Pension Application of Zacharia James Keaton: R5803

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

State of Tennessee}

Wilson County}  SS.

            On this 8th day of December 1840 personally appeared in open Court, in the Circuit Court of Wilson County in the State of Tennessee, the said Court being a court of record, Zacharia James Keaton, a resident of said Wilson County and State of Tennessee, aged eighty six years on the 4th day of April last, 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 latter part of the year 1777 or early in 1778, with Captain Davis [sic: possibly Isaac Davis; see note below] at the barracks a few miles above Charlottesville; that his enlistment was for the term of three years, but served three years, seven months and some days over, before he was discharged, never having been enlisted but once, that he served in the Continental line of Virginia, the regiment in which he served, he cannot remember; neither can he remember the names of the field officers under whom he served. His Captain was Davis, with whom he enlisted. His Christian name he cannot remember. He served in his company about eighteen months; he was attached to Captain Morgan’s Company, his given or Christian name he does not remember. After serving with Morgan’s company a few months, he was attached Captain Miller’s Company in which he served the balance of the time. At the time of declarant’s enlistment, he lived in Albemarle County State of Virginia. Shortly after declarant’s enlistment he together with the company to which he belonged, was ordered to the south, but the particular point of destination he does not remember; on the march a large number of British prisoners were met, who were said to be Burgoin’s [sic: Burogoyne’s] men; he states his company was then turned back and marched to Albemarle Court House, where he remained guarding said prisoners, until ordered to Yorktown. When he started to Yorktown, he was attached to Capt’n Miller’s Company as above stated. While on the march to Yorktown the news reached the troops to which declarant belonged, of the surrender of Cornwallis, whereupon he was ordered back to Charlottesville, where he was discharged after peace was made, having served the term above stated. Declarant received a written discharge from Capt’n Miller, or his name may have been Mills, he cannot state positively which was his name. He kept his discharge for many years, when it was plain in the hands of Robert M Burton Esq’r. of Lebanon Wilson County, Tennessee, much worn and defaced, in order to procure a pension. He informed declarant he had sent it to the War Department, but for some cause, unknown to declarant he failed to obtain a pension. Decllarant has not seen his discharge since. After declarant’s discharge, he removed to Henry County Virginia, and after he settled there said County was divided and a new county established [in June 1791], called Patrick, in which county declarant fell and continued to reside there until he removed to Wilson County Tennessee, where he resided ever since, being now twenty six years. Declarant further states that he has never received any pay for his services either in land or money. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or 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 and year aforesaid. Zacharia James hisXmark Keaton

NOTE: Compare the pension application of David Keeton (S2685), who enlisted under Capt. Isaac Davis, marched to the Shenandoah River where he met prisoners from the Battle of Saratoga in September 1777, and conducted them to Albemarle Courthouse.