Pension Application of William Brooks: R1259
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of
On this 25 day of September in the year 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Judge of the circuit Superior court of Law and chancery for the County of Tazewell & State of Virginia. now sitting, William Brooks a resident of the county of Tazewell and State of Virginia aged eighty years last February, 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 the United States, under the following named officers, and served as herein stated; that he was drafted, the first time in October 1777 to go to Chesnut Hill [sic: Chestnut Hill near Philadelphia], under Richard Waugh Capt. Lieutenant Bazell Nox, the name of the ensign he does not recollect, that he was at that time a citizen of Culpeper County Virginia, and rendezvoused at Culpeper C. House; and was marched from there to some place in the State of Maryland, where he was taken sick, and the rest of the troops left him there, and went on for Chesnut Hill; that he remained there sick some time by the aid of Lieutenant Nox who applied to Colo. James Barber he was discharged, which discharge was signed by said Colo. James Barber, which has since been lost not believing that it would ever be of any use to him. that it was about one month he served that tour including the time he was sick. That in February 1781 while he was a citizen of Botetourt County Virginia, he was drafted in that county, and marched to, he thinks, Guilford County North Carolina under the following named officers, Capt. James Woods, Lieutenant Henry Waterson, the ensigns name he does not recollect, Colo. Hugh Crockett, while there he was in two small skirmishes with the British, one on a little river called Allamance [sic: Alamance, at Clapp’s Mill in Alamance County about March 4], or Yellow Mans; the other on the Reedy fork of Haw river, at a place called Whitsells Mills [sic: Wetzel’s Mill in Guilford County on March 6], after which it appeared, after a council having been held, there [word illegible] some [one or two words illegible], and my Capt. was sent home, and he with him [see note below], and and does not think he got any discharge for that term of service, he thinks he served on that tour above one month, that he got back in the month of March following; That in the fall of 1781 he was drafted, about the first of November, while a citizen of Bottetourt County Virginia, and marched from there to Staunton, from there to Richmond, under the following officers, Capt. Thomas Hamilton, Lieutenant William Slaughter, Ensign Robert Buck, Charles Dabney Colo. who was regular officer as he believes; there were however, under (whom he [word illegible] on that tour) other officers there occasionally, but does not recollect their names, that he was drafted for a tour of six months, and served out that time, and was regularly discharged at Richmond about the first of May by William Slaughter which discharge has also been lost by time and accident, the regiment was called the Scott regiment. That he was born on the 3d day of February 1752 in Fauquier County Virginia as he has allways been informed by his parents, but has no other record of his age, that he is well known to Thomas Witten, Colo. Hezekiah Harman, Major John Ward, John Daugherty and Capt. John Crockett. He hereby relinquishes 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. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
[signed] William Brooks
NOTE: Brooks was apparently one of the Botetourt riflemen who left the service after the skirmish at Wetzel’s Mill, before the Battle of Guilford Court House. At a later court martial to determine if they would receive credit for their service, 49 Botetourt riflemen testified that they went home to plant crops.
State of
On this 29th day of August 1843 personally appeared before the subscribed a justice of the Peace Mrs. Nancy Brooks a resident of the County and State aforesaid aged 74 years who being first duly sworn, according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July the 4th 1836 That she is the widow of William Brooks, who was a soldier in the War of the revolution in the Virginia Malitia, and was placed on the pension Roll at twenty six dollars and sixty six cents per annum, under the act of Congress of 7th July 1832: for the particulars of his service she would refer to the evidence upon which he drew his pension aforesaid.
She further declares that she was married to the said William Brooks on the 5th day of September in the year seventeen hundred & sixty nine and that her husband, the aforesaid William Brooks died on the 24th day of January Eighteen Hundred and Forty one and that she has remained a widow ever since that period as will more fully appear by reference to the proof hereto annexed.
Witness
Mary her X mark Brooks
H. P. Spotts[?]