Sarah (Thompson) Blakemore (1770 - 1858)

Wife of George Blakemore — married 10 Sep 1787 in Sumner County, North Carolina, now Tennessee

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Biography

Sarah was born in 1770. She passed away in 1858.

Sources

1858 Newspaper article reports Sarah Blakemore died in Lincoln County in 2 Aug 1858

Fayetteville Observer 12 Aug 1858

In this county, Monday, 2d inst, of old age, Mrs. Sarah Blakemore, aged about 90 years. She was the widow of a Revolutionary soldier, and lived to see her descendants of the fourth generation or her great-great-grandchildren. Up until seven years ago when she fell and unfortunately broke a limb, she could ride on horseback 45 or 50 miles per day. When a young woman she resided in a block house, in what was then the wilderness, but is now Nashville. In her death, another of the links that bind us to the far past is severed.”

• http://www.bookofbowie.net/family/INDIs/II4426.html

Pension Application of George Blackmore (Blakemore) W2558 Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris [Punctuation partly corrected] State of Tennessee Lincoln County } Lincoln county } On this 11 day of October 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of the th Court of Pleas and quarter sessions for said County & State now sitting George Blakemore a resident of Lincoln County State of Tennessee 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 provisions make by an act of Congress passed June 7 1832, That he entered the service of the United States in the year 1778 he th thinks in the month of September as near as he can recollect. at the time he entered the service, he lived at Blackamores station [see endnote] on Clinch river about seventeen or eighteen miles north of the long Island of Holston [at present Kingsport TN]. he thinks the county in which said fort was situated was called Russel [sic: Russell County, formed in 1786 from Washington County], and was in the state of Virginia. He entered the service as a Drummer and contined as such for something more that twelve months. he served as Drummer at said station under several Captains. this was a frontier station, and no captain commanded long at a time, but as the different companies would come to take the place of others. he still remained, and acted for each company for more than twelve months. He cannot recollect the names of al the captains who commaned at that station during the time he was there. He recollects that John Montgomery commaned at one time. The particular day on which he entered the service he cannot recollect but it was in the fall of 1779 he left there, and thinks it was in 1778 he served, and after he left there, he cam out to Cumberland with the first families that came out. In the year 17 [sic] He volunteered under Captain John Rains, and was at the taking of Nickajack on the Tennessee River. in this expedition, an Oer[?] was Col. but whilst in service, the command was given up to Col. William Whitly we were out this time fifteen or twenty days in service. Before this time he volunteered under Captain Rains and was out fifteen or twenty days on the Elk River Cunty in pursuit of Indians and succeeding in killing six, and took one prisoner. He was discharged at Blakemores station, as well as he recollets, but the same has been lost or destroyed. He has no documentary evidence of his service and knows of no person living by whom he can prove his entire service. He can prove by Peter Luna Looney-193 [pension application S1554] of Lincoln County that he was a drummer for one month in Blakemores Station, which was part of twelve months aforesaid, & he is the only person by whom he can prove any other service. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to any pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the agency of any state in the Union. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. [signed] George Blackmore State of Tennessee } Lincoln County } On this 20 day of September 1833 personally appeared in open court th before the Judge of the Circuit Court of said county now sitting George Blakemore a resident of said county & state aged about seventy years who being first duly sworn doth on his oath make the following additional declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7 1832 th That he was born in Fauquier County Virginia on the 14 day of May 1763 according to a record th of my age now in Sumner county. I would refer for my character for veracity & revolutionary services to the Rev. Henry Talley and to Captain Peter Luna Sen’r. [signed] George Blakemore [On 7 March 1842 Sarah Blakemore, 72, successfully applied for a pension under the act of 1838, stating that she married George Blakemore in September 1787, and he died 24 Aug 1837.] Pension Office/ May 12 1843 Sir,/ In reply to yours of 31 March respecting the case of Sarah Blackmore, I would inform you that st the joint resolution of 11 August last excluded the provisions of the act of 7 July 1838 to those cases th where the claimant became widows after its passage. Upon an examination of the papers upon which he was allowed a pension, the Department possessing more information, and more time for investigation, is satisfied that he was not entitled. He states that he resided at Blackmores Station, and in 1778 when he was sixteen years old, he acted as Drummer for twelve months to the militia companies which were successively stationed there, in tours of three months. These companies of drafted militia might hire musicians, but there was no authority to incorporate a recruit into the company, and detail him for service as a Drummer, unless he was a soldier an integral part of the company, duly drafted, or received as the substitute of a drafted man, his service would not be regarded as military in the contemplation of the act of 7 June 1832. It is clear that he was not a member of any one company for which he was hired as a Drummer, and consequently not entitled. His other alleged service was but a few days I am very respectfully/ Your Ob Servant (Signed) J. L. Edwards/ Comm of Pensions Geo. W. Jones, Esq./ Fayetteville,/ Tennessee NOTES: Blackmore’s Fort near present Fort Blackmore in Russell County, was built on the land of John Blackmore, who came from Fauquier County with his brother Joseph Blackmore. The file includes a copy of a 7 March 1844 report from the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions of the House of Representatives overruling the above decision of the Commissioner of Pensions on the grounds that George “Blackemore’s” services had been satisfactorily established. A congressional resolution restoring his widow’s pension was approved 23 May 1844. On 25 Sep 1848 Sarah Blakemore applied under the pension act of 2 Feb 1848, stating that she had previously drawn a pension under the act of 17 June 1844. On 10 May 1855 Sarah Blakemore applied for bounty land. The file includes a copy of a bond signed on 10 Sep 1787 by George Blackmore and George Dawson Blackmore, both of Sumner County NC, for the marriage of the former to Sally Thompson. On 9 June 1841 John Thompson, 64, of Bedford County TN, stated that he was a member of the family and one of the small party present at the marriage of George and Sarah Blakemore.