Transcription of George Baker's
Revolutionary War Pension Application
Pension Application # S17249
Submitted By: Leslie Gunter lgunter@psn.net
Be it remembered that on this day before me the undersigned as Justice of the Peace for said County personally came Boling Baker who being duly sworn according to law deposeth and saith
that he the deponent is both acquainted with George Baker (who is his brother) and further
this deponent saith that he knows that the said George Baker enlisted as a regular soldier in
the Sixth Regiment of the North Carolina troops, commissioned by Colonel Bunham or Dunham in
the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy six, in the war between the United Colonies
and Great Britain and after the said George Baker had served awhile (his length of service not now recollected) the said George Baker had taken sick and hired a destitute to serve out his
time___ And the said deponent further saith that after that he knows that the said George Baker volunteered for and served a three month tour in the year Seventeen Hundred & Eighty One under the Command of General Green stationed at Salisburg, North Carolina once there services were rendered in the service of our United Colonies for Independence___ and further this deponent saith not____.
His
Boling X Baker
Mark
Sworn and subscribed to before me a Justice of the Peace for the
County aforesaid on the 17th day of September in 1832.
[illegible]
Justice of the Peace
I George A. Phelps, Clerk of this Circuit Court for said County do hereby testify James Crawford Esquire whose name appears to in an affidavit made by Boling Baker which is here unto affidavit was at the time of signing the same since is yet an acting Justice of the Peace for said County duly commissioned and qualified according to Law and that full faith and credit on bill sought to be given to all his official acts as such justice.
In testimony whereof I hereunto set
my hand and Seal of said court at
Martinsville the 13th day Nov 1832
George A. Phelps, Clerk
Morgan Probate Court
November Term 1832
On this 13th day of November in the year 1832, personally appeared before John Matthews,
Probate Judge within and for said County, George Baker a resident of said county aged
seventy three years who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following
declaration in order to obtain benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress(?) passed
June Seventeenth 1832.
That he Enlisted in the army of the United States the year 1776 in May or June of said year
for the term of two years and six months in the Continental Line in the Sixth Regiment of
said line under the command of Colonel Livingston enlisted by George Doratty Lieutenant
olonel and the Majors name not recollected he says he served in the company commanded by
Captain John Baptist Ash 1st lieutenant George Doratty and Second Lieutenant _______
rmstrong, he served under said enlistment wntill which time the said declarer says he was
aken sick and returned home and remained at home untill sometime in the Spring of the
ollowing year which was in the year 1777 to the best of his recollection he was not able to
rejoin with the army untill sometime in the sprng of said year of 1777 about the middle of
May in said year that he continued in the Army from said time untill about the middle of
August in said year at which time he received a discharge at Guilford County South Carolina
the reason he was discharged at this time was because he was sick again and he hired a certain
Humphry Price to serve in his room and sted at which time he the said declarer got a regular
discharge signed by Major Armstrong of the Fourth Battallion which discharge he has long since
lost.
This declarer says that in the year 1775 sometime in that year he does not recollect the
precise time he volunteered for for forty days in the army of the United States under the
command of Captain Hightower and Lieutenant William Leemone that they marched to Salem in
the state of North Carolna for the purpose of fighting the Scotch at Crop(?) Creek but when
we got to Salem we learned that they were subdued by Roswells Army and returned home.
That he volunteered in the army of the United States sometime in the winter of 1778 or 1779 for
the term of three months and served under command of Colonel Joseph Phillips and the Majors
name was James Shepperd the Captains name under whom he served for the term of four days was
William Knowl(?) the said declarer says he acted as Ensign in the company to which he belonged
for the term of the said four days that Knowl acted as Captain and this declarer says he
himself acted as Captain in said company to which he belonged the ballance of the said term of
three months that he lived in the County of Wilkes in the state of North Carolina at the time
he served in the army that they marched to Charlott and from there to Anson Court House and
from there to Sallsberry Court House in the state of North Carolina and from there to a place
called Horsepasters in the state of Virginia and from there they returned on homeward he says
he got a written discharge from Colonel Phillips or Captain Speers he says they were both
there but he does not recollect which signed the said discharge he says hereckons in was
sometime in the year 1781 he says he has long since lost the said discharge.
This declarer says he was out with and under the command of Captain Robert Coll(?) and Captain
Robert King in the state of North Carolina in Halston River and its vicinity in what is now Hawkins County in scouting parties for the purpose of preventing the Indians from doing
mischief to the white people for the term of three months about the time that Cornwallis
surrendered either a little before or a little after that time he does not recollect with that
he was at different time out in scouting parties for the purpose of preventing the Tories from
doing any mischief in Wilkes County in the state of North Carolina he says the scouting party
to which he belonged was commanded by Captain Andrew Baker he does not recollect the precise
time he was out in ______ scout but he thinks something like one month which said served
everal times before mentioned when all added together he believes to make about eighteen
onths or one and a half years and the said declarer in answer to the questions propourded by
the court as required by the instructions from the War Department says that to the best of his
knowledge and belief he was born in Granville county in the state of North Carolina on the
14th day of October 1759 he says he had at one time a record of his age in a bible which his
father gave him but he says it is lost.
Says he was living in Wilks County in the state of North Carolina at the time he enlisted
entered the service of the United States and between the times of the several times of
service aforesaid and for about twenty five years afterwards and from that time moved to the
state of Kentucky in Clay County where he continued 18 or 20 years and from there he moved to
Morgan County in the state of Indiana where he has ever since lived which is about five years.
That his declaration above details the manner in which he was called to the service, that the
answers of the inquires which the law requires are contained in this declaration as well as he
recollects that he is known to George Baker, John Sims, Presley Sadiner and George A. Phelps
who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier
of the Revolution that he has proved said part of the above services by his brother Boling
Baker and herewith send his affidavit of the fact that he knows of no other person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his services and that he has no documentary
vidence thereof interegatory to or herein did you ever receive a compensation if so by whom
ith forbearance is signed or sworn he never did any.
He hereby relinquishes any claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the and declares
that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state or territory as sworn
to or subscribed the day and year aforesaid
his
George X Baker
mark
Personally appeared before the undersigned a Justice of the Peace in and for said county of Morgan and state aforesaid George Baker who being dully sworndeportherh and saith that by
reason of old age and the consiquent loss of memory , He cannot state positive as to the
precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection he served not
less that the period below and in the following grades to wit.
In his first tour (as recited in his declaration) he served not less than three months as
a private. In his second tour he served three months as a private. In his third tour (as
recited in his declaration suppossed to have been in the year 1775) he served not less than
one month and ten days as a private. He says he was mistaken as to the name of the Captain
under whom he served on that tour, The Captains name was Walton(Halton)(?) instead of
Hightower as stated in his declaration. In his fourth tour he served no less than three
months all of which time he served as a Captain except four days which four days he served
as Ensign. He says that upon examination of a more correct data, he finds that he was
mistaken as to the time he entered the service on said tour, that he is now satisfied that
he entered on said tour about the first of November 1780 instead of 1778 & 79 as was stated
in his declaration/ In his fifth tour he entered the service in the spring of 1781 aand
served not less than three months as a private. In his sixth tour (which was the Scouting
tour against the Tories) he served not less that one month as a private. This deponant
further saith for answer to the 14th interogations in the brief of objections forwarded from
War Department that he was of the opinion that the Judge of the Court did certify as to the credibility of the winesses whose names were subscribed to the certifivcate of his
Revolutionary service. This deponant further saith that the Reverend James Lumford is and
was at the time of the signing therof a respectable Clergyman of said county and tht John
Gray Sizmor is and was as aforesaid a respectable citizen of said county both resident in the
neighborhood of the aforesaid George Baker and that the individual who drew this deponants
declaration has through mistake omited tot insert the said Lunsford and Gray names in the
certificate and probably having heard this deponant speak of getting a certain Clergyman by
the name George W. Baker to certify for him has inserted his name instead of Lunsfords whose
name should have been inserted And this deponant sait that in all the aforesaid tours he
served in the United States rmy at least fourteen months and ten days and for which service
he claims a pension.
his
George X Baker
mark
Sworn to and subscribed before me
this 9th day of July 1833
Charles B. Butler
Justice of the Peace