William Tolley



This information is contributed by Belinda Bowman






William Tolley  Application for Revolutionary War Pension

State of Kentucky
Mercer County

          On this 21st day of November AD 1835 personally appeared before me, Samuel Ewing,
a Justice of the peace and one of the Judges of the Mercer County Courts, William Tolley a 
resident citizen of the said County of Mercer and State of Kentucky aged seventy eight years 
who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in 
order to obtain the benefits of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832

          That he entered the Service of the United States under the following named officers 
and served as herein stated.

          First ....That in the year 1776 shortly after the declaration of  Independence He 
entered Captain Rich (?) Singleton Company of NORTH CAROLINA MILITIA from the 
County of RUTHERFORD {NC} and joined Colonel William Grimes Regt. and marched  
through the County of Rowan to a place called cross creek when we arrived shortly after 
a battle with the Tories, and where we were stationed until our tour expired which was 
fully three months we marched back to Rutherford and was honorably discharged. ..... 
shortly after, he immigrated to this state {KY} and joined Captain Henry Prather Company 
of Volunteers and marched and joined Col Geo Rogers Clarkes Regiment at Louisville 
this was in the year 1780 we left home in the month of July.  From Louisville we marched 
up the River to the mouth of Licking River, where we built a block house, from there we 
marched to {Unreadable}.  The Indians learning of our approach left left the place after 
setting fire to some of the houses.  We then set fire to the balance of the Indians houses 
and destroyed all their corn and marched to a place called Pickway (?) where we engaged 
the Indians and defeated them we destroyed their corn and buildings & corn and marched
back to the block house at the mouth of Licking River where we were honorably 
discharged and continued home having served in this Tour fully three months during 
which tour I was duly appointed and served as Captain Prathers orderly Sergeant.  
Again in the year 1781 He entered Captain John Cowan Company at Harrods  Station 
and marched around through the Shawnee run country to the Kentucky River and acted 
faithfully as spies and scouts.  This was a tour of one month we returned and was 
discharged at Harrods Station, and again in the year 1781 or 2 he entered Capt. Carr 
Company of spies or scouts and marched into the now County of Shelby on a creek 
called Bullskin where we acted as Scouts and Spies for two months and was sent for 
to come home as the Indians were killing the people near home.  They killed John 
Miller's family on the Roling Fork River - seven in number.  We returned home and he 
continued to act as spies and sometimes as the Scout until the year 1783, and after, 
realy to speak the truth faithfully he can not remember the number of Tours he served 
against the Indians, but he solemnly swears that he served 3 months in North Carolina 
before he ..........to this country and from the year 1780 to the year 1783 he was 
constantly engaged as a spie some times with Scouts acting in and out of the 
different Stations as occasion required some times at Harbison Station some times 
at Harrods Station and some times at Williams Station.  He further states that he 
was wounded in the left shoulder by a shot from the Indians near Harbisons Station, 
he considers himself to have been in active service against the Indians in this country, 
acting some times as a spie, some times with the Scouts and some times in the 
forts fully two years and ten months.  He further states that he has no documentary 
evidence of his service and he knows of no person living in this County by whom he 
can prove his services in North Carolina and knows of no person living by whom he 
can prove all his Services in this County his Capt being long since dead, to wit, 
Prather, Willis, Capt. John Little, John Harbison, Arthur Harbison, and Ebenezer Carr 
under all of whom he served faithfully.  His discharges have long since been lost he 
never thought that they would be of any service and he took no care of them.  He 
further states that he is in feeble health and unable to attend the Mercer County 
Court to swear to his foregoing declaration without pain and great inconvenience he 
lives fourteen miles from Harrodsburg where the County Court sets which is the only 
reason of his swearing to it before a single magistrate.  He hereby relinquishes every 
claim whatever to a  pension or anuity except the present and declares that his name 
is not upon the pension roll of  this Agency of any State

          Sworn to and Subscribed this day...................and year Sam'l Ewing J/P

 William Tolley (Seal)

 We, James T. Smith, a Clergyman serving in Mercer County & State of Kentucky 
and Silas Harlan and James L. Williams residing in the State & County "afo" and 
neighbors to the sd. William Tolley hereby certify that we are well acquainted with 
him the sd William Tolley who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration.  
That we believe him to be seventy eight years of age.  That he is reputed and  believes 
in our neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and we 
do fully concur in that opinion.

          Sworn to and subscribed the day & year afd before me Sam l Ewing J. P.  M.C.

James T. Smith (Seal)
Silas Harlan (Seal)
James L. Williams (Seal) 
State of Kentucky
Mercer County

          And I Samuel Ewing a Justice of the Peace and one of the Judges of the 
Mercer County Court do hereby declare my opinion after a fair investigation of the 
matter that the above named applicant is eligible for a pension.

The above original document was transcribed by me to the best of my ability. I left 
the wording and spelling as it appeared in the original document.    Orene W. Hemby

My Mother has passed away, but I have our information on this family 




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