William Smith (1762 - aft. 1832)

Born 16 Jan 1762 in Chester County, Pennsylvania

Died after 1832 after age 69 in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States

Biography

William was born in 1762.

Military Service

William Smith served with Burke County Regiment, North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

State of North Carolina Iredell County^[1]

On this 7th day of November 1832 appeared personally before the judge of the Superior Court of Law of said County William Smith resident in said County and State aged seventy 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 provision made by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States and served as herein stated. That in the month of July 1780 he entered the service in the militia in the horse under Captain Robert Holmes and Colonel Charles McDowell, in what was then Burke but is now Iredell County and served sometimes in the horse and once on foot, in the nation until about the month of April 1783, during this service he served mostly under the officers above named but on one occasion the last service he performed he was under Captain Highland and Major Joseph McDowell in an expedition to the Cherokee nation. He is honestly and conscientiously of opinion that his actual services amounted to more than two years and six months. At the time that general Green [sic, Nathanael Greene) was pursued by Cornwallis he was under Colonel F. Locke and pursued own to Guilford. He was born in Chester County Pennsylvania & has resided where he now does 56 years. He knows of no person except John Chapman by whose testimony he can prove his services. He had 3 discharges but they were all burnt in his house – he was always a volunteer. He hereby relinquishes every claim except the present to a pension or annuity and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the Agency of any State. He has a record of his age in a Bible in his possession. Sworn & Subscribed in open court date as above. S/ Wm Smith I John Chapman1 do hereby certify that I am 82 years of age, that I am well acquainted with William Smith who has sworn to and subscribed the above declaration that he believes him to be 70 years of age that he served with him in several of the Campaigns above mentioned was with him at Guilford and at the Cherokee nation. Sworn & subscribed the day and year aforesaid

S/ John Chapman, X his mark 1

John (Joseph) Chapman W18895

The additional Statement of William Smith who upon his oath saith That he was born in Chester County Pennsylvania the 16th of January 1762. He has a record of his Age in a Bible in his own possession He was living where he now lives in what is now Iredell County but was at the time Burke County, at the time he was called into service. He was always a volunteer; in the expedition to the Indian Nation he was ordered out by his Captain. He was a while in the Army under General Green and saw him while retreating before Cornwallis. He states that the first service he performed was in the horse – he was a volunteer and joined his company in July 1780. The Country was greatly disturbed and much divided in the Section of Country, it became unsafe for him to stay at home and he was repeatedly called into service under Captain Holmes and when the board of Auditors sat to grant certificates for such Services Captain Holmes made out his discharge for 18 months in the horse alleging that it was not necessary to make one for each separate tour. Captain Highland also gave him a discharge for a 3 months service in the horse in the tour against the Indians besides these Captain Holmes gave him a discharge for 3 months service in the foot. All his discharges were lost by the burning of his house. His references are before the department. He states that the particular method in which she performed duty was in a company termed a Company of Rangers, that he never engaged in any civil pursuit from July 1780 until April 1783, was often engaged in scouring the Counties of Wilkes and Burke in quest of Tories who were numerous & troublesome in those parts. Sometimes he was in Guilford County & sometimes in South Carolina & always held himself in readiness to go at a moment's warning – was often engaged in the night in actual service – wore down 3 of his own horses in the service – so as to be under the necessity of supplying their place with others, and does not believe that he was 6 months at home put it all together in the time mentioned above. Sworn & subscribed July 24th 1834 before

S/ J. Campbell, JP State of North Carolina Iredell County

S/ Wm Smith

Personally came William Smith before made the Subscribing Justice of the peace in and for the County and State aforesaid and being duly sworn maketh the following additional declaration for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of the provision of an act of Congress passed the 7th of June 1832. He says that by reason of age and loss of memory he cannot swear positively to the precise length of his service but to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below His first tour of duty was in the horse under Captain Holmes and joined the Corps in Rowan County and went in pursuit of Bryan to the Hanging rock in South Carolina where he was in an engagement with the Tories this tour was in the year 1780 and returned home & went ranging through Wilkes, Lincoln and Burke County's in pursuit of the Tories, took some prisoners among them were John Marrow, Meredith Edwards, William Irons & __Turner all Tory captains – altogether about 4 months After this Captain Holmes being sick Captain Bickerstaff took command of the tour and this deponent continued in the horse under him to range the aforesaid Counties for 3

Between these 2 tours deponent performed a tour in pursuit of Cornwallis in the foot under Captain Holmes, pursued Cornwallis from the Catawba to Guilford, and was in the battle at Guilford Courthouse and a few days after was discharged 1 1/10 8 1/10 [indecipherable word] in the year 1781 Captain Holmes resumed the command of the company and under him the applicant marched in the horse to Kings Mountain and was in the neighborhood at the time of the battle and assisted to guard the prisoners and marched with them to Morganton he continued under the command of Holmes scouring the country from Tories & was in continual service under him until the Indians became troublesome in the year 1782 and could not be less than 8 In 1782 he entered the service under Captain John Hiler [sic  ?] in the horse and went in pursuit of the Cherokee Indians and pursued to the upper end of Burke County and continued in the service this tour about 6 In February 1783 he returned home on furlough to refit and obtained a fresh horse about the middle of February he rejoined the Army and the first of March marched under Captain Highland & McDowell to the Cherokee nation and was in the service about 2 y 2—1—0 He had a discharge from Captain Holmes for 18 months, also from the same Captain for 3 months and from Captain Highland as he thinks for 6 months. Deponent says that he has always considered himself as being in the service of his Country from the month of July 1780 until the latter end of April 1783 for although he did a few days return home on furlough yet he was always in readiness to return into Service. He says all his discharges were burned as he believes in the burning of his house which happened when himself his family were from home & if it was first robbed he never recovered his discharges. He was always a volunteer and a private. He was born in Chester County Pennsylvania and has his age recorded in a Bible in his possession. He has no documentary evidence and refers to the evidence of John Chapman he says that he saw General Green & several other officers of the regular Army particularly Colonel Davie and Colonel Ford which last was a relation of the affiant. Sworn & subscribed the 16th day of November 1833 before

S/ P. M. Morrison, JP

S/ Wm Smith

This deponent further says that John Chapman served with him in the tour after Bryant and in the tour against Cornwallis, and in the tour under Bickerstaff and in the tour under Highland and also served with him under Holmes part of the time.

S/ Wm Smith

[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $80 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for two-year service as a private in the North Carolina militia.]

Sources

1. ↑ #Pension

• Pension for William Smith
• "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHR8-LGD : accessed 8 November 2017), William Smith, Salisbury, Iredell, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 632, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 29; FHL microfilm 337,905.
• "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGS-SF9 : accessed 8 November 2017), William Smith Esquire, Iredell, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 238, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 80; FHL microfilm 162,796.
• "North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Z7-QWCL : 21 November 2016), William Smith, 1838; citing Iredell, North Carolina, United States, State Archives, Raleigh; FHL microfilm .
• "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2R1-NN3X : 3 February 2017), William Smith and Catharine Miller, 12 Aug 1790; citing North Carolina, United States, p. , Office of Archives and History, Division of Archives and Records. State Archive of North Carolina and various county Register of Deeds; FHL microfilm 422,158.
• See also Space:Iredell County Revolutionary Soldiers for a comprehensive list of Iredell Revolutionary War Veterans.