Revolutionary War Pension Application of William Beckwith, Morgan Co., Ohio; Enlisted Frederick Co., MD Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Bill Thayer (whthayer@verizon.net) Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/md/mdfiles.htm ************************************************ [Pension Application for William Beckwith of Morgan County Ohio - National Archives Microfilm M 804, roll 197 - transcribed by William H. Thayer State of Ohio Morgan County On this the 21st day of July 1832 personally appeared in open court before Thomas Irvin President Joseph P. Linn & David O. Gary associates - the judges constituting said court & being the court of Common Pleas now sitting. William Beckwith resident of Morgan county Morgan township & state of Ohio aged about 74 years who being first duly sworn according to law deposeth & saith & on his oath doth 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 Capt Jacob Sloy in Col William Beatties regiment, that which was commanded by Col Guess & Major Benjamin Ogle in the spring of 1776. In this spring he enlisted & for the term of six months as he now remembers he was required to do camp duty. In the spring of 1777 he went out & stayed one year. He went from Frederick in Frederick County Maryland when he enlisted to the Whit Marsh crossing the Schuyki8ll at Reading. He enlisted this time for one year under Capt Ludwick _____ & Col. Guess. This deponent while lying at White Marsh was in a skirmish at the Rising Sun. Capt. Bailey who commanded this deponents company & half the company ran away when the other half of the company of which deponent was one & another company commanded by Capt McLene who then commanded the whole were obliged to contend with an overpowering force & fight their way back as well as they could. This was affected with the loss of a few men. He was in the battle at Chestnut Hill Col. Morgan Gen Greene & General Smallwood were there. The battle began in the afternoon & lasted till near night. He was so situated that he could see but little & has no distinct remembrance of what transpired. Before the Battle of Germantown the provisions were sent off to Bethlehem for safe keeping & this deponent suffered much both before & after the battle for the want of something to eat. After the battle of Germantown this deponent & some others found about a bushel of corn which they threw on the coals & cooked & ate it. A few days after this battle the British built up fires at the commencement of night near the American lines to make an alarm. When the American army marched to the fires they found them deserted. This deponent had just put a cake of dough in the ashes to bake when the alarm was given & he was obliged to take it our & eat it unbaked so he marched to meet his company at the battle of Germantown Lieut. Col Michael Crist of this deponents regiment but not of his company was killed. Gen Wayne was in the battle & attached a large stone ____ in Germantown which was full of British. He encouraged his soldiers to fight & told them to remember _____ & to give no quarter. The battle began about bed time & lasted nearly all night. When the battle of Brandywine was fought this deponent was in the Regiment commanded by Col ______ marching to the battle. They however were too late & did not arrive there. It ended while they were marching thither & they _____ them marched up the Schuykill to Reading & from thence to the White Marsh where they were stationed. This deponent served in no regular company nor regiment. He was paid eight dollars per month in continental money. He ____ marched in the fall from White Marsh to the ____ hills where he was quarter for the winter. This deponent never served in any regular company nor regiment - he knows many regular Regiments but can not ___ their numbers or officers. In the spring succeeding the winter when he was stationed at the ____ hills he received his discharge but he does not remember who gave it. It is however lost. This deponent served as a guard to Burgoynes men which they lay at Frederick a term not remembered but between 6 & 12 months. He also served as a guard to the Hessians while he was stationed at Frederick which he thinks was from three to six months. He was constantly called into short terms of service to small & too numerous to be particularly enumerated & which the [?] faculty of his memory will not allow him to [?] recall. He remembers however that he was called out several times to quell & ____ the tories who made much trouble about Frederick. He thinks that for 5 years he was not enabled to do for himself the work of one year by reason of the calls that were so constantly made upon him by the country. He was born in Frederick county Maryland on Rock Creek about 12 miles from Washington city. He has no _____ of his age. He was living in Frederick county when he was called into service. He was a volunteer & ____ who enlisted for 6 & for 12 months & for the rest of this time he _____ was called out by order of his militia officers. His memory has been very treacherous & he does not remember the names of the regular officers except he hears them spoken except then above named. He is acquainted with General Alexander McConnell [?] Judge _____Lewis PB Johnson Wm Hawkins Jonathan Porter Francis O. Barker Luther D. Barker Jacob Adams Edwin ____ & with ____ all the farms at the west of portion of Morgan county. He is not known to the clergyman in his vicinity. This deponent knows of no documentary evidence nor other testimony except that of Benjamin Beckwith whose deposition is hereto annexed. He lived in Frederick county until he came to this state about 13 years ago Where he has lived since. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid. Wm Beckwith [shaky signature] Attest PB Johnson clerk Mr. William Hawkins & Michael Wiseman & William Dawes residing in Morgan county Morgan township Ohio hereby certify that we are acquainted with William Beckwith who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be about 74 years of age that he is respected & believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution & that we concur in that opinion. William Hawkins Wm Dawes Michael Wiseman Sworn to & scubscribed in open court July 21 1832 PB Johnson clerk And the said court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter & after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the war department that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier & ____ as he stated. And the court further certifies that it appears to them that William Hawkins William Dawes & Michael Wisemen are credible persons & that their statements are entitled to credit & that the persons named by the applicant in answer to the 7th question [?] propounded by the court under the direction of the war office are credible persons to whom statements ____ _____ ____ ____ ___ They further say that they believe the applicant was a soldier of the revolution - that he _____ as he states & that his claim to a pension is generally if not ______ allowed to be just in the vicinity where he lives. I P____ B Johnson clerk of the court of Common Pleas of Morgan county Ohio do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the court aforesaid in the matter of the application of William Beckwith for a pension. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this 21st day of July AD 1832. P.B. Johnson Clerk State of New York City of New York __ Rebecca Beckwith of said city being duly sworn doth depose and say that she is the daughter of the late William Beckwith formerly residing in Morgan County Morgan Township State of Ohio now deceased who departed this life on or about the 27th day of October. One Thousand Eight hundred and thirty six - That her late father was Revolutionary Pensioner under the Government of the United States as she was informed and believes and as also appeared by the pension certificate granted to the said William Beckwith and now in the possession of this deponent a copy whereof is hereunto annexed - and deponent further saith. That her mother the wife of the said William Beckw3ith died when this deponent was quite a child. That her father and mother were legally married and had three children viz - Two Sons and one Daughter (This Deponent) That the names of the Sons were Richard and Tobias - That the former left his fathers house many years ago and it was said went to the State of Maryland but for several years viz since the year One Thousand Eight hundred and nineteen there has been no information in relation to him to Deponents Knowledge or belief. And he has long since been reported and believed to be dead and Deponent verily believed that the said Richard is dead and further saith that the other son Tobias did in Morgan County State of Ohio on the Sixteenth day of January in the year One Thousand Eight hundred and twenty three as this deponent is informed and believes and Deponent further saith that she is now the only surviving legal heir of the said William Beckwith deceased to the best of her Knowledge and belief and deponent further saith that she is wholly unable to set forth or particularly describe except from hearsay what were the services her late Father rendered as a soldier in the Revolutionary army and therefore refers for proof of such Service to the war department where she has been informed and believes that such proof was filed preliminary to his becoming a pensioner under the Act of Congress relative to pensioners passed June the Seventh One thousand Eight hundred and thirty two. And lastly Deponent saith that she is unmarried and is a resident of the City of New York and further saith. Rebecca Beckwith Sworn in open court this 4th day of October 1838 before me. Joseph J. ______ Clerk [a pre-printed form which has been filled out] BRIEF in the case of William Beckwith Of Morgan County in the state of Ohio (Act 7 June, 1832) 1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? Open Court of Common Pleas 2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disable by bodily infirmity? [no answer] 3. How old is he? 74 years 4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. Period Duration of Service Rank Names of Gen and Fld Offc In 1776 6 mos Private Col William Beatties Capt [?] Guest Sloy In 1777 1 yr Private Col Guess Capt Ludwick [?] Cump In 1778 9 mos Private as a volunteer in the militia Names not remembered In addition to the foregoing He was in a number of tours for short periods 5. In what battles was he engage? Chestnut Hills, Skirmish in Rising Sun, and Battle of Germantown. 6. Where did he reside when he entered the service? Frederick Frederick Co. Maryland 7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary eveidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls? A living witness 8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? And if so, in what respect? Correct I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned. Charles Sitle Wm Allison Examining Clerk [new document - typewritten] February 19, 1931 Mrs. Edward Barkhurst Rev. & 1812 Wars Section Box 54 MCS:MLB Malta, Ohio Dear Madam: You are advised that it appears from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S. 2071, that William Beckwith was born "in Frederick County, Maryland, on Rock Creek, about twelve miles from Washington City", date not given. While a resident of Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland, he enlisted in the spring of 1776 and served six months as private in Captain Jacob Sloy's company, in Colonel Guess' or Colonel William Beatty's Maryland regiment. He enlisted in the spring of 1777 and served one year as private in Captain Ludwick Camp's or Captain Bailey's company in Colonel Guess' Maryland regiment, and was in a skirmish at Rising Sun and the battle of Chestnut Hill. He served between six and twelve months and was engaged in guarding the prisoners who were captured when Burgoyne surrendered and were stationed at Frederick. He also served from three to six months as guard of the Hession prisoners at Frederick. He served many other short tours, no further details given. He was allowed pension on his application executed July 21, 1832, at which time he was about seventy-four years of age and was living in Morgan Township, Morgan County, Ohio, where he had moved about 1819. William Beckwith died October 27, 1836, in Morgan County, Ohio. In 1838 Rebecca Beckwith of New York City stated that she was the daughter of William Beckwith, the soldier; that her mother, name not given, died when she was quite a child, and that her mother and father also had two sons, Tobias, who died January 16, 1823, and Richard, who had left home many years before, supposedly to go to Maryland, and had not been heard from since 1819, and had "long since been reported and believed to be dead". Very truly yours, E. W. Morgan Acting Commissioner