GREENE COUNTY, TN - MILITARY - John Welty, Revolutionary War Pension Application ----¤¤¤---- REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - JOHN WELTY Declaration in order to be placed on the Pension List under the Act of the 18th March 1818. State of Tennessee County of Greene Court of Deeds and Quarterly Sessions On this 26th day of January one thousand eight hundred and thirty one, personally appeared in open Court, being a Court of Record for the County of Greene in the State aforesaid, John Welty, resident in said County, aged eighty seven years, who being first duly Sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following Declaration, in order to obtain the provision made by the Acts of Congress of the 18th March 1818 and the 1st May 1820. That he, the said John Welty, enlisted for the term of three years on the __ day of November 1778 in the State of Maryland in the Company commanded by Captain Myers in the Regiment commanded by Colonel (name not recollected) in the line of the State of Maryland on the Continental establishment, that he continued to serve in the said Corps until the 2nd day of November 1781, when he was discharged from the service at Yorktown in the State of Virginia. That he hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension, except the present, that his name is not on the roll of any State except Maryland--And that the following are the reasons for not making earlier application for a pension. He was unwilling to ask the aid of Government so long as he was able to procure a bare support; and therefore delayed his application until forced to it by extreme poverty. Formerly he was the owner and until of late he has been in the possession of real property, which afforded him a living; but which has been sold from him. The facts in relating to which, he will here state. Previous to May 1818, he owned one hundred forty or fifty acres of land in Greene County, and was then free from embarrassment. About that time he purchased a tract of land adjoining him from one John Gordon containing 142 [?] acres for which he contracted to pay one thousand dollars; about five hundred of which he paid immediately and executed his obligations for the remainder payable in annual instalments. But owing to a variety of causes--his declining strength, his family having almost all left him, and chiefly the sudden and great depreciation in value both of real and personal property, he was unable to meet those payments, and in consequence of such inability to pay, said Obligations, having been cosigned to John Huff, were sued on, Judgements obtained and Executions issued, upon which executions, both of said tracts of Land, together with every article of his personal property, except one Cow and calf and one old pot, were levied on and sold at a great sacrifice to satisfy said judgement, a large balance of which still remains unpaid. And although by the Laws of this State, two years are allowed for the redemption of land sold at execution sale, yet he was unable by any means to raise any part of the money to redeem said land, and in March last, he was forced to give up the possession of said land to the purchaser, and is now living on a small piece of rented land, and utterly destitute of any personal property. And owing to his extreme age and bodily infirmity, is unable to do any labor whatever to procure a support, therefore he is compelled to put himself upon the charity of his Country. And in pursuance of the Act of the 1st May 1820, I do solemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818, And that I have not since that time, by gift, sale, or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof, with intent thereby so to diminish it, as to bring myself within the provisions of an Act of Congress, entitled "An Act to provide for certain persons engaged in the Land and Naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War" passed on the 18th day of March 1818, and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me, any property or securities, contracts or debts due to me, nor have I any income, other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed. SCHEDULE One Cow and calf, one broken pot John X Welty The declarant is by occupation a farmer but so aged and inform that he is wholly unable to pursue it. The number of his family now residing with him, is four, Viz. his Wife Mary aged about 81 years, and quite helpless, Ruhamy his daughter, aged about 22 years, and her infant-child aged six or seven months. The said Ruhamy is the only one of the family who is able to support herself, and upon her exertions alone, the rest are dependent for a subsistence. That since the 18th of March 1818, the following changes have been made in my property. At that date I was the owner of 140 or 50 acres of common land. Sometime thereafter, I purchased 142 acres from John Gordon; I also at that date owned two head of horses, about 15 head of Cattle, 20 head of Sheep and 30 head of hogs, all of which property was sold at Sheriff's sale to satisfy the purchase money of the land bought from Gordon, as above stated. And no part thereof is now owned by me. And there still remains unsatisfied a large balance of said purchase money. Sworn to and declared on this 26th day of January 1831 in open Court I, Andrew Patterson, clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for Greene County in the State of Tennessee, do hereby certify that it appeared to the satisfaction of the Court, that the said John Welty did serve in the Revolutionary War, as stated in the preceding declaration, against the common Enemy, for the term of three years under one engagement, on the Continental establishment. I also certify that the foregoing oath and the Schedule thereunto annexed, are truly copied from the records of the said Court; And I do further certify, that it is the opinion of the said Court that the total amount in value of the property established in the aforesaid Schedule is ten Dollars. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of the said Court on this 28th day of January 1831 A. Patterson, Clerk of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions By U. Sevier, D.C. ............................................................ East Tennessee John Welty of Greene County in the State of Tennessee who was a private in the Company commanded bu Captain Myers of the Regiment commanded by Colonel Adams in the Maryland line, for the term of three years from November 1778 to November 1781 Inscribed on the Roll of East Tennessee at the rate of Eight Dollars per month, to commence on the 25th day of June 1831 Certificate of Pension issued the 27 of June 1831 and sent to R. I. McKenney, Esq., Greeneville, Ten. Arrears to 4th of Sept 1831 $18.66 Revolutionary Claim Acts March 18, 1818 and May 1, 1820 Recorded Book D, Vol. 9 page 116 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Dennis Welty (dlw-mesa@cableaz.com) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------