REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - JOHN DALE ORR Contributed by: Kitty McLamb ************************************************************************ 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 *********************************************************************** John Dale Orr - Revolutionary War Pension record #R 16849 Virginia, Preston County to wit On the eight day of September in the year 1832 personally appeared before the county court of the county aforesaid John Orr a resident of said county and state aforesaid aged 70 years who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following decalration in order to obtain this benefit of the provision made by Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832 That he entered the service under the following named officers and served as herein stated. I was drafted in Baltimore County, Maryland and marched to Kent and served under Captain James Baker. I was stationed on the Delaware to prevent the British from plundering the property of the inhabitants. I continued in the service one month and was discharged. This was probably in the spring or summer of 1777 but of this I am not certain but recollect it was before the march of the British through New Jersey. I then returned home where I resided with my father in the county of Baltimore, Maryland. I was afterward drafted when the when the English was expected to land at Baltimore and served under Captain James Clendenen. I was stationed at Baltimore until the British disappeared or the apphrehension of the landing was over and was discharged having served about one month. My Colonel was -----?---- Holland. This I think took place the summer following after my trip to Kent. My father afterwards moved from Maryland to Redstone in Pa. and there settled with me who about that time became of age in the spring of 1782. I volunteered under Captain John Ashcraft and marched against the indians up the Allegany guarding the frontier against the indians and out about one month. I then returned home and again volunteered in the same spring under Captain Thomas Carroll and marched with Col. Crawford to the plains of Sandusky and then served until some time in the month of May when we after a severe engagement with the indians were defeated in thus engagement. On the second days engagement I wasa wounded with a ball passing through the lower part of my side just above the hip or hinch bone but not so as to entirely disable me. Col. McClelland furnished me with a horse on which I in company with others made my retreat to a fort on the Ohio River opposite to McMahan's Hollow. I then remained until I recovered from my wound and returned home. In this time I was out about three months. I have no knowledge of any person who has any knowledge of my services in my two first touring or have I any discharge nor do I think I ever had. I know one Major Paul now living in Fayette Couny, PA. who knows of my last services and if the nature of the service willl enable me to a pesion I can get that testimony.e relinquished every claim to a pension except this one and declares his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.. Sworn to in open Court signed John Orr We George Brown and Reubin Morris residing in the County of Preston and well acquainted with John Orr who has subscribed and sworn to the above --?-- ---?- that we believe his age is about seventyyears that he is and has been reputed and believed in his neighbourhood where he lives to be a soldier of the Revolution. Signed Reubin Morris Signed George Brown Questions by the Court; When were you born and where? On a creek in Whitely in Pennsylvania but was taken when very young to Baltimore County, MD where I was raised. I do not know the exact year of my birth having no record of the same. (next page of record missisng) Letter to Georgia M. Menear of Grafton, WV dated October 21, 1935: (gave synopsis of above service and additional info)... He was alllowed pension on his application executed Sept. 8, 1832 while residing in Preston County, Virginia aged seventy years, but his name was dropped from the pension roll March 24, 1835, as upon re-exam-ination of his claim it appeared that he did not render six months actual military service during the Revolution as required by pension laws. Service as an Indian Spy on the frontier in 1782, not coming within the provisions of said laws. He died April 14 or 16 , 1840 in Preston County, Virginia. Soldier married about January 1792 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Johns or John. She died February 7, 1851 in Preston County, Virginia about eighty years. The following children survived her: Hiram age Fourty-nine in 1853, Catharine Fortney sixty years in 1853, John, Ruth Minear, George and James. Affadavit of Rachel McClelland taken 24 June 1846 in Fayette County, PA. stated: "That Elizabeth Orr was the wife of John Orr and that John Orr was the oldest brother of this deponent... she had seen his wounds dressed very often...was present at the wedding of said John Orr and Elizabeth Johns in January 1792. This deponent knows this fact by her own marriage the October following." Signed her mark Rachel (x) McClelland Declaration of Hiram Orr to obtain benefits of the pension. Witnesses: William G. Brown, Isreal Baldwin, William B. Zinn age 58, George Brown age 64