[Bracketted words inter-lined]
Declaration of Howell Freeman in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.
STATE OF TENNESSEE } S.S. COURT OF PLEAS & QUARTER COUNTY OF DICKSON } SESSIONS OCT TERM 1834
On this the 7th day of October 1834 personally appeared in open court, before the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions now sitting Howel Freeman a resident of sd. County of Dickson and State of Tennessee seventy four years [of age] 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 the 7th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated - First he entered the service in Franklin County North carolina [where he then resided] about March 1779 - as a substitute in the place of a man (he thinks by) the name of Perry for a tour of three months. He entered the service under Capt Brittain Harris, Lieutenant Hawkins. They rendesvoused at what was then called Alford Cross Roads under the command of Col Eaton and were marched from thence to Tarbor Ough where they joined some more troups. From thence they marched to Kingstown where they joined the main body of the militia under General Ash they were then marched under the command of the aforesaid officer to what was called the White House about ten miles from Charleston South Carolina From thence they marched to Augusta upon the Savanah River where they crossed the river and marched to the mouth of Briar Creek in the state of Georgia-They were then in pursuit of the British who were supposed to be retreating from Augusta. He states that when they got to the Briar Creek the bridge across the creek had been destroyed in consequence of which they were detained several days. Whilst waiting at the mouth of BRIAR Creek they were attacked by the British who took some few prisoners and killed a few. They then retreated back to the White House in South Carolina where they remaind until they were discharged. He took a written discharge but thinking it of no service he then lost or destroyed it long since - He then went back to his home in Franklin County North Carolina having served out his tour of three months - Sometime in the year 1781 he again entered the sevice as a volunteer in the Cavalry in Franklin County North Carolina under Captain Robertson - Leuitenant Baily Robertson for a tour of three months. He marched under Capt Robertson from Louisburg Franklin County, N.Carolina through Wake County to Guilford County. He states that the company in which he served was employed in foraging for the army and that they had not joined the main army when the battle was fought at Guilford Court House. Though they were on the way to join the army and got in hearin of the cannon before the battle was over. They marched on and joined the main army at Ramsay's Mill. The main army was then under the command of General Green - They were then marched with the main army from Ramsay's Mill to Camden in South Carolina where their term of service expired and they were discharged and went home a few days before the Battle aT Campden. In this tour, he served three months as a Private under the above named officers. Before he got home he was drafted again as a Private for a tour of twelve months, but was allowed forty days to stay at home. When his forty days which had been allowed for staying at home had been expired he joined the army entered the service under a recruiting officer by the name of Capt Armstrong at Halifax in North Carolina. They were then marched marched by Captain Armstrong to the high hills of Santee where we joined the main army under Genl Green When we joined the main army under Genl Green he states that he was hurt under the command of one Capt Sharp - The Battle of the Eutaw Springs had been fought a short time before he joined the army and little or no fighting of any consequence took place afterward He states they were marched about to different places in South Carolina but nothing of importance occured. During this time he recollects that he was under Maj Donoho He further states that a short time after they joined the army his company was placed under the command of Capt Devard or Bravard - A short time before their time expired they were under Capt Bush during this tour The Regiment to which he belonged was under the command of Col Lytle and Maj Donoho. When the term of service had expired, his company was march ed to camden and discharged. In this tour he served twelve months as a Private which added to his two former tours of 3 months each making in all eighteen months he served as a Private. He received written discharges but has lost them. He has no documentary evidence and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service He hereby relinquishes [all claim] to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state or territory.
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
Interrogatories - 1. St where and in what year were you born
ANS 1 I was born in the state of Virginia according to information
- and in the year 1760
2 Have you any record of your age
2 ANS My father had my birth recorded in his family Bible
but the same is lost or destroyed. I have no further record of
my age.
3rd Where were you living when called into service and where
have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now
live
3 ANSER I was living in Franklin County North Carolina as above
stated in my Declaration After the war I moved to South Carolina
lived there 2 years. I then moved back into North Carolina where
I lived till I moved to the state of Kentucky. From thence I moved
into this state and settled in Humphreys County from there I moved
back to the state of Kentucky where I lived till I moved back
to this county where i have lived ever since.
4 How were you called into service, were you drafted did you
volunteer or were you a substitute and if so, for whom
ANSWER I entered the service first as a substitute for Jno
Perry My 2nd tour I volunteered - In my third tour i was drafted.
5 State the name of some of the regular officers & co who
were with the troops where you served
5 ANS In addition to the officers whose names are set out in the
above Declaration I can recollect to have been with Genl Green's
army the following officers to wit - Genl Marion who several times
passed and repassed by us - Col Washington of the horse - Col
Lee of the horse - For further particulars refer to my Declaration.
6 Did you ever receive a discharge from the service and if
so, by whom was it given and what has become of it.
ANS I received regular discharges but have lost them
7 State the persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood
and who can testify as to your character for veracity and their
belief for your services as a soldier of the Revolution
ANS Nehemiah Scott Howard W Turner Guilford Mills and all of my
neighbors to whom my life has been known I further state that
there is no clergyman who can be procured to attend at this term
of the Court
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid his Test Howel X Freeman Field Farrar Clerk mark
We Nehemiah Scott Howard W Turner and Guilford Mills residing in County of Dickson and State aforesaid hereby...
Declaration of Hannah Freeman for Widow's Pension
State of Tennessee } S.S. County of Humphreys}
Personally appeared before me Robert Smith, an acting Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid Hannah Freeman, widow of Howel Freeman deceased, and after being duly sworn according to law, declares that she was married to Howel Freeman a Revolutionary pensioner of the United States on the 4th day of March AD. 1830 by one Huel Parish, a Justice of the Peace. Said marriage was solemnized in the County of Dickson, State aforesaid and that her said husband Howel Freeman died at his residence in the County of Dickson, and State aforesaid on the 4th day of May AD. 1836 And that she has not since been married to any person, but is now a widow. ---
She makes this Declaration for the purpose of obtaining the pension to which she may be entitled to receive
PR. Act. 3 day of February A.D. 1853.
Sworn to and subscribed} her before me this 3rd day } Hannah X Freeman of December A.D. 1856 } mark } Robert Smith
Declaration of Elijah Mason in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.
State of New York, Genesee County:
On this fifteenth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two, personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, now sitting in the town of Batavia in the County of Genesee and said State of New York, being a Court of Record and keeping a Record of their proceedings and having a seal, Elijah Mason, a Resident of the town of Wethersfield in said county of Genesee and State of New York, aged seventy eight years on the twenty fifth day of January in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty two, who bing 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 enlisted in the month of March 1776, but on what day he cannot recollect, that at the time of his enlistment he resided in the town of Pomfret, now in the county of Windsor in the State of Vermont, that he was enlisted for service during the war by Joab Hoisington, Major Commandant in a detachment of Rangers, raised and commanded by him, which was composed of three companies -- the first company of which and in which he served, was commanded by Capt. Benjamin Wait and Lieut. Zebulon Lyon: that Capt. John Strong commanded the Second Company and Capt. Seely, whose first name he cannot recollect, commanded the third Company -- that he enlisted as sergeant in the detached service until he received a commission as Lieutenant in the year 1781 -- that his detachment was raised expressly to protect the frontiers and was styled The Detachment of Rangers -- that soon after he enlisted, his company was ordered to rendezvous at Newbury, Vt. which lies on the Connecticut River and that he was stationed at what was called the Ox Bow -- That at the time of his enlistment Vermont had not become a State and that he was employed in the New Yoirk State service or militia -- that he remained with his company at the Ox Bow, engaged in occasional scouting parties until some time in the early part of the summer of 1777, when Joab Hoisington, the Major Commandant of the Detachment, was summoned to appear in New York on account of a disaffection which had arisen in his detachment of Rangers and was excited by a jealousy between the New York State authorities and some few individuals in Vermont who were anxious to establish an independant Government in Vermont -- the commandant died soon after his arrival in New York and the detachment of Rangers soon after disbanded, that many belonging to it joined the Regiment which was at that time raised by Col. Warner and was styled Congress Regiment -- that after the disbandment, the time he cannot tell precisely, he went home and remained a short time and as he thinks about four weeks and then joined Col. Marsh's Regiment, as a volunteer under Capt. Smith and immediately marched to Hubbardtown, through which he marched a short time previous to the battle at that place -- thinks that he joined this Regiment some time in June 1777 -- that from Hubbardtown he marched to Castleton and then marched home when he was immediately called out again and ordered to march to Pawlet, now in the County of Rutland, Vt. -- that he was stationed there in Col. Marsh's Regiment and remained there until sometime in November, he thinks in the fore part, and after the taking of Burgoyne -- cannot recollect rest of his Company officers except Capt. Joshua Hazen -- after the taking of Burgoyne, he was again discharged and went home, thinks he was out at this time from about the middle of June 1777 until the first part of November 1777 making about four months and a half -- that he was [not] at home after being dismissed at Castleton but a few days. -- That he remained at home a few weeks when he was called out in an alarm from the Indians in the town of Barnard, Vt at the time the Indians came there and carried off three men, that he pursued the Indians for about two weeks -- That in the fall of 1780 and in September as he thinks, there was an alarm spread of the incursion of the Indians at Royalton, that he then went out as a volunteer and was sergeant and was in a skirmish with the Indians at Royalton, that he remained at Royalton as guard a short time and that soon after he went to Bethel Vt. and was stationed there as guard for a number of months, but precisely how long he cannot possibly tell, but should think it was two or three months under Capt. Jesse Safford -- that Lyon was his lieutenant -- his other officers he cannot recollect -- that he went out again in the winter of 1781, he received a Lieutenant Commission signed by Thomas Chittenden, Governor of Vermont, and dated 8th May 1781 -- that after have received his commission, he came out but once, and then only for a few days -- that in the fall of 1782 he received a Captains Commission signed by said Chittenden and dated 3d October 1782 and was called out but once and for a few days -- That during the whole period of the war he was liable to be called on at the least alarm and that he was out frequently and for different lengths of time, but that it is impossible for him to specify the terms or times of all his service, on account of impaired memory but that he is sure he was out more than three years in regular service during the revolutionary war.--
That he was born in the town of Woodstock in the County of Windham, Connecticut, on the 15th January 1754 -- that he has a bible Record of his age which he copied from the town records of the said town of Woodstock and that the said Record of said Bible is now in the town of Preble, County of Cortland N.Y. -- that after he left the service he lived in Pomfret till 1798 -- that he then went to Hardwick, Otsego County N.Y. and resided there about two years, that he then went to Tully, Onondaga County and resided there until 1828 -- that he then went to Gainesville in Genesee County and remained there about one year and that he then removed to Wethersfield where he has resided until the present time -- that he never received any discharge from the service -- that he has no other documentary evidence of his service except the commissioning aforesaid and that he never received any other commission -- that he does not know of any person living by whom he can prove his services -- that the Rev. Augustus Hurlburt and Nelson Burdick live in his neighborhood, are acquainted with him and can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief in his services as a soldier of the Revolution. -- He hereby relinquishes any claim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the agency of any State.
/s/ Elijah Mason
Subscribed & sworn to the day & year aforesaid in open court
/s/ Timothy Fitch, Clerk
Statement or Certificate
The following is a true copy of the original Family Record as recorded in the large family Bible used in my fathers family Pearl Flower which is now in my hands so far as it relates to the marriage of Elijah Mason, Sen. to my stepmother, widow Electa Flower, and also to the death of the said Elijah Mason, Sen., there being no public record of the marriage now existing.
/s/ Alanson Flower
Widow Electa Flower and Elijah Mason Sen. were married Gainesville Genesee Co., N.Y. Mon. Aug 15, 1828
Elijah Mason Senior died in Wethersfield Genesee Co., N.Y. on Thursday Morning 5 Oclock May 11th, 1837
State of Michigan
County of Macomb
I Alanson Flower of the town of Lenox in the County aforesaid, being duly sworn do hereby state that the above Copy is a true and exact copy of the original family record so far as it extends, & that the said record is the genuine record of the family as above stated in the certificate, and further say that I was present at their marriage and saw it solemnnised by Rev. Mr. Buel a Congregational Clergyman in the place. They lived together until his death as husband & wife, as I was frequently at their residence until between eight and nine months before his death after that frequently correspeded<sic> with the family, which correspondance confirming my mind the correctness of the Record of his death.
/s/ Alanson Flower
Modified: 10/17/98