[Henry Durham.FTW]
THE PENSION APPLICATION PAPERS OF JAMES NEILL
State of Kentucky
County of Union
On this 17th day December 1832, personally appeared before the
county court of Union County, James Neill, a resident of said
county and state aged sevent-eight years, who being first duly
sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following
declaration, in order to obtain the benefit....(etc.) That in
the latter part of the year l779 or first of 1780 he was a
citizen of Rowan County in the State of North Carolina when and
where as a volunteer soldier he enlisted or joined the Militia
Company commanded by his uncle, Capt. Gilbraith Falls of said
county - that Joseph Byers was Lieutenant, by what authority he
was called into service he cannot recollect, but it was and is
believed by him that he was one of Militia of North Carolina
called into service in aid of the American Revolution - that in
the month of June 1780 he thinks and believes it was marched in
said militia company to the Catawba in Lincoln County - that
about 600 militia met there and were under the command of Col.
James Rutherford that he was marched with the regiment from the
place of rendesvous against the Tories encamped at Ramsours Mill
where they attacked them in the camp and after a desperate and
destructive action defeated them. This was the first fighting
he had seen. The Tories were under the command of Col. Moore
and he thinks Welch and Brown also - In that affair Capt. Falls
and Capt. Neill of the North Carolina Militia were killed among
others, - that afterwards the militia returned
home............. He has no record of his age. He lived in Rowan
County till the year 1796 when he moved to Logan County
Kentucky where he lived till 1828 where He moved to Morgan Co.
Illinois and moved from there to Union County, Ky., where he
now resides, in September 1832.
(He was in all the major battles and skirmishes in North and
South Carolina except Guilford and Camden - he had smallpox at
the time of these battles. He was wounded in the arm and leg at
Eutah Springs.)
{Isabella Kerr sister of Martha Kerr Neill ( Gilbraith’s wife)
married Captain Gilbraith Falls.}
_________________________________________________________________
_________ __________ State of Tennessee
Robertson County.
I do hereby certify this 2nd day of December 1833, personally
appeared before me Bartley Pitts, one of the acting Justices of
the Peace in and for said county and state aforesaid Robert
Niell and after being duly sworn in according to law, Deposeth
and sayeth as follows, that James Neill and James Neill one of
my brothers came to my fathers during the Revolutionary war in
America and said that they was just from the american army, and
some time afterwards and I believe just after the battle at
Ramsowerses Mill, the said James Neill brought my Brother
William Neills clothing to my fathers and said that, he was
killed in the Battle at Ramsowers mill, which afterwards turned
out to be the fact that the said William Neill was killed and
at the time and place that the said James Neill had stated (1)
and further this deponent sayeth not this 2nd day of December,
1833.
Test. signed Robert Neill
Signed Bartley Pitts (J P seal)
".....I am also well acquainted with a man named Robert Neill
residing in the neighborhood of Bartley Pitts in Robertson
County and the same I presume who gave the precedeing affidavit
he has the character of an honest man and in my opinion
entitled to credit"
(can’t read signature)
From Burritt Hiatt's charts.