yesterday's tennessee

CHANCERY ADDENDA V
PENSION APPLICATION PAPERS OF ALTHELSTAN ANDREWS

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

(Page 87)

In August 1832 the attorney, Joseph H. Talbot or Jackson, Tennessee was assisting several Revolutionary War veterans to apply for pensions based on the June 7, 1832 act of Congress which provided such compensation for veterans off this war. Among these applicants was ATHELSTAN ANDREWS off Henderson County. His pension papers, S1620, read in part:

DECLARATION OF ATHELSTAN ANDREWS

In order to obtain the benefit of the Act off Congress passed June 7th 1832.

State off Tennessee
Henderson County

On the sixteenth day off August 1832 personally appeared before John Adams, Robert Baker and Adam M. Brown Esquires, Justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for said county now sitting, ATHELSTAN ANDREWS aged seventy one years past, who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

That he enlisted in the army off the Unite States late in the fall of 1775 being within two months of fifteen years of age, under Captain Richardson in Salem, Massachusetts, the number of the regiment he does not recollect. He enlisted for one year; the winter after he enlisted he was stationed at Winter Hill where he remained that

 

(Page 88)

winter. Sometime afterwards he was transfered to Captain Browns company or Capt. Brown took the command of the company, the division of the army stationed at Winter Hill was commanded by Genl. [Charles] Lee. He was afterwards early in the spring removed to Cambridge when Genl. [George] Washington commanded in person. There he remained until the British evacuation [of] Boston. He was very shortly after the British evacuated Boston marched to New York where he arrived in April and was stationed at York Island and commenced immediately erecting Fort Washington. About three months afterwards the British under the command of Genl. Howe and Admiral Howe who I think were brothers arrived at New York. The British landed on Staten Island from thence they moved to Flatbush on Long Island. He was engaged one whole night in August afterwards in rowing the American troops from Long Island to New York when Genl. Washington commenced his retreat from that place. Genl. Washington went to Fort Lee on the Jersey shore oposite [sic] Fort Washington. We had sunk obstructions in the river to prevent the British fleet from passing up. We had left one place for our own vessels to pass. He was left at Fort Washington under the command of Col. Otho Williams. The British fleet passed the fort in the evening and the next morning the British attacked our picket guard between the city and the fort and between the fort and Kings Bridge; both these positions had works thrown up and mounted with cannon. He was posted at the picket near Kings Bridge which was attacked by the Hessians and cassions. We retreated to the fort and the fort surrendered. We were all taken and put in close confinement. I was confined at Bridewell until some time in the winter when he was exchanged and his time having expired. He returned to Salem, Massachusetts. This declarant has no recollection of receiving a writen [sic] discharge from the service and if he did has lost it. This declarant is not certain of his own memory whether he enlisted under a Continental officer or under an officer of the State of Massachusetts being so very young and not having had occasion to make particular enquiry since.

This declarant was born on the 25th of January 1761 in North Hampton County, North Carolina where hie father died when he was about twelve years of age. Shortly after his father's death an old acquaintance by the name of Batmon, a seafaring man came to where I lived and petitioned by elder brother to let me go with said Batmon to Salem and he promised to educate me and with this I started with him to Salem and from thence on a trading voyage to Nova Scotia and after our return to Salem I was put at school and was at school at the time I enlisted with the consent of my patron who was a great patriot. After I was exchanged as before mentioned I went to sea under my patron in a vessel owned by a man by the name of Cooke. We sailed to Bermuda and there we were taken by a British man of war called the Nautiless commanded by Capt. Collins. Capt. Batmon with the most of the crew were sent to New York and the British retained me and one other who was a young [man] as I was. They told us we were too young to be rebels and they would learn us to serve our king. I was afterward transferred from the Nautiless [to] the Reasonable a sixty four gun ship and compelled to do duty. After the fleet returned from Charleston and the southern coast to New York I deserted by concealing myself in a merchant vessel sailing from New York to Nova Scotia, commanded by Capt. Wright. At Nova Scotia [he] left the merchantman and arrived at Salem by a circuitous route through the country. When I got to Salem I found my old patron was dead. I remained there until peace when I returned to North Carolina and lived at Murfreesborough, at Louisburgh, at Warrenton, at Halifax and in Granville County, in all about twenty eight years when I removed to Williamson County, Tennessee where he lived eight year, then moved to Wilson and lived four years, then to Smith and lived there one year and about the year 1824 removed to this county where he has lived ever since.

I have no record of my birth. It was recorded in a book kept by my father which book my brother in law took with him to Georgia. He gave me a copy from the book which I have now in my possession by which means I believe I was born at the time I have stated. I do not know of any person living who can prove the performance of my services nor have I any documentary evidence. I refer to Jacob Bartholomew and James Howard who can state my character and reputed services.

 

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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 and has never applied for a pension before this.

 

Sworn to and subscribed in open court on this sixteenth day of August 1832. Jno. McClellan D.C. [Deputy Clerk]

And the said court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogations prescribed by the war department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states. And the court do further certify that Jacob Bartholomew and James Howard who have signed and sworn to the foregoing certificate are residents of the said County of Henderson and are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit. And that there is no regular stationed clergyman residing in the vicinity of said ATHELSTAN ANDREWS. In this country we have no regular stationed clergy, our preachers being generally transient persons or circuit riders.

John Adams, Robert Baker, Adam M. Brown

The War Department granted ANDREWS an annual pension of forty dollars per annum retroactive to March 4, 1831, allowing him $80 plus a semi-annual allowance ending September 4 of $20, making a total of $100.

REFER TO CHANCERY BOOK 7, PAGES 302-303, ADAM W. HARMON & OTHERS v GEORGE ANN and PAT MONDINE and OTHERS

 

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.