about the year 1818 or 19 he left this county and went to the south west called North Alabama to one of his daughters and then to Illinois to Fort Mapack[?] and from there started to the south took sick and died of a fever as she is creditable in formed about 4 or 5 hundred miles from here but cant give the day or the month or the year but thinks it was about the year 1819 she states that she received one or two letters from his eldest Daughter stating the time and place of his death but they are all distroyed
as to his services in Revolution prior to their intermarriage she has but little knowledge but the information given by her husband and others of his acquaintances have often told her that he served a long time and was in many Battles six or seven she can’t give but a very imperfect account of the touers she states that she heard hir husband say that
he served six months as a Lieutenant under Col Dark [possibly William Darke] as a volunteer turned out from Burkley County [Berkeley County] State of Virginia under Capt Burdinger] and served his time of six months does not know what became of his commission or discharge if he had any
she thinks he was in a battle or small scirmish at New Jersey
and one at fort pitt with the Indians and British,
she heard him speak of a number of three months touers and that he always went out as a volunteer in the years of 1777 and 78 and 79 but after this date she became acquainted with him
and he went with some adventurers to cumberland to make a settlement he then Returned back to Sullivan County East Tennessee in the year the Battle of Kings Mountain was fought [1780]
he turned out under Capt Pemberton [John Pemberton] as volunteer and was commanded by Col Shelby and was in the Battle of Kings Mountain as a private and after the Battle was over he Returned home again to Burkley County Virginia she thinks this touer was three months and
he again turned out again under Col Morgan the Capt. not Recolected and was at taking of Corn Wallis [Yorktown]
and then Returned home and the prisoners were marched to Winchester Virginia and hir husband and hir self then made there marriage contract
he then turned out and went a volunteer to Winchester and stayed a while and then Returned back and on the 14th of February 1782
hir and hir said husband was married as before stated then about the 21st of said month he Returned back again to Winchester and remained some time and then came home a few days leaving a man in his place he then Returned back and Remained until the prisoners were released these touers were all performed guarding the prisoners at Winchester making in all three months as guard at said point
after the intermarriage she states that about three years after this time they removed to Sullivan County state of Tennessee
and in the year 1791 there was a call for levies by order of the General Government consisting of companies from the counties of Sullivan Green Washington and Hawkins so there were three [sic] companies enlisted and filed [filled?] out for six months after the arival at fort washington the place of Rondavouz and her said husband was appointed Captain commissioned and mustered in to the service all under the command of Major Ray
and from there was marched to mill creek and from there to the Big prarie on Big Miami where they erected a fort called Hamilton they then marched [?] served out his touer of six months this was called Indian Campaign as to the particulars of the campaign she refers the Department to the deposition of George Christian who was a soldier under him that touer who now lives in this county
she further states that some time in the fall season of 1792 there as a call for men to go on defense of the frontier of Tennessee and her husband Capt McCormack raised a company of Voluntiers and went in command of his company to Southwest point and the Indians went back and they had no battle with them Returned home in six weeks so ended his services in the war
she again states she can’t set out his old service before he removed form Burkley county state of Virginia but is well satisfyed from what she knows of hir own know[l]edge he must have served two years or upwards and six months of that time as a Lieutenant previous to the Indian Campaign.
she states that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state and hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present
and that she has never intermarried to or with any other man at any time that hir marriage did not take place at any time since or prior to but at the time above specified that this is the first application for a pension
she states that she is old and blind and much loss of hearing and memory and is unable to appear in court to make a declaration therefore makes it before makes it before [sic] a Justice of the peace she knowes of no living witness by whom she can prove his first services.
Nancy McCormack her mark
Sworn to and subscribed
Before me this 18th day of April
Richard Copeland {seal}
Justice of the Peace in and for the county of Overton state of Tennessee
State of Tennessee Overton County
The Deposition of George Christian a Resident of sd. county
April the 18th 1844
George Christian aged about seventy five years deposeth and saith that he has been acquainted with Captn Wm McCormack dcd whose widow has filed her papers dated 18th April 1844 asking a pension of government for services rendered by her late Husband in the revolutionary war and for services rendered subsequently as a captain in the army under Genl Arthur St Clair in the year 1791 --
I first became acquainted with Captn McCormack in 1790 in Sullivan County East Tenn. (at that time called the Territory of the United States south of the River Ohio) –
William Blount having been appointed Governor of the Territory was directed by Government to order out four companies of troops from the counties of Washington Sullivan Green & Hawkins. those companies were if possible to be raised by enlistment on which Govr Blount called on the above named counties to [unreadable] offering commissions to such officers as would turn out to take the command of said troops upon which
- Captn William McCormack from Sullivan
- Captn Jacob Tipton of Washington
- Captn George Conway of Green &
- Captn Jas Cooper [James Cooper] of Hawkins
presented themselves were commissioned by the Governor & Matthew Rhea of Sullivan was appointed Majr of the Battalion to be composed of the four companies above stated & the said troops were raised mostly be enlistment though some by draft. the men were required to sign their enlistment & sworn to comply with the rules & articles of war. Captns McCormack Tipton & Conway under Major Rhea marched their respective companies to Fort Washington where they were mustered into service for the Term of six months. I myself went out under Captn McCormack as a private soldier and continued in service untill we were discharged at Ft Washington after the defeat of St Clair.
After leaving the Regular Army at Fort Washington where we remained several weeks
the Army removed to Mill Creek some four or five miles in advance of Ft Washington where after remaining a short time
we removed to Ludlows still further out where we remained a few weeks from
thence we marched to the Big Prarie on the Miami where we remained some weeks. Built Fort Hamilton and when all the Troops and baggage that were expected arrived the Army took upon a line of march for the Indian Country. I think this was some time in September.
In the morning however after the Army paraded to march Capt McCormack recd orders from Col. Dark (to whose Regement I think we were attached) to take a detachment of [?] on pursuit of a number of deserters who had left the Army the night previous. Accordingly myself & some others were detached by Capt. McCormack to go on said service we pursued on into the old settlements of Kentucky upwards 100 or 120 miles partly as I suposed to endeavour to [?] those that had left and to deter others from making a like attempt. & after being engaged in this service some weeks
we returned to rejoin the Army then far in the Indian Country. myself and some others got to Fort Hamilton
but our Captn McCormack got as far as Ft. Jefferson which had been erected by the Army some 30 or 40 miles in advance of Fort Hamilton where he was met by the retreating army. whereas we all returned to Fort Washington (near Cinusati) where we were mustered out of service & discharged.
As respects the service of Captn McCormack in the war of the revolution I know nothing of my own knowledge though from what I have heard and others say on that subject I have little doubt that a great part or all of what has been stated by the widow is true. particularly the Battle of Kings Mountain and at the siege of York & the taking of Cornwallis. I am fully confident that said McCormack was present on both these occasions and further as respects the services under Dark and Berdinger who was both on St. Clairs campaign and seemed to be old acquaintances of Mc Cormacks. The latter I have often heard speak of being in service with the former in the war of the Revolution. As respects the marriage between the parties above named I know nothing further than of there being anything wrong about it I would have heard something of it as the[y] lived several years and kept a publick House in less than one mile of where I lived on the main road between Knoxville & Abington. and having been acquainted with many of their friends & acquaintances I never heard of doubts about their marriage.
as respects the removals of their Familly mentioned by the widow I know to be correct chiefly. Moreover, they had together to have near a dozen children. Capt W McCormack left his Family in Overton 1818 or 1819 on a visit to a daughter in Alabama from their it is understood he visited another daughter ([?]) at Fort Massnick from there he went down the Mississippi but as respects the time or place I have forgotten. But Capt. Andw Steel a Gentleman of my acquaintance informed me and others that he was at the House where Capt W McCormack and also the circumstance of his death ) but which has escaped my recollection.
Capt. Steel was well acquainted with W McCormack and being a man of unquestioned verasity left no doubt of the truth of his statement. so well as I recollect this must have happened about 1819 or 1820. the widow McCormack above mentioned now lives in this neighbourhood with her youngest daughter is quite old & infirm is entirely blind & dull of hearing and I think for the services of her Husband well deserves some from her Country and further this deponent saith not
s/ George Christian
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 18th day of April 1844 s/Richard Copeland
Justice of the Peace for Ovt County State of Tennessee
State of Tennessee
County of Overton
On this twenty first day of May in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fifty two [1852] personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid Nancy McCormick a resident of the County of Jackson in the State of Tennessee, aged about Eighty six years. . .
that she is the widow of William McCormick, who was a private in the War of the Revolution in the army, in the Battle of King’s Mountain in the Regiment commanded by Col. Shelby & in the Company commanded by Captain Pemberton.
The declarant does not remember the precise time or place at which he entered the service nor the period for which he served or the precise time he served as this service took place before her marriage with him but she has often heard him speak of of it and lived in the same County where he lived when he entered the service to wit Berkly County State of Virginia. She has heard him and other acquaintances talk much of his service but from her age she has forgotten much of it; she does not recollect the precise places to which he marched. The declarant states that her said husband served another campaign in the Army under Colonel Morgan and was at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown during this Campaign. He was promoted to a Lieutenancy during one Campaign but whether this one or not she cannot positively state though she thinks it was this last one during which Cornwallis was taken; but she thinks he went out as a private. She does not remember where he entered the service, for what length of time or when he returned but she remembers that he returned shortly after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. She states that her said husband served again another Campaign in the year 1791 in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Dark and commanded a Company in said Regiment as a Captain. She does not exactly remember the time & place at which he entered the last service. She thinks it was at Jonesboro in the state of [left blank] in June 1791 but for the particulars in relation to this Campaign she refers to the testimony of George Christian Esquire of Overton County Tennessee, who was a private under said William McCormick in the said last campaign which she will be caused to be filed herewith.) Her memory has become somewhat dull recently and she is now unable to state the fact with that particularity which she could have done a year or two past. She states that she was married to the said William McCormick on the 10th day of February 17836 that is seventeen hundred and eighty three in Berkly County Virginia, after publication of the banns but she has no record evidence of the marriage having a few years ago accidentally got her family Bible containing the only known Record of her marriage destroyed. She further states that her said husband the aforesaid William McCormick died sometime in the year eighteen hundred and twenty or about that time but she has no record of the exact time of his death; and she states that she has remained a widow ever since his death as will more fully appear by the proof hereto annexed. She states that she is blind and too infirm in body to appear before a court of record. She states that she preserved all his discharges for many years after his death but being ignorant of their value they were neglected until they were destroyed and are not now to be found.
her
Nancy x Mc Cormick
mark Sworn to and subscribed before me this day the day first above written
William Hardy Justice of the Peace for Overton County Tennessee
State of Tennessee
Overton County tn
At a County Court began and held at the Court house in the town of Livingston the same being th 7 of June 1852 present upon the bench the worshipful
Richard Copeland Chairman and
Willis Holford
John T R Gerde
John Sevier
Jefferson Copeland
James E Lavidge
Adam Winningham
Noah W Lane
William Hardy &
John S BilyenEsqrs acting Justices of the Peace for said County.
