Pension Application of William Morris S40173
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
Loudoun County [VA] Sct.
This day personally appeared before me Clerk of the Superior Court of Law for Loudoun County William Morris & made solemn oath that the following statement is correct and true to the best of his knowledge and belief. That he enlisted at Peachbottom ferry Pennsylvania as a common soldier under Capt John Mattson [John Matson] for 3 years belonging to the 1st Regt. of Pensylvania in the year 1777 as well as he remembers that he marched about five miles beyond Philadelphia and joined the Regt. under Colonel [James] Chambers, and all Winter at Valley Forge continued with the army in the ensuing spring in the Jerseys, marched to York Town (Pa.) and after [illegible word] our line was ordered on to join the Marquis De La Fayette then in Virginia [Lafayette, arrived in VA about 24 Apr 1781], belonged to Genl. [Anthony] Wayne’s division at the Siege of York Town [Yorktown VA, 28 Sep – 19 Oct 1781] thence transferred to N Carolina to join Genl. Green [sic: Nathanael Greene] where he remained until the peace & many years afterwards. And the aforesaid Wm Morris resident in the town of Leesburg County aforesaid at the same time further deposed and said on his oath aforesaid that he is poor & needy and requires the assistance of his country for his support.
April 11th 1818 William hisXmark Morris
Virginia, Loudoun County Sc: On this 17th day of June 1820, personally appeared Wm. Morris in open Court, being a Court of Record for the County aforesaid, aged fifty nine years – resident in said County, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath declare, that he served in the Revolutionary War in the 1st Pa. Regiment in the Company commanded by Capt. Mattson, under Colo. Chambers in the Pennsylvania line. My Pension Certificate is No. 4,818 bearing date the 9th Dec’r. 1818. And I do solemnly swear that I was a resident Citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818, and that I have not since that time, by gift, sale or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof, with intent thereby, so to diminish it, as to bring myself the provisions of an act of Congress entitled “An Act to provide for certain person engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War” passed on the 18th day of March 1818; and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me any property or securities, contracts or debts due to me, nor have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed. No real estate. Personal property as follows, One horse for which I gave $40, One feather bed, one straw bed, Two old wheels, one large and the other small. Two pair of Cards, one Cotton & the other woolen. One old fashioned table. eight straw bottomed chairs. two old wooden boxes. four old barrels. half dozen knifes and forks the common kind. 9 or 10 earthen plates & 2 or 3 pewter plates. And old kit of shoemakers tools not a full one – four old barrels – one old hoe – one old washing Tub – 2 water pails and one milk pail – common churn – some common earthen ware – 3 old Iron pots and one dutch oven. Two tea kettles, the other iron (old ones). Two bed steads the common rough kind. I am a shoemaker by trade; but my eye-sight has failed me very much. My family is large – seven in number. Their names and ages are as follows, my daughter Kittura Morris 20. Britton O Morris (blind from his infancy) Louisa Morris aged 14. Thomas Morris 12. Jannetta Morris 9, and my wife 53 very weakly not able to do much work — Wm hisXmark Morris
[The following note in the file is unsigned.]
William Morris drew a pension about 21 years ago, at that time he [illegible word] in Ky, he and in Ohio. his widdow is dead and about 2 years ago she died in Ohio He went from Louden County Va He [illegible word] in the revolution war & 1812 He drew is pension up to his death a part of the time in Ohio and a part in Va H I Rigden undertook to get the mony for the widdow, paid her 10$, &c
This an application to get the balance due by the heirs.
May 10 1854
NOTE:
On 14 June 1823 Morris applied to have his pension transferred to Muskingum County OH where he had moved.