State of Georgia
County of Madison

On this twenty second day of November in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and thirty three, personally appeared before me, James Long, one of the Justices of the Inferior Court and Court of Ordinary, Stephen Groves, a resident of Capt. Morgan’s Company District of Georgia Militia in the County of Madison & State of Georgia, aged Ninety two 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 act of Congress passed June 7^th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated, to wit,

He entered as a volunteer in March 1778 and served as a private under the command of Capt. Jeremiah Laughcler and was stationed at and guarded a Fort by the name of Pemberleys on Cannemough being the waters of the Allegany River Westmoreland County Pennsylvania, in which County he then resided, and continued in said company guarding said Fort untill in November following, making a term of service of eight months. While guarding the Fort as aforesaid two men went from the Fort to their Plantation to collect their Stock but not returning in a reasonable time a part of the troops were ordered out for the purpose of making what discoveries they could ~ these troops, in addition to Capt. Laughcler, were commanded by Col. Archy Laughcler and Maj. James Smith, this deponent being one of the number. We came to a plantation where we intended to camp for the night ~ in the lane which led into the plantation (where we intended to camp for the night) we were fired on by the Indians. One of our number was killed ~ another had the handle of the knife in his shot pouch shot away. We fired on them when they were in the act of crossing the fence. They fled. We found five of their guns and four blankets. At the house of one of the men who were missing we found in a chest a letter from each of the men who were missing stating they were prisoners and well treated, requesting their families to remove to the old settlements and holding out encouragements to those who would join the British ~ in particular to officers that they should hold the same command they had at that time ~

He had no marches but such as the foregoing expedition for the protection of the Frontier. He knew Gen’l Irwin and Col. Piper in addition to those already named. He has no discharge and has no documentary evidence and he knows of no evidence which he can procure who can testify to his services ~ and he would further state that his services were with an ----- corps (as he has herein before stated), called into service by competent authority, and that his services were principally confined to the Fort as before stated and for the time during which the aforesaid service was performed he was not employed in any civil pursuit and that he claims a pension for the eight months aforesaid.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.

In answer to the interrogations presented by the war department and propounded by James Long one of the Justices of the Inferior Court he answereth as follows, to wit,

Answr. to 1^st Inter. He was born in the County of Lancashire in England the 26^th December 1740

Answr. to 2^nd Inter. He has lost the record of his age

Answr. to 3^rd Inter. He was living in Westmoreland County Pennsylvania when he entered the service, immediately after being discharged from the Fort he removed to Cumberland County Pennsylvania. Shortly after the treaty of peace he removed to Abbeville District South Carolina, thence to that part of Wilkes County Georgia which is now included in the County of Madison where he now resides.

Answr. to 4^th Inter. He volunteered

Answr. to 5^th Inter. He has stated the principle field officers with whom he became acquainted in his declaration except that of Capt. Arthur St. Clair with whom he was well acquainted

Answr. to 6^th Inter. He never received a discharge

Answr. to 7^th Inter. He refers you to James Thompson, Robert Griffith, William Hodge, Robert L. Tait, Col. Gabriel Nash, Col. Edward Ware and William Meroney, Esq.

Stephen Groves

Sworn to & subscribed the day and year aforesaid before me.
James Long, JIC

Georgia
Madison County

We, Benjamin Brown, a clergyman residing in the County of Madison & State of Georgia and William Meroney residing in the same hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Stephen Groves who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration before James Long one of the Justices of the Inferior Court of said County, that we believe him to be Ninety-two years of age and very infirm ~ that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution ~ and that we concur in that opinion.

Benj. Brown, MG
William Meroney

Sworn to & subscribed before me this 28^th day of November 1833.
James Long, JIC