[A verbatim copy, including spelling errors, of a county court transcript written by a court clerk.]
State of North Carolina County of Lincoln
Be it known that Samuel Espie this day personally appeared before me Maxwell Wilson a Justice of the Peace for the said County of Lincoln who on his oath declared that he is the same identical Samuel Espie who lately served as a private in the Revolutionary Service in the company commanded by Captain Isaac White in the Regiment commanded by Colonel William Graham — that he received no certificate of that fact under the signature seal of the Secretary of War placing him on the pension list of the United States Roll of the North Carolina agency but that he has for some time drawn his pension from the proper Authority of North Carolina and the United States agency at Fayetteville.
[signed] Sam Espey
Sworn to & subscribed
before me this 10th Jany 1822
[signed] Maxwell Wilson J.P.
State of North Carolina
Lincoln County
I Vardry McBee Clerk of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions in the State & County aforesaid do certify that Maxwell Wilson Esquire before whom the foregoing affidavit was made who attested the same is a acting Justice of the Peace in & for said county, duly Sworn & Commissioned, & that his official attestations are entitled to all due faith & credit as such in testimony whereof I have set my hand & seal of office at Lincolnton the 21st day of January 1822 & in the 46th Year of our Independence.
[signed] Vardry McBee Cle
State of No Carolina
Lincoln County
This is to certify that Vardry McBee who has attested the within certificate is the Clerk of the Court of Pleas & quarter sessions for said county and that all due faith & credit should be placed in his official attestation. 21 January 1822.
[signed] D. Rinhardt
Justice peace
in & for said county
State of North Carolina
Lincoln County
Abram Forney of said County this day personally appeared before me Robert H. Burton and after being duly sworn, according to law, says, he was in the Battle of Kings Mountain on the 7th day of October 1780 as one of the militia of this county, that Samuel Espy commanded in the said Battle as a Captain, and was wounded, during the action in the army, this deponent farther states, that in the year 1781, Captain Espy commanded a company that this deponent there acted as a sergeant in said company. during this tour of service Capt Espys arm became very sore, not having been healed, of the wound he received at Kings mountain, in 1780, and during this tour of service the soreness Increased, and smelt very offensive, at which time Captain Espy was unable to perform the duties, that devolved on him as Captain. and got leave to return home, his arm was so offensive that the soldiers under his command complained of the offensiveness of the smell, before he consented to leave his company.
This deponent farther says, that he knows Capt Espy, ever since the Battle of Kings mountain, & before he has always supported the character of an honest man, & has for many years acted as a justice of the peace for this county.
[signed] Abraham Forney
Sworn to & subscribed
before me April
27th 1827
[signed] Robert Burton
State of North Carolina
Lincoln County
On this 31st day of October AD 1832 personally appeared in open court before the honorable David Swan Judge of Lincoln County Superior Court of law & Equity now Sitting, Samuel Espey Esquire a resident of said County of Lincoln in the State of North Carolina aged Seventy four years, 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 7 1832 – that he was born in the County of Cumberland in the State of Pensylvania on the 8th May 1758 (as he was informed & believes.) he had a record of his age in a bible which was lost many years ago when his house was consumed by fire. he removed with his father in the year 1770 at the age of twelve years to the County of Tryon (now Lincoln) In the State of North Carolina, where he lived with him at the commencement of the Revolutionary War, and In which County he hath resided ever since & shortly after the end of the War he settled on the plantation where he now lives, at the distance of about eight miles from his father.
That about the 5th July 1776 he volunteered as a private Soldier under the command of Captain Peter Carpenter to go as a Ranger against the Cherokee Indians & remained some time at McFaddens Fort & afterwards went with the army commanded by General Rutherford to the Cherokee Nation against said Indians. the whole of this tour of service was about three months. about the year 1779 he volunteered as a private soldier under the command of Captain Barber in a Regiment commanded by Col. Charles McLean In the militia of North Carolina in the service of the United States against bands of Tories. he was in this service about one month. he again entered the service in the militia of North Carolina as a Captain early in the Spring of 1780 under the command of Col. Wm Graham & General Charles McDowel & during that service sometime in the summer of the same year, he was engaged in a battle with the British & Tories at the Cedar Springs in the District of Spartenburg South Carolina and continued in the ranging service until the Battle of Kings Mountain fought near the South & North Carolina line with the British & Tories under the command of Col. Ferguson on the 7th October in that year. In which Battle he had his right arm broken by a Ball, after he recovered from said wound, he again volunteered as a Captain of militia of North Carolina under the command of General Thomas Polk & marched to Rugeleys Mill in Kershaw District in the State of South Carolina, there he was first placed under the command of Col. Reed of North Carolina & afterwards under Col. Marshall from which service he was discharged sometime in the summer of 1781. that he doth not know what became of his commission or discharge unless they were burned in his house which was destroyed as above stated – he hath no documentary evidence In his power to produce but there are several persons living who can prove part of his service, the depositions of some of whom are hereunto annexed.
He thereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of any agency of any State only on that of the agency of the State of North Carolina at the Town of Fayetteville.
[signed] Sam Espey
Sworn and Subscribed the day & year aforesaid.
Lawson Henderson Clk
of Lincoln County Supr Court of law in
State of North Carolina
James Hill a resident of Lincoln County in the State of No Carolina of the age of Seventy three years being duly sworn in solemn form according to law declares that he hath been well acquainted with Saml Espey Esqr the foregoing applicant ever since about the year 1770 who moved into Tryon (now Lincoln) County with his father about that time & until the present time, that he was with said Espey as a soldier in the revolutionary War, he being under the command of Capt. John Barber & this deposent under the command of Capt. Kirkendall in a Regiment commanded by Col. Charles McLean & afterwards was in the service with said Espey at the Battle of Kings Mountain fought with the Tories & British under Command of Col. Ferguson in which Battle said Espey had his arm broken by a ball – that they were together in the service for the greater part of the Summer of 1781.
[signed] James Hill
Sworn to and subscribed
in open Court this 31st day of
October AD 1832
Lawson Henderson Clk of
Lincoln County Superior Court
of law in State of North Carolina
Samuel Caldwell a resident of Lincoln County in the State of North Carolina of the age of seventy three years being duly sworn according to law declares he hath been well acquainted with Samuel Espey Esqr. the foregoing applicant for upwards of fifty years past, that they were soldiers together in the Revolutionary war at which time & ever since they have both resided in the them County of Tryon (now Lincoln) in the State of North Carolina. that this applicant & said Espey were together at the Kings Mountain Battle as stated in said Espeys foregoing declaration where he had his arm broken by a Ball, at which time he understood said Espey was a Captain. & that this applicant was with him several excursions during the said revolutionary war, the particulars of which he is now unable to state.
[signed] Sam Caldwell
Sworn to & subscribed
in open Court the 31st
day of Octr AD 1832
Lawson Henderson Clerk
of Lincoln County Superior
Court of Law in the State
of North Carolina
And the said Court do hereby declare their option that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier & served as he states.
I Lawson Henderson Clerk of Lincoln County Superior Court of law in the State of North Carolina do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of this said court in the matter of the application of Samuel Espey Esquire for a pension.
[seal] In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of Office this 31st day of October AD 1832 & in the 57th year of the Independence of the United States.
[signed] Lawson Henderson
I do further certify that the questions prescribed by the War department [illegible] by the court to that foregoing applicant & that his answers each embodied in his declaration.
[signed] Lawson Henderson C.L.S.C.
State of North Carolina
Rutherford County
Before John Sagan a justice of the peace in and for the County of Rutherford came William Graham who after being duly sworn, states that he is very old & his memory of consequence very much impaired but he remembers that about the year 1776 Samuel Espey now resident in Lincoln County of this state marched under his command against the Cherokee Indians as a pack horseman; in this expedition Gen. Griffith Rutherford held chief command. — said Espey was afterwards in the revolutionary service and for some time before and at the battle of Kings Mountain (the 7th of October 1780 as well as he now remembers) held the command of captain in the Regiment which was then commanded by this deposent and at that battle received a wound in his arm which disabled him somewhat for a time — perhaps to the present day. — This deposent is not certain but thinks said Espey was with him at a skirmish between him and some tories near the Cedar Springs south of Pacolet River in South Carolina but he cannot give the date when it occurred.
[his mark] William X Graham
Sworn to & subscribe
before me this 6th day of May
AD 1833
State of North Carolina
Lincoln County
Personally appeared before me the undersigned Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid, Samuel Espey who being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that by reason of old age & the consequent loss of memory & the great length of time since the revolutionary War he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below & in the following grades Viz. For the tour of three months in the year 1776 under the command of Captain Peter Carpenter against the Cherokee Indians as a private soldier. One month under the command of Captain Barber in the year 1779 against the tories as a private soldier. One year & a half as captain of militia from early in the Spring of the year 1780 until the first of the year 1781 under Col. Wm Graham, & from the first of the year 1781 to the fall of the same year under the command of Col. Joseph Dukson and for such service & claim a pension.
[signed] Sam Espey
Sworn to and subscribed
before me this 18th day
of July AD 1833 and in
the 58th Year of our
Independence
[signed] Wm J. Wilson Justice of the peace
State of North Carolina
Lincoln County
Samuel Espy of said county this day personally appeared before me Carlos Leonard one of the Justices of the Peace in and for said County and being sworn according to Law makes the following statements amendatory to the annexed Declaration of the 31st day of October 1832 as the person who then Drew his declaration made use of the tours about when he should have stated a definite times. having thought much of the subject of his services and having conversed with persons who reminded him of the different times he can now with certainty fix the time of service as follows
First he volunteered in the company commanded by Captain Peter Carpenter as a corporal on the 10th Day of July 1776 and was marched to Mcfaddens fort against the Cherokee Indians. the company remained at said fort one month. the company at the end of said month were discharged to prepare to march against the Cherokee nation.
that on the 19th day of August 1776 the company met at Moses Moores 6 miles from Lincolnton and were placed under the command of Colonel William Graham that at the Pleasant Gardens they joined the troops under General Rutherford and were Marched across the Blue Ridge, crossed French Broad River and were some where on the Tennessee River the army returned and was discharged from service on the 6th October 1776 which was one month and sixteen days in tour he served as corporal.
In March 1779 he volunteered in a company then commanded by Captain Burton who had been called into service with his company. Colonel Charles Mclean against a Band of tories the company was marched to Mills in now Rutherford County where the Tories had collected a quantity of provisions for the use of the Tories who were commanded by Coll Ambrose Mills their leader. that he remained at Mills one month where he was dismissed from service. in this tour he served one month and [illegible].
In the month of May 1780 he was Elected Captain of a company. (on the 1st June 1780 he marched his company to the Cherokee ford on Broad River in South Carolina and there his company was placed under the command of General Charles McDowel who ordered him and his company to act as Rangers and in the last of July he marched his company into now Spartanburg District under Colonel William Graham. Colonel Shelby and Clark of Georgia has united their Troops with Colonel William Graham; McDowel staid with the remaining troops at the Cherokee ford) when the troops met with the Tories an attack at the Cedar Springs commanded by Colonel Dunlop who commanded a part of Ferguson’s Army where they had a Battle with Dunlops troops where they defeated Dunlop and his troops. from the Battle at the Cedar Springs the troops to which he was attached were marched back to the Cherokee ford. that the troops remained at the Cherokee ford and continued to do duty in different directions as Rangers until Colonel Ferguson with his army approached near to us when the troops were marched by Colonel Graham to Sherrels ford. that the troops remained at Sherrels ford until they heard that Colonels Shelby, Cleveland & Cambell were on the march with their troops and that all troops were to meet at the Cowpens, they were marched back to the Cowpens under Coll Graham and Colonel Moffat of South Carolina that they met the troops of Shelby, Cleveland & Cambell at the Cowpens on the 6th day of October, after dark of the night of the 6th the army commenced the match for Kings mountain. Crossed at the Cherokee ford early on the morning of the 7th and got to Kings mountain on the evening when the Battle commenced, where and when commanding my company I was shot through the Right Elbow which disabled the use of that joint that he was disabled by the wound and was attended by a doctor until May 1781.
When there was a draft among the Captains in my Regiment and although my arm had not got well I volunteered as a Captain and in the last of May 1781 took command of my company at Tuckaseege ford in this county and marched through Charlotte to a place called Crooked Creek where we were joined by the Mecklenburg troops under the command of General Polk from there we were marched to Rugeleys Mill in South Carolina in Kershaw District where Colonel Reed took command of the Regiment and soon after Colonel Marshal took command of the Regiment where we were continued until the last of April when after serving in the tour one month his company was discharged by Colonel Marshal his arm yet not well from the wound.
[signed] Sam Espey
Sworn to and Subscribed this 9th day of May
1834 Before me
Carlos Leonard Justice Peace