Pension Application of John Heard: S8709
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia}
County of Floyd} ss.
On this 20th day of August in the year 1832, personally appeared in open Court, before the justices of the court of the County aforesaid, and state aforesaid, now sitting, John Herd a resident of Floyd County aforesaid in the state of Virginia aforesaid, aged seventy two 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 he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated. that he volunteered under Capt. George Harstin, or Hairston, and marched with him into South Carolina; Capt. Hairston then left the Company in which he was serving. he does not recollect the year in which he first entered the service. After Capt. Hairston left the company he entered Col. [Henry] Lee’s company of horse, served in that company for the space of 6 weeks, and was at the taking of three forts, to wit, the Bluff fort, Thompkins fort, & Friday’s fort [Fort Granby at Friday’s Ferry in present Columbia SC, May 1781], Col. Lee being at that time under the command of Genl. [Francis] Marion. He resided when he entered the service on Blackwater [River] in the County of Henry, now Franklin, in the State of Virginia. He left the service in the month of June of the same year of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown [19 Oct 1781]. Before he entered the service under Capt. Hairston, he served three tours, from his residence aforesaid to Albemarle County, Virginia, and guarded the British prison, while they were there. he does not recollect the name of his Captain, & thinks the Colonels name was Cole. The taking of the three Forts herein before mentioned was between the months of March & June of the year of Cornwallis’ surrender. —
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is no on the pension roll of the agency of any state. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. [signed] John Heard
Virginia Floyd County to wit
Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the peace in and for the County of Floyd, John Hurd, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age, and consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his services, but according to the best of his recollection, he served not less than the period mentioned below, and in the following grades. – His first service was at the Barracks in the County of Albemarle, where he then resided, & where he was born, he performed there six weeks tours in the service under the command of Col. [Francis] Taylor, guarding the prisoners taken at Burgoin’s defeat [sic: Burgoyne’s defeat at Saratoga NY, 17 Oct 1777] & brought to Albemarle for safe keeping, but in what months or year he has forgotten. In the year ____ he was engaged six weeks in a foraging party collecting Beef for the use of the Army then in Guilford County in Carolina [March 1781]. This party was sent out upon this tour by Capt. Thomas Hurde. He then in the year 1781 went into the service under Capt. George Hairston of Henry County Virginia and marched into the State of South Carolina and there joined the Regiment of Colo. Lee; where he was at the taking the three forts mentioned in his original declaration, and continued in that service for two tours of six weeks each, amounting on the whole to six tours of six weeks each – in all of which tours he served as a private and for which I claim a pension –