| Rev Pension of Obediah Hammons |
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| Submitted by Gene Newman |
| Declaration |
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In order to obtain benefit of an act of Congress passed June the 7th 1832 State of Kentucky Knox County On the 22nd day of September 1833 personally appeared in the court before Joseph Eve Judge of the 15th Judicial District including the county of Knox, Obadiah Hammons, a resident of Richland Creek in the County of Knox and state of Kentucky age 77 on the 5th December next who first being duly sworn according to law doth of his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congress passed June the 7th 1832. That he was drafted in the militia of the United States for a tour of 3 months in Roan (Rowan) County, North Carolina on the 18th of March 1776 ( I am able to fix upon the precise day by aid of the papers here enclosed marked (A) found by Wm Ballinger in searching of my old papers for my discharge) under Richmond Pierson Capt but was transferred to the company of Richard Dowell Capt of the light horse. During this tour, I was chiefly engaged with my campaign in disarming suspected persons and providing order in the state of North Carolina. We were constantly moving and during this tour I was in Salisbury at the mouth of Rocky River, _______and various other places that from lack of memory and old age I can not remember. I was discharged in Rowan County near Salisbury and got a written discharge from my Capt Dowell for this service. I was in no battles or skirmishes on this tour. I was drafted under Capt Gibson Woolridge�s company. Davidson was our General. I am not able to fix upon the precise dates of this tour but know that the two papers here enclosed marked B & C (also found by Wm Ballinger while searching my old papers for my discharge) were given to me during this 3 month tour. I know we received news of the Battle of Kings Mountain during this tour. I received a written discharge from my Capt Gibson Woolridge at the old trading fort 7 miles from Salisbury. At the close of this last mentioned tour, I volunteered under said Capt Woolridge for 3 months. The object of this tour was to fight the Tories who we understood had assembled in numbers on the shallow ford of the Yadkin River. We marched for that place from Roan County, but before we got there, we received news that the Tories had been whipped. We were then discharged and I went home. We were afterwards recalled to complete the tour by my said Capt Woolridge. We then marched below Salisbury, but from the lack of memory I cannot undertake a classification of this service. I received a written discharge for this service in the county of Roan. In a very short time after the close of this service tour there were orders that two men out of every company should be balloted for 9 months. I and Charles Hunter were balloted as they call it from our company. Richmond Pierson was our Captain, but shortly afterwards we were transferred to Capt Holston�s company. Our object was to keep down and disarm the Tories in the state of North Carolina, but as I have stated about other tours, from lack of memory I can not tell you the route we took�indeed at the end of the tour I could not of told you all the places I had been at. We were almost constantly traveling to and fro. I followed my Captain and paid but little attention to the names of places we were at. I cannot remember when I reported for this tour, but I know I was conjoined with it when my former General Davidson was killed at Beatty�s Ford on the Catawba. I know also it closed and I was discharged a few days before Cornwallis was taken by Washington. I received a written discharge for this service from Capt Holston. I thought my discharge was with my old papers and I being old was told by Wm Ballinger that my discharges --------------in support of my claim to a pension. I got him to go to my house to hunt them up, but after a diligent search of several hours he found the papers aforementioned and herewith enclosed�but couldn�t find any discharges. There is no living witness to my service except my brother, Peter, whose affidavit below and whose attendance I have procured by sending for him in the county of Perry, a distance of 60 or 70 miles�and Henry Hunter of Perry county who lives at a greater distance from here than my brother. I hereby relinquish my claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present, and I declare my name is not on the pension roll or any state or agency. Sworn to and subscribed this day and year aforesaid. Obadiah Hammons State of Kentucky Knox County Personally appeared before justice of the peace for Knox County, Obadiah Hammons, who being duly sworn, deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he can not show proof or give a full history of the actions in conduct of his served tours of duty, but he fells confident that he served 3 tours of 3 months and one tour of 9 months as a private in the manner stated in the foregoing declaration as well as he can remember.
I, Peter Hammons, age 74 years November next, from the County of Perry and State of Kentucky, do hereby certify that I am the brother of the above named applicant, Obadiah Hammons, and have been well acquainted with him since our infancy. I served two tours with my brother of three months each, one as a draftsman under Gibson Woolridge, Captain and _____ Davidson, General. The other was under Capt Woolridge as a volunteer. While serving as a draftsman, we received news of the victory at Kings Mountain. While serving as a volunteer we marched as my brother stated for the purpose he stated. I saw my brother, Obadiah, in the service under Capt Richard Dowell, but cannot tell the length of this tour. I know that my brother went out for a nine month tour after we served together under Davidson and Woolridge, and that he was gone from home for nine months or there about, but I did not see him in the service after he marched, nor can I say from my own knowledge that he served all the time he was absent from home�though he has always told that he did. I certainly believe that he performed the tour of nine months, and the one of three months under Davidson, and the two I served with him. Subscribed and sworn to in open court the day and date above written. Peter Hammons We, Alexander Stewart and Ambrose Y. Anderson residing in the county of Knox and State of Kentucky hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Obadiah Hammons, who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be 77 years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur with that opinion, and that we are also acquainted with Peter Hammons who has been sworn in the above avadavat. We have know him for many years, and he is dependable and his statements and utterances are believable. Sworn and subscribed the day and date above. Alexander Stewart Ambrose Y. Anderson And the said court due do hereby declare their opinion after the consideration of the matter and after putting the interrogations provided by _____act statement that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier and served as he states and the court further certifies that it appraises them Peter Hammons has signed the foregoing avadavat and that Alexander Stewart and Ambrose Y. Anderson have signed the foregoing certification, and they are resident citizens of Knox County and that they are credible persons and their statements are entitled to credit. Joseph Eve I, James F. Ballinger, clerk of the Knox County circuit court do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of the application of Obadiah Hammons for a pension. In testimony���.27th day of Sept 1833. James F. Ballinger |