Pension Application of George Riffey: W18813

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

 

Virginia At a Court held at the Court house for the County of Botetourt [one or two words illegible] the 11th day of November 1833

            On this 11th day of November 1833 personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of the Court of Botetourt County now sitting George Riffey a resident of Botetourt County [one line illegible, probably stating his age] and twenty four days 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 the 7th 1832 [several words illegible, probably relating to when he entered the service] October in the year 1778 in Capt [4 lines too faded to read]  from Culpepper [sic: Culpeper County VA] he marched with [two or three words illegible] to Richmond and from there to the Marben [sic: Malvern] Hill between Richmond and Williamsburg he received a regular discharge from the Militia which he has lost. He was in no action during the Tour of 3 months– [three lines illegible]  the month of January 1779 he enlisted in the 1?th Regiment of the [two words illegible] the following named officers, General [illegible] the Captain was Richard [five lines illegible]  he was marched to Baltimore in the State of Maryland. From Baltimore he marched to Guilford where he was in the Battle that was fought there [at Guilford Court House NC, 15 March 1781]. a few days after the retreat from that place he marched to Williamsburg and from there to York [sic: Yorktown VA] where he remained until the Surrender of Cornwallis when he received a regular discharge which he took home with him to Culpepper [word illegible] sent away to get paid Continental money which at that time was so much depreciated as to be worth almost nothing. This money his Father used frequently to light his pipe with [three lines illegible]  of much more value than the Continental money [one line illegible]  at the Marben Hill in January 1779 until the Surrender of Cornwallis at York in the month of October 1781 he served as a private soldier under the same officers that he enlisted with and [three lines illegible] Months which added to his Tour of 3 Months in the Militia makes the whole term of his service amount to three years. He lived in Culpepper about 4 years after the War and then moved to Albemarle County where he lived one year and then moved to Botetourt where he resides now [one or two words illegible] of the Town of Salem [in Roanoke County since its formation in 1838] [several words illegible]  unable to Prove his service by the [word illegible] testimony of any living witness of his [several words illegible] to Culpepper [several words illegible] that there is no one living to be found. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to any other pension and declares that his name is not on the agency[?] of any State. He states that the reason why he did not obtain the Certificate of a Clergyman [several words illegible]  that he applied before he started to request to the one residing in the neighbourhood who told him that he would willingly give the Certificate but he had no horse to ride and living at the distance of about 20 miles from the Court House [several words illegible]

Sworn to and in open Court the day and year aforesaid        [signed] George Riffey

 

NOTES: The file includes a pension application filed in Roanoke County on 20 Dec 1838 by Catharine Riffey, age 74, stating that in Culpeper County in February 1782 she married George Riffey, who died 19 Feb 1834. Her pension certificate states that he served two years in the Continental regiment commanded by Col. Taylor.