Pension Application of William Goodson: S30440

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

State of Kentucky}  SS.

Cumberland County & Circuit}

On this 10th day of April 1833 personally appeared in Open Court before the Honorable Benjamin Monroe Sole Judge of the Circuit Court in and for the Cumberland Circuit aforesaid now sitting William Goodson a resident of the County of Cumberland aforesaid and State of Kentucky aged 73 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 act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.  that in the year 1776 he was regularly commissioned Ensign of the malitia by the governor of the State of Virginia  that soon after he had accepted said Commission a call was made for men to go against the British and Common Enemy  that he immediately volunteered as ensign Raised a number of volunteers and joined Capt. James Barnet and immediately entered the service of the United States in that character  this was in the County of Bottetout [sic: Botetourt] State of Virginia in the year 1776 he marched on to the long Island on the Holsten river [sic: Long Island of Holston River at present Kingsport TN]  according to the orders he had received the company to which he belonged Capt. Barnets and Capt Smiths marched to the s’d Island for the purpose of joining some horse troops at that place commanded by [blank]  When they arrived there the horse troops had gon on to the Indian nation  had been gone too long to be overtaken by the foot troops and the officers after holding a consultation changed their rout  reconiting [reconnoitering?] the frontier of Virginia marching to different places in search of the enemy  returned home holding themselves in readiness for other service  in this tour he volunteered for no specific time but continued in service for the Term of one month & half at least and he thinks longer. he again volunteered as ensign in the same company and was attached to Col. Linches [sic: Charles Lynch’s] Regiment for the purpose of suppressing the tories who were assembling together for the purpose of joining the British  in this expedition he marched to various places  routed and dispersed them  in this tour he served one month before he was dismissed  this last tour was in 1777  he again in the same year volunteered and marched on to the led mines [sic: lead mines at Fort Chiswell in present Wythe County VA]  it was reported that the Enemy was about to take possession and a call was made to prevent them which was accordingly done  in this tour he served two weeks  he again volunteered and marched to various places in search of the Tories. he went various Tours of that period  the precise time that he served in any one he cannot state but expressly charges that he served faithfully as Ensign in the malitia in the War of the Revolution for a long time indeed he was seldom out of service  in 1781 he marched on to North Carolina as Ensign and was in two engagements with the enemy – one at Reedy fork of Haw river [at Wetzel’s Mill on 6 March 1781]  the other the allamance [sic: at Clapp’s Mill on Stinking Quarter Creek near Alamance River NC about 4 March 1781]  he was then under the Command of Colo. [Hugh] Crockett  was several times in the Brigade of General Green [sic: Nathanael Greene]  in this way he served from 1776 untill February [sic] 1781 when he was appointed Collector of the Tax by the Commissioners appointed by the legislature of Virginia for recruiting the states quota of Troops in which capacity he served one year and he charges expressly that he served as ensign about five years tho not all the time in actual service but is confident that he was more than two years in service as Ensign – inclusive of the time he served as Collector  he states that he has lost or mislaid his Commission so that he cannot find it  he has no documentary evidence of his services as ensign and that he knows of no person whose Testamony he can procure who can testify to his services  he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State  he herewith attaches his appointment as publick Collector bearing date 2 February 1781  he states that he was born in Jefferson County State of Maryland in December 1759 as he has been informed by his parents which he believes to be true  he has no record of his age  at about two years of age he was brought by his parents to Virginia where he remained in Bottetot County during the time he was in Service  after the close of the war he moved to Montgomery County Virginia where he remained about four years untill the year 1800 when moved to Kentucky where he now lives in the County of Cumberland  he states that he well acquainted in the County having lived here since 1800 But none of his Companions of the revolution with whom he was acquainted  reside here  Subscribed and sworn to the day and year af’s.  he further states that there is no clergyman in his town to certify for him        [signed] Wm. Goodson