Elizabeth Nunn’s application dated July 1, 1843, for her husband, Wharton Nunn, Revolutionary War Pension
(Note: The transcription was made based on the spelling and grammar in the original document.)
State of Tennessee
Grainger County
On the first day of July one thousand eight hundred and forty three personally appeard before me George H. Check one of the justices of the peace in and for said County and state aforesaid Elizabeth Nunn A citizen of Said County aged eighty one or eighty two years old who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 entitled an act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows.
That she is the widow of Whorton Nunn who was a pensioner and served in the Continental line of Virginia in Col Woods Redgment under Genl Muhlenburg and was engaged in all the hard fighting and suffering that took place in Pennsylvania New Jersey and New York from the year 1777 untill the first of the year 1781 as well as she recollects; and was put upon the pension Roll at Knoxvill East Ten in March one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine his certificate bears date the 2d day of February 1839 at eighty dollars perannum { No. 31587} and resided at the time in this County;
She is informed and believes it is needless to detail the particulars of his services as they are all on file with the department and contained in the evidence on which he was pensioned;
She states that she was maried to Whorton Nunn the Identical person named in the amended certificate referd to that her name was Elizabeth Breedin before her mariage born and raised in Shenandoah County and State of Virginia; daughter of Spencer Breedin; and two or three years before her mariage they moved to North Carolina Surry County on little Fish river, near where it enters into the Big adkin River; this was while the said Whorton Nunn was in the service and after he left the service some time he followed us to North Carolina and was published in the Church at Critchfields Meeting house; Parson Joseph Murphy was the Pastor; near where my Father resided and was maried according to the law by the said Murphy at the said Meeting house which took place the first day of August seventeen hundred and eighty three;
She states that the she cannot procure any record from the Church books as they have been long since destroyed as She is informed and believes that she has sent a memorandom of the ages of her Children which was set down some years ago and which she believes to be correct And the evidence of Henry Nunn to prove and Identify herself and the evidence of other Testimony which will accompany this declaration She depicts Sibbey Cupps deposition will be obtained which will prove her lawful mariage beyond a doubt, living together at the time the mariage took place; with the record of the Court & will place her case She thinks beyond controversey and would refer the commissioner to them;
her husband died the eighth day of april one thousand eight hundred and forty two in this County leaving one month and four days pension due him on the day of his death in proof she would Refer to the evidence of Henry Nunn; She avers most positively that she is the lawful widow of the said Whorton Nunn never having moved since his death; and she further declares that she was maried to the said Whorton Nunn on the first day August seventeen hundred and eighty three and that her said husband died on the eighth day of april one thousand eight hundred and forty two that she was not maried to him prior to his leaving the service but the mariage took place previous to the first day of January one thousand seven hundred and ninety four Viz
That is at the time stated above sworn to and subscribed the day and year first above written before me Geo. H. Check Justice of the Peace Grainger County
her
Elizabeth X Nunn
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Ammended Application 1844
State of Tennessee
Claiborne County
Be it known that on this 26th day of October 1844 personally appeared before me George M. Cheek a justice of the peace in and for said County Elizabeth Nunn an applicant for a pension in right of the services of her deceased husband Wharton Nunn who was a soldier of the revolution & pensioner of the United States Amends her declaration for the purpose of explaining a seeming contradiction in her husbands amended Declaration & some of the evidence in support of her husbands claim as she supposes from a letter rec’d by her agent from the department dated the 18th of September 1843; and that of her own declaration now on the files by the department Viz
That She avers and most positively States that she was maried in Surry County State of Northcarolina on fishing or fishes river near where it emties into the big Adkin river at Critchfields Meetinghouse by publication in the Church and at the time stated in her declaration which is full in proof by the evidence of Ms Cupp and other auxilery testimony such as would be legal in any court of the United States; Now in the letter from the war department refered to above it assumes the ground that the allegation is made that the marige took place in Virginia and if explained might have stated in Shenandoah County which was the only County she ever lived in in that state before her mariage If such an allegation is made either by my decasd husband or any other witnesses in explanations of any matter about his case must have been a clerical error in taking down the testimony or making her declaration; because that fact could have had no bearing in his case;
The facts are these she lived in Shanidoa County where my father resided at the time he enlisted (my husband) he was as I have understood draughted in the Malitia Service and was about to be maried in that county at the time or shortly after; and he refused to go into the service under the draught and got out of the way as I then understood: he was afterwards taken and carried to Winchester for failing to do his duty; to pay his fine or be punished in some way; and to get clear of punishment he Enlisted under Col Wood for three years and when he had served his time out and stayed in Virginia a year or more he followed my Fathers family and we were then maried in the year____ or 1783 which year I cannot reckellect only the ages of my children a register of which is on the files of the department which makes the mariage to have taken place August 1783 my first son John being born ten months after mariage first of July
These are the facts of the case clearly established and as before stated if there is such an allegation laid either by my decasd husband or any of the witnesses that the mariage took place in Virginia as before stated it was a clerical error and was not intended to say they were maried in Virginia but that he was about to be maried as stated above Dr Noel who drew up his Declaration states he understood him and Mrs Henderson not that he was maried in Virginia but that the mariage took place in Northcarolina and that if it is copied down otherwise either in evidence or declaration it is error according to his breif. he state has by him Sworn as subscribed to this day and year first above written before
George W. Cheek her
Elizabeth X Nunn
Justice of the peace mark
Grainger County