Pension Application of Joel Devenport: S39413
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of
On this third day of October 1825 personally appeared before the subscriber, a Justice of the peace in and for the County aforesaid Joel Devenport aged 71 years who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the provisions made by the acts of Congress of the 18th of March 1818 and of the 1st of May 1820. That he the said Joel Devenport enlisted on the 6th day of March 1777 at the town of New London Bedford [now in Campbell] County Virginia into the company commanded by Capt. George Lambert 14th Virginia regiment commanded by Col. Charles Lewis, for and during the term of three years in the Virginia line on continental establishment he further says that after serving some length of time the said 14th regiment was put under the command of Col Davis [sic: William Davies] under whose command he continued until the expiration of his term of enlistment and was honourably discharged by Col Davis at York in the State of Virginia. The aforesaid is by profession a farmer, but through age and severe attacks of the Rheumatism with which he is frequently visited, together with other bodily infirmities he is almost rendered unable to pursue this his occupation, he has no family except an aged wife about 60 years old and one daughter about 25 years old and is in such indigent circumstances as to be unable to support himself without the assistance of his country, that he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present, that his name is not on the roll of any state except the State of Virginia and the following are the reasons for not making earlier application for a pension 1st his inability to attend to getting the necessary testimony who lived in a different county and 2dly his ignorance in establishing those [word illegible]. and in pursuance of the act of the 1st of May 1820 I do solemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818 and that I have not since that time by gift, sale or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of Congress entitled an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the revolutionary war passed on the 18th of March 1818 and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me any property or securities, contracts or debts due to me nor have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule herewith annexed and by be subscribed, and that no change of any kind whatever has been made in my property since the 18th of March 1818, and I do further swear that I am not able to attend personally in court in consequence of a disease called the rheumatism and other bodily infirmities with which I am afflicted. The following is a list of my property
one old sorrel mare and 10 head of hogs
Joel his + mark Devenport