Pension Application of Thomas Hale: S37975
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
At a Superior Court of Law for the County of Franklin
Continued & held at the Courthouse the 21st day of October 1818.
Thomas Hale, of this County, this day made oath in Court, that he was enlisted in Orange County, NC, by Lawrence Thompson a Lieutenant in Capt. Alfred Masie’s Company and 1st Regiment of provincial Troops, for the balance of the term of one year, which said Troops had to serve, and joined the Regiment at head quarters near Wilmington on Cape Fear River in said State, in the month of September, thence marched to Brunswick, where he staid til next Spring, thence marched to near the cross creek [now Fayetteville in Cumberland County NC] against the Scotts [i.e. Scottish Loyalists], who were embodied under McCloud, thence back to Wilmington, thence to Charlestown, S.C. under the command of Gen’l. Charles Lee, in the year 1776. That after the Battle of the 28 June 1776 on Sullivants Island [sic: Sullivan’s Island at the mouth of Charleston Harbor], he among the rest of the NC Troops were sent to Hadrel’s point [sic: Haddrell’s Point across the harbor from Charleston] from thence to Sullivants Island, where he was taken sick and went to the General Hospital, where he remained with many others, until the N.C. troops marched to the north leaving their sick behind, with leave for such as recovered, to the rest the remainder of their time in the service to the South. That in the latter end of the year 1776, he joined the 5th South Carolina Regiment, Commanded by Colo. Isaac Huger, and in Capt. James Conyer’s Company of Grenadiers for the term of three years, thence he marched to Savannah Georgia where the Americans had two Engagements with the British [on 29 Dec 1778] & lost 87 Rank & file, thence march back to Charlestown S.C. under the command of Gen’l. [Robert] Howe, where he left us under the command of Gen’l. Benjamin Lincoln, and in 1778 or 1779 marched back to Georgia where with the French Troops they attempted to take the Town of Savannah from the Enemy by storm [9 Oct 1779], but were repulsed, after this defeat were marched back to Charlestown S.C. where his Regiment was reduced and he was put in the 1st under the Command of Colo. Charles Cotesworth Pinkney [sic: Pinckney] and in Capt. Thomas Gadsden’s Company from thence were marched to fort Moultrie [on Sullivan’s Island] where they had an Engagement with the British Fleet [8 April 1780]. after this were sent back to Charlestown for its defence, but after a long seige were compelled to surrender it for want of provisions. That his term of service expired about Christmas 1779, but upon the solicitations of Colo. Pinkney, he among others remained in the service until Charlestown was surrendered as above mentioned, when he did on the 12 day of May 1780. apply to Colo. Pinkney for his discharge, and obtained it which said discharge he has since lost. That after he had obtained his discharge, in order to effect his escape believing that the regulars would not be paroled, and that the Militia could be, he parted with his uniform and disguised himself as a Militia man, and was paroled with Colo. Hugh Termin’s[?] Regiment from Orange County N.C. That he is worth only a small tract of Land of about 96 acres, two Cows, one work ox, sixteen head of Hogs & eighteen sheep, that he is in the sixtieth year of his age, that he came to the County of Franklin Va. in the year 1799, and acted as a bugle man in Capt. Daniel Smith’s company of Militia.
It also appears from the Testimony of Hannah Gillespie a sister of the said Thomas Hale, that she well remembers when he was enlisted by Lawrence Thompson, who had since that time before been the Schoolmate of her said Brother, and the son of her neighbour, and that he was four years and seven months absent from home, and as she supposed in the Militia service, that she saw her said Brothers parole by Clinton the commander of the Enemy and his discharge by Charles Cotesworth Pinkney.
The said Thomas Hale having been known to the Court for about fifteen years, who never heard any thing to his prejudice is a man of truth, and that his Land lies in a part of the County where it is not considered as valuable, and the Court consider his property to be such as he has himself state it to be.
Whereupon it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that the said Thomas Hale served at least nine months as a private in the Regular army against the British during the war of the revolution. It is ordered that the [rest missing]
Schedule
District of Virginia}
Franklin County, Court}
On this third day of July 1821, personally appeared, in open Court, being the Superior Court of law for the County of Franklin and a Court of record, Thomas Hale aged sixty three years, an applicant for a pension from the Government of the United States for military services performed during the revolutionary war, and gave in the following schedule of his property and effects, towit.
D. C
A Tract of Land containing Ninety acres more or less of the value..................... 96.00
One horse purchased on the Credit of his pension not yet paid for................ 36.50
eight head of cattle..................................................................................................................... 48.00
Twenty one head of hogs........................................................................................................ 31.50
eight head of sheep.................................................................................................................... 10.00
Two potts......................................................................................................................................... 4.66
Two ovens....................................................................................................................................... 3.00
Knives, forks & spoons, Dishes & plates.......................................................................... 4.00
$237.82
and that he has purchased meat and bread on the faith of his pension to the amount of fifty or sixty dollars, which remains yet unpaid. He also declares on oath that his family consists of himself his wife and seven children, the oldest a boy about fifteen years of age, the next a boy about thirteen years of age, the third a boy about eleven years of age, the fourth a daughter about eight years old, the fifth a boy about six years old, the sixth a boy about four years old, and the seventh a boy between one and two years old. Thomas hisXmark Hale
He also took and subscribed in open Court on the same day the following oath. I Thomas Hale do solemnly swear that I was a resident Citizen of the United States on the eighteenth day of March 1818, and that I have not since that time by gift, sale or any other manner whatever, disposed of my property or any part thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of Congress entitled, “an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the Land and naval service of the Untied States in the revolutionary war, passed on the eighteenth day of March 1818, and that I have not nor has any person in Trust for me, any property or securities, contracts of debts due to me, nor have I any income other than what is contained in the Schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed.
Thomas hisXmark Hale