Pension Application of John W. and Mary Ann Howe: W8938

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

 

State of Kentucky  Greenup County  Sct.

            On this 3rd. day of June 1833 personally appeared befor the county court of the county aforesaid John W. Howe a resident of the county of Greenup & State of Kentucky aged 80 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 provision made by the act of Congress passed June the 7th. 1832.

            That he enlisted in the army of the United States in the year 1775 and in the fall of that year, the particular date he does not recollect, and served in the first regiment of the Virginia State line, and first company of said regiment which was a rifle company & under the following named officers, towit, William Campbell was the name of his Captain, who afterwards was in the battle of Kings Mountain [7 Oct 1780], Daniel Trigg his first Lieutenant, Alexander Cummins his 2nd. Lieutenant & George Lambert was the name of his Ensign, Patrick Henry was our Col. & William Christian Lieutenant Colonel. Patrick Henry resigned [on 28 Feb 1776] shortly after this applicant enlisted & Christian took his place from the best recollection of this declarant. He states that he resided in Fincastle when he enlisted, which county is now called Montgomery in the state of Virginia. He was in no regular action but was in a number of skirmishes. He states he was mostly engaged in guarding the coasts (&c)[?] while belonging to the rifle company. We rendezvoused at New London [in present Campbell County VA] & marched to Williamsburg, we remained there a short time & then marched to Hampton & from thence to Williamsburg & again down to Hapmpton & after being engaged in guarding the court there awhile we marched to Hogg island  Jamestown & Williamsburg–. from the last mentoned place we were called to march down to Gwinns isalnd, this deponent thinks in July 1776 but on arriving there found that the Colonel Charles Scott of the 2nd regiment had got there and accomplished what we were called on to do, the evening before we reached there. We then marched back to Williamsburg, where this applicant received his discharge, which he has long since lost. He serve under the aforesaid enlistment ten months he is certain, & he thinks ten & a half, he had enlisted for twelve months, but was discharged a few weeks short of the twelve months on account of bad health.

            He further states that in the year 1778 he was appointed as a spy, in the spring of that year by Col. William Preston, for the term of two years and served that term out, with the exception of the Winter & Spring, but can with safety make oath that he served in the capacity of a spy six months in each of the said years. At the time he was appointed a spy he belonged to Capt [Joseph] Cloyds company and resided in Montgomery county Virginia.

            He further states that in the year 1774 he entered the militia service as a volunteer in Montgomery county Virginia, under Capt James Robinson, & was stationed at Woods fort [in present Monroe County WV], and rendezvoused at Camp know since called Louisburg [sic: Lewisburg in present Greenbrier County WV] & marched to the mouth of the Kenhaway river [sic: Kanawha River at Point Pleasant in present WV] against the indians, & arrived at that place on the night of the same day that Col. [Andrew] Lewis defeated the indians, at the mouth [on 10 Oct 1774]. Having received intelligence while yet 15 or 20 miles that the battle was going on, we made a push & arrived there late at night. We remained at the mouth of Kenhaway some time. After the battle the indians treated, and a tribe called Mingoes, defied or failed to come in, & this applicant volunteered with others to go against their town where we killed some & took some prisoners. After having travelled one hundred miles distant from mouth of Kenhaway & performed the last mentioned service we returned again to that place. This party was commanded by Col. [William] Crawford who was afterwards murdered by the indians [by the Delawares, 11 June 1782]. He served four months this tour & was discharged at the mouth of Kenhaway, which discharge is also lost. He would remark for the information of the department &c that, if the rolls of the virginia state troops are preserved, his name may be there, written John Howe instead of “John W Howe” as he cannot recollect whether the W. was then inserted in his name or not. He states that he has no documentary evidence, & he knows of no person by whom he can make proof of his service. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state  Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.

            [signed] John W Howe

 

NOTE: In Greenleaf County KY on 16 March 1841 Mary Ann Howe, age 75, applied for a pension declaring that she married John W. Howe on 19 Sep 1782 in Montgomery County VA, and that he died 30 April 1835. As evidence of their marriage she included pages from a history of England with the names and dates of birth of their children recorded.