Pension Applications of James and Patience Butterfield Simpkins: W19364

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

State of Virginia, County of Montgomery Sc.

On this 9th day of August 1832, personally appeared before the court of Montgomery County in the state of Virginia, James Simpkins a resident of said county and state aged Seventy four years last November, 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 year 1777 (as well as he can remember) under an engagement to serve three years, and served in the 12th regiment of the Virginia line under the following named Officers. Alexander Breckenridge Lieutenant, Samuel Lapsley[?] Captain (Major’s name forgotten) Nathaniel Giss [sic: Gist] (according to present recollection) Colonel, when he enlisted he resided in the county of Botetourt and state of Virginia; He was in the Battle of Monmouth [28 June 1778] and in some skirmishes. After serving his full term he was discharged at Fredericktown in Maryland in 1780. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state. Sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid.

            [signed] James Simpkins

NOTE: The file includes a pension application dated 1 Aug 1853 in Montgomery County from Patience Simpkins about 66 years old who declared that she had married James Simpkins about 20 Jan 1823 and that he died on 30 Dec 1833. An application for bounty land dated 15 May 1855 states that her name before marriage was Patience Butterfield. The latter declaration was supported by Francis C. Kessler, who stated that he was present at the marriage in Christiansburg in Montgomery County VA. The file also includes a copy of the bond of James Simpkins and Asiel[?] Snow dated 20 Jan 1823 for the marriage of Simpkins to Patience Butterfield in Montgomery County. A document dated 8 April 1867 was filed by James H. Simpkins, age about 40, stating that he was the only child and heir of Patience Simpkins, deceased, and that they had subsisted as farmers in Montgomery since 1 Jan 1861, that she had died on 21 Jan 1866, and that “neither him or his mother bore arms against the United States, nor in any manner voluntarily encouraged the rebels or manifested a sympathy with their cause.” The purpose of the last declaration was to collect the pension she would have received from 4 March 1861 to the date of her death. A typed summary in the file states that in 1853 a George Clare of Montgomery County stated that James Simpkins was his father-in-law.