ANDERSON CO., SOUTH CAROLINA - War of 1812 - Widow's Pension ASHLEY ************************************************ SCGENWEB ARCHIVES 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. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributor PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/sc/scfiles.htm Contributed to the SCGenWeb Archives by: Candace Gravelle, March 2004 ************************************************ Notes: Thomas Ashley served in the War of 1812. His widow Nancy applied for a widow's pension. War of 1812 Declaration for Pension under Act of February 14th, 1871 State of South Carolina County of Anderson Declaration for Pension On this 13th day of September A.D. One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy One, personally appeared before me Andrew O. Harris, Judge of Probate, a court of record, within and for the county and state aforesaid, Nancy Ashley, aged about eighty seven years, a resident of Anderson County State of South Carolina; who being duly sworn according to law, declares that she is the widow of Thomas Ashley to whom she was married in Abbeville District now County, South Carolina on the __day of March about the year 1804, Eighteen hundred and Four. She cannot say what year but she had four children when her husband entered the service; and that her said husband Thomas Ashley served in said war over sixty days, in the service of the United States in the War of 1812; that he is the identical Thomas Ashley who was enlisted in Captain Jacob Reed's Company; she thinks in Earles Regiment Brigade and Division; at ___on the ___day of ___ 181--about three months during the War of 1812 and that he was honorably discharged at ___on the ___day of 1812; she cannot give the exact year and time, but that he brought home with him his discharge papers but they have been lost or misplaced. That he was in the Infantry Service, but her husband having died soon after the War she is not now able to give any particular account of his services. That she was his wife while in service and at the close of the war when the treaty of peace was ratified and that she has never intermarried with any other person since his death and is now his wodow. And that she has at no time during the late rebellion against the authority of the United States, adhered to the cause of the enemies of the government, given them aid or comfort, or exercised the functions of any office whatsoever under any authority or pretended authority, in hostility to the united states; that she will support the consitution of the united states, that she is not in receipt of a pension under any previous act and that she has never received or made application for a land warrant; and that she makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the pension roll of the United States under the provision of the act approved Feb 14, 1871; and that she hereby constitutes and appoints with full power of substitution and revocation, John B. Moore of Anderson Court House, S.C. her true and lawful attorney to prosecute her claim and procure the issuance of a pension certificate to her. That her post office address is Anderson Court House, County of Anderson, State of South Carolina and her domicile is the same state and county. Nancy Ashley X her mark Witnesses: John E. Breazeale Wiley Mitchel X his mark Also personally appeared John E. Breazeale and Wiley Mitchel, both of the County of Anderson S.C. persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who being by me duly sworn says they were present and saw Nancy Ashley the claimant sign her name by making her mark to the foregoing declaration; that they have every reason to believe, from their appearance of said claimant, and they are acquainted with her, that she is the identical person she represents herself to be; that at no time during the late rebellion against the authority of the united states did she adhear to the cause of the enemies of the government, give them aid or comfort, and that they have no interest in the prosecution of this claim. 13 September 1871 John E. Breazeale Wiley Mitchel X his mark A.O. Norris (?)Judge of Probate South Carolina Anderson County Personally appeared before me William Bannister and was duly sworn before me deposeth and saith that he is a citizen of the aforesaid County and is about eighty six years old and that he was and is now acquainted with Nancy Ashley who was Nancy Pruitt before she was married and that the said Nancy Pruitt did marry Thomas Ashley as he was present and saw them married and that they so lived as long as said Thomas Ashley lived; and William Bannister further swears that this identical Thomas Ashley was in the War of Eighteen Hundred and Twelve and that he was in the Company of Capt. Jacob Reed and knows that he was mustered into service and that he did go and was honorably discharged, believes that he was in Earles (?) Regiment and says further on oath that the said Nancy Ashley is the widow of the said Thomas Ashley. Sworn to and subscribed before me this April 12, 1871. R.N. Wright, Trial Justice, William Bannister, X his mark The within affadavit was made by an Old Soldier who was in service with Thomas Ashley: The State of South Carolina, County of Anderson: Personally appeared before me Moses Ashley aged seventy one years of age, and Francis Pruett over seventy years of age, and being duly sworn says they were well acquainted with Thomas Ashley the late husband of Mrs (?) Ashley, who makes application for Widows Pension under Act of 14th Feby 1871 (No. 6581) and on oath says that during the War of 1812 he enlisted in the service of the united states and left his home with a company of soldiers, and was absent for more than three months and returned back home with the company and among others in the same company was Michael Tarploy (?), Archey Shaw, Owen Freaman, Samuel Jones and Moses Ashley, but each one of these have long since died. Neither of the deponents were in the service of this war, but they resided in the neighborhood with Thomas Ashley and know he left with other soldiers for the war and was gone over three months, and returned back with the soldiers, and that he ws known and recognized by all as one of the soldiers; we have heard him in frequent conversations with the old soldiers in which they would related and speak of marches and the incidents of the camps and that he was at all times and by all who was acquainted with him known to be a soldier of the said war; and these deponents have no doubts of the correctness of the claim Mary (?) Ashley his widow; for there can be no doubt that Thomas Ashley was a soldier in said war; he joined the ____in Abbeville County but where he mustered into service and where he was discharged they cannot say. Moses Ashley Senior and Francis Pruitt, X his mark Sworn to and subscribed before me this 21st day of August 1872. R.? Wright, Trial Justice A.C. S.S. Pension Rejected Dec 21, 1872 for insufficient information or proof of service of Thomas Ashley, whose name was not found on the rolls of Capt. Reed's Company in available records. ******************************* Additional Notes: Notes: Living with her daughter Nancy Ashley Banister and her husband and family in the 1850 census, Anderson County, SC Living with her daughter Nancy Ashley Bannister in the 1870 census for Anderson County, SC; Martin Twp page 606 (Note: Nancy Ashley Bannister is a widow in the 1870 census, as is her mother Nancy Pruitt Ashley)