From: KyArchives [Archives@genrecords.org] Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2005 11:19 PM To: Ky-Footsteps Subject: McDougal.Alexander.Revwar.1833.Larue-Hardin.MILITARY-Pension Application File For Revolutionary War Pension Revwar Larue-Hardin County KyArchives Military Pension Application File For Revolutionary War Pension Pension File No. S. 30576 Selected contents (Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant App'l Files, 1800-1900; McDonel, Robert-McDowle, Thomas; National Archives Microfilm Publication M-804, roll 1678; National Archives Building, Washington, D. C.: two pages omitted from microfilm) (Original also on file under Pension File No. S.30576 at the National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.: compared with microfilm, transcription confirmed, and 10th and 11th pages transcribed by Paul M. Hays, September 29, 2003) Declaration in order to attain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed on June 7, 1832. State of Kentucky Hardin County Sct [Court of Sessions?] On this 21st day of January 1833 personally appeared in open court before the justices of the Court of Hardin County now sitting Alexander McDougal a resident of Kentucky in the County of Hardin aged 91 years next May 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 7, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. He resided in the State of South Carolina in that portion of it afterwards called Union County. He was first drafted for two months as well as he now recollects and in the year '78 he does not recollect the time of the year. William Fare was the Colonel and Thomas Blasingham Capt, he does not now recollect the name of the Brigadier Genl, he marched from the place of his residence to Bacons bridge about 21 or 2 miles from Charleston, before the troop arrived there the British had embarked. He states the he was drafted several times from the year '78 to '82, that about two years of the time he held the commission of Lieutenant signed by Thomas Pinckney then Governor of South Carolina, that during that time Thos Blasingham was his Capt, William Fare Col., and Thomas Brandin was the Brigadier Gen He feels well assured that he was engaged more than two years of that time in actual service. He started once to march to Pleasantburg but did not reach there before the British had left. He was at no time with the regular army but was frequently searching the swamp in search and pursuit of Tories. The army was once drawn up in the line of battle but the tories did not make battle. He was in no regular engagement. At the time he went to the swamps in pursuit of the Tories there was about nine hundred in the army of troop and light horse. Col. Hammonds commanded the light horse. He cannot recollect the particular day he entered or quit the service. He had his commission for many years after the war but has lost the same or mislaid it. He knows of no persons residing in this state by whom he can prove his service, but presumes he could find Testimony in Carolina but his age and bodily infirmity renders it impracticable to make an effort. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the foresaid and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State or if any only on that of the agency of the State of South Carolina. Sworn to in open Court Alexr McDougal 21st Jan. 1833. We, Warren Cash, a clergyman residing in the County of Hardin, William Lamply Jr [***] and Richard Walker residing in the same County and State of Kentucky hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Alexander McDougal who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be 91 years old as stated in the above declaration, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and that we concur in that opinion. Sworn and subscribed this 21st day of Jan. 1833. Warren Cash (his mark) William Lampley Jr (his mark) Richard Walker State of Kentucky Hardin County Sct I Samuel Haycraft, Clerk of the aforesaid County Court, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Alexander McDougal for a pension, the Court being of Opinion that he was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and served as stated in the foregoing declaration. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto (Seal) set my hand and seal of Office this 24th day of January 1833 Saml Haycraft, Clk. Hardin County The application of Alexander McDougald made on the 21st day of January 1833, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June the 7th 1832 being returned for amendment, the said applicant appeared in open court before the Hardin County Court now sitting on this 22nd day of October 1833 and being duly sworn doth on his oath make the following declaration in addition to the statements contained in his original application. That he was born in the north of Ireland on the 1st day of May O.S. 1742 & in the year 1762 sailed thence & in August of the same year landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He continued there three & a half years when he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina where he resided seven years & about six months, when he removed to South Carolina near the Indian line in the year 1773 in what in now called Union County. In the year 1777 he was drafted for two months as a private (he thinks in the month of June) to defend Charleston against Commodore Parker, who menaced it with his fleet. The name of his Captain was Thomas Blassingame, that of his Lieutenant John Blassingame, under whom he marched. He was marched to Bacon's Bridge about twenty miles from Charleston & Parker having been repulsed he remained there until the expiration of his term of service & was discharged & returned home about 220 miles. The name of the Colonel Wm. Farr of the South Carolina militia. In the year 1778 (he thinks in September) he was again drafted for two months to go in pursuit of a notorious Tory called Bill Cunningham, who with a party had committed many murders & burned two Iron works on Pacolet River. He marched under the command of the same Lieut John Blassingham & on his march joined the main army under the command of Colo Hammond of the South Carolina militia. They put Cunningham & his party to rout & took 9 or 10 of his party & lodged them in the Orangeburg Jail for trial. Cunningham himself made his escape, but was never again heard of in that county. After serving out his term of service he returned home. In the year 1780 in the summer he was again drafted for two months as a private for the defense of Charleston under the command of the same Capt & Lieut Blassingham & *** marched under the command Colo Stein to Bacons bridge about 20 miles from Charleston but the place having fallen into the hands of the British he marched no further and was discharged at that place at the expiration of his term & returned home about 200 miles. In the fall of the year 1781 he thinks October he was again drafted for two months & served as Lieutenant to guard the prisoners at Orangeburg under the command of the same Capt. Blassingham. He served out his term, when they were relieved by a new guard under the command of Colo Bratton. In the year 1780 in January he thinks he received a commission as Lieutenant from Genl Brandon signed by Thomas Pinckney then Govr of South Carolina, under which he served at Orangeburg as mentioned before, which commission he had for many years but not expecting it would be of any service to him, he has lost or mislaid. After he returned from Orangeburg he, as Lieutenant, had the command of a blockhouse in the neighborhood where he resided which had been created for the defense of the country against the enemy, that being about 30 miles from the Indian line. He served in this capacity about one year during the years 1781 & 2, the precice time he can not say by reason of old age & consequent loss of memory but feels confident it was at least one year. He never received any written discharges from the service and he believes it was customary for the militias to be dismissed at the expiration of their term of service without written discharges. He has no written record of his age, his parents never having been residents of America, but from them he received the information of his age as stated above. He lived in South Carolina at the same place where he resided when he rendered the service above stated until the year 1801, when he removed to Hardin County, Kentucky, where he has resided ever since. He never served under any regular officers. The names of the militia officers so far as remembered by him he has already stated. He is known to Samuel Wortham & Samuel Haycraft of his neighborhood & who will testify as to their knowledge of his character for veracity & their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution. Alexr McDougal Sworn & subscribed before me October 22d 1833 John Morris, J. P. H. C. We Samuel Wortham & Saml Haycraft residing in Hardin County do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Alexander McDougall who has subscribed the foregoing declaration & amended declaration & sworn to the same that we believe him to be the age stated therein & that he is reputed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution & that we concur in that opinion. Samuel Wortham Saml Haycraft Sworn to before me October 22nd 1833 John Morris J. P. H. C. And the Court do hereby declare it to be their opinion after investigating the matter & after positing the interrogatories prescribed by the war department that the above named applicant was a soldier of the revolution & served as he states. Also that from the great age & infirmity of the applicant they believe his memory is so impaired as not to be able to state as precicely his services as otherwise he could do. They further certify that Warren Cash who signed the certificate which accompanies the original declaration is a clergyman resident in Hardin County and that Samuel Wortham & Samuel Haycraft who have signed the preceding certificate are residents of said county and are creditable persons & that their statements are entitled to full credit. John Morris J. P. H. C. State of Kentucky Hardin County Sct I Samuel Haycraft Clerk of the County Court for the County aforesaid do certify that the foregoing contained on the 5th. 6th. 7th. 8th. 9th. 10th. & 11th pages contains the Original proceedings of said Court in relation to the amendment made to the previous declaration [Unnumbered last page] of Alexander McDougal (made in said Court & attached hereto being the four first pages) -- made for the purpose of obtaining a pension, the Court being of Opinion that said McDougal was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and served as stated in the foregoing declaration and amendment. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto (Seal) set my hand and seal of office this 22nd day of October 1833 Saml Haycraft, Clk. Hardin County Court [The following documents relating to the pension application are also included in File S.30576:] War Department, Pension Office May 18, 1833 Sir: The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has been examined, and the papers are herewith returned. The following is a statement of your case in a tabular form. On comparing these papers with the following rules, and the subjoined notes, you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed, before a pension can be allowed. The notes and the regulations will shew what is necessary to be done. Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed, you will find marked in the margin with a brace, (thus: }). You will, when you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them; and you will, by complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim. A Statement, shewing the Service of Alexander McDougal, Hardin Co., Kentucky Period when the service was rendered. From 1778 to 1782 inclusive Duration of the claimant's service. Years. 2, or more --- Months. ---Days. Rank of the claimant. Priv. Lieut. 2 years of the time Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served. Col. W. Fare, Capt. Blasingham, Gen. Brandon Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service. 91 years, Union Co., S. Caro. Proof by which the declaration is supported. Tratitionary -- Should shew that he was commissioned and prove his service as a Lieutenant I am, respectfully, Your obedient servant, J. L. Edwards, Commissioner of Pensions [Enclosed are two pages of regulations, in which the following passages were "braced":] "(e) Every continental officer or soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the claim cannot be had. Every claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words: "'Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service; but, according to the best of his recollection, he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades:-- For ---- year ----months, and ---- ----days, I served as a ---- ----. For ---- months and ----days, I served as a ----; and for such service I claim a pension.' "It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase 'about three of four months,' is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state that they served two years in the militia, &c., without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is highly objectionable. It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement; the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed by any civil pursuit... "(g) The opinion of the Court is always required... "(m) The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with he declaration." State of South Carolina) Union District) Personally appeared the Revd Thomas S. Greer & Hezekiah McDugal before me John Rogers Clerk of the Court of Sessions & Common Pleas for the Said District and deposeth that they were personally acquainted with the Revd Alexander McDugal during the Revolutionary War while in the Service of his Country and that the Said Alexander McDugal did serve one Tour of Duty at Orangeburg as Lieutenant under Capt. Blasingame in the year 1781 or 82; and at other times repeatedly commanded a Scout as Such, the Said Alexander McDugall was considered a good Soldier & service to his Country. Sworn to & Subscribed before me this 30th June 1834--- Thos S. Greer J. Rogers Clk Hezekiah McDougal I John Rogers Clerk of the Court of Sessions & Common Pleas do certify that the Revd Tho's S. Greer & Hezekiah McDugal did depose to the above affadavit before me. Given under my hand & Seal of Office at Union Court House this 30th day of June 1834--- J. Rogers Clk I do hereby certify that I am personally acquainted with the deponents to the within affidavit the Revd Thos S. Greer & the Revd Hezekiah McDougal & believe them worthy of credit, & I do further certify that John Rogers before whom the said affidavit was taken is the Clerk of the Court of Sessions & Common Pleas for Union District in the State of So. Car. and he is by virtue of his office a Justice of the Quorum. Wm K. Clowney December 19th 1834 Washington City Jany 26th 1835 J. L. Edwards, Esq. Pension Office W. City Dear Sir. One of my constituents who was wounded in the late War with Great Britain, has called on me to inform him in regard to the mode of making out his testimony, so as to prepare his case for the action of the War Department. He intends to seek a pension as an Invalid, but is not apprised of the character and extent of testimony which is required at the Department. He is known to me -- and is a worthy man. I will therefore thank you for a copy of the regulations relating to such cases, and such blanks as will guide him in the preparation of his claim. I am Dear Sir, with high consideration yr. mo. ob. Srvt.,Tho. Chilton P.S. I enclose herewith, the certificate of Alexander McDougal, which you required previous to increasing his pension. Please forward the New Certificate as early as practicable. Yrs. H(?). C [Chilton served in the House of Representatives during the 20th, 21st, and 23rd Congresses, and did not seek reelection to the 24th in 1834. His last term expired March 3, 1835. He later abandoned politics and the law to become a Baptist minister, ultimately moving to Texas. His grandson, Horace Chilton, was a Senator from Texas in the 1890s.] Kentucky 24,706 Alexander McDougal, Hardin Co. in the State of Kentucky, who was a Pr. & Lieut. in the company commanded by Captain Blessingham of the Regt. commanded by Col. Fare in the S. Carolina line for 18 months Pr. 60.00 2 " Lt. 26.66 ------------ $86.66 Inscribed on the Roll of Kentucky at the rate of 86 Dollars 66 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831. Certificate of Pension issued the 10th day of Feb. 1835 and sent to Hon. T. Chilton, H.R. Arrears to the 4th day of Sep. '34 303.33 **** allowance ending 4 March '35 43.33 ------------ $346.66 Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832. Recorded by D. Brown, Clerk Book E-2, Vol. 7, Page 34 Treasury Department Second Comptroller's Office June 10, 1842 Sir: Under the act of the 6th of April, 1838, entitled, "An act directing the transfer of money remaining unclaimed by certain Pensioners, and authorizing the payment of the same at the Treasury of the United States," the executor of the will of Alexander McDougal deceased, late a Pensioner on the Roll of the Kentucky Agency, at the rate of $86.66 per annum, under the law of the 7th June, 1832, has been paid at this Department, from the 4th of September, 1840 to the 3rd March, 1841. Respectfully yours, Arthur H. Parris Comptroller Submitted by: Paul Hays and Paul Hays %demail Additional Comments: The National Archives microfilm of this file is missing pages 10 and 11. The entire file, including the two pages omitted from the microfilm, was transcribed from the original at the National Archives in Washington on September 29, 2003 by Paul M. Hays, a 6th great grandson of Alexander McDougal. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/