Virginia Revolutionary Pension Applications, Vol 27
Abstracted and compiled by John Frederick Dorman
Washington D.C. 1977
[comments in brackets added by D. Powell after reviewing a photocopy of the original pension on roll 755, National Archives M-804, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files]
p. 61
DAVIS, James. S.16751
30 Oct. 1832. Randolph Co., MO. James Davis, Senr., of Prairie Township in said county, aged 79 [the age is written out in long hand – is not obviously the word “nine” – almost looks more like ‘six” but later references state that he was 79 at the time he made his declaration], declares he entered service under Ens. John Davis, Lt. William Mallory, Capt. Robert Craig, Maj. James Montgomery and Col. Arthur Campbell as a spy in June 1774 and left service in November. He resided in Abingdon, Washington Co, Va. They marched through Washington County.
He entered the service in the first days of April 1775 as sergeant in the company of Capt. Isaac Shelby in which James Shelby was lieutenant, in the regiment of Col. Arthur Campbell and Maj. James Montgomery, in the brigade of Evan Shelby [Virginia Continental Line]. He resided in or near Abingdon. He marched against the Tories in Washington Co., Tenn., then a part of North Carolina, and marched through Sullivan Co., Tenn. The Tories surrendered and were sent home on parole. This occurred in the spring of 1776. He was confined to the protection of the frontiers of Washington County until the middle of July when he was in the battle of the Middle Fork of the Holston River in which he killed one Indian. About 1 Oct. 1776 he went on the Cherokee campaign in North Carolina, now Tennessee, under Col. Christian. The detachment he was with destroyed the towns of the Cherokees on Little Tennessee River and the Indians sued for peace. From the fall of 1776 until the fall of 1780 under the same officers he was engaged in guarding the frontiers of Russell and Lee counties as sergeant or spy.
In 1780 he was in Campbell and Sevier’s campaign as orderly sergeant and crossed the Little Tennessee River opposite an Indian village called Totrer (?). The Indians fled their town. Their towns were all burned except Chota where they held their councils. They took 35 prisoners of the Indians, men, women and boys. A detachment of 1500 [500] men went about 40 miles to Hiwassee River with two Indian towns on it 12 miles apart, one of which was called Chesterway. The Indians fled in their canoes and otherwise on the approach of the army.
He never left the service of the United States from 1775 until the spring of 1781. He was discharged at Abingdon. [served as a sergeant or spy – was a volunteer during the whole time he served in the Continental militia army of the line of Virginia. He has no documentary evidence of is service and knows of no person whose testimony he can procure – he lost his discharge – had received discharge from Capt. Craig – served 13 months as a spy and all the other time as a sergeant] He lived in Virginia where he was born until 1827 when he moved to Missouri and shortly afterward to Randolph county.
[James Davis senior] [his signature]
[Randolph Co., Missouri: sworn the day and year before stated: William Fort and Hancock Jackson are well acquainted with James Davis Sr and we believe him to be abt 79 years of age. That he is reputed and believed to have been a soldier of the revolution]
[15 Nov. 1832: Robert Wilson, clerk of the Circuit Ct. of Randolph certifies that the document contains the original proceedings in the matter of the application of James Davis Sr. for pension]
[1st page of amendment: James Davis clarifies when he was a spy and when he held the office of sergeant. He also states that the reason he has not produced the affidavit of a clergyman as to his age and credibility is in part that the original directions did not make it ______ ; he then thought the certificate of a representative to the state legislature and of the sheriff of the county sufficient – whose certificates he had in his original declaration. And as a further reason he states that he is new to the county as as there was no clergyman in his immediate neighborhood of any denomination and there was none in the county of his own sect (Old Side Presbyterianism) he had not an opportunity to become well acquainted with one]
[James Davis Sr] [his signature]
[We James Ratcliff a clergyman residing in the county of Randolph, Missouri and William Walker of same certify that they are acquainted with James Davis Sr. and believe him to be how 80 years old (79 when he made his original declaration) – that he is believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution.]
[the above statement was not dated or if it was the date was on the following page and I didn’t copy it]
[from non-selected records, eg. not filmed as part of M-805 but included on M-804: 20 May 1832 John Davis Sr., age 80 years, of Prairie township personally appeared in Randoph Co., MO court and made declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832] [Note: the actual declaration is on the following page and is dated 20 May 1833; it seems likely the date on the previous page should also have been 1833, otherwise James was signing his declaration before the Act was passed by Congress]
[The certificate that followed contained the courts acknowledgement of the statements of the individuals who supplied affidavits for James. The clerk then entered a statement that all the papers attached to James’s applications were authentic evidence. That entry was dated 22 May 1833 by Robert Wilson, clerk]
James Davis of Randolph Co., MO., sergeant in the regiment of Col. Campbell in the Virginia line for full term, was placed on the Missouri pension roll at $120 per annum under the Act of 1832. Certificate 19817 was issued 18 Sept. 1833