On October 7, 1780, the foundation that would forever change the world was established. Fewer than one thousand American Heroes, through skill, luck, and the leadership of cunning strategists, defeated Patrick Ferguson, a brilliant star of the British military might. Joseph Alexander was one of those Heroes.
His participation in the Battle of King's Mountain was documented by his Application for Revolutionary War Pension, S15355. Will Graves transcribed the application.
(Parenthetically, historians, genealogists, and descendants owe thanks to Will Graves for his hours spent transcribing the pension applications of American Revolution veterans. These papers were fragile and difficult to read, so this was a most difficult task, but so many people benefit from his efforts. Thank you, Will Graves.)
Southern Campaign American Revolution
Pension Statements & Rosters
Pension application of Joseph Alexander S15355 f21SC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 5/3/10 & 7/14/14 [Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. The word 'illegible' or 'indecipherable' appearing in brackets indicates that at the time I made the transcription, I was unable to decipher the word or phrase in question. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading skills fail to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call material errors or omissions to my attention.]
State of Ohio, County of Clermont
On this 31st day of August personally appeared before me Robert Haines one of the associates Judges of the Court of common in said County Joseph Alexander a resident of Clermont County aforesaid aged born on the 10th day of May 1759 aged upwards of 73 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the service of United States under the following named officers and served as herein Stated—I first entered the service under Colonel Thomas in the year about the last of Nov. 1775 in the District then called 96 in South Carolina & left it about Christmas following. I was six weeks in the service as a volunteer under Capt. Berry [Andrew Berry] & Lieut. Berry. We marched to the upper parts of the State of South Carolina in pursuit of the Tories. We were discharged at Cruney's Mill on Reburn's [sic, Rabun's or Raeburn's] Creek. I turned out a second time as volunteer in the year 1779 and in said Col. Thomas [John Thomas] & Major Lusk he did to deduct, Capt. Berry & Lieut. Berry aforesaid we served three months on Savannah River under General Williamson [Andrew Williamson] in Detachments, guarding ferries or Crossing places at a place called Beech Island had one small skirmish with the Tories & were discharged at Beech Island.
I next turned out as volunteer under General Sumpter [Thomas Sumter] at a place called Steel Creek about the 1st of June 1780 in North Carolina. General Sumpter soon after left us & went to a place called Hillsboro. I was then attached to the Command under Col. Williams [James Williams] aforesaid. Was then marched to Kings Mountain [October 7, 1780] where we had an engagement against Col. Ferguson [Patrick Ferguson] of the British Army where said Ferguson was Defeated & killed this as near as I recollect was on 7th Oct. 1780. In Aug. of the same year we had an engagement at Musgrove's Mill [August 19, 1780] in the District then called 96 in South Carolina—about a month after the Battle of Kings Mountain we had an engagement at Blackstocks ford [Blackstock's plantation, November 30, 1780] on Tyger River against Col. Tarleton [Banastre Tarleton] he commanded the British Horse, & defeated him General Sumpter was wounded we made a litter for him & took him away in the night next night Tarleton came on with four hundred foot & two Brass field pieces as a reinforcement according to the best account & we retreated we soon afterward separated & went in what was called scouting parties along the Indian frontier against the Cherokees & Tories.
In the year 1781 I rec'd a Lieutenants Commission from Benjamin Garret Governor of South Carolina & served in that capacity til the end of the war. We were guarding the forts & Stations on the Indian frontier til about the last of August 1782 when we went into the Cherokee Nation under General Pickens [Andrew Pickens] & were then Discharged. He hereby relinquishes any former pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State or, if any, only on that of the agency of the State of Ohio.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Where and in what year were you born?
In County of Antrim in the north of Ireland.
Have you any record of your age & if so where is it?
I have [?] all my records being burnt with my house in the month of March 1800.
Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionary war & where do you now live?
I was living in district no. 96 in South Carolina. I left South Carolina in 1810 & removed to Ross Co. Ohio & in 1812 I removed to Franklin township Clermont Co. & State of Ohio where I have lived since that time.
How were you called into service were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute & if a substitute for whom?
I was always a volunteer.
State the names of some regular officers who were with the troops where you served such continental & militia regiments as you can recollect & the general circumstances of your service.
I was in the neighborhood when Col. Morgan [Daniel Morgan] defeated Tarleton [Battle of the Cowpens, January 17, 1781] & Col. White before whom I was sworn in when I rec'd my commission the general circumstances said as before described.
Did you ever receive a commission & if so by whom was it singed & what has become of it?
I did it was signed by Benjamin Garret then Governor of South Carolina which commission was burnt in March 1800 with house & household goods entirely in Spartanburg County South Carolina.
State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood who can testify to your character for veracity & their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution.
I am acquainted with Peter Hastings & Lewis Miller & several others who I believe would all testify.
We the undersigned do hereby certify and say that we verily believe from our acquaintance with the above named Joseph Alexander, that he is entitled to a pension from his country for services rendered as a soldier in the revolution, and furthermore we believe that he stands much in need of pecuniary aid from his honest poverty & old age --
also that we have been acquainted with the said Alexander for 15 years past and have no doubts of his having served as a revolutionary soldier and that he is a man of truth and veracity. September first, 1832
S/ Isaac Sandike
S/ John H. Hastings
S/ John McKibben
[Peter Hastings a clergyman of Franklin Township in Clermont County Ohio gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
State of Ohio Clermont County
Personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace in and for Franklin Township Clermont County & State of Ohio Joseph Alexander who being duly sworn deposeth & saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades, For 6 months I served as a Lieutenant I served as a private Soldier two years & four months & for such service I claim a pension.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Sworn& subscribed to before me this 21st day of May 1823
S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
I do hereby certify, that I was acquainted with Joseph Alexander of Clermont County and Franklin Township in the time of the Revolutionary war, that he the said Alexander lived in South Carolina in what is now called Spartanburg District, that he served as a soldier in that war, and for a Lieutenant's Commission, I cannot say how long.
S/ John Morton
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of August A.D. 1832 S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $140 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for 18 months service as a private and for 6 months service as a Lieutenant in the revolution.].
The actual burial site for Lt. Alexander has been lost to history. He died in Ohio and was buried there. Nevertheless, we have placed a Memorial Stone in his honor in the Cantrell Gilliand Memorial Garden. May this memorial serve as an expression of the gratitude we owe him for risking his life and braving the unknown to help build a new country: our America.
His participation in the Battle of King's Mountain was documented by his Application for Revolutionary War Pension, S15355. Will Graves transcribed the application.
(Parenthetically, historians, genealogists, and descendants owe thanks to Will Graves for his hours spent transcribing the pension applications of American Revolution veterans. These papers were fragile and difficult to read, so this was a most difficult task, but so many people benefit from his efforts. Thank you, Will Graves.)
Southern Campaign American Revolution
Pension Statements & Rosters
Pension application of Joseph Alexander S15355 f21SC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 5/3/10 & 7/14/14 [Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. The word 'illegible' or 'indecipherable' appearing in brackets indicates that at the time I made the transcription, I was unable to decipher the word or phrase in question. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading skills fail to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call material errors or omissions to my attention.]
State of Ohio, County of Clermont
On this 31st day of August personally appeared before me Robert Haines one of the associates Judges of the Court of common in said County Joseph Alexander a resident of Clermont County aforesaid aged born on the 10th day of May 1759 aged upwards of 73 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the service of United States under the following named officers and served as herein Stated—I first entered the service under Colonel Thomas in the year about the last of Nov. 1775 in the District then called 96 in South Carolina & left it about Christmas following. I was six weeks in the service as a volunteer under Capt. Berry [Andrew Berry] & Lieut. Berry. We marched to the upper parts of the State of South Carolina in pursuit of the Tories. We were discharged at Cruney's Mill on Reburn's [sic, Rabun's or Raeburn's] Creek. I turned out a second time as volunteer in the year 1779 and in said Col. Thomas [John Thomas] & Major Lusk he did to deduct, Capt. Berry & Lieut. Berry aforesaid we served three months on Savannah River under General Williamson [Andrew Williamson] in Detachments, guarding ferries or Crossing places at a place called Beech Island had one small skirmish with the Tories & were discharged at Beech Island.
I next turned out as volunteer under General Sumpter [Thomas Sumter] at a place called Steel Creek about the 1st of June 1780 in North Carolina. General Sumpter soon after left us & went to a place called Hillsboro. I was then attached to the Command under Col. Williams [James Williams] aforesaid. Was then marched to Kings Mountain [October 7, 1780] where we had an engagement against Col. Ferguson [Patrick Ferguson] of the British Army where said Ferguson was Defeated & killed this as near as I recollect was on 7th Oct. 1780. In Aug. of the same year we had an engagement at Musgrove's Mill [August 19, 1780] in the District then called 96 in South Carolina—about a month after the Battle of Kings Mountain we had an engagement at Blackstocks ford [Blackstock's plantation, November 30, 1780] on Tyger River against Col. Tarleton [Banastre Tarleton] he commanded the British Horse, & defeated him General Sumpter was wounded we made a litter for him & took him away in the night next night Tarleton came on with four hundred foot & two Brass field pieces as a reinforcement according to the best account & we retreated we soon afterward separated & went in what was called scouting parties along the Indian frontier against the Cherokees & Tories.
In the year 1781 I rec'd a Lieutenants Commission from Benjamin Garret Governor of South Carolina & served in that capacity til the end of the war. We were guarding the forts & Stations on the Indian frontier til about the last of August 1782 when we went into the Cherokee Nation under General Pickens [Andrew Pickens] & were then Discharged. He hereby relinquishes any former pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State or, if any, only on that of the agency of the State of Ohio.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Where and in what year were you born?
In County of Antrim in the north of Ireland.
Have you any record of your age & if so where is it?
I have [?] all my records being burnt with my house in the month of March 1800.
Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionary war & where do you now live?
I was living in district no. 96 in South Carolina. I left South Carolina in 1810 & removed to Ross Co. Ohio & in 1812 I removed to Franklin township Clermont Co. & State of Ohio where I have lived since that time.
How were you called into service were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute & if a substitute for whom?
I was always a volunteer.
State the names of some regular officers who were with the troops where you served such continental & militia regiments as you can recollect & the general circumstances of your service.
I was in the neighborhood when Col. Morgan [Daniel Morgan] defeated Tarleton [Battle of the Cowpens, January 17, 1781] & Col. White before whom I was sworn in when I rec'd my commission the general circumstances said as before described.
Did you ever receive a commission & if so by whom was it singed & what has become of it?
I did it was signed by Benjamin Garret then Governor of South Carolina which commission was burnt in March 1800 with house & household goods entirely in Spartanburg County South Carolina.
State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood who can testify to your character for veracity & their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution.
I am acquainted with Peter Hastings & Lewis Miller & several others who I believe would all testify.
We the undersigned do hereby certify and say that we verily believe from our acquaintance with the above named Joseph Alexander, that he is entitled to a pension from his country for services rendered as a soldier in the revolution, and furthermore we believe that he stands much in need of pecuniary aid from his honest poverty & old age --
also that we have been acquainted with the said Alexander for 15 years past and have no doubts of his having served as a revolutionary soldier and that he is a man of truth and veracity. September first, 1832
S/ Isaac Sandike
S/ John H. Hastings
S/ John McKibben
[Peter Hastings a clergyman of Franklin Township in Clermont County Ohio gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
State of Ohio Clermont County
Personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace in and for Franklin Township Clermont County & State of Ohio Joseph Alexander who being duly sworn deposeth & saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades, For 6 months I served as a Lieutenant I served as a private Soldier two years & four months & for such service I claim a pension.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Sworn& subscribed to before me this 21st day of May 1823
S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
I do hereby certify, that I was acquainted with Joseph Alexander of Clermont County and Franklin Township in the time of the Revolutionary war, that he the said Alexander lived in South Carolina in what is now called Spartanburg District, that he served as a soldier in that war, and for a Lieutenant's Commission, I cannot say how long.
S/ John Morton
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of August A.D. 1832 S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $140 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for 18 months service as a private and for 6 months service as a Lieutenant in the revolution.].
The actual burial site for Lt. Alexander has been lost to history. He died in Ohio and was buried there. Nevertheless, we have placed a Memorial Stone in his honor in the Cantrell Gilliand Memorial Garden. May this memorial serve as an expression of the gratitude we owe him for risking his life and braving the unknown to help build a new country: our America.
On October 7, 1780, the foundation that would forever change the world was established. Fewer than one thousand American Heroes, through skill, luck, and the leadership of cunning strategists, defeated Patrick Ferguson, a brilliant star of the British military might. Joseph Alexander was one of those Heroes.
His participation in the Battle of King's Mountain was documented by his Application for Revolutionary War Pension, S15355. Will Graves transcribed the application.
(Parenthetically, historians, genealogists, and descendants owe thanks to Will Graves for his hours spent transcribing the pension applications of American Revolution veterans. These papers were fragile and difficult to read, so this was a most difficult task, but so many people benefit from his efforts. Thank you, Will Graves.)
Southern Campaign American Revolution
Pension Statements & Rosters
Pension application of Joseph Alexander S15355 f21SC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 5/3/10 & 7/14/14 [Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. The word 'illegible' or 'indecipherable' appearing in brackets indicates that at the time I made the transcription, I was unable to decipher the word or phrase in question. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading skills fail to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call material errors or omissions to my attention.]
State of Ohio, County of Clermont
On this 31st day of August personally appeared before me Robert Haines one of the associates Judges of the Court of common in said County Joseph Alexander a resident of Clermont County aforesaid aged born on the 10th day of May 1759 aged upwards of 73 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the service of United States under the following named officers and served as herein Stated—I first entered the service under Colonel Thomas in the year about the last of Nov. 1775 in the District then called 96 in South Carolina & left it about Christmas following. I was six weeks in the service as a volunteer under Capt. Berry [Andrew Berry] & Lieut. Berry. We marched to the upper parts of the State of South Carolina in pursuit of the Tories. We were discharged at Cruney's Mill on Reburn's [sic, Rabun's or Raeburn's] Creek. I turned out a second time as volunteer in the year 1779 and in said Col. Thomas [John Thomas] & Major Lusk he did to deduct, Capt. Berry & Lieut. Berry aforesaid we served three months on Savannah River under General Williamson [Andrew Williamson] in Detachments, guarding ferries or Crossing places at a place called Beech Island had one small skirmish with the Tories & were discharged at Beech Island.
I next turned out as volunteer under General Sumpter [Thomas Sumter] at a place called Steel Creek about the 1st of June 1780 in North Carolina. General Sumpter soon after left us & went to a place called Hillsboro. I was then attached to the Command under Col. Williams [James Williams] aforesaid. Was then marched to Kings Mountain [October 7, 1780] where we had an engagement against Col. Ferguson [Patrick Ferguson] of the British Army where said Ferguson was Defeated & killed this as near as I recollect was on 7th Oct. 1780. In Aug. of the same year we had an engagement at Musgrove's Mill [August 19, 1780] in the District then called 96 in South Carolina—about a month after the Battle of Kings Mountain we had an engagement at Blackstocks ford [Blackstock's plantation, November 30, 1780] on Tyger River against Col. Tarleton [Banastre Tarleton] he commanded the British Horse, & defeated him General Sumpter was wounded we made a litter for him & took him away in the night next night Tarleton came on with four hundred foot & two Brass field pieces as a reinforcement according to the best account & we retreated we soon afterward separated & went in what was called scouting parties along the Indian frontier against the Cherokees & Tories.
In the year 1781 I rec'd a Lieutenants Commission from Benjamin Garret Governor of South Carolina & served in that capacity til the end of the war. We were guarding the forts & Stations on the Indian frontier til about the last of August 1782 when we went into the Cherokee Nation under General Pickens [Andrew Pickens] & were then Discharged. He hereby relinquishes any former pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State or, if any, only on that of the agency of the State of Ohio.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Where and in what year were you born?
In County of Antrim in the north of Ireland.
Have you any record of your age & if so where is it?
I have [?] all my records being burnt with my house in the month of March 1800.
Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionary war & where do you now live?
I was living in district no. 96 in South Carolina. I left South Carolina in 1810 & removed to Ross Co. Ohio & in 1812 I removed to Franklin township Clermont Co. & State of Ohio where I have lived since that time.
How were you called into service were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute & if a substitute for whom?
I was always a volunteer.
State the names of some regular officers who were with the troops where you served such continental & militia regiments as you can recollect & the general circumstances of your service.
I was in the neighborhood when Col. Morgan [Daniel Morgan] defeated Tarleton [Battle of the Cowpens, January 17, 1781] & Col. White before whom I was sworn in when I rec'd my commission the general circumstances said as before described.
Did you ever receive a commission & if so by whom was it singed & what has become of it?
I did it was signed by Benjamin Garret then Governor of South Carolina which commission was burnt in March 1800 with house & household goods entirely in Spartanburg County South Carolina.
State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood who can testify to your character for veracity & their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution.
I am acquainted with Peter Hastings & Lewis Miller & several others who I believe would all testify.
We the undersigned do hereby certify and say that we verily believe from our acquaintance with the above named Joseph Alexander, that he is entitled to a pension from his country for services rendered as a soldier in the revolution, and furthermore we believe that he stands much in need of pecuniary aid from his honest poverty & old age --
also that we have been acquainted with the said Alexander for 15 years past and have no doubts of his having served as a revolutionary soldier and that he is a man of truth and veracity. September first, 1832
S/ Isaac Sandike
S/ John H. Hastings
S/ John McKibben
[Peter Hastings a clergyman of Franklin Township in Clermont County Ohio gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
State of Ohio Clermont County
Personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace in and for Franklin Township Clermont County & State of Ohio Joseph Alexander who being duly sworn deposeth & saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades, For 6 months I served as a Lieutenant I served as a private Soldier two years & four months & for such service I claim a pension.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Sworn& subscribed to before me this 21st day of May 1823
S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
I do hereby certify, that I was acquainted with Joseph Alexander of Clermont County and Franklin Township in the time of the Revolutionary war, that he the said Alexander lived in South Carolina in what is now called Spartanburg District, that he served as a soldier in that war, and for a Lieutenant's Commission, I cannot say how long.
S/ John Morton
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of August A.D. 1832 S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $140 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for 18 months service as a private and for 6 months service as a Lieutenant in the revolution.].
The actual burial site for Lt. Alexander has been lost to history. He died in Ohio and was buried there. Nevertheless, we have placed a Memorial Stone in his honor in the Cantrell Gilliand Memorial Garden. May this memorial serve as an expression of the gratitude we owe him for risking his life and braving the unknown to help build a new country: our America.
His participation in the Battle of King's Mountain was documented by his Application for Revolutionary War Pension, S15355. Will Graves transcribed the application.
(Parenthetically, historians, genealogists, and descendants owe thanks to Will Graves for his hours spent transcribing the pension applications of American Revolution veterans. These papers were fragile and difficult to read, so this was a most difficult task, but so many people benefit from his efforts. Thank you, Will Graves.)
Southern Campaign American Revolution
Pension Statements & Rosters
Pension application of Joseph Alexander S15355 f21SC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 5/3/10 & 7/14/14 [Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. The word 'illegible' or 'indecipherable' appearing in brackets indicates that at the time I made the transcription, I was unable to decipher the word or phrase in question. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading skills fail to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call material errors or omissions to my attention.]
State of Ohio, County of Clermont
On this 31st day of August personally appeared before me Robert Haines one of the associates Judges of the Court of common in said County Joseph Alexander a resident of Clermont County aforesaid aged born on the 10th day of May 1759 aged upwards of 73 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the service of United States under the following named officers and served as herein Stated—I first entered the service under Colonel Thomas in the year about the last of Nov. 1775 in the District then called 96 in South Carolina & left it about Christmas following. I was six weeks in the service as a volunteer under Capt. Berry [Andrew Berry] & Lieut. Berry. We marched to the upper parts of the State of South Carolina in pursuit of the Tories. We were discharged at Cruney's Mill on Reburn's [sic, Rabun's or Raeburn's] Creek. I turned out a second time as volunteer in the year 1779 and in said Col. Thomas [John Thomas] & Major Lusk he did to deduct, Capt. Berry & Lieut. Berry aforesaid we served three months on Savannah River under General Williamson [Andrew Williamson] in Detachments, guarding ferries or Crossing places at a place called Beech Island had one small skirmish with the Tories & were discharged at Beech Island.
I next turned out as volunteer under General Sumpter [Thomas Sumter] at a place called Steel Creek about the 1st of June 1780 in North Carolina. General Sumpter soon after left us & went to a place called Hillsboro. I was then attached to the Command under Col. Williams [James Williams] aforesaid. Was then marched to Kings Mountain [October 7, 1780] where we had an engagement against Col. Ferguson [Patrick Ferguson] of the British Army where said Ferguson was Defeated & killed this as near as I recollect was on 7th Oct. 1780. In Aug. of the same year we had an engagement at Musgrove's Mill [August 19, 1780] in the District then called 96 in South Carolina—about a month after the Battle of Kings Mountain we had an engagement at Blackstocks ford [Blackstock's plantation, November 30, 1780] on Tyger River against Col. Tarleton [Banastre Tarleton] he commanded the British Horse, & defeated him General Sumpter was wounded we made a litter for him & took him away in the night next night Tarleton came on with four hundred foot & two Brass field pieces as a reinforcement according to the best account & we retreated we soon afterward separated & went in what was called scouting parties along the Indian frontier against the Cherokees & Tories.
In the year 1781 I rec'd a Lieutenants Commission from Benjamin Garret Governor of South Carolina & served in that capacity til the end of the war. We were guarding the forts & Stations on the Indian frontier til about the last of August 1782 when we went into the Cherokee Nation under General Pickens [Andrew Pickens] & were then Discharged. He hereby relinquishes any former pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State or, if any, only on that of the agency of the State of Ohio.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Where and in what year were you born?
In County of Antrim in the north of Ireland.
Have you any record of your age & if so where is it?
I have [?] all my records being burnt with my house in the month of March 1800.
Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionary war & where do you now live?
I was living in district no. 96 in South Carolina. I left South Carolina in 1810 & removed to Ross Co. Ohio & in 1812 I removed to Franklin township Clermont Co. & State of Ohio where I have lived since that time.
How were you called into service were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute & if a substitute for whom?
I was always a volunteer.
State the names of some regular officers who were with the troops where you served such continental & militia regiments as you can recollect & the general circumstances of your service.
I was in the neighborhood when Col. Morgan [Daniel Morgan] defeated Tarleton [Battle of the Cowpens, January 17, 1781] & Col. White before whom I was sworn in when I rec'd my commission the general circumstances said as before described.
Did you ever receive a commission & if so by whom was it singed & what has become of it?
I did it was signed by Benjamin Garret then Governor of South Carolina which commission was burnt in March 1800 with house & household goods entirely in Spartanburg County South Carolina.
State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood who can testify to your character for veracity & their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution.
I am acquainted with Peter Hastings & Lewis Miller & several others who I believe would all testify.
We the undersigned do hereby certify and say that we verily believe from our acquaintance with the above named Joseph Alexander, that he is entitled to a pension from his country for services rendered as a soldier in the revolution, and furthermore we believe that he stands much in need of pecuniary aid from his honest poverty & old age --
also that we have been acquainted with the said Alexander for 15 years past and have no doubts of his having served as a revolutionary soldier and that he is a man of truth and veracity. September first, 1832
S/ Isaac Sandike
S/ John H. Hastings
S/ John McKibben
[Peter Hastings a clergyman of Franklin Township in Clermont County Ohio gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
State of Ohio Clermont County
Personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace in and for Franklin Township Clermont County & State of Ohio Joseph Alexander who being duly sworn deposeth & saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades, For 6 months I served as a Lieutenant I served as a private Soldier two years & four months & for such service I claim a pension.
S/ Joseph Alexander, X his mark
Sworn& subscribed to before me this 21st day of May 1823
S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
I do hereby certify, that I was acquainted with Joseph Alexander of Clermont County and Franklin Township in the time of the Revolutionary war, that he the said Alexander lived in South Carolina in what is now called Spartanburg District, that he served as a soldier in that war, and for a Lieutenant's Commission, I cannot say how long.
S/ John Morton
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of August A.D. 1832 S/ Josiah Q. Gallup, JP
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $140 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for 18 months service as a private and for 6 months service as a Lieutenant in the revolution.].
The actual burial site for Lt. Alexander has been lost to history. He died in Ohio and was buried there. Nevertheless, we have placed a Memorial Stone in his honor in the Cantrell Gilliand Memorial Garden. May this memorial serve as an expression of the gratitude we owe him for risking his life and braving the unknown to help build a new country: our America.
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
