Pension Application of Moses Greer: S8609
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
Commonwealth of Virginia Franklin County SS.
On this 12th day of September 1832 personally appeared before Henry Carper a justice of the peace and member of the county court of Franklin which is a Court of record, Moses Greer, Sen’r, a captain in the service of the United States during the revolutionary war, a resident of Franklin County & State of Virginia born in Baltimore[?] Maryland 2nd day of June 1744 according to his register & aged 88 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 7th June 1832 that he entered the service of the United States under the officers named hereafter and served as herein stated — that he commanded a company of Militia in actual service in the year 1779– two full tours of service to wit Six months, that during the said six month his company and others were stationed at the lead mines in Grayson County Va [sic: see note below] not far from the Carolina line the object to protect said mines from the Indians and tories, that he repaired to and remained at said mines as above by the orders of Colo James Callaway. That he marched from his then & now place of residence to the mines to wit from Bedford now Franklin County. After the service above in which he gave entire satisfaction – This applicant received from Gov Jefferson a special commission as Lieutenant in a company of volunteers to serve under Gen’l [Robert] Lawson–which commission he has fortunately preserved–and which is hereby exhibited dated in October 1780– this applicant being devoted to the [word illegible] of independence tho’ a captain accepted this appointment and repaired with his company to petersburg Va where he joined the commander General Lawson – that the Captain being about [two lines illegible] his company was honorably discharged – that his company were what was called minute men under an obligation to march when ordered that while at Petersburg and its vicinity Baron Steuban [sic: Baron von Steuben] was attached to the company and Maj’r Tucker also – that he frequently during the War acted under the orders of those patriotic and gallant officers Colo Charles Lynch Colo Wm Leftwich and Colo James Callaway. That he marched with his company at another time into North Carolina, the object to attack the tories [one or two words illegible, possibly “at Kings”] mountain but from the circumstances of the greater distance he & his company had to march he did not arrive till the battle was [two words illegible] but by [word illegible] and [word illegible] got there a very short time after the battle. That at this time he was out at least three months. That he was out on various tours – besides those enumerated after the Tories on the North Carolina line and in the mountains to which they had repaired in great numbers that he was on the march to York Town when the British surrendered – that his zeal in the cause of American independence is well remembered by many old persons yet living and has been rewarded by honorable promotion in civil life since the war– He was after the war elected to the State Legislature from Franklin County nine years he was made a member of the county court and is now the presiding judge of that court – That from age and bodily infirmity he can no longer attend court–being nearly blind and unable to ride or walk about without being in danger of falling – for his character in every respect he refers the Department to Nath’l H Claiborne member of Congress – and the larger portion of the people of the county in which he resides — This applicant states that he verily believes he was in actual service more than two years that he considered himself as a volunteer thro’ all his services – that he obeyed every order to enter the service and never quit till discharged – he has lost or mislaid all his discharges – he files herewith the affidavit of one of his volunteer soldiers – [one or two words illegible] old and poor and infirm, and dependant in a great measure on his children for a support. I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declare that my name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any state. [signed] Moses Greer Sen.
NOTES:
Greer stated that he was stationed at the lead mines in Grayson County, but that county was not formed until 1793. The lead mines are actually near Fort Chiswell in Wythe County.
The application of Moses Greer, Sr. was supported by Moses Greer, Jr., a clergyman. A typed summary adds that Moses Greer, Jr. was also a justice of the peace and stated that he served several tours against the Tories under Moses Greer, Sr.
A note on Moses Greer’s pension voucher states that he died 10 May 1834.