GREENE COUNTY, TN - MILITARY - Jesse Gammon, Revolutionary War Pension Application ----¤¤¤---- REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - JESSE GAMMON This is an attempt to transcribe the pension record of Jesse Gammon who served as private in the NC militia during the Revolutionary War. In his later years, he moved to the Warrensburg area of Greene Co. and finally Jefferson Co. TN. At the end of the application, he lists 2 of his sons, Henry & Ivy, & Ivy's children, but does not mention his other children. He may have listed Ivy's children because Ivy was already dead. In this list, there were three empty lines that began with an "X". It is presumed that these were children who died as infants. When Ivy's estate was settled, there was no mention of Green Henry or Catherine Jane who must have died before that time. Solomon Wyatt, clergyman, Allen Baker and Josiah Harrison, all residents of Jefferson County TN were his character witnesses. Sarah is listed as "W-1" and therefore must have been the first Revolutionary War widow to collect a pension. This is not the entire transcription - certain redundant parts are not included. [ ] indicates notes inserted by the submittor. ___ or ? unreadable. ... parts omitted. Gammon, Jesse, W-1 Sarah Jesse, Pvt. $44.10/annum Beginning 3/4/1835 Col. Lyttle NC End 11-June-1852 Roll of pensioner ____ 2, 1848, p. 290, vol ? Allen Baker, Warrensburg [Greene Co.] TN Triplicate certificate issued and sent to Allen Baker [son-in-law, h/o daughter, Sarah] Warrensburg, TN 11-June1849 25553 East Tennesse State of Tennessee County of Jefferson On this 22nd day of November personally appeared before Robert McFarland Junior, a Justice of the Peace for the County of Jefferson, Jesse Gammon, a resident in the County of Jefferson and State of Tennessee aged sixty-nine years and seven months, 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 June 7th 1832. That the Declarant Jesse Gammon was born in Virginia, Norfolk County, twelve miles from Norfolk, on 27th of April Seventeen hundred and Sixty four. His father and mother died when he was a small boy. At the age of eleven years, he moved with his uncle, Joshua Gammon to Halifax County, North Carolina where he lived on Little Fishing Crick, one of the branches of Roanoke River, fourteen miles from Halifax Court House. At the age of seventeen in the month of April 1781 day not recollected, the Declarant was drafted in Halifax county, at this company muster ground three or four miles from his uncles residence. His muster ground was near the road leading from Halifax Court House to Warrenton. He was drafted by a Captain of one of the county companies, whose name he does not recollect. He was drafted for three months. The place of Rendezvous was Innfield Court House where three or four of the Halifax companies met. Innfield was the Old Court House of Halifax County and was twelve miles from Halifax Court House. Captain Depray commanded our company. How Captain Depray's name was spelled he does not know, but it was pronounced Depray. The names of the Lieutenants and Ensign are not recollected. Daniel Crawley was an orderly Sergeant at Innfield Court House. Colonel Linton took the command of all the companies. Major Hogg, he thinks, but is not certain was the Major..... From Innfield Court House, he was marched to Halifax Court House where they remained a part of a day -- There were from one hundred and fifty to two hundred men under Colonel Linton. Lord Cornwallis was marching to Halifax Court House, and at one o'clock or thereabouts, when the British appeared, we crossed the Roanake River opposite the town -- While we were crossing the river the British entered the town. From Halifax one of our men was killed between the two Court Houses, and another Spy, Potts was wounded in the head. We marched up the River about ten miles towards Blacks ferry where we remained untill morning when we marched to Blacks Ferry. The second or third morning we marched from Blacks Ferry on to Caswell Courthouse where we remained a week or two. Then we marched to Tarborough, a considerable distance. We passed through Tarborugh and marched down the river. (having crossed it just before we reached the town.) and we camped on Town Crick, some distance below Tarborough. At this place we remained for some time, untill Colonel Linton began to enlist men for 18 months, when this Declarant agreed to enlist and was furloughed by Colonel Linton for the purpose of preparing himself for the Service. This Declarant returned home on the furlough and when his furlough expired he repared agreeably to his orders, specified in his furlough to Billy Henry's new house in Halifax County, eight or nine miles above the town, three quarter's of a mile from the River Roanoke. We remained here for two or three days when some officer or officers, names not recollected, came from the camp on Town Crick and gave us all written discharges, and we were all discharged from our enlistment. By whom his discharge was signed the Declarant does not recollect. He served two months in this town from the date of his being drafted untill his discharge date in the month of time, day not recollected. The Declarant did not receive anything for this service. About a mile from the town of Halifax, opposite the town, on the South side of the river, Public Shops were carried on, under the superintendance of Colonel Long, for the purpose of making horsemen's caps, shoes, boots, canteens, saddles, clothes, cartridge boxes, and iron utensils. Colonel Long appointed a young man to cook for and wait on the shops, and this Declarant went down in the month of July and volunteered to serve three months, which he did and was discharged in Oct. day not recollected at the public shops by Col. Hall[?] for a time of three months -- and Col. Long informed him that this service would be the same to him as a term in the army of three months. In the month of June 1782 orders were received by the Captains of Halifax County, to raise men to serve eighteen months. Early in July, day not recollected, in 1782, a place of drafting was appointed at the Old Marsh Store in Halifax County, eight or nine miles from Halifax Court House. The orders were that every twentieth man was to be drafted. The companies agreed to class themselves into divisions of twenty , each division having some men in it who was willing to become a substitute and the other ninteen agreeing to pay him for going in the place of the drafted man and when this could be done, no draft was necessary, and none was made. This Declarant offered himself as a substitute and was hired by his class, who gave him three hundred and thirty three dollars and one third of a dollar. The Declarant returned to his home to make preparations for his service, and repaired in company with Wm. and Moses Bru__?_ for the 1st of August 1782 to Warrenton, the place of Rendezvous. We here went into the Court House where men were examined, judged and sworn. This Declarant was received and placed under the command of Captain McCoates[?] -- Campbell was a Lieute. or Ensign which he does not recollect, Sergeant Sturdevent was the orderly Sergeant, and Sergeant Lee was another Sergeant. There were about three hundred men at Warrenton; Colonel Little took the command of us. He does not recollect any other officers at Warrenton. We remained here the greater part of a month, when we marched to Hillsborough, about 80 miles from Warrenton, crossing on our way Ono River a small river, here we remained a week. Then we marched to Salisbury crossing the Yadkin River -- here we remained a few days. When we marched to Charlotte remaining here a few days, we then marched to Campden, where we remained only a few hours, when we marched down and crossed Ashley River at Bacon's Bridge, on to Head Quarters on Ashley Hill where the main army was encamped under General Greene. Captain Coleman commanded the company adjoining ours -- The Declarant recollects Generals Greene and Gist - He does not recollect any other officers. We remained here about three months, when we marched about six miles to James Island, one mile from Charleston, crossing the Trapson[?] Gulf which reaches from Stono River to Ashley River. We encamped on James Island and built huts. We remained here untill the 4th of July 1783. On this day, the Artillery fired one round with the cannon, and the Infantry fired two rounds, one running fire and one fire by platoons. While we were in the Island, 50 men, of whom the declarant was one, were detached under an officer; whose name is forgotten, and sent on board of the Rogala a vessel which we had, in search of a refugee vessell; We were out three or four days without success. The day after the 4th of July, six men were sent of whom this Declarant was one in a small boat to Charleston, to load a vessell there with rum and wine, to be sent around to Wilmington. We loaded the vessell and after we had done so, the day after we went to Charleston, we received orders by one of our non-commissioned officers, that the North Carolina men were marching to Wilmington and for us to join them. We left Charleston immediately and joined our companies at the fork of the road twelve miles from Charleston -- The road forked there the left hand leading to Georgetown, the right hand to Wilmington. At this place we were discharged. Declarant's discharge was handed to him by his Orderly Sergeant Sturdevant; by whom it was signed, does not know, being illiterate. Declarant was discharged after a service of eleven months and seven days and from that point returned home in company with Ellis Tyse and Jett Harper, who were the messmates of the Declarant during the whole tour. Declarant was discharged in the month of July, on the seventh day, as he thinks it was three days after 4th July. Declarant is very infirm from an injury he received many years ago on his back and from an affliction of his groin, which entirely incapacitate him from going about on horseback and with difficulty does he go about on foot -- and can not walk any distance to attend to business. He applied through his Son-in-Law twelve months ago to a Lawyer to come to his house and draw up his papers -- But he failed to do so. He applies again to another Lawyer, who promises to come, but fails to do so -- and these have been the causes, together with the infirmities of the Declarant, that have prevented him from making application to the War Department long since for a pension, under the Act of June 7th 1832. The Declarant lost his true discharges in Halifax County - where or when he does not recollect, never expecting to derive any benefit from them, he did not take particular care of them. The Declarant does not know that any of his fellow soldiers are now alive -- He served as a drafted militia man in the year 1781 two months -- and as a volunteer to attend and wait on the Public Shops in 1781 three months -- and as a substitute for a Drafted Militia man in the year 1782 and 1783 for eleven months and seven days. He has no documentary evidence as to his service, and he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure, who can testify to his service. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the Agency of any State. The Declarant lived in Virginia eleven years, then moved to Halifax County, North Carolina in which county and in Orange County, NC and in Surry County NC. He lived forty one years -- then moved to East Tennessee where he lived in Greene County sixteen years and in Jefferson, one year, where he now lives. sworn and subscribed before me the 22nd of november 1833 Jesse (X) Gammons his mark ..... Ivy Gammon was borne Auguste the 26 day in the year of our Lord 1787. Green Henry Gammon was Born friday february 1 day in year of our Lord 1812. Juley Gammons was Born Sunday September the 26 in the year of our Lord 1813. Emmely Gammons was Borne tuesday June the 25 day in the year of our Lord 1816. X---------------------------------------------------- Adison Gammon was Borne Sunday October the 11 day in the year of our lord 1818. X---------------------------------------------------- Richard Gammons was Borne tuesday October the 17 day in the year of our Lord 1820. X-----------------------------------------friday Patrick Gammons was Borne friday July the 19 day 1822. Allen B. Gammons was Borne monday Aprile thirty day in the year of our Lord 1824. __te? ______ ______ life January 1826 Susan Caroline Gammons was Borne February Saturday the fourth ... 1826. Catharine Jane Gammons was Borne Feburary Saturday the fourth day ...1826 Charles B. Gammons was Borne may on wednesday the 14 ...1828. At the end of the application there are a series of questions & answers which essentially repeat what is in the delcaration. Jesse does mention that while a substitute, he wore the uniform of the Continental Army but was called a drafted militiaman. He also states that the proof of his birthdate comes from a leaf from a bible given him by his uncle Joshua Gammon. _______________________________ In Sarah's application as a widow, she states that she & Jesse were married in Halifax Co., NC in January 1787 by Willis Alston. Her remaining children are also listed: John K., Rebecca, Polly, and Sarah married to Allen Baker. Apparently Rebecca & Polly never married. In 1850 they were living with Sarah in Greene Co., TN. In 1880, Polly was in the household of Allen Baker, her brother-in-law. Jesse's death date is given as Mary 6, 1849. Sarah died June 11, 1852 in Greene County, Tennessee. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Sherry Smith (h_ssmith@greene.etn.net) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------