john christian rev war pension application

John Christian
Pension Number S 12689 Virginia

 

State of Kentucky, Fayette County, December 1-1832 personally appeared John Christian, a resident of Lexington, Kentucky age 80; that he was born in Ireland in the year 1752, came to America 1760; that his father had a record of his age but he does not know what has become of it, that he resided on  Clynch River in Fincastle and afterwards on Washington County when he was called into service; that after the war, terminated, he lived some years in West Tenn, and then removed to Kentucky, where he has resided ever since. That he entered as a volunteer in Captain D. Smith Company in an expedition against the Cherokee Indians in the year 1776 and remained on duty in that service from 1st August until sometime in September. For two months prior to that time, he had been regularly enrolled in the frontier troops to guard against the Indians and served as such drawing the pay said rations and in the year 1777, 8-9   80-1781; he was each year in less than four months each year in actual service on the same frontier. Col. Arthur Campbell commanded the militia of the company during the whole time. Captain Smith was afterwards promoted to be Col. or Lieut Col and John Kincaid was made Captain, Wm Bowen was also Lieut in the company. He was frequently during his service engaged in short expeditions against the predatory bands of Indians who occasionally infested the frontiers. He was not during that time in any battle with the Indians, before he was engaged in the Battle of Kenhawa in 1774 against the Shawnees, as a private in Captain Andrew Lockeridge's company under Col Charles Lewis, who was killed in the battle. States that he is entirely blind and has been for 23 years. During Monroe administration, he filed application for pension, with the testimony of Capt John Kinkead. He refers also to M M McCall, Dr. Pindell, John Marton, Robert Frazer, W.T. Barry, who testify as to his veracity and etc.  In a letter from his representative who was handling the case Mr. M.M. McCalla in 1832 from Lexington says that Mr. Christian's wife was then living, states that he would have been sent to the poor house if it had not been for an old lady who was not really able to take care of them financially.

     In a letter from James L Hickman, of Lexington, 1837, he states that Mr. Christian had been in the poor house sometime and had failed to draw his pension and at that time confined to his bed. 

 

Source: Records of Revolutionary War Pensions of Soldiers who Settled in Fayette County Kentucky

Annie Walker Burns, compiler, Washington DC, 1936

Copy held by the Kentucky Room, Lexington Public Library

Call number: R976.947 B4128r KY1936