Richmond-Anson County NcArchives Military Records.....Thomas, William January 1833 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, 4:58 pm Pension Application Of William Thomas, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 2372, Application #S7711 Richamond County, NC January 1833 term “Personally appeared, William Thomas, aged seventy years, who stated that he entered the service under Capt. Hunter as a volunteer and sergeant, the precise date not recollected, but sometime before the defeat of General Gates at Camden, and served three months. That soon after the expiration of said service, he volunteered in the Light Horse of Richmond County under Captain William Wall, Thomas Wade and Thomas Crawford, Colonels, and was in service from time to time as called out by the commanding officer until the spring of 1782, during which time himself and horse were wounded in an engagement with the Tories at Betti’s Bridge on the southeastern part of this county. That he was in sundry skirmishes with the Tories and that his house was plundered by them, his horse was taken away and himself again wounded on the head by a strike of a sword. He further states that after the Battle at Guilford, he went in pursuit of Lord Cornwallis as far as Elizabeth in the County of Bladen. This applicant resided in this county at the time of entering the service and has continued to reside here ever since.” “He would further state that the reason why the militia of this state were kept so constantly in arms was that there unfortunately existed here an enemy within as well as without, the Country being infested and greatly annoyed by a large body of Tories who were constantly committing murders and various depradations on the Whigs, and who became particularly troublesome after the defeat of General Gates at Camden, South Carolina,” etc, etc. Richmond County, William Thomas aged seventy years: That he entered the service under Capt. Hunter as a volunteer in the character of a sergeant. At what time he turned out he does not precisely recollect, but thinks it was but a short time before Gates was at defeated at Camden, which he was informed was in 1780. That under Captain Hunter, 27th October 1780, he served only three months, but that immediately after this service, he volunteered in the light Horse company under the command of Capt. William Wall, Thomas Wade and Col. Crawford. That he continued in service from time to time with but short intervals, until the spring of 1782. He would here occasion to state that it is entirely out of the question for him to recollect precisely the time of services, they were always held in readiness, and at intervals employed against the Tories in skirmishing and scouting parties. That he was at an engagement at Betti’s Bridge under the command of Col. Love, Col. Wade and Col. Wall. That, in that engagement, he was wounded. He thinks the battle was in 1781. He cannot precisely state the length of service, but is confident he served twelve months, that he has no documentary evidence, nor knows of no person by which he can prove his whole service. But there are now living, and present in court, several who know him to have been a Whig, among them he would mention Walter Leak, Sr or Jr, Lt. John McAliston, Moses Knight and Elias Gardner, who were with me at different times in the War. We were in a Battle at Betti’s Bridge together and they will state that I was a Whig. Thomas T. Williams came into court and made oath that he was well acquainted with William Thomas during the Revolutionary War. That he saw him frequently in the service. Saw the bullet cut out of his foot, and believe the foregoing declaration to be true. Thomas T. Williams. John McAlister came into court and made oath that he knew William Thomas to have been a Revolutionary soldier. He saw him after he was wounded at Betti’s Bridge and knows he had been fighting the Tories. Interrogatory 1st- When and in what year were you born? Answer- In 1742, in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. 2nd- Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it? Answer-I have it at home in the family Bible. 3rd- Where were you living when called into the service, where have you lived since, and where do you now live? Answer-I lived in the County of Anson when called into the service, have ever since, and now live in the County of Richmond [the land on which he lived, had been divided into Richmond County]. 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 always volunteered. 5th-State the names of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served, such Continental and militia regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your service. Answer-I know of no Continental officers, but I was with Col. Wade, Col. Love, Col. Crawford, Capt. Hunter, Capt. Wall. I was wounded at Betti’s Bridge in the battle which I was then in. I was taken at my own house by the Tories, and chopped on the head with a sword. I know of no other circumstances which it is material to mention. Family marriage record pages from a Bible have been included as evidence. Can be seen on the Natl Archives microfilm series, M804, roll 2372. This pension application has included with it, photocopies of the pages of the family Bible, births and marriages. Family Record-Marriages William Thomas and Agnes Thomas was married January the 19th, 1792. Joel Thomas and Isabel Thomas was married October the 2nd, 1817. Lewis Thomas and Eliza Thomas was married November the 8th, 1821. Ezekiel Thomas and Sarah Montgomery was married 27th _____,1826? [Very faded] William Thomas and Susan E. Burk was married 28th July, 1831. Mary Thomas and Philip Pruitt was married 7th December, 1835. Madison H. Thomas and Nancy F. Shelton was married 28th February, 1836. Family-Record-Births Elizabeth Thomas was born February 27th, 1793. Joel Thomas was born October 23, 1794. Lewis Thomas was born December 8th, 1796. Ezekiel Thomas was born September ??th, 1798. William Thomas was born October the 23rd, 1800. Sarah Thomas was born December 22nd, 1802. Mary Thomas was born February the 3rd, 1805. Anna Thomas was born July 18th, 1808. Madison H. Thomas was born August the 31st?, 1810. John W. Thomas was born February 26th, 1814. Malissa Ann Thomas was born December 16th, 1836. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/richmond/military/revwar/pensions/thomas96gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.9 Kb