REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - BENJAMIN HAMRICK Contributed by: Pam Shelton-Anderson (pshelton1@compuserve.com) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Revolutionary War Pension Records for Hamrick; National Archives; Film (0971177) Benjamin Hamrick VA S5472 Benjamin Hamrick of Nicholas co in the State of Virginia who was a private in the Company of Captain Chilton of the Regt of Col Mercer in the Virginia Line for 3 years from 1776. Inscribed on the roll of Virginia at the rate of 80 dollars and 0 cents per annum to commence to 4 Mar 1831. State of Virginia, County of Nicholas On 7 Sep 1832, personally appeared in Superior Court of Nicholas county..., "Benjamin Hamrick, a resident of the said county of Nicholas and the state of Virginia aged seventy five 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 provisino made by the out[?] of Congress passed June 7 1832. That he enlisted in the army of the United States in the year 1776 with Captain John Chilton (or Shelton) and served in the third Regiment of the Virginia line under the following named officers. The company was commanded by Capt. Shelton, the Regiment by Col ---- Mercer and the Brigade by General Woodford. He left eh service (he thinks) in the fall of 1780 and served during the whole time under the same enlistment. At the time he enlisted he resided in Fauquier county Virginia. The company to which he belonged rendevoused at the Court House of said county and the regiment at Williamsburg Virginia from when they marched to Alexandria and from whence they were ordered to New York island in the state of New York where they joined the regular army. He was present at the battle of Trenton and the taking of nine hundred Hessions as it was said. He was then at the battle of Princeton where he aided in taking (as it was said) 300 prisoners. He was at the memorable battle of Brandywine and also at the battle of Germantown. These were all the memorable battles in which he participated. Before he enlisted as above stated he was taken with the service in the state of Virginia as a minute man under the same Captain John Shelton. He entered the service as a minute man in the month of November 1775 he resided then in the same county and state as aforesaid. The Regiment to which he belonged was commanded by Col Edward Stephens and General Woodford and he served under this draft during the term of six months. He was at the defeat of Captain Fordices company of Germadurs at the Great Bridge on the east branch of Elizabeth River which was the only engagement he was in during this period of time... ". "At the time he left service he received a written discharge from General Woodford and at the time he left the continental service he received a written discharge from General Joseph Weeden. But where they are now he does not know.." Signed [in his own writing] Benjamin Hamrick From a letter dated 26 May 1937 to John T Harris, Office of the Quarter Master General, War Dept regarding his request for the Revolutionary War record of Benjamin Hamrick, a pensioner in 1832, who died in 1842. "Benjamin Hamrick was born in Prince William County, Virginia, the date of his birth and the names of his parents are not shown. While a resident of Fauquier county Virginia he was enrolled in November 1775 as a minute man, served in Captain Chilton's company, Colonel Edward Stevens' Virginia Regiment and was in the battle at Great Bridge, length of service six months. He enlisted in 1776 served as private in Captains John Chilton's and John Blackwell's companies, Colonels Mercer's and Thomas Marshall's 3rd Virginia regiment, was in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth, length of service three years. He rendered service also in the fall of 1781, officers' names and length of that service not given. " "Benjamin Hamrick was allowed pension on his application executed September 7, 1832, at which time he resided in Nicholas County, Virginia. He was aged then seventy-five years." "In 1832, Joel Hamrick stated, in Nicholas County, Virginia, that he lived in Fauquier County Virginia when Benjamin Hamrick 'left home' and served in the Revolutionary War, but he did not state any relationship between them." "In 1835, in Greenbrier County, Virginia, one Joseph McMillian, aged seventy years, stated that Benjamin Hamrick, while home on furlough about the year 1779, married his sister, the name of said sister not given." Letter signed by A.D. Hiller, Executive Assistant to the Administrator. Another letter dated October 8, 1936 to Mayme Hamrick of Washington D.C. had the same verbatim text as above and also: "BENJAMIN HAMRICK-W.C. 2549" "Benjamin Hamrick enlisted in Beverly, Randolph county, Virginia and served from September 3, 1814 to January 27, 1815 as private in Captain Wamsley's company of Virginia militia and was discharged at Fort Nelson, Norfolk, Virginia. " "December 21 1850, he applied for bounty land which was due on account of his service in the War of 1812, at which time he resided in Nicholas County, Virginia. Benjamin Hamrick was aged then sixty-seven years; the date and place of his birth and the names of his parents were not stated. On this application, he was allowed 80 acres of bounty land on warrant #20078, Act of 1850. He applied May 10, 1855 for additional bounty land under the Act of 1855; on this second application, he was allowed 80 acres of bounty land under warrant #22701." "Benjamin Hamrick died June 12, 1863, in Webster County, West Virginia. Benjamin Hamrick married April 19, 1811, in Kanawha County, Virginia, Nancy Gregory; the names of her parents were not stated. Nancy Hamrick, the soldier's widow, was allowed pension on her application executed May 7, 1871, at which time she resided in Webster County, West Virginia...". "Nancy Hamrick was aged then seventy-nine". "In December 1871, one Vincent Hamrick, also of Webster Court House, West Virginia, stated that he was well acquainted with the soldier, Benjamin Hamrick, and with his widow Nancy, and that he was present at the burial of the soldier; he did not however state any relationship to them." Letter dated April 10th 1916 from Mrs Chas O Norton of Kearney, Nebraska to the Commissioner of Pensions, Washington DC. Inquiry on Rev War pension records for Benjamin Hamrick, aged 77 in 1832 in Nicholas County Virginia and also for "U.S Pension Roll 1835, Virginia, Hampshire County, Vol 2, p 147, Siras Hamrick- Private Virginia Militia, Placed on pension roll April 9, 1834, aged 72 years." [No reply to this inquiry was listed] Joseph McMillian's deposition, Aged seventy five deposed that he recalled that Benjamin Hamrick was a soldier in the Revolution and was well acquainted with his "at about this time". "His father lived about three miles from my fathers when I was a boy about ten or twelve years of age and said Hamrick was a young man when Capt. Jno Chilton of Fauquier County Va with his lieutenants Jno Blackwell and the late Hon Jno Marshall enlisted a company called minute men, the said Benjamin Hamrick being one of them, in the year 1775..."."When that year was finished and Capt Chilton came home to the upper part of Fauquier County and his company or the greater part of them enlisted again for three years, said Hamrick being one of those who enlisted and was gone three years." He mentions that Capt John Chilton was killed at Brandywine. "I think it was the year 1779 they returned (about Feb 7) sd Hamrick came back to my father's in the fall, said he was clear by putting a man in his place, he married my sister about that time, but word came to the county that he had deserted. He set off to go to the west, was taken up and lodged in Winchester jail, from there he was taken with some recruits to Fredericksburg, the officer let the sergeant call with him at my father's to see his wife, when by the help of his friends he hired a man for a thousand dollars continental money to go in his place during the war, he went on to Fredericksburg and was discharged by General Mulinburgh." "..the said Hamrick built a house in the year 1780 and lived at my fathers, he was drafted in the year 1781 in Fauquier county Va and was on duty at the time Cornwallis was in Virginia." Deposition by Joseph McMillian was given 15 October 1835 in Greenbrier county, Virginia.