Pension Application of Thomas Williams, Nat’l Archives Series M804, Roll __, Application #R11610

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of an Act of Congress passed on June 7th, 1832:

DeKalb County, Alabama}

On this 22nd day of February, 1843, personally appeared me [sic], Polly, Jones and Nailor, judges of the county court of DeKalb County, and state of Alabama, at his residence in said county, Thomas Williams, who from age and infirmity is totally unable to appear in open court, aged 84 years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration…:

That he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer under one Captain Gray at a place called the Hanging Rock in South Carolina in the month of January 1781 as a private soldier for the term of 9 months. Was immediately marched to the army of Colonel Morgan, which he joined in District 96, as he thinks; was with Colonel Morgan when he was pursued by Colonel Tarleton to the Cowpens, was in the battle at that place. The battle lasted till about 11 o’clock am. It began early in the morning on the last of January, 1781. The declarant remained under Captain Gray, who he thinks was now made a colonel, and was sent to North Carolina with the prisoners taken in the battle under Colonel Gray to a place called the X Roads [Cross Roads].

He, at this place, left the prisoners and joined General Greene (under Colonel Gray). He does not recollect who his captain was at this time. he remained with General Greene and was marched all night, swimming creeks, and was with him at the Battle at Guilford in North Carolina. He cannot say in what month the battle was fought. He knows the waters was high and thinks it was in the spring of 1781. After this battle, he was detached as one of the wagon guards. He remained with the army under General Greene in this capacity until they arrived at Camden in South Carolina.

At this point he was detached under one Captain Wade to press wagons and provisions. He left the army at a place called Santee in South Carolina. When he was discharged, his captain’s name was Greser, at this time. This was in the fall of 1781. [The remainder of this 1843 declaration was not posted on HeritageQuestOnline, but there appear to have been more pages based on a typewritten letter to a descendant which was dated September 24, 1938, in which the letter stated: “Thomas Williams was born in 1758 at Whitehorse in Chester County, PA. The names of his parents were not given. While living in DeKalb County, Alabama , aged 84 years, Thomas Williams applied for pension…and alleged that he had been a resident of Guilford County, North Carolina.”

“After the Revolutionary War, the applicant moved back to Chester County, PA where he remained six years with one Colonel Allen [no relationship shown] thence to New River, Virginia where he lived for eight years. From there he moved to Nolichucky, Tennessee where he lived 11 years, thence to Sequatchie Valley in what was later Bledsoe County, same state, remained there 6 years, then moved to Jackson County, Alabama, where he lived 20 years, thence to DeKalb County, Alabama.” DeKalb County, Alabama}

On this 28th day of April, 1857, personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a justice of the peace in and for the state and county aforesaid, Rachel Williams, widow of Thomas Williams, deceased, also a resident of this county, aged 80 years, and after being duly sworn according to law, declares upon her oath that she is the widow and relict of the identical Thomas Williams who served in the War of the Revolution in the state of South Carolina, and who applied for a pension for the same as a resident of this county several years ago, and for his services, she refers to his declaration which is on file in the Pension Office in Washington City.

She further states that she was married to her husband, the said Thomas Williams in Jefferson County, Tennessee on the 3rd day of August, 1800. They were married by a magistrate whose name was Cox. His given name she does not recollect, as he was always called Squire Cox. He is long since dead and her husband, the said Thomas Williams, departed this life on the 5th day of November, 1847 and that she has never since married, but remains the widow of the said Thomas Williams…

Additional Comments:

Again from the letter written in 1938, Rachel was the sister of Thomas Longacre, who in 1857, was living in DeKalb County, Alabama. The date and place of her birth and her maiden name were not stated. It was stated that Rachel and Thomas Williams had a large family of children, 11 in number, most of whom lived to be grown, but no names of children were designated.” The letter was written to Mrs. Willie J. Nicholls, of San Antonio, Texas.

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