May Term 6th day 1833
Saturday morning nine o'clock May the 18th 1833. Court met pursuant to adjournment presents as of yesterday
Comes now in open Court Robert Ellis a Revolutionary Pensioner and files his declaration which is in his words and figures following to wit
State of Indiana, Greene County
Greene County Probate Court
May Term 1833
Declaration in order to obtain the benefits of an act of congress passed June 7th 1832. On this the 14th day of May in the year of our Lord 1833, personally appeared in open Court before the Honorable Willis H Lester Judge of the Probate Court of the County of Greene aforesaid the same being a court of Record now sitting.
Robert Ellis aged 76 years of age the first day of last February and a resident of the County of Greene aforesaid who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he was born as he believes in the County of Buckingham in the State of Virginia but in what County in said State he will not be positive but from the tradition of his family he thinks it must have been in Buckingham County. That from Buckingham County he moved with his father when a child to the State of South Carolina and settled in Abbeville district in said State where he still resided until he entered the service as hereinafter stated that he entered the service of the United States in the War of the Revolution in the district of Abbeville in the State of South Carolina where he then lived. That he entered the Army of the United States in the War of the Revolution sometime in the Spring of 1781 as well as he remembers. That he is certain that it was sometime before the siege of Ninety Six in South Carolina. That he entered the service as herein stated as a volunteer without mentioning any definite period but continued in the service until the end of the war in the company commanded by Captain John Wilson in Regiment commanded by Col McCall. That this declarant was some short time previous to the siege of Ninety Six stationed at Reeds Mills. That he was at the siege of Ninety Six. That Captain Wilson and Col McCall were the officers under whom he served at said siege. That after the Siege of Ninety Six and before the Battle of the Eutaw Springs that he was marched backward and forwards through the State of South Carolina. Was stationed about two weeks at the Saluda Old Towns and also in the neighborhood of the Sleigh Hills of Santee. That after the siege of Ninety Six he was placed under the command of Captain Isaac Little. That he was in the Battle of Eutaw Springs which Battle was faught as he thinks sometime about the first of September 1781. That he was under Captain Little in the Battle of Eutaw Springs. That he was not in any Battle after the Eutaw Springs but was still in the service and was in various excursions against the Tories. That after the Battle of the Eutaw he was placed under the command of Captain Frost and was also towards the last of the war put under the command of Capt John Norred under whom we had sundry expeditions against the Tories not worth mentioning. That this declarant still continued in the Army as above stated until some in the month of September in the year 1783 at which time he was finally discharged and received his discharge in writing by whom it was signed he cannot now say but that the same was handed to him by Captain Norred as well as he now remembers. That he lost said discharge by fire in consequence of his House being burnt and that his discharge with all his papers was there destroyed . That during the time he was in the Army he was acquainted with the following officers to wit Genl Andrew Pickens who was shot in his shoulder in the Battle of the Eutaw Springs. That he often saw Genl Green and also saw General Morgan and Col McCall. That he also knew Col Cleveland and was well acquainted with him. That he also seen Col William Washington and Genl Lee. That after he was discharged as herein stated he returned home to Abbeville District where he resided about 15 or 16 years from thence he moved to Wilks County in the State of Georgia where he lived about 12 years from thence he moved to Campbell County in the State of Tennessee where he lived about sixteen years from thence he moved to Monroe County in the State of Indiana where he lived about three years from thence he moved to Greene County the place of his present residence. That he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension list Roll of any State or Territory as a petitioner. This deponent further states that he cannot prove nor has he in his possession any written evidence of his services and that he cannot prove his services other than by his own declaration and the Testimony of Revd Jarrard B Huffman a minister of the Gospel, Jesse Powell, William Stephens. Robert Ellis and John F Wilson his neighbors residing in his immediate vicinity to whom he is known and citizens of the County of Sullivan & Greene and State aforesaid whose deposition he prays may be taken and made a part of this record. He also further states that he was born on the first day of February 1757. That he has no record evidence of his age but that he has repeatedly seen the record of his age in his father’s family Bible which Bible he now believes to be in the possession of Esther Johnson a sister of this declarant now residing in the State of Georgia and that from the best of his recollection and belief from having often seen said record and also from the tradition of his family that was born on the day and year aforesaid.
Sworn to and subscribed in open Court
on this 14th day of May 1833 (signed Robert Ellis)
State of Indiana
Greene County
We the undersigned citizens of the Counties of Greene and Sullivan and neighbors residing in the immediate neighborhood of the said Robert Ellis the said Robert residing near the line dividing said Counties, certify that we are all well acquainted with the said Robert Ellis and was acquainted with him both in the Counties of Monroe and Green, who subscribed and swore to the above declaration that we believe he is seventy Six years of age and he is respected and believed in the neighborhood in which he resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolution in the Volunteers as he states in the army of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion.
Jarard B Huffman
A Minister of the Gospel of the Christian Church
Jesse (his X) Powell
William Stephens
Robert Ellis
John F Wilson
Ordered that Court adjourn until Court in course this 18th day of May 1833
W H Lester Probate Judge