First the family connections:
Rhoda (Walton) Rowlison > Myrtle Amy (Rowlison) Long > Lois Mae (Long) Beam > Geraldine (Beam) Towle > Forrest Irl Towle
and
Evan Thomas > Rhoda (Thomas) Hall > Eliza Jane (Hall) Walton > Rhoda (Walton) Rowlison
Dig out your Revolutionary War history books and follow our (my fourth - adjust your own generation) great grandfather's remarkable path...
Pension
Application Declaration of Evan Thomas
State of Indiana
Jennings County
On
this seventh day of January one thousand eight hundred and thirty three
personally appeared in open Court before the Honorable the Commissioners Court
of the County of Jennings and State of Indiana composed of Robert Elliott
President, Patrick M. Dixon & Sam Wagner Commissioners now sitting Evan
Thomas aged seventy six years a resident of the said County of Jennings and
State aforesaid who first being duly sworn deposeth and saith and upon his Oath
makes the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of
Congress passed June 7, 1832. That in the summer of the year 1775 and to the
best of his memory in the month of July in said year he enlisted as a private
soldier in the service of the United States in a company of minute men under
the command of Captain Phillip Lee in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Gresham
at Prince William County State of Virginia and served as such soldier until
February 1776. And then he enlisted and served as a private soldier two years
next thereafter in the Rifle Company of Captain Charles West which became a
part of the third Regiment of Virginia Regular troops commanded by Colonel
Weeden [George Weedon] and Major Leach [Andrew Leitch?] and that he left the
Army at Valley Forge State of Pennsylvania, and that he served as such enlisted
soldier under his first enlistment six months agreeably to the best of his
remembrance and belief and that he served under his last mentioned Enlistment
two years amount in the whole to two years and six months of actual service
agreeably to the above declaration, and that during the said services he fought
in the battles of White Plains [28 Oct, 1776], Harla Plains on York Island
[perhaps Harlem Heights 14 Sep, 1776], Germantown [4 Oct, 1777], Brandywine [11
Sep, 1777], Piscataway [10 May, 1777 ] and various other skirmishes and that
his marches during the above periods of service was from Virginia to New York
through Maryland and New Jersey crossed the Hudson River at New York and
marched to the White Plains – . The particulars of his marches are as follows.
1st to New York, thence to the White Plains where he had a battle
with the Tories called Rogers Rangers and the Brittish and after the battle he
retreated with the Army through New Jersey, where he was taken sick with the
Camp Fever and was sent to Philadelphia where he had the smallpox & in
March 1777 joined the Army at Morristown New Jersey and was in the battle of
Piscataway against the Brittish and the Americans at that time drove the Enemy
on board of their shipping at Amboy, and that he marched with the Army over the
highlands of Saratoga New York thence he marched back to Brandywine battle on
the 11th September 1777 and thence to the battle of Germantown on
the 4th of October thereafter and that he then belonged to General
Woodford's Brigade and Major General Stevens Division and went to winter
quarters at the Valley Forge in Pennsylvania where he was discharged by General
Woodford. And the documentary evidence which the said Thomas has of his said
services are filed in the War Department where they were placed for the purpose
of obtaining a pension under laws heretofore passed for the benefit of Revolutionary
Soldiers, but owing to his not coming within the purview of the act on account
of indigence his application failed and his papers and documents still remain
on file. And he hereby relinquishes all and every claim whatever 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 and in confirmation of the above declaration he
forwards the affidavit of Phillip Conner of a part of the above mentioned services.
Sworn to and subscribed the
day and year aforesaid in open Court.
[Signed here by] Evan Thomas]
Mr. John B. New a clergyman
residing in the County of Jennings and the State of Indiana and Levi W. Todd
residing in the same County and State do hereby certify that we are well
acquainted with Evan Thomas who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration,
that we believe him to be seventy six years of age, that he is believed in the
neighborhood where he resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolution and that
we concur in that opinion.
Sworn and subscribed to the
day and year aforesaid
[Signed here by John B. New Elder and Clergyman and Levi W. Todd]
And the said Court, to wit,
the Commissioners Court in and for the County of Jennings, State of Indiana at
the January Term of said Court 1833 do hereby declare their opinion after the
investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by
the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier
and served as he states. And the Court
further certifies that it appears to them that John B. New who has signed the
preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in the County of Jennings and
that Levi W. Todd who has also signed the same is a resident of the said County
of Jennings and is a credible person and that this statement is entitled to
credit. And also that Phillip Conner
whose testimony is herewith forwarded as evidence in part of this application
is a person and a witness of credibility, and further it appears to said Court
that the said Phillip Conner was in such a situation and of such an age as to
have a personal Knowledge of the said Evan Thomas’s Services as his affidavit
expresses in this behalf. And the said
Court further certifies that the following questions were put to said applicant
and answered as follows and sworn to in open Court.
Qu 1. Where was you born?
Ans. In Frederick County
Virginia February 22, 1757
Qu. 2. Have you any record
of your age?
Ans. He has no record of
his age but was born as above mentioned.
Qu. 3. Where were you
living when called into service where have you lived since the Revolutionary
war and where do you now live.
Answer. He was living in
Prince William County State of Virginia when called into the service of the
United States and that he has lived in Virginia until the year 1796 when he
removed to Kentucky Shelby County until the year 1805 and has ever since
resided in the County of Jennings State of Indiana.
Question 4th
How were you called into service were you drafted, did you volunteer or were
you a substitute, and if a substitute for whom
Answer. He was
a volunteer soldier as stated in his declaration.
Question 5.
State the names of some of the Regular Officers who were with the troops where
you served, such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and the
general circumstances of your service
Answer. He
states as the names of the Regular Officers who were with the Troops where he
served Colonel Gresham, Colonel Weeden, Captain Lee, General Woodford and Major
General Stevens
Question 6. Did
you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so by whom was it given
and what has become of it?
Answer. He says
that he received a discharge in the month of February 1778 by General Woodford,
which has for a long time been lost or destroyed
Question. State
the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood &
who can testify as to your character for veracity and their belief of your
services as a Soldier of the Revolution.
Answer. He is
known to as Ezra F Pabody and William C Bramwell of Jennings County who can
testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of your services as a
soldier of the revolution.
Signed by us in
open Court this 7th of January 1833.
[Signed here by] Robert Elliott
[Signed here by] Pat W. Dixon
[Signed here by] Samuel Wagner
State of
Indiana
Jennings County
I
Phillip Conner resident of the County of Jennings and State of Indiana and
after being duly sworn as a witness for Evan Thomas resident of Jennings County
and State aforesaid in order to enable the said Evan Thomas to obtain the
benefit of the provisions as made by the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832 do
solemnly swear that I have a knowledge that some time in the month of February
1776 the said Evan Thomas enlisted for two years in Captain Charles West's
Rifle company third Virginia Regiment of Regular troops commanded at that time
by Colonel Weedon and continued to serve in said Regiment until the term of his
the said Thomas' enlistment expired under the command of Colonel Marshal, and
that said Thomas was honorably discharged at Valley Forge and this deponent
hath a knowledge that said Thomas served as a soldier and fought at the Battle
of Brandywine & further saith not.
Sworn and
subscribed to this 21st August 1832
[Signed here by] Phillip Conner
State of
Indiana
Jennings County
Personally came
before me Ezra F. Pabody one of the Judges of the Jennings Circuit court,
Phillip Conner and swore to & subscribes the foregoing affidavit. Given under my hand this 21st day
of Aug, 1832
[Signed here by] E. F. Pabody Judge J. C. C.
State of
Indiana
Jennings County
I John Walker
Clerk of the Jennings circuit court, Certify that Ezra F. Pabody before whom
the within affidavit of Phillip Conner was taken was at the time of taking the
same one of the associate Judges of the Jennings Circuit Court duly
Commissioned and qualified, and that full faith and credit is due to all his
official acts as such.
In witness whereof
I have here unto set my hand and seal of Office at ??? this 21st day
of August 1832.
[Signed here by] John Walker
State of Indiana
Jennings County
Personally appeared before
me Chapman Denslow one of the Associate Judges of Jennings Circuit Court Evan
Thomas who made oath that he enlisted in Captain Lee's Company of minute men in
Prince William County Virginia sometime in the summer of one thousand seven
hundred and seventy five and marched down to Hampton against Lord Dunmore and
continued until the third day of February one thousand seven hundred and
seventy six and then Enlisted in the Regular service in Captain Charles West
Rifle Company said Company joined the third Regiment commanded by Colonel Weden
[George Weedon] in which he remained two years and was discharged in the year one
thousand seven hundred and seventy eight at Valey Forge in the State of
Pennsylvania and returned home to Virginia and in the year 1781 was drafted in
Hampshire County Virginia for eighteen months to go to the southward and served
by a substitute one James McGraw and that he is now sixty-two years old and
unable to do much labor and stands in need of the pension allowed by Congress
to the superanuated and indigent Officers and Soldiers of Revolutionary War.
Signed here by Evan Thomas
Sworn to and subscribed to
before me in the Month of December the 17th 1818
[Signed here by] Chapman Denslow, A. J. J. C.
