and after the battle we retreated to Chester and thence to the Valley Forge where we built hastily and staid all winter where we suffered almost every hardship and deprivation, but previous to this time, about the first of October, we made an attack upon the Brittish Army who had occupied Germantown [4 Oct 1777] and I was engaged in that battle and Gen'l Wayne was our General and then we took up our quarters in the winter at Valley Forge where I was made a Sergeant and in the Spring of 1778, I was engaged as provost guard very often between Germantown and Philadelphia, and when the Brittish evacuated Philadelphia, we were ordered to persue them, but previous to our marching, Col. Morgan had the privilige of selecting from our regiment such of the men as he pleased to reinforce his Rifle Regiment and I was selected as one. The name of my Captain I cannont recollect, but I marched in Col. Morgan's Regiment and was in his line at the Battle of Monmouth [20 Jun 1778] - (previous to this time I was with Gen'l Wayne at Paoli [20 Sep 1777] when the Brittish attacked us in the night and killed many of our men. This was not long after the Battle of Brandywine) After the Battle of Monmouth I again joined my old Company and regiment and we then returned toward the ________Plains and Morristown where we remained some time, and the winter of 1778-79 we lay at the Millstone ______ in New Jersey and in the Spring we were stationed near Morristown, and about the 1st of July Capt. Stout resigned and returned home he being sickly and he was succeeded by his Lieutenant Jacob Stake and we marched with Gen'l Wayne about the middle of July against Stoney Point [16 Jul 1779] on the Hudson River, we marched in the night through the hills and ravines and marched on the beach and reached the gate before we were discovered and we stormed the place, and we again in a short time returned toward Morristown and the winter of 1779-80, we lay at the Mill Stone, Elizabeth and other places watching the motions of the enemy and in 1781, I continued in the service and when Gen'l Washington collected the Army to march against Lord Cornwalis I marched with him to Little York previous to this I have omitted to state that Col. Humbly resigned or left the Regiment at Valley Forge and he was succeeded by Col. Neville and he was succeeded by Col. Humpton, or Humton who was my Colonel of the 10th Pennsylvania at the siege of York where I aided in capturing Lord Cornwalis, and the balance of the War I was marched back into Pennsylvania and my Regiment was discharged at the close of the War near Carlisle. The reason why there was a change in my Colonels was as I understand by consolidating the Regiments. I hereby solemnly swear that I acted as a Sergeant in my Company from the time of my appointment at Valley Forge the winter of 1777-78, until the end of the war when I was discharged from Capt. Stake's Company of the 10th Regiment of Pennsylvania in the Continental Line when the whole Regiment was discharged and I acted as a faithful soldier until I was then discharged. I further state that I have long since lost my discharge and have no documentary evidence of my service and I do not know of any person whom I can prove my service except Stephen Shelton and Isaac Folley both of whom saw me while in the Army. I further state that soon after the Act of 1818, was passed I made application for a pension, but I returned too much property and on that account I was refused, and when the Act of 1828 was passed I again applied but having no person who could aid me my evidence of my service was deemed insuffieciant and I now again make application when worn down age and debility hoping that I have discovered evidence sufficiant to entitle me to a pension as I solemnly swear that I enlisted in the Army in February, 1777, and served until the war ended and having engaged in all the battles I have named, my enlistment was for three years or during the war and I faithfully continued the war and was finally discharged in the Spring of 1782 when my regiment was discharged. I further relinguish all claim to any pension from the United States, or County except the present and I am not now a pensioner of the United States or any state After the war closed I moved to Caroline County Virginia where I married and in the year 1810, I removed to Kentucky, Woodford County where I now live. [He was in KY as early as 1805, when he gave written consent to his dau. Betsy's marriage to Martin Dearinger.] Witness my hand this 8th day of November, 1832. /s/ Robert Humble Woodford County viz.) This day Mr. Ahmid Rucker a clergyman residing in said county and S.M. Sellers residing in the same County, do hereby certify that we are well aquainted with Robert Humble who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration and we believe him to be of the age he has stated and that he is respected and beloved in the neighborhood in which he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution and concur in this opinion, and we further certify that the said Humble is a respectable citizen and a person of veracity. Witness our hands this 8th day of November 1832. /s/ Ahmid Rucker S.M. Sellers And the said Court does hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and ______ the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states and the Court further certifies that it appears to them that Ahmid Rucker, who has signed the preceding Certification, is a Clergyman. STATE OF KENTUCKY ) FRANKLIN COUNTY ) I, James W. Batchelor, Notary Public in and for the County and State aforesaid do certify that satisfactory proof was this day exhibited to me. That Robert Humble a Pensioner under the Act of Congress passed 7th June 1832, at the rate of Eighty Dollars per annum, died on the 26th day of March 1840, and left Ann Humble his widow, who died on the 8th day of February 1841, and left Nancy Mathews and Abigail Dougherty, who are her only living children. In testimony whereof I hereto affix my official Seal and subscribe my name this 12th day of November 1851. /s/ Jas. W. Batchelor Notary Public, Franklin County, Kentucky (NOTE: It is significant to keep in mind when reading the above disposition, this 78 year old gentleman was relating as well as he could, events that occurred some 50 years before. The cover page to the document makes note that one of the subscribing witnesses saw him at Valley Forge.)