MILITARY: William WILLIAMS, Revolutionary War Pension Declaration, (1784-1803 resident of) Bedford County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Andy Anderson USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/bedford/ ___________________________________________________________ DECLARATION OF WILLIAM WILLIAMS FOR REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION FILE #W2307. Filed 12 Mar 1833, Fayette Co PA. On this 12th day of March, A. D. 1833, personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas for the County of Fayette, State of Pennsylvania, now sitting, WILLIAM WILLIAMS, a resident of the county and state aforesaid, aged 70 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 passed the 7th day of June, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. That he was born in Orange County, New York, on the 19th day of November 1762* and continued to reside there up to the period of the Revolutionary War. That Orange County, in which he resided, was situate between the British on the one side, who had possession of the Hudson River, and the Indians on the other, and a distance of about thirty miles between. That the order for raising a military force to meet the difficulties of the times subjected all over fifteen and under fifty-five to military duty. That in the fall of 1777, in November, being then sixteen** years of his age, he was enrolled and drafted as a Minute Man, with orders to be ready to march at a minute's warning, and marched a few days after into actual service in Capt. John Little's company of New York Militia attached to Col. Tustan's regiment. That during the winter of 1777-78 he was in actual service as a drafted Minute Man under the command aforesaid at a town called Goshen and at Fort Montgomery. That the summer of 1778 he was on the British lines at the two aforesaid places, and sometimes on the Indian frontier for the protection of the inhabitants. That he was kept performing military duty as a Minute Man in the counties of Orange and Ulster, generally on the British lines. Sometimes at Goshen, Fort Montgomery, and on the frontier until September 1779, a period of two years minus two months, and all the time belonged to the regiment at first commanded by Col. Tustan, though Col. Tustan and his first captain (Little) were both killed in an engagement with the Indians at Minisink in 1778, and this deponent then afterwards belonged to Capt. John Sears' company of the same regiment, after the death of Col. Tustan commanded by Col. Hatfield. That the fall of 1779 he removed to Virginia, Berkeley County, and the last of August or first of September 1780 he volunteered in a company commanded by Cuthbert Anderson to suppress a company of Tories that had (been) raised in order to join Cornwallis' army, and was out about two weeks, having dispersed the Tories. That immediately after this, the last of September or first of October, he was drafted in Capt. Anderson's company of Virginia militia of Major Scott's battalion for three months, but cannot recollect his colonel. That he was ordered to march from Berkeley County to Yorktown to assist in the siege, but before they arrived Cornwallis surrendered. That he was then ordered to Winchester to guard the prisoners surrendered by Cornwallis, and served out his entire term of three months at that place. That the whole period of his service is two years, one month and some days, all as a drafted militia man but two weeks, which he served as a volunteer. That he has no documentary evidence of his services, nor does he know of any persons at present by whom he can prove them, but that the Hon. Andrew Stewart and George Mariatta will certify as to his reputation. He hereby relinquishes every pension or annuity whatever, except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. To the interrogations of the Department he answers as follows: 1st. He was born in Orange Co., New York, on he 19th day of November, 1762*. 2nd. He has a record of his age in his Bible. 3rd. He lived in Orange Co., New York, when taken into the service, and resided there until the fall of 1779, when he removed to Berkeley Co., Virginia, from thence he removed after the war to Fayette County, Penna., where he still resides. 4th. By draft - as a Minute Man. 5th. That Gen. Stephens of the Continental Line was with the troops part of the time at Goshen. The general circumstances of his service as above stated. He would, however, state more distinctly that Col. Tustan commanded the regiment to which he belonged until he was killed at Minisink in the year 1778 and the regiment was then commanded, he thinks, by Col. Hatfield. 6th. He never received any written discharge. 7th. The Hon. Andrew Stewart and George Mariatta will certify as to his reputation, being in a remote part of the county, he is not acquainted with any clergyman sufficient to get one to certify for him, he residing in a remote part of the mountain. /s/WM. WILLIAMS Sworn and subscribed in open court the 12th March, 1833. H. W. Beeson, Prothonotary We, ANDREW STEWART, of Uniontown, Fayette Co., and GEORGE MARIATTA do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with William Williams, who has sworn to the foregoing declaration, that we believe him to be seventy years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion. /s/ANDREW STEWART /s/GEORGE MARIATTA Sworn and subscribed in open court the 12th March, 1833. H. W. Beeson, Prothonotary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Notes: William Williams was the son of John Williams (1731-1809) and Hannah (Finch) Williams (ca1735-1827) of Bedford County, PA. William Williams moved from Berkeley Co VA to Bedford Co PA around 1784. He lived in Bedford Co until at least 1803, when he moved to Fayette Co. *The date of William's birth is given as 19 Nov 1764 in a transcript of his parents' bible record. It shows his sister Hannah's birth date as 11 Aug 1762 and brother Isaac's as 2 Oct 1763. The names and dates are in order and appear to be reliable. **William would have turned 13 in Nov 1777 rather than 16 if the bible transcript is correct. A transcription of his tombstone in Spears Cemetery, Wharton Township, Fayette Co PA, would have him born in 1759. It says he died 9-1-1848 at the age of 88. Honour's pension declaration says he died 1 Sep 1848 and that she and William were married on 28 Jul 1803 in Bedford Co PA by Abraham Martin, J.P. "H. Bradford, for Honour Williams" wrote the Commissioner of Pensions from Uniontown PA on 16 Apr 1858 inquiring about an arrearage in pension payments. This was probably William and Hannah's daughter, Hannah Bradford. A letter of inquiry is in the file, dated January 5, 1929, from Miss Flora M. Williams of 35 Connellsville St., Uniontown, Pa. She claimed that "while living in New Haven, now a part of Connellsville, Fayette Co., Penna., he (William Williams) entered the army again and served in the War of 1812. His widow, Honour Williams, also received a pension for his services in that war." If William did serve in the War of 1812 at the age of around 50, it needs to be verified. The papers signed by Hannah or William that the National Archives selected to send to me make no mention of 1812 service.