Nicholas Goswick
JOSEPH GOSWICK

BACK

DECLARATION

In order to obtain the benefits of the act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, UNION DISTRICT.

     On this the 30th day of June 1841 personally appeared before me, D.Wallace, Commissioner of Register of the Court of Equity of the said District of the keeper of the seal of the records of the said court; Nicholas Goswick (not in opern court) the said Nicholas, being unable by reason of his great age and consequent bodly infirmities to appear in open court), this said Nicholas Goswick being a resident of the said District of Union in the state of South Carolina and aged about 82 years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on this date make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th,1832.

   That he entered the service of the United States under the following. The following interogation was by one the said D. Wallace, Commissioner and Register of the Court and Equity as afore said, performed, to the said Nicholas Goswick, and which with the answered then to, are as follows to wit:

1. Question:  When and in what year were you born.
     Answer:  I  was born in the State of Maryland near the City of Baltimore in the year 1759.

2. Question:  Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
     Answer: I have myself no record of my age, but MY BROTHER JOSEPH GOSWICK has a record of the ages of my fathers family including mine,  I think the record was entered on the blank leaf of a prayer bible.

3. Question:  Where were you living when called into Service, where have you  been living since the Revolutionary War, and where do you now live?
  Answer: In Bute County North Carolina, and I lived at the same place ever since until about seventeen years ago, and since that time have lived where I now live in the District of Union South Carolina.

4. Question:  How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute, and if a substitute for whom ?
    Answer: THE DRUM WAS BEAT AT BUTE COURT HOUSE FOR VOLUNTEERS, AND THEY (????), TO THE USAGE OF THAT PERIOD, AND (??????) VOLUNTEERED, AND WENT INTO THE SERVICE AS A VOLUNTEER AND SERVED IN THAT CHARACTER 12 MONTHS AND AFTERWARDS FIVE MONTHS AGAINST THE INDIANS.

5. Question: State the names of some of the Register Officers who were with the troops when you served, such (????) and Militia Regiments as you can recollect another general circumstances of your service.
ANSWER:  I dont know that I can distinguish the different kinds of troops which compose the Army in which the officers I knew served.  The Troop I served with, I believe were part CONTINENTAL, PART DRAFTED MILITIA AND PART VOLUNTEERS.  General Nash and Colonal, or Major Sumner, Captain Brittan Harris were with the Army at the time I served, and part of the time I believe a General Officer by the name of (????unlegable).
I went from Bute Court House to Tan River, from that place to Kingston, from there to Elizabeth Town, then I think to Wilmington, all in North Carolina.

From Wilmington we passed over into South Carolina and some time after that Battle of Briar Creek was fought, I am not certain, but think we crossed the Savanna River to fight the Battle, I believe the Battle was fought on the Georgia side of the River.  In this battle, I was engaged, and that is the only other remarkable curcumstane (???unlegable), with our march or with my tour of duty.  After the battle I went to (PH?LGTIN) South Carolina and was kept there to help guard that place until the 12 months expired which I served, and which added to the five months I served against the Indians makes in all seventeen months service.  I went into the service the year of the Battle of Briar Creek, and (???) went out of the service the year after having served Twelve Months and which was three months longer than I first volunteered for.  I served all the time as a Private of Infantry.

6.QUESTION: Did you ever receive a discharge from the service and if so, where was it given and what has become of it.
   ANSWER: I did receive a written discharge at the line in Charleston,South Carolina, but who signed that discharge, I cannot remember, it has long since been lost.

7.QUESTION: State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify as to your character for varacity and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution.
   ANSWER: I think the following of my neighbors will all testify as to my varacity and some of them as to the tradition in regard to my Revolutionary Services. JOHN NORMAN, ESQ., JOHN GIBBS, ESQ., RICHARD STARNES, THE REVERAND THOMAS RAY, MY BROTHER JOSEPH GOSWICK, MR. R. GOSE, AND MR. THOMAS HOLLIS  who are all men of respectability.  That living as I have long done in great privacy and sestrictment do not suppose that the tradition of my Revolutionary Services are very general in the community where I now live, and this difficulty will be make more apparent from the fact that I live at a great distance from the place where I lived over forth years after the war closed.
His friends have persuaded him to apply, that he knows of no one now alive but Joseph Goswick that knows anything about the services he performed.
Having made the foregoing declaration he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll.

RETURN TO TOP

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, UNION DISTRICT
Affidavit of JOSEPH GOSWICK

     Presonally came Joseph Goswick of the said State and District, before me, D.Wallace Commissioner and Register of the County and Equity for this said destrict of the keeper of the seal of the record of Court, and being duly sworn in with holy evangilist of Almighty God, deposee ?? and says ther he is THE BROTHER OF NICHOLAS GOSWICK whose declaration has this day been made in his hearing, this said declaration made as he understands for the purpose of obtaining a pension from the United States.

That this depenent ? hath said NICHOLAS GOSWICK were living in Bute County in North Carolina with THEIR FATHER at the time the war of the Revolution broke out.

That the depenent knows of his own knowledge that his brother Nicholas Goswick did go into the the Army of the Revolution the same year of the battle of  Briar Creek.  This depenent further states that he knows of his own knowledge that the "father" getting depresent of Nicholas Goswick, went to "KINGSTON" while NICHOLAS was in the Army to carry the said NICHOLAS some clothes, and shoes to wear, and this depenent sent to this brother NICHOLAS, by his father some plugs of twist of tobacco for his use while in the Army.  That the father of this depenent came back from Kingston in North Carolina, and said he had seen my brother Nicholas and  had given him the clothes, shoes and tobacco.  This deponent further states that his father bought for his brother Nicholas the gun he took with him into the service and got it first at (???unleg) of a man by name of SAMUEL FOWLER.

Depenent has for more than half a century heard his brother Nicholas say he was with the Battle of Briar Creek, dont recollect how long his brother Nicholas was in the Service, dont recollect precisely but think about from nine to twelve months.

Depenent was at home when his brother Nicholas Goswick came back from his tour of duty, saw him return to his fathers house with his knap sack on his back, and that no one who ever knew the circumstances ever doubts that his brother had performed the duty.  Depenents father and the father of Nicholas was much in favor of sending his son Nicholas to fight for this Country and fitted him out for the purpose.

Depenent produces and shows the blank leaf of the prayer book, allowed to in this declaration of Nicholas Goswick which is herewith shown and marked "A".  Depenent says that this has always been regarded as a correct record of the ages of this family of his father and that he has known the record more than fifty years, and that it was delivered to his depenent by his father and it has not been out of his posession since his father gave it to him which was more than twenty years ago.

Submit to an subscribed before me this the 10th day of June 1841
D.Wallace, Comm and register of the Court of Equity.
Attended: P.Starnes and B.Gose

RETURN