JOHN McCLAIN - Ohio County, (West) Virginia SUBJECT: JOHN McCLAIN - Ohio County, (West) Virginia SUBMITTER: Don Marsh EMAIL: McClainExchange@mexia.com DATE: Oct 02, 1999 SURNAMES: McCLAIN OHIO COUNTY, VIRGINIA JOHN McCLAIN, S 2775, Private, Virginia troops. The following is taken from a Sept. 15, 1933 letter from the subject file. The letter was originally directed to Mrs. A. J. Calderwood, 319 Poplar Avenue, Grove City, Pennsylvania: Reference is made to your request of recent date, for the records of JOHN McCLAIN and Jonathan Riggs, soldiers of the Revolutionary War who were pensioned in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Their records follow as found in claims for pension based upon their service in the Revolutionary War. JOHN McCLAIN was born February 3, 1761, in the State of New Jersey; exact location of birth and names of his parents not shown. While residing in Ohio County, Virginia, he enlisted May 1, 1776, served as a private under Captains William Hered or Herrod, John Wall and Mason in the Virginia troops, assisted in building a fort at the flats of Grave Creek on the frontier of Virginia, was stationed at said fort as a guard and went out on short tours against the Indians; he remained at said fort until August, 1777, and a few weeks later moved with his father's family into the State of Pennsylvania, where he volunteered in August or September, 1778, served a short tour against the Indians, length of said tour and officers' names not given; again enlisted for a tour of one month to guard the surveyor's who were "to run and cut the line" between Pennsylvania and Virginia, but as the work was not done at this time, was dismissed. This tour was in Captain Joseph Becket's Pennsylvania Company, under whom he served two other tours, one of which was in 1779 when he was engaged for one month guarding the blockhouse at Turtle Creek in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; one month of his service was as a substitute for his brother, ABIJAH McCLAIN, no details of which were given. The soldier stated that he served in all one year seven months, and was in several skirmishes with the Indians. He was allowed pension on his application executed November 19, 1832, at which time he was a resident of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where he had resided for twenty-five years. JOHN McCLAIN died November 9, 1836, place not stated. The name of soldier's wife was not shown in the claim. Reference was made to children, but number and their names not designated. ----------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent.