State of Kentucky
Pendleton County
On this 7th day of October one thousand eight hundred and thirty three personally appeared in open court, before the Justices of the county court of Pendleton now sitting, Adam H. Taylor a resident of the county of Pendleton and State of Kentucky aged seventy years lacking ten days, 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 Jun 7th 1832.
That in the year 1779, he lived in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania and although he was not yet of the age at which he was bound to militia duty yet such was the danger apprehended from the incursions of the Indians who was in alliance with the British that during the Summer season of the year it required nearly all the men that was on the then frontier to guard and prevent the Indians from breaking up the settlements and crossing the mountains and operating against the main army of Independence, influenced by the above considerations and preferring guarding a station or fort to working in the corn field and running the risk of being shot and scalped while at work and unarmed this declarant in the Spring of the aforesaid year of 1779 then ??ing fifteen years old permitted his name
to be enrolled as a minute man in the militia of the State of Pennsylvania and on or about the month of Aril or first of May in said year he was regularly ordered in to the Service and was stationed at Wallaces fort in the aforesaid county and under the command of Captain Samuel Dixon and served this year in the grade of private for the turm [sic] of six months our service consisted in guarding at the fort and occasionaly [sic] ranging along the frontier whenever they were ordered out by their officers which happened when the officers had reasons to believe that the Indians were lurking about for the purpose of commiting [sic] depredations, this year sometime in the month of May and after he had been in the fort some time the exact time not now recollected the fort was attacted [sic] by the Indians and they suceeded [sic] in killing nine men of those who happened to be out of the fort when they approached also of those who sallied out of the fort the number of the enemy killed he does not know but as they were compelled to retreat he supposes that their loss was still greater. Major James Wilson was at the fort and took the command during the engagement. Colonel Ellick Barr commanded the Regiment to which he belonged And about the month of June same year the fort was again attacked by the Indians and they were again compelled to retreat with at least
a few killed as we found one killed who was a white man who was with them none killed in the fort but this declarant was wounded by a glancing shot from a Rifle just above the left hip and on the side of the mark of which is now plain to be seen in this attact [sic] there being no superior officer at the fort Captain Samuel Dixon commanded himself no other incidents worthy of notice this year He Served this year six months in the grade of a private soldier. In the Spring of the year 1780 he was again with his own consent ordered out into the Service and he was stationed at Nicholas' fort in the Same county and was again under the command of Capatin Samuel Dixon, Lieutenant William Pattie, and Ensign Hardy did service much the same kind as last year except there was not battle and again served his months. In the year 1781 he again served six months in the grade of private soldier and was stationed at Barr's fort and under the command of Colonel Barr himslef with Lieutenant Cribs and no battle this year and Service similar to last year to wit, guarding at the fort and occasionally ranging the frontier. In the year 1782 he again served six months in the grade of a private soldier and
was stationed at Sloans fort under Command of Major James Wilson, & Captain Samuel Sloan Service much as last year and not battle in all of the above tours of service he served as a private soldier and was while in service constantly engaged in guarding at the fort or ranging along the frontier he would not have been called out every year but for the cause before spoken of to wit that as it required all who was not in the fort and on duty to make a supply of bread stuff he preferred service in the fort to working in the fields and therefore allways [sic] tendered his service believing he was safer with arms in his hands than with farming utensils They were always called out about the putting out of the leave [sic] on the trees and or discharged some time after they had fallen off because they the Indians did not like to come in when the trees was clean and when the leaves would make so much noise but rather when the trees was green and thick however in the year 1785 the Indians had given indications that they would be more troublesome than before and it was necessary to be more vigelent [sic] and this declarant was called out in the beginning of the month of February and was this year engaged as a spy for the turm [sic] of nine months under the command
of Captain Abraham Cahill and neither company officer nor was there a free company nor were we stationed at any particular fort but constantly ranging along the frontier and lodging or resting at any of the many forts that were existed along the frontier this year he thinks that he served no less than three months before the news of the treaty of peace reached them and in the whole year nine months during this declarants aforesaid Service it was no uncommon thing for the Indians (not withstanding our vigilance) to steal in to the settlement and kill one or two and some times more persons and then retreat with such speed and address as to get of this declarant could relate many more of the incidents which took place during his Service in the Revolutionary war but for the fact that he was a resident in that part of the county until 1799 and took part in all of the Indian wars and campains [sic] from the Revolution until that time and all Indians wars are so much of the sameness that the incidents of the many tours of service are now in his recollection so much blended that he cannot separate any except incidents that was prominent and he has related those that was the most prominent and will now
repeat that he served in the grade of a private soldier in the militia of Pennsylvania not less than six months in each of the following years to wit 1779, 1780, 1781 and 1782 and as a spy in a spy company not less than three months before the news of peace reached us in the year 1782 and six months after in same so that he served as a private soldier during the Revolutionary was and in the service of the United States not less than two years and three months He received five discharges in writing the first signed by Captain Samuel Dixon, the second was signed by the same officer the third was signed by Colonel Barr the fourth was signed by Captain Samuel Sloan and the fifthy was signed by Captain Abraham Cahill all of which discharges he has lost or destroyed he supposing that they would not be of any service to him took no care of them and there for has no record evidence of his services. He was born on the 17 day of October 1763, in the county of Franklin State of Pennsylvania and remained there until about the year 1776 or the year 1777 when he moved to the county of Westmoreland same state and resided there until the year 1799 when he moved into the county of Venango same state and resided there until the
year 1814 When he moved again and stoped [sic] something more than one year in Clearmount [sic] County State of Ohio and in the year 1816 he moved into the county of Pendleton and State of Kentucky where he has resided ever since and does now reside. He knows of no living person by whom he can prove all or any part of his services whose evidence he can without great expence [sic] and trouble procure. When the law which will entitle him to a pension first was made public he knew of two persons who he had reason to believe was living and he immediately used such means as was in his power to ascertain facts The two persons Nancy Doty and Ann McDonnald I did not know where Nancy Doty lived but a friend of mine was passing through the northern part of the state of Ohio and saw her and she learning what I wished gave a statement seting [sic] forth what she could prove which was this declarants services in the year 1779. But she has since died. Ann McDonald lives in the State of Pennsylvania and at least four hundred miles distant from this declarant and he cannot travel to procure her evidence without great expence [sic] and trouble and she is now very old and infirm this declarant wrote to her
some considerable time since by the hand of a friend who was to pass through the ??tion in which she lived and he saw her informed this declarant through that friend that she could if her evidence could be taken at home prove the services of the declarant for the years 1781, 1782 and 1783, but this declarant has no acquaintance in her neighbourhood to attend to it and cannot attend himself oweing [sic] to distance &c. and if he were to attend the friend who saw her assuring him that she is not likely dead by this time he has a record of his ages in a Bible at his house He having knowledge of any Continental Regiments officers nor of any other officers except his own as he served west of the mountains having no person who can testify as to his services ?? he refers to the certificate of Charles Boner who is high Sheriff of this county and Colonel Thomas W Hart for the general belief of his neighbourhood as to his having been a Revolutionary SoldierHe here by relinquished every claim whatever to a pension or a annutiy except present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the Agency of any state or Teritory [sic]
Sworn to and subscribed Adam H Taylor is mark the day and year aforesaid
Mr Charles Boner and Thomas W
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Footnote.com, Revolutionary War Pensions, original data from the National Archives, NARA M80,Pennsylvania, Adam Taylor, documents 21-28, accessed 20 January 2011._______
Lester Clement is the youngest child of Margaret Eliza Shoemaker and Thomas Alma Clement. He is also Alta's father who she fondly remembers as "Papa."
