Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements and Rosters

Pension Application of Daniel Goff S15586 VA

Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris. Revised 6 Dec 2014.

State of Kentucky, County of Boone

On this 4th day of February in the year 1833 personally appeared before the Justices of the Boone County Court which is a Court of Record Daniel Goff a resident of said County of Boone & State of Kentucky aged Seventy nine years in June next who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of congress passed June 7th 1832

That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the [three illegible interlined words] year 1777 in the County of Chesterfield & State of Virginia where he then lived with Capt James Harriss [sic: Harris] and served in the 15th Virginia regiment in continental army & served in the regiment & line under Col Crafford [Crawford] he enlisted for three years & served out the time of his enlistment & after serving under Capt Harriss apart of the time He was put under Capt Wells [probably Thomas Willis] & served under him apart of the time & when the troops with which he was – was march’d for the south he was put under a Capt Dandridge. He in the time of his enlistment was first march’d to Williamsburgh [sic: Williamsburg] Va. & soon after march’d to the Northward in guarding some waggons to Lancaster & then went to the Valley forge & joined the Army there under Gen’l [William] Woodford, & a Major [Gustavus Brown] Wallace & went on into New Jersey & the North and was in the battle of Monmouth [28 Jun 1778] after which he was march’d southwardly to Charleston S.C. & there was under Capt Dandridge & served there for some time & was put under a Capt Carter who went back to Va & this affiant with him & was there discharged at the end of the three years service and at Chesterfield Court house he rec’d a discharge from Col Davis [sic: William Davies] in his service he recollects to have seen & been under Gen’ls Washington [Charles] Scott [Anthony] Wayne Muhlenburgh [sic: Peter Muhlenberg] & Layfayette [sic: Lafayette] at different times He hereby relinquishes every claim what ever to a pension or an annuity except the present and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.

He has no evidence nor does he know of any that he can procure of his services except the affidavit of John Bridges [pension application W4904] hereto annexed – & he now has no discharge – a number of years ago he gave it to Gen’l Taylor to take to the City of Washington who has lost or mislaid it so that this affiant cannot now get it.

Sworn to and Subscribed the day and year aforesaid Dan’l (his X mark) Goff

I, John Bridges of the County of Boone & State of Kentucky, after having duly sworn do depose & say that Daniel Goff was an enlisted soldier in the army of the United States & in the 15th Virginia Reg’t. Commanded by Col. Cropper [sic], & fought at the Battle of Monmouth, & served three years in the army (to wit) 1778, 79 & 80 to the best of my recollection these were the years of his service

[23 Jan 1833] John (his X mark) Bridges

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The affidavit of James Taylor of Newport Kentucky made out to endeavor to procure Daniel Goff his pension. This affiant states that he has been acquainted with with the said Goff for upwards of Forty years. That his first knowledge of him was in the year 1793 at which time he was living with Maj’r David Seilit in the now County of Campbell, That this affiant married the widow of the s’d Seilit & soon after the said Goff came to live with him as a Gardner & laborer, that he s’d Goff lived with him & near him for upwards of twenty years & has resided not far distant from them up to the present time, that this affiant has had numerous conversation with with said Goff in relation to his services. that his account of his services in the revolution has been uniformly the same & from this affiant’s knowledge from history & the character of many of the officers he Goff served with & a personal knowledge of some of them he confidently believes that he served as he has sworn & stated in his declaration made before the Boone County Court in the State of Kentucky. This affiant many years ago advised the s’d. Goff to apply for a pension & aided him to have his declaration made before one of the courts of record in Campbell County which was done, sent one to the proper department and sent back to this affiant for further proof.

This affiant felt much for this poor colored man who had become old & infirm. Goff ultimately found two men who testified to his services in the revotion, whose affidavits this affiant drew for him, one was Mathew Gregg [S35981], who resided in Campbell County afs’d. whom this affiant knew for many years as a sober orderly man of highly respectable convictions, who stated in his affidavit that he knew the s’d Goff in the service & that he was in one or more battles with him, that he knew he was an enlisted soldier for three years, that he was convinced from his then late conversations with him that he was not mistaken in the man from his knowledge of the battle field & many occurrences they conversed about.

Mathew Gregg was a pensioner when he died he moved from Newport to Indiana & died two or three years ago. The other affidavit he drew this affiant for said Goff in support of his services was that of John Scott [S46522], who was also a pensioner who resided in the State of Ohio. This affiant drew land warrants for each of the said witnesses, for Greggs services for three years from Richmond, for Scotts for U. States bounty for the war. The substance of Scotts affidavit was substantially the same of Greggs.

Scott enlisted at or near Petersburg Virginia. This affiant saw him & Goff together heard them converse about their services together, & this affiant thinks were in one or more battles together. & this affiant is as fully convinced as he is of any fact not personally know to him, that the s’d Goff was an enlisted soldier in the Virginia Continental line & served out his time faithfully. Their affidavits this affiant kept & he thinks were put with his Goff's former declaration & he expected to find them among the files of the pension office or some of the other offices of this place but cannot find them.

This affiant testifies they were more than once sent on & returned to him. This affiant has made diligent search among his papers at home but cannot find them. This affiant states that he was long acquainted with s’d Scott [two illegible words] him an honest industrious man, he knows he some few years ago removed from his residence about 20 miles from Cincinnati Ohio to some distant part of the State or perhaps out of the State & this affiant has made inquiry for him & understands a messenger was sent to search for him without success to get his evidence again in Goff's case he must be now if alive near 80 years old & it is probable he is dead.

This affiant examined the records at Richmond Va. he thinks in the year 1799 to see if a warrant had opened for the service of the s’d Goff & found a Warrant had opened for a person of that name as this affiant thinks for one hundred acres This affiant states that s’d Goff is mistaken in supposing he gave this affiant his discharge, he thinks s’d Goff gave him a paper a memorandum relating to his services as a soldier. This affiant is not certain whether it was signed by an officer or not, but it certainly spoke of different officers he s’d Goff had served under & had every appearance of the writer having knowledge of s’d Goff's services. This affiant states that he made out the said affidavits of s’d Gregg & Scott in or about the year 1826 that they were severally sworn to & subscribed before a Justice of the peace in his presence & he this affiant took charge of them to be filed with the Declaration which he had made & if another was necessary to be made in support of such one that the whole papers has been lost or mislaid, & this affiant verily believes it is out of the power of s’d Goff to procure at this late day any further evidence of his said services This s’d Goff is a very old man, infirm & has to be principally supported by charity & that this affiant has in several instances for years past contributed to it.

[signed 11 March 1834] James Taylor

NOTE: The 1840 federal census for Boone County lists Daniel Goff, age 80, as a pensioner and free colored person residing with Alexander Marshall.
 

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