Richmond-Anson County NcArchives Military Records.....McDowell, John October 22, 1832 Revwar - Pension ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com May 27, 2006, 4:36 pm Pension Application Of John McDowell, Nat’l Archives Microfilm Series M804, Roll 1678, Application #W7423 On this 22nd day of October, 1832, personally appeared in open court before Charles W. Peters, Judge of the Orphans Court for Morgan County, Alabama, being a court of record now sitting, John McDowell, a resident of said county and state, aged seventy-four years on 10th of August last, who being first duly sworn, makes the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed on June 7th, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated, to wit: General Smallwood, Colonel Guest, Captain William Woodell. The month he entered the service he does not recollect, but the year he believes was 1775, and remained at that time for three months. This enlistment was in the state of Maryland, and he was during that service, in the Battle of Germantown in the state of Pennsylvania. After this service, he removed to the state of North Carolina and entered United States service under the following named officers (He does not recollect the names of any officers except his Captain James Fair, but was in no battle during this service. Soon after this he volunteered in said service under Captain Thomas Jennings of Richmond County, North Carolina, in which county he (deponent) also lived, about eight months. During said service he was in the following battles: on Drowning Creek, Beatie’s Bridge, a branch of Pee Dee River in North Carolina, in which battle he was taken prisoner by the Tories, carried to Wilmington, North Carolina, and detained about two months, then shipped as a prisoner to Charleston, South Carolina, and then kept about six months prisoner, then discharged by parole. He has no documentary evidence of said service, and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service… Signed by himself, John McDowell August term, 1841, Lawrence County, Alabama, Orphans Court-I, Wiley Galloway, Clerk of the Count Court holden at the Courthouse in the town of Moulton for said county…that John McDowell was a pensioner of the United States…and that he left a widow, whose name…” State of Alabama, Lawrence-On this 27th day of September, 1845…appeared Wiley Galloway and Charles Gibson…The said Wiley Galloway saith that John McDowell the husband of the identical Sarah McDowell mentioned in the foregoing declaration, died at the house of Charles Gibson…on the first day of January, 1841…that the deponent saw him expire. That he, deponent made a record of his death on the next day and since transferred it to his, deponent’s own family record and has it still on his possession. Deponent further saith that the said Sarah McDowell is still the widow of said John McDowell. This fact deponent knows from the circumstances of Mrs. McDowell’s having continued to live in the same vicinity with deponent ever since the death of her said husband, John McDowell and she having frequently visited deponent’s family and remained several days at a visit at his house, and that said Sarah McDowell has continued to advise with deponent relative to her support and comfort ever since she has been a widow. Deponent further deposeth and saith the he transcribed the annexed family Record of John McDowell deceased and the said Sarah McDowell in the early part of the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen from a family record in an old family Bible, which was so much worn and tattered by use that it was then in great danger of becoming unintelligible. But whether the old Bible has been entirely destroyed or whether it at that time belonged to a different branch of the family, deponent has never known, he not having ever seen or heard of it since that time that he remembers. That the family record hereto annexed is the identical one made by deponent in 1817, he is certain from his having often seen it in the possession of the said John McDowell and Sarah McDowell, since the time at which he transcribed it. Wiley Galloway. Family Record John McDowell was born on the 10th day of August 1758. Sarah Thomas was born on the 15th day of June 1772. John McDowell and Sarah Thomas were married on the 27th day of May 1790. Elizabeth McDowell, daughter of John and Sarah McDowell, was born on the 7th day of January, 1791. William Thomas McDowell was born on the 26th day of April, 1792. Deceased April 11th 1814. Nancy McDowell was born on the 13th day of January, 1794. Tristram McDowell was born on the 1st day of February, 1796. Mary McDowell was born on the 12th day of March, 1798. Alexander Thomas McDowell was born on the 12th day of February, 1800. Clarissa McDowell was born on the 23rd day of June, 1802. Miles McKinnis McDowell was born on the 26th of June, 1804. Harriet McDowell was born on the 25th day of November, 1806. John Washington McDowell was born on the 12th day of February, 1808. Charlotte McDowell was born on the 1st day of May, 1810. Deceased March 29th, 1831. James Presley McDowell was born on the 12th day of May, 1812. …That the deceased resided in Lawrence County in the state of Alabama for the space of six years before his death, and that previous thereto, he resided in the County of Morgan, State of Alabama, and that previous to that, he resided in the counties of Madison and Lawrence in said State of Alabama, and that previous thereto, he resided in the counties of Warren and Logan in the state of Kentucky. Sworn to and subscribed the 1st day of September, 1841. Sarah, her mark, McDowell …She further declares that she was married to the said John McDowell on the seventeenth day of May, 1788, that her husband, the aforesaid John McDowell died on the first day of January in the year 1841… [On another page in 1845, she says]…She further declares that she was married to the said John McDowell on the 27th day of May, in the year seventeen hundred and ninety, in the District of Marlboro, in the state of South Carolina, by publication… State of Missouri, Moniteau Co, March 10, 1846-William H. Salmon-“That at the time I first knew them, they lived together as husband and wife, and had children, who at that time appeared to be about forty or forty-five years old, which children they recognized as their own. That he has no doubt of the fact that the said John and Sarah were married as early as 1790, from the fact that he, said deponent, resided in a branch of the family of said John and Sarah about two years, and frequently heard their marriage spoken of, and that after the death of the said John, affiant was employed as an Under Clerk in the office of the Clerk of the County and Orphans Court of Law, Lawrence County aforesaid, during the pending of the settlement of the estate of said decedent and whose papers had on several occasions to pass through his hands and be examined by him.” State of Alabama, Jefferson County, February 27, 1849, John Thomas-“He, said deponent, was intimately acquainted with John McDowell who was a Revolutionary pensioner on the Alabama rolls of the County of Lawrence in said state at the time of his death, and with Sarah McDowell, late his wife, now his widow, who is making application for a pension…That the identical John McDowell and Sarah McDowell (Thomas before her marriage), were living together as man and wife…” The deposition of Betsy Ann Blewett taken at the house of Melinda Evans in Simpson County, KY on the 15th day of March, 1849…for the purpose of enabling Sarah McDowell to recover and receiving the lawful pension due her as widow of John McDowell, deceased….by request of Sarah McDowell, by Wiley Galloway. Question by John Copeland: 1st- “Were you acquainted with the above named Sarah McDowell? If so, state how long you have known her.” Answer-“I was acquainted with her from about the time of, and for a short time previous to her marriage with said John McDowell until her removal to Alabama.” Question by same-“Were you present at the time of the marriage of said Sarah and John McDowell?” Answer-I was present at their marriage, saw and heard them pronounced as husband and wife, lawfully married.” Question by same-At what time did said marriage take place, and where were they married? Answer-They were married previous to the year of 1791, in the state of South Carolina.” Question by same-What was the name of Sarah McDowell previous to her marriage with said John McDowell? Answer-“Her name was Sarah Thomas.” Question by same-Was said John McDowell reputed to be a Revolutionary soldier?” Answer-“I have often heard him speak of having been a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was also commonly reputed as such, and I have never heard the fact of his having served in the Revolution doubted by anyone and further, this deponent saith not. The deposition of Betsy Ann Blewett, taken before me at the house of Robert Turner in Simpson County, KY, on the 5th day of December, 1849… Question by the justice-Were you acquainted with said John and Sarah McDowell? If so, say how long you have known them, or either of them.” Answer-“I have been acquainted with John McDowell and with Sarah McDowell ever since I was about thirteen years old.” Question by same-Do you know anything about their marriage? If so, state what you know about it. Answer-“I was present and saw their marriage. I heard the parson pronounce them husband and wife. They were married in South Carolina at the house of her father, Philemon Thomas.” Question by same-“In what year were they married?” Answer-“I think they were married in the year 1789.” Question by same-“By what circumstances do you recollect their marriage to have been in that year?” Answer-“I know that I was married in the year 1791, that Sarah McDowell had one child when I was married. That her first child was one year old, and from January to April ?old? when her second child was born, and her second was born in 1892 [she meant 1792] and this I know from the fact that her second child and my first were born the same year (viz.) 1792. Question by same-“When were you married?” Answer-I was married in 1791.” Question by same-What do you know about John McDowell having been a soldier in the Revolutionary War?” Answer-I have heard said McDowell often tell of his sufferings in the war and he was always reputed to have been a soldier, and I have never heard the truth of it called in question by any person.” And further, this deponent saith not. The State of Alabama Lawrence County} On this 5th day of November, AD 1855, personally appeared before me, A. P Rainwater, a justice of the peace within and for the County aforesaid, Sarah McDowell, aged 83 years, a resident of the County of Lawrence in the State of Alabama, who being duly sworn according to law, declares that she is the widow of John McDowell who was a private in the Revolutionary War and for the names of the captain, the colonel and regiment under whom and in which her said husband served, declarant refers to her pension papers under which she draws a pension. That she was married to said John McDowell on the 27th day of May, in the year 1790. That her maiden name was Sarah Thomas. That her said husband died in the year 1841 and that she is now a widow (for evidence of her husband’s services and of her marriage and his death, she refers again to her pension papers under which he now draws a pension. She makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land to which she may be entitled under the Act of March 3rd, 1855, never having received or applied for bounty land under this or any other act of Congress… File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/richmond/military/revwar/pensions/mcdowell93gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 12.4 Kb