Monday, April 14, 2008

Hamilton County, TN Early Records

From the Southern Campaign Revolutionary War Statements: http://southerncampaign.org/pen/index.htm#g
With permission from C. Leon Harris.

Pension Application of David Goens: S3406
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

State of Tennessee}
Hamilton County} S.S.
On this twenty ninth day of February 1834 personally appeared in open Court before the
Worshipful Justices of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions of Hamilton County, now sitting
David Goens a resident of the said County of Hamilton and State aforesaid, aged seventy six
years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on is oath make the following
Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832 –
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served
as herein stated that is to say, as a volunteer under Captain Rogers in Halifax County State of
Virginia, and was mustered into service in his company under Col. William Terry at Halifax Court house, and was marched by him from Halifax Court house to Williamsburg, from Williamsburg to Norfolk and from Norfolk to Portsmouth, where this applicant was discharged by Captain Rogers, which discharge this applicant thinks and believes he gave up when he was paid for his service in performing this tour, after he returned home, having served three months before being discharged as above mentioned (the troops were entirely militia with whom this applicant served as above stated,) Six or eight months after this applicant returned home he was drafted, according to his number, under Captain Bates and joined the regiment at Bibbs ferry under Major Jones being marched there by Capt. Bates, all in Halifax County Va. and was marched from there to Cabbin Point below Petersburg Va. [sic: Cabin Point in Surry County] and was stationed there about two months or until our term of service expired, having served three months this tour and was discharged by Capt. Bates and returned home. this applicant sold this discharge for three months service as last above mentioned to one David Bates in Halifax County Va. at that time it was thought by some that the militia would not get pay for their service. about two years after the last mentioned service this applicant was again drafted according to his number under Captain Prigmore in Halifax County Va. and marched under him (the field officers names this applicant has by old age and loss of memory forgotten) and joined General Washingtons army at Portsmouth where this applicant remained about two months before the surrender of Cornwallis [on 19 Oct 1781], soon after his term of service expired and he was discharged by his captain (Prigmore) and returned home having served three months this Tour. this last discharge was kept by this applicant until about four years ago. this applicant then lived in the district represented by Pryor Lea, in Congress to whom he gave it for the purpose of obtaining a pension – this applicant being poor and unable to support himself – after Mr Lea returned from Congress this applicant made application to know if anything had been done for him Mr. Lea told him that he had lost or misplaced his discharge so that he could not find it and afterwards this applicant removed from Grainger County then in Mr Leas district to this County, about one hundred and thirty miles and is now unable to procure Mr Leas statement with regard to the loss of his discharge as above stated. This applicant knows that he served three tours as a private in the militia as he has stated that he did not become acquainted with any Regular officers whose names he recollects - having served with none in either of his first tours. In his last tour while at Portsmouth under Gen’l. Washington he was in service with Continental troops as well as militia, but has forgotten the names of the continental officers in service there except General Washington himself He states that he was born in Hanover County state of Virginia in the year 1757 the 21st day of [illegible] he has no record of his age nor never had but from the information derived from his father and mother the above statement is correct. He has stated where he was living when called into service. four or five years after the termination of the Revolutionary War he removed from Halifax Co Va to Grayson Co. Va where he resided three years. from there he removed to Wythe Co Va. and resided there ten years from there he removed to Grainger County (Tennessee) and resided there fourteen years from there he removed to this (Hamilton County Te.) and has resided here twelve months the last day of this month and still resides here. He has stated how he was called into service, as well as he can recollect also the names of the officers with whom and under whom he served, and all the circumstances of his services as far as he remembers. He is known in his present Neighborhood to [blank] who can testify as to his character for veracity and good behavior and services as a Soldier of the Revolution. he knows of no person who can testify (or whose testimony he can procure) to his his service except a younger Brother (Laban Goen) who knows that this applicant went out and returned from service as stated who is now and for several years has been a resident of this County (Hamilton) There is no clergyman in the neighborhood of this applicant who can testify for him, there being none in his neighborhood at all.
I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declare that my name is not on the pension roll of the Agency of any state– David hisXmark Goens

I Laban Goens a resident of Hamilton County and state of Tennessee do hereby certify that
(being aged seventy years) David Goens an elder brother of mine did enter the service of the
United States and return therefrom as he has stated in his declaration to which he has been
sworn & which he has subscribed. I was not in the service with him but both of us lived with our
parents when he entered ad returned from the service, and I well recollect that he served three
three months tours in the Revolutionary War. being entirely illiterate I can not recollect the dateswhen he performed his service but do recollect that it was at and before the time of the
surrender of Cornwallis. Laban hisXmark Goens

Original documents for the above can be viewed at Footnote.
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NOTE: The 1830 federal census for Grainger County TN lists “David Goan” as a “Free Colored
Person” aged 55 - 100, and that for Hamilton County TN lists “Laban Gowan” as a “Free Colored
Person” aged 55 - 100.

1 comment:

  1. Virginia Revolutionary Pension Applications v44, John Frederick Forman, Falmouth, VA: 1991. pp82-83 has a very slightly different text of this same statement, with these notes appended:
    "Arrears of pension to 30 Nov 1840 was paid to the children of David Goens, deceased."
    "David Goens of Hamilton Co, Tenn., private in the company of Capt. Rogers in the regiment of Col. Terry in the Virginia line for nine months, was placed on the East Tennessee pension roll at $30 per annum under the Act of 1832. Certificate 26755 was issued 16 May 1834."

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