Revolutionary War Pension Record
of
THOMAS BROOKS

Affidavit of Jeremiah Brooks

State of Tennessee
County of Henderson

    On this 5th of September AD one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace within and for the County and State aforesaid, Jeremiah Brooks, aged 58 years, a resident of Henderson County, who being duly sworn according to law, declares upon his oath that he is the son of Thomas Brooks who was a private in Captain Wilson's company of the 10th Regiment and served during the war.  He further declares that his father died in the county of Wilson in the State of Tennessee in the year 1822 on the 13th of June leaving a widow Angelico Brooks to whom he was married in the county of Hyde in the State of North Carolina.  Jeremiah Brooks further declares that his mother, Angelico Brooks, remained a widow until her death which transpired in the county of Henderson in the State of Tennessee in the month of October 1847 and it is believed on the 5th day of that month, leaving four heirs, to wit: Christopher, Stephen, and Jeremiah and Midget.  He further declares that his father Thomas Brooks enlisted in the State of North Carolina and that he never received any pension nor his mother Angelico Brooks.  He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of the Act of Congress of July 7th 1832 for himself and brothers.
/s/ Jeremiah Brooks

Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year above written.  And I hereby certify that Jeremiah Brooks is a good and creditable witness.
/s/ Eli Teague, JP for Henderson County

Affidavit of Elisha O'Neal

State of Tennessee
County of Henderson
    On the 5th day of September A.D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty three (1853), personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace within and for the county and State aforesaid, Elisha O'Neal, a citizen of Madison County in the State of Tennessee, who declares on his oath that he is personally acquainted with Jeremiah Brooks and that he was personally acquainted with his father, Thomas Brooks, and his mother Angelico Brooks and that they lived together as man and wife and were so regarded in the community where they lived. He further declares that after the death of Thomas Brooks that Angelico, his widow, remained a widow until her death.
/s/ Elisha Oneal

Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year above written. And I hereby certify that the above affidavit of Elisha O'Neal was taken in the presence of Jeremiah Brooks.
/s/ Eli Teague, JP for Henderson County

State of Tennessee
County of Henderson
    I, Jesse Taylor, Clerk of this county court of said county do hereby certify that Eli Teague is an acting Justice of the Peace of said County duly qualified according to law [rest to blurred to read].  Given under my hand and seal of office September 5th 1853.
/s/ Jesse Taylor, Clerk

Affidavit of Custes O'Neal

State of Tennessee
County of Decatur
    On this seventeenth day of August AD one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, personally appeared before me, he undersigned, a Justice of the Peace within and for the county and State aforesaid, Custes O'Neal, a good and creditable witness, who being first duly sworn, doth on his oath declare that he is personally acquainted with Jeremiah Brooks who lived in Henderson County in the State of Tennessee and that he is the son of Thomas Brooks who formerly lived in the county of Hyde in the State of North Carolina, and removed to Green County in the State of Tennessee and then to Wilson County in the aforesaid State, where he remained until he died. He further declares that the said Thomas Brooks and Angelico Brooks lived together as man and wife, and were so regarded in the community where they lived, and that from an acquaintance of thirty years standing he never heard one word to the contrary. He further declares that Angelico Brooks, the widow of Thomas Brooks, died a short time since in the county of Henderson in the State of Tennessee, and that she remained a widow until her death.
/s/ Custes O'Neal

Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year above written. And I hereby certify that the above affidavit was taken in the presence of Jeremiah Brooks.
/s/ P.W. Austin, JP for Decatur County

State of Tennessee
County of Decatur
    I, Samuel A. Yarbro, Clerk of the County Court of County and State aforesaid, do hereby certify that P.W. Austin, Esq. before whom the foregoing declaration was made, was at the time an acting Justice of the Peace in and for said county and State and that the signature purporting to be his is genuine.
    In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of our said County at Office in Decaturville this 17th day of August 1853.
/s/ Samuel A. Tarbro, Clerk of the County Court

Letter to L.P. Waldo - Pension Office

Spring Creek, Tenn.
September 1st, 1853

Hon. L.P. Waldo
Dear Sir:
    I send you for file with the application of Tho. Brooks for _____ of pension due them.  Some six or seven weeks ago I addressed you a letter containing several applications for bounty land also for ______ of pension and mailed it at Lexington in this state from which I have received no answer.  If you have received please let me know.  I mailed one from the same place a short time since.

Yours & c.
/s/ G.W. Talbot

Letter from Pension Office to G.W. Talbot, Spring Creek, Tenn.

Octr. 14, 1853
Sir:
    The application of the heirs of Angelica Brooks, widow of Thomas of Tennessee, has been received and filed.  Whenever there is any evidence of military service submitted, this case will be taken up for examination.
/not signed/ [more than likely a letter from L.P. Waldo of the Pension Office in Washington, DC]

Letter from George W. Talbot to L.P. Waldo

Spring Creek - Dec. 26th '53

Hon L.P. Waldo,
    I addressed you today in regard to an application made by William Estes for the pension money due his mother-in-law Catherine Bridges.  If Mrs. Bridges failed to apply for the money due her during her life can not her children now obtain the same?
    In regard to your letter of Oct. 14th, 1853 informing me that the application of the heirs of Angelica Brooks, widow of Thomas Brooks, had been filed and would be taken up as soon as evidence of service was submitted.  The heirs are satisfied that their father served, that he was in the continental line in the State of North Carolina and served during the war, and remained in service after hostilities ceased.  Since they made application they remember much about his services and although they have no discharge they remember having heard him converse with old soldiers about his service.  They differ about his Captain, some contend that he was with Mason for a short time, others that he was not, but as he was in the continental service I think his services could be established.

Your serv't.,
/s/ George W. Talbot

Letter to Hon. L.P. Waldo, Commissioner of Pensions

Spring Creek, Madison Co., Tenn.
April 2nd, 1854

Sir:
    Enclosed you will find a certificate from the court of the tenth judicial circuit for the county of Henderson, State of Tennessee in the case of Angelico Brooks, widow of Thomas Brooks, a soldier in the Revolutionary War in the Continental line of North Carolina.  It is probable that the family record of the parties has been sent you before this from the State of Missouri which contains the record of their marriage and the births of their children.
    The services of Thomas Brooks can be established by the record of North Carolina and as soon as you are satisfied with the proof of marriage, dates of death, heirship, etc. I will forward the certificate of my Clerk.

Your obd'nt serv't,
/s/ George W. Talbot

    It is hereby certified that satisfactory proof has been exhibited before the court of the tenth judicial circuit for the county of Henderson in the State of Tennessee by the affidavit of Midget Brooks, a resident of Henderson county in the State of Tennessee and who is entitled to credit; that Thomas Brooks, a soldier in the Revolutionary War in the State of North Carolina, died in the year eighteen hundred and twenty-two.
    It is further certified by the affidavit of Augustin P. Lipscomb, a resident of Henderson County in the State of Tennessee, a resident of Henderson County, and who is entitled to credit; that Angelica Brooks, the widow of Thomas Brooks, died in the county of Henderson, state aforesaid, on the fifth day of September AD one thousand eight hundred and forty seven, and the children--the offspring of the parties aforesaid, now surviving, are Christopher Brooks, Stephen Brooks, Jeremiah Brooks and Midget Brooks.
    In testimony whereof I have set my hand and seal of office this twenty eighth day of March AD one thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
/s/ R.B. Jones, Clerk Circuit Court Henderson County, Tennessee

Proof of Deaths

State of Missouri
County of Jefferson

On this 29th day of April AD 1854, personally appeared before me, an acting Justice Peace in and for the County of Jefferson, James R. England and George Willson, who being sworn upon their oath, say that the book called the "Fletcher's Appeal" containing the family record of Thomas Brooks and Angelica Brooks his wife, between the pages ten and thirteen are lost and destroyed out of said book and that said affiants further state that the time of the deaths of Thomas Brooks and Angelica his wife are recorded in the family Bible of Stephen Brooks, son of said deceased.  Thomas and Angelica Brooks said record reads as follows:

Thomas Brooks departed this life June 1st 1822
Angelica Brooks departed this life September 19th 1847

/s/ George Willson & James R. England

Sworn and subscribed to before me day and date above mentioned.
/s/ Wm. Foxton, JP

    I, Tho. C. Fletcher, Clerk of the County Court within and for County and State aforesaid, do hereby certify that William Foxton, before whom the within affidavit was made, was at the date thereof an acting Justice of the Peace, duly qualified and commissioned as such and that the signature purporting to be his is genuine.  In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of said Court at office this third day of June 1854.
/s/ Tho. C. Fletcher, Clerk

Affidavit of Stephen Brooks

State of Missouri
Co. of Jefferson

    On this 29th day of April AD 1854, personally appeared before me, an acting Justice of the Peace within and for the County and State aforesaid, Stephen Brooks, aged sixty-two years, a resident of Jefferson County, State aforesaid, who being duly sworn according to law declares upon his oath that the book called the "Fletcher's Appeal" containing the family record of Thomas Brooks and his wife, Angelica Brooks, which he has forwarded to the Commissioner of Pensions for inspection, has been in his possession about twenty years and that his mother Angelica Brooks lived with him nearly twenty years previous to her death and this affiant further states that he does not know who recorded the marriage of his father & mother in the Fletcher's Appeal, and that the record as aforesaid was between the pages of page ten and page thirteen of the book aforesaid and that the pages aforesaid have been lost out of said book, and this affiant further states that his mothers death was recorded in his family Bible sometime in February last by James R. England of Jefferson County, Missouri and that his mother died September 19th 1847 in the State of Tennessee.
/s/ Stephen [x] Brooks

Sworn and subscribed to before me day and date above written.
/s/ Wm. Foxton, JP

    I, Tho. C. Fletcher, Clerk of the County Court within and for said County, do certify that William Foxton, before whom the foregoing affidavit was made and whose genuine signature is thereto attached, is and was at the date thereof an acting and duly commissioned and qualified Justice of the Peace within and for said County and that all his official acts as such are entitled to full faith and credit.  In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand and affix the seal of said Court at office May 5th 1854
/s/ Tho. C. Fletcher, Clerk

Letters to Hon. L.P. Waldo, Commissioner of Pensions

Spring Creek, Tenn.
 May 17th '54

Sir:
    Enclosed I send you the affidavit of Stephen Brooks, son of Thomas and Angelica Brooks, who has kept the family record of the parties previous to their death and since.  The record has been forwarded to your office and I hope it will reach you.

Your obd'nt serv't,
/s/ George W. Talbot

Spring Creek, Tenn.
 May 17th 1854

Sir:
    Enclosed is the family record of Thomas Brooks and his wife, Angelica Brooks.  You will see on an examination of the record that the eldest child of the parties was born in 1785.  This will establish the marriage prior to 1794.

Your obd'nt serv't,
/s/ George W. Talbot

Letter from Pension Office to G.W. Talbot, Esq. of Spring Creek, Tenn.

May 30, 1854
Sir:
    I have received and filed the volume entitled "Fletcher's Appeal" and deem the record therein of the marriage of Thomas & Angelico Brooks satisfactory to establish its date prior to 1794; and when the record ordered of the service of the said Thomas is produced, will further consider the claim.
/not signed/

Letter to L.P. Waldo, Esq., Washington, DC & reply

Spring Creek, Tenn. - June 16, 1854

Sir:
    Enclosed you have additional testimony in the case of Angelica Brooks.  I do not regard it of any importance but as you require much testimony and that every point should be covered, I have concluded to forward it.  It was sent me some time since but did not have the certificate of the Clerk and his seal of office and I returned for proper authentication.

Your obd'nt serv't,
/s/ George W. Talbot

Pension Office - June 26, 1854 to Geo. W. Talbot of Spring Creek, Tennessee

Sir:
    The additional proof in the case of Angelica Brooks, deceased, widow of Thomas of Tennessee, under the Act of July 7, 1838, has been received and filed; the credibility of the witnesses, not being certified.
    No evidence of service has been filed.
/not signed/

North Carolina Comptroller's Office Records

State of North Carolina
Comptroller's Office

I, William J. Clarke, Comptroller of public accounts in and for the State aforesaid, do hereby certify that it appears of record in my office among the payments made to sundry persons for military services in the Revolutionary War as follows, to wit:

Thomas Brooks
Printed Book Page 10 - €103.S15.d9 Specie
Book No. 1 Page 1 - €15.S4 Specie 1782
Book No. 2 Page 36 - €14.S9.d2 Specie 1782

Thomas Brooks also appears on the original roll of Maj. John Nelson's Company for the month of February 1780.  Mustard [sic] at Charleston, South Carolina as having enlisted in the 1st Battalion of North Carolina forces in the service of the United States commanded by Col. Thomas Clarke on the 1st day July 1777 for the period of three years.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of office June 29th 1854.
/s/ Wm. J. Clarke, Compt'r.

Letter to Hon. L.P. Waldo, Commissioner of Pensions & reply

Spring Creek, Tenn. - July 10, 1854

Sir:
    Enclosed you have the certificate of the Comptroller in regard to the service of Thomas Brooks.  Having thus far furnished all you desired in the way of evidence, I hope you will allow the claim.

Very respectfully
Your obd'nt serv't,
/s/ George W. Talbot

Pension Office - July 20, 1854 to Geo. W. Talbot of Spring Creek, Tennessee

Sir:
    The certificate of the Comptroller of NC showing payments to a man named Thomas Brooks has been received but there is no evidence on file to show that the Thomas Brooks who received these payments was the husband of Angelica Brooks of Tenn. where children are applying for the benefits of the Act of July 7, 1838.  This proof must be supplied by witnesses who knew that he did render said service.
/not signed/

Letter to L.P. Waldo, Esq., Washington, DC & reply

Spring Creek, Tenn. - August 11, 1854

Sir:
    It is  impossible for the children of Thomas and Angelica Brooks to prove the services of their father by "living witnesses". At an early day Thomas Brooks removed from North Carolina into East Tennessee where he remained until about 1814 when he removed to Wilson County in the Middle Division of Tennessee where he died.
    There are but few persons now living that was acquainted with the old man and I have conversed with but one, and he informed me that he had heard the old man (as he called Thomas Brooks) frequently speak about his services in the Revolutionary War.
    I have the most satisfactory evidence of the service of Thomas Brooks, and it is this, in the month of June 1853 I met with Midget Brooks, a son of Thomas Brooks, near his residence in Henderson County and I inquired of him if there were any of the soldiers of the late war in the neighborhood, or the widows of Revolutionary soldiers?  He stated to me that his father was a Revolutionary soldier and that his mother died without having received anything. I inquired of him the nature of his father's services and he informed me that he served in North Carolina and was in the regular service.   In August following I was in Henderson County and another son of Thomas Brooks, Jeremiah Brooks, called on me and related his father's services which corroborated with that of his brother, who resided some twenty miles distant from him, and from whom he had not heard.  He stated that several years previous he called on a lawyer to make application for the pension due his mother, and that the lawyer promised to attend to it. Now, the truth is, Thomas Brooks served and he was a regular soldier and he was at one time in the same company or Regiment with Caleb Mason.  His children have heard them converse about their hardships frequently. Thomas Brooks said in 1812, 13 and 14 to his children and neighbors that if he had strength he would enter the service again, that he has through the entire war of the Revolution and he would like to enter the service again.
    Thomas Brooks, the father of the parties who have applied, served, but his children can not prove by persons who were in position to know the facts about which they testify because such persons are dead and if such proof could have been made a certificate would not have been purchased from the comptroller of North Carolina.  If additional evidence will do, that can be furnished.
Very Respectfully
Your obd'nt svt.
George W. Talbot

Pension Office - August 24, 1854 to Geo. W. Talbot, Esq. of Spring Creek, Tennessee

Sir:
    I have received and considered your letter of the 11th instant in relation to the claim of Angelica Brooks, widow of Thomas, for pension for his services in the Revolutionary War.  I can only say in answer that any evidence filed in the case will be carefully considered but its effect cannot be anticipated.
Very Respectfully,
/not signed/

Affidavit of Custes O'Neal

State of Tennessee
County of Decatur
    On this 4th day of November AD One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four personally appeared before me, an acting Justice of the Peace within and for said county, Custes O'neal of said County, aged sixty-two years, who being first duly sworn according to law, declares upon his oath that he was intimately acquainted with Thomas Brooks from his boyhood and earliest recollection up to the period of the old gentleman's death, and also with his wife, Angelica, till the time of her death and with the children of said parties, and that Stephen, Jeremiah and Midget Brooks are the only surviving children thereof [notice that Christopher Brooks is not mentioned here]. Affiant has always understood that the said Thomas Brooks was a Revolutionary soldier, that he claimed to have been such and that affiant's own father, John O'neal, was also a soldier in the same war and went from the same neighborhood in North Carolina that Brooks did. That Brooks said he got his monthly pay for said service--that he resided in that part of North Carolina called Hyde County since his first recollection at the time he enlisted and entered the service and that he enlisted for five years or during the war and actually continued in such service for the whole time and perhaps for sometime after peace was made except for a short time when he was permitted to return home on furlough, after which he returned to service again.
    Although affiant is not of sufficient age to prove the actual service of Thomas Brooks as a Revolutionary soldier, yet he can not doubt the fact from his long standing acquaintance with him and his family and that the Thomas Brooks he refers to as the husband of Angelica to be the identical individual who served as a Continental soldier and went from the particular part of the State of North Carolina already above indicated.
    He is fully satisfied that the aforesaid Stephen, Jeremiah, and Midget Brooks are the identical children of the said Angelica, who was the wife of said soldier. Affiant further says that the said Thomas Brooks was living with him for more than two years before his death and that he died at his house, and that his wife, the said Angelica, also lived in his family at the two years before his death and that he died at his house and that his wife, the said Angelica, also lived in his family at the time of her said husband's death and where she continued to reside the most of her time till her own death about six years ago, the time not being definitely recollected, and not being at his own house, he has not the advantage of records. But to conclude, affiant further states that the Thomas Brooks now referred to, was the very Continental soldier who did the military service referred to above, at any rate, he always so represented it and such was the opinion of his wife, the said Angelica, during life, and of all their children since the death of their said parents and no one so far as he knows ever doubted the foregoing facts who had any knowledge of the family and circumstances connected with it. That he has no pecuniary? interest in the results of the case in question.
Attest: T.B. Murphey & Gabriel Scott
/s/ Custes Oneal

Sworn to and subscribed before me on the date and year above written and I hereby certify that Custes Oneal, the above afficant, is a good and credible witness.
/s/ Daniel H. Murphey, JP for Decatur County

State of Tennessee
County of Decatur

    I, Samuel A. Yarbro, Clerk of the County Court of County and State aforesaid, do hereby certify that Daniel H. Murphey, Esq., before whom the foregoing affidavit of Custes Oneal was made, was at the date thereof an acting Justice of the Peace in and for said county and state and that the signature purporting to be his is genuine.
    In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed the seal of our said county at office in Decaturville this 7th day of November 1854.
/s/ Saml. A Yarbro, Clerk of the County Court

Letter to Hon. L.P. Waldo, Commissioner of Pensions & reply

Spring Creek - Nov. 24th 1854

Sir:
    You will herewith please find additional proof in reference to the claim of Angelica Brooks, widow of Thomas of Tennessee.  But when your letter of 20th July last is considered, it seems scarcely worth while to offer any proof short of the testimony of contemporaries of the soldier and who were present at his marriage to claimant and have known his widow and children from that till the present time.  And if the literal requirements of that letter can neither be relaxed nor modified, in some degree, it is vain and unnecessary to offer such testimony as can be obtained at this period.
    The letter referred to says "There is no evidence on file to show that the Thomas Brooks who received these payments was the husband of Angelica Brooks of Tennessee whose children are applying for the benefits of the Act of July 7, 1838.  This proof must be supplied by witnesses who knew that he did render said service."  Now in what way could this proof be supplied in the manner required, except by those who served in the Revolutionary Army with the said Thomas Brooks, and moreover, were present with him and witnessed his settlement with the Auditor of Public Accounts in the State of North Carolina, and have since that time been conversant with his wife and children.  Such requirements as those just referred to, without any sort of qualification, bears no resemblance to that spirit of liberality in which our pension laws were made, and would seem to be disguised to dispose of all cases of this class in the most summary manner and without the trouble of inquiring into the nature and character of the circumstances connected with same.
    A careful examination of the original declaration in this case and all the proof conducted therewith, including the affidavit of Custes Oneal now offered, will put it out of the power of any man, to believe that the said Angelica Brooks was not the very person who was the wife of the identical Thomas Brooks who was paid and served as claimed in the ________.  Jeremiah Brooks, the son of these parties, and who is known to be a man of unquestioned veracity, swears that his father, Thomas Brooks, was a private in Captain Nelson's Company of the 10th Regiment and that he entered the service on the 1st of July 1777 and first and last served in several Company's, and among the others he is of opinion that at one time he served in the Company of Captain Caleb Mason, and at another time under Captain Wilson who was perhaps the first Captain under whose command he did serve.  He also informed me that his said father performed a part of his service in the State of South Carolina; that he belonged to the Continental Line and continued in service about two years after the close of the war in order to complete his term of enlistment.
    The above statements when applied to the payments received by the Brooks in question, taken in connection with the records of the Continental establishment & all the proof and circumstances belonging to the case, cannot leave the shadow of a doubt as to who are the rightful claimants.
    Custes Oneal in his affidavit informs us that he was acquainted with the said Thomas Brooks from his earliest recollections to the period of the old gentleman's death and that he always understood that he had been a Revolutionary soldier--he mentions the name of the county in North Carolina in which the old soldier lived when he enlisted into the service; that this same Brooks was the husband of the said Angelica, the mother of the identical children now applying for the pension money due her.
    The fact of the service of Thomas Brooks claimed to have been rendered and the fact that the aforesaid Angelica was his wife, have been sustained by such a connected chain of collateral evidence to say nothing of the other proof, and which circumstantial evidence could not have existed except in connection with the Revolutionary service claimed to have been performed by the said Brooks, and which it would seem should dispense with the consideration to make the proof in the direct manner required in your letter already referred to, and more especially when that has become impossible.  The history of the times and the circumstances of this case fully settle the identity of all the parties.  Neither the records of the Continental Line or the Auditor [last line of page is missing] Brooks in the State of North Carolina, can show the names of any other Thomas Brooks that could by any legitimate mode of construction be applied to the Thomas Brooks we claim as having been the husband of the said Angelica.
    And if this claim cannot be allowed on the testimony already offered, we are unable to see how any claim of this kind can be established at _________ when there are so very few persons living who were contemporaries with the soldiers of those days.  When and where allowed us to enquire, can it be supposed that any one could find witnesses who know what he did under said service?  Is this requirement any thing less than it would be to discourage witnesses by whom to prove the actual term of service?  We are aware that it is your duty to be fully satisfied as to the merit of any claim and that over views, when not sustained by proof, can make no difference in your action, but at the same time we must implore as much relaxation in your requisitions as may comfort with duty.  See opinion of acting Secretary S.C. Goddard 102 --page 533. Mayo vs. Montlon?.
    We are fully satisfied as to the justice of this claim and would not be willing to see it closed against the parties without further efforts if required.

We are respectfully your most obt. servants,
Talbot & Jayne, for claimant

Pension Office - Decr.  5, 1854

Gentlemen:
    I have re-examined the papers in the case of Angelico Brooks, widow of Thomas of Tenn. under the Act of July 7, 1838, and so far from perceiving "such a connected chain of collateral evidence" "which circumstantial evidence could not have existed except in connection with the Revolutionary service claimed," I confess my utter inability to perceive any thing like satisfactory evidence in the papers that her husband ever served a day.  The declaration made in 1853 declares for service under Captain Wilson and to the _____ of the War.  The record of service for a man named Thomas Brooks indicates, it is true, a long period of service but does not show any service under a man named Wilson.  Indeed if it is true that he was a Continental soldier, there is every reason to believe that the certificate of the comptroller of NC filed in the papers does not refer to him at all for the comptroller's certificates indicate the pay of militia and not Continental soldiers.  No witness has testified to the service who could by any probability know anything of it.  A man of her husband's name seems to have enlisted for three years in 1777, but he enlisted in Charleston, SC under Col. Thomas Clarke.  In 1780 a man of his name was in service under Major John Nelson.  None of this service was mentioned by the applicants.  Where then is the "connected chain of collateral evidence?"  I still insist that the requirements of my letter of July 20 must be complied with.

Letter to Geo. C. Whitney, Commissioner of Pensions & reply

Decaturville, Tenn. - April 18th 1857

Sir:
    I am requested by Jeremiah Brooks to write to you and request that you forward the family record of his father, Thomas Brooks, to his address at Cottonwood Point, Pemiscot County, Missouri.  The record was filed with the application of the heirs of Thomas Brooks who applied for the pension due their mother, Angelica Brooks, for the services of her husband, Thomas Brooks, in the War of the Revolution.

Very Respectfully,
Your obd'nt serv't.,
/s/ Geo. W. Talbot

No date on note and not signed: "Letter to G.W. Talbot of the 30th of May 1854 admits that the date of the marriage is proved.  Record returned by request to Jeremiah Brooks at Cottonwood Point, Pemiscot Co., Missouri."

Pension Office - Apl. 30, 1857

Sir:
    The frequent applications made to this office for information about particular claims for bounty land pending before it, render it proper to call particular attention to some suggestions, a careful observance of which, by those thus applying, is necessary to enable the office to give the information desired.
    The system of the registration of such claims requires that both the name of the applicant for land and the number of his application be stated, in order that the office may readily turn to the papers in the files.  In all acknowledgments of the receipt of applications at this office the number of each application is given, and by reference to those the numbers can always be ascertained.  If however, from not having received any such acknowledgment, or from having subsequently lost it, the number cannot be stated, the particular time--the month and the day of the month--when the application was forwarded to this office should be stated as nearly as may be.
    Without these particular statements this office cannot undertake, with the force now at its command, to make those examinations for particular claims which are necessary in order to give information about them.  The amount of time and labor which would be required in a general examination for a particular application among the over two hundred and thirty thousand now received, will readily be seen.

Geo. C. Whiting, Commissioner

Letter from Geo. W. Talbot to Commissioner of Pensions

Decaturville, Tenn. - May 13th, 1857

Sir:
    In reply to the enclosed circular, I would say that the heirs of Thomas Brooks applied in the year 1853 for the pension due their mother.  They did not apply for Bounty Land, but for an unclaimed pension due their mother, Angelica Brooks.  At the time the application was made the parties resided in Henderson County in this state but have since removed to Missouri.

Very Respectfully,
Your obd'nt serv't.,
/s/ Geo. W. Talbot

GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION

Thomas Brooks    b: 7 March 1737/38    d: June 13, 1822 Wilson Co. TN
Married: Angelica Riordame before 1785
Angelica Riordame    b: c 1764    d: September 19, 1847 Henderson Co., TN
Known children of Thomas and Angelica Brooks:

The Life and Times of Thomas Brooks
by
Larry E. Reid

A. Why Thomas Brooks?
 B. Genealogy – How Thomas Brooks fits into the family
C. His Life

  • Parents

  • Wife

  • Children

  • Patriot and Revolutionary War Record

  • Migration to Tennessee

  • Death

D. Summary and Timeline
E.  Sources

  • Missouri Records

  • Pension Application & Affidavits

  • North Carolina Archives

  • Hyde County, North Carolina Records

  • Greene and Wilson County Tennessee Records

INTRODUCTION

At long last I have decided to pay homage to our common ancestor Thomas Brooks by writing this brief paper outlining in a semi-organized manner the facts and events of his life. I hope you enjoy reading it and in the process learn something new about our ancestors in general and Thomas Brooks in particular.

Why, you may wonder, have I selected Thomas Brooks for this paper over all other ancestors?  Simply because I became attached to Thomas Brooks when I discovered that I was related to him through the research I was doing in tracing the ancestors of great-grandmother Keturah Brooks. In doing the research I discovered that Thomas had led an interesting life and had served bravely throughout the American Revolutionary War. I was so impressed with what I had learned about Thomas that I decided to drop my plans to make application to the Sons of the American Revolution based upon the military service of another ancestor, William Bryant, and use Thomas as my ancestor of record instead. This decision was based upon three reasons (1) Thomas is closer to me genealogically, (2) it appeared to me that the military record of  Thomas was more colorful and varied and (3) it would be easier to verify my connection to him.   

Before I begin I would like to emphasize that in preparing this paper I  have tried to be as specific as I could be by using the best data and sources available to me at the time.  My sources have been cited where appropriate. It stands to reason that all facts and events, no matter how true, have to be interpreted and explained and I  have tried to do that.  When contradictions appear to exist I have offered possible explanations. I do not profess to have offered the ONLY explanation of the facts but, of course,  I have put forward what I feel is the best explanation suggested by these facts.  The reader is welcomed, and even encouraged, to review the original source material and to draw their own conclusions. I have copies of much of the original source material in my possession and/or can give you the name of the agency or person who is in possession of these documents.

I owe a great deal of thanks to others researchers and contributors who’s research I have used in some instances and I have given them credit for their contributions. Helen Brooks Shaw, Kay Sheppard and Chip Pate were gracious enough to proofread my work and to give me the benefit of their criticisms, revisions, and suggestions. 

In this article I have used William Massie Reid and Keturah Brooks as my point of reference simply because most of the family members most likely to read this paper and ask questions and who may want to position Thomas Brooks in their own family tree can easily relate to Will and Keturah (Catura). It is NOT done to exclude other Brooks/Reids descendants OR to show a preference.

Keturah Brooks (b. August 15, 1871: d. January 17, 1929)[i] was one of eight children born to James Franklin Brooks (b. 11-9-1832: d. 1893) and Sarah Richardson Brooks (b. 8-15-1841: d. April 1932) [ii].  Keturah was the granddaughter of Midget Brooks and Rebecca O’Neal and the great-granddaughter of Thomas Brooks and Angelica Riordame. She married William Massie Reid July 30, 1890 in Cooter, Pemiscot County, Missouri[iii]. Keturah’s brothers and sisters were Marquis DeLayfatte (Dee), Fernado (Jodie), Alamedia, Gnoah (Sam), Dora, Emery, and Louella[iv] who is buried next to her father in Mt. Zion Cemetery, Steele Missouri. But since this paper is about Thomas Brooks I will leave Keturah and her family for a later paper when I can give her the time and space she deserves.

So just who was Thomas Brooks?  His exact date and place of birth is unknown but much about his age can be learned from available census records.  These records prove that Thomas was born after 1726 and before 1774 probably in Hyde County, North Carolina. Since Thomas joined the Continental Army July 1, 1777 he certainly was born before 1774. If one assumes he had to be at least 17 to join the army his date of birth would have to be before 1760.  According to our cousins, Dr. William (Chip) Pate and Helen Brooks Shaw, both avid researchers, his father was Stephen Brooks (b. abt 1703; d. 1776)[v]. Also according to these researchers Thomas was a man of the sea, which begs the question: Why didn’t he join the Navy instead of the Army?  More support for the idea that Thomas came from a seafaring family comes from another cousin, Mitzi Brooks Bible, who says that Thomas’ grandfather, Joseph Brooks, was a pirate and was captured with the notorious pirate, Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard[vi]. We know from the Revolutionary War pension application of his son,  Jeremiah Brooks, and the included affidavits by his other sons, Midget, Christopher and Stephen Brooks[vii], that Thomas was married to Angelica. The exact number of children  born to Thomas and Angelica is in question but they had at least six children and possibly more. The known children are Thomas Brooks, Jr.,  Stephen Brooks; Deuteronomy Brooks; Jeremiah Brooks; Midget Brooks; Christopher Brooks and Polly Brooks[viii].

Much of what we know about Thomas Brooks comes to us from the aforementioned Revolutionary War Pension application made by Jeremiah Brooks on the 5th day of September 1853. The application is based upon the Revolutionary War service of Thomas and was made to secure the benefits Jeremiah felt he and his brothers were entitled to under the Pension Act of July 7, 1832. This pension application was denied.  Jeremiah and his brothers made several attempts to overcome the objections to the approval of the application by the government bureaucrats handling the application.  The additional information they supplied makes the pension application a gold mine of family information.   Jeremiah was 58 at the time of his application wherein he states that Thomas Brooks, his father, died June 13, 1822 in Wilson County, Tennessee and that Thomas was survived by his wife, Angelica Brooks. Angelica died some twenty five years later on the 5th of October 1847 (other affidavits say September 19, 1847). The only living survivors of Thomas and Angelica at the time the pension application was made were Jeremiah, Christopher, Midget and Stephen Brooks. No mention is made of any other sibling.

Even though the pension application was denied I have been able to overcome the objections made to its approval by extensive use of the Internet and archive materials obtained from the North Carolina State Archives.  For example, Jeremiah swears under oath that Thomas enlisted in the 10th North Carolina Continental Line, served the entire war, except for a short time when he was allowed to go home on furlough; that he served under Captain James Wilson and that he remained in service for a short period after the war. This information is verified by the muster rolls and payroll records of the soldiers of the North Carolina Continental Army  I obtained from the North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.[ix] These records show that Thomas did indeed enlist July 1, 1777 in the North Carolina 10th Regiment commanded by Captain James Wilson just like Jeremiah said. His pay vouchers settled between September 1784 - 1786 in Halifax, North Carolina and Warrenton, North Carolina show he was paid  103 pounds, 15 shillings, 9 pence and at another time 259 pounds, 12 shillings[x].

Two other records confirm that Thomas served. One from the State Records of North Carolina published under the supervision of the trustees of the Public Libraries by order of the General Assembly collected and edited by Walter Clark, one of the Justices of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, volume XV; (1780 –1781).  Clark reports that Thomas Brooks was on the rolls of Major John Baptista Ashe’s Company of the First North Carolina Battalion, commanded by Colonel Thomas Clark as of September 8th 1778. This roster is countersigned by Thomas Callender, Lieutenant and D. Wright, 2nd Lieutenant, Acting Ensign[xi].  Other records from the North Carolina State Comptroller’s office dated June 29, 1854 and signed by Wm. J. Clarke, Comptroller, shows Thomas Brooks on the muster rolls of Major Nelson’s 4th North Carolina Continentals as of February 1780 in Charleston, South Carolina.[xii] These records agree and reconfirm that Thomas enlisted July 1, 1777.

Most of these details of Thomas’s military service were omitted in the Pension Application. None of the affidavits mention Major John Baptista Ashe, Major John Nelson or Colonel Thomas Clark. Perhaps the sons did not know these details or did not consider them pertinent to their request. Jeremiah mentions a total of three persons in the pension application that may have served with Thomas. They are (1) Captain James Wilson, company commander in the 10th North Carolina Line and which has been mentioned previously; (2) Private John O’Neal (later to become an in-law when John’s son, Custis O’Neal, marries Polly Brooks, daughter of  our Thomas Brooks. I will have more to say about John at another time) and (3) Captain Caleb Mason.

After an exhaustive research of all available records known to me I have come to the conclusion that no one has ever traced the movements, campaigns, successes and/or failures of the North Carolina 10th Regiment during the American Revolution. To the best of my knowledge the U.S. Army War College, the Library of Congress, The National Archives, the Smithsonian and/or the North Carolina Department of Archives have absolutely no records showing that the 10th ever participated in any battle as a combat unit.  This may be due in large part to the hapless manner in which the North Carolina 10th Regiment was authorized, funded (or the lack thereof), organized, and commanded. The most definitive work on the 10th Regiment can be found in Hugh F.  Rankin's book entitled The North Carolina Continental Line and a very brief factual record can be found in James P. Wright's work The Continental Army.  According to Rankin the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorized the 10th Regiment in the Spring of 1777 as an afterthought and never provided sufficient funds to support, equip and/or train the troops. Their commander, Colonel Abraham Sheppard, was not up to the task of command. Also according to Rankin the new recruits for the 10th were processed and sent north piecemeal to join the main Continental Army, which was at that time, engaged in the defense of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  There they were incorporated into other units as replacements.  However, I have had some success in tracing the general movements of the North Carolina 10th by examining the pension records of  other soldiers (most notably Pvt. Joshua Adcock, Pvt. William Bryant, Captain Caleb Mason, Major John Nelson and Colonel Thomas Clark) and in the authoritative works of the aforementioned authors, Robert K. Wright, Jr.  and Hugh F. Rankin. 

I learned that the 10th Regiment was authorized by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on 17 April, 1777 and placed under the command of Colonel Abraham Sheppard, Colonel Dozier and Major John Baptista Ashe[xiii]. The Regiment was organized at Kinston, North Carolina between April 19, 1777 and July 1, 1777 and consisted of eight companies from the Northeastern part of the State.   Recruiters immediately fanned out across the state and beyond in search of new soldiers.  Recruitment was slow and irregular.  One of those recruited  July 1, 1777 was Thomas Brooks of Hyde County, North Carolina[xiv] for a term of 3 (three) years.  He was assigned to the company commanded by Captain James Wilson.

In addition to the above I learned much more about the 10th Regiment by reading the pension record of Pvt. Joshua Adcock, a soldier of the Revolution whose army career dovetails almost exactly that of Thomas Brooks. According to Joshua’s pension record, which can be found in the Pension Office, Washington, DC as "Invalid File No. 6467”, Joshua was enlisted by Lieutenant John Low in the month of May, 1777, for a term of three years. He was attached to the company commanded by Captain James Wilson, the same company and commander as our Thomas. Joshua, and supposedly Thomas, were marched from Caswell County to Kinston on the Neuse River where their company joined the 10th Regiment of Infantry commanded by Colonel Shepherd, Lieutenant Colonel Dozier, and Major Ashe. The Regiment marched from Kingston, North Carolina to Halifax, North Carolina and from Halifax to Georgetown, Virginia where nearly all the Regiment was inoculated with the small pox. From Georgetown the Regiment marched to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania which was winter headquarters for the main American army under the command of General George Washington. Thomas Brooks and Joshua Adcock appear on the muster rolls of the soldiers encamped at Valley Forge[xv].  At Valley Forge the 10th Regiment was disbanded and attached to the first and second North Carolina Regiments. Joshua and Thomas fell in the first Regiment, which was commanded by Colonel Clark and Major John Baptista Ashe[xvi].

After the main army left Valley Forge in 1778 they pursued the British Army as it abandoned Philadelphia and marched north towards New York City. The Americans forced the British to engage them in battle at Monmouth Court House, New Jersey. Joshua does not participate in the battle because he is left as one of the guards for the baggage train however the rest of the North Carolina Brigade, which I believed included our Thomas, are actively engaged in the battle. Anyone interested in learning more details of the battle may do so from any number of books and pamphlets written on and about this battle.  The battle is noted for the outstanding way in which the “New Continental Army (by Baron Von Steuben) trained at Valley Forge, performed.  As far as I know the North Carolina Brigade also performed well.   Thomas does not appear on the list of invalids or wounded after the battle, so he probably come through the battle unscathed.

After Monmouth Court House (which some historians consider an American victory while others say it was only a draw) the army made its way to White Plains, NY where in September 1778 we once again find Thomas Brooks still on the muster rolls of Major John Baptista Ashe's company of the 1st North Carolina Regiment[xvii].  During the next year the North Carolina Brigade moves from White Plains to West Point, to Elk River and finally to Charleston, South Carolina.  Here we find Thomas in February of 1780 but this time he is found on the muster rolls of the 4th Regiment of the North Carolina Brigade commanded by Major John Nelson[xviii].  Approximately 3 (three) months later on May 12, 1780 the entire city of Charleston was captured by the British including Major Nelson and the entire North Carolina Brigade.  Major Nelson was exchanged for a British officer October 21, 1780 (Note: Some Nelson researchers show his release date to be March 1781)[xix].

Was Thomas with Major Nelson’s company of the 4th North Carolina Continental Line when they were captured or did he somehow avoid capture?  I can not believe that Thomas was among those captured for if he had been surely he would have mentioned that to his children and one of them would have stated this as a fact in their affidavits.  If captured he would probably have been interred for the rest of the war and we know that did not happen.

Remember, in his pension application Jeremiah says that Thomas served the entire war and stayed in the army for a short period after the end of the war EXCEPT for a brief period when he returned home. The dates of this furlough or length of it are not mentioned. However if we speculate and engage in a few "what ifs" it would be possible, and maybe even probable, that Thomas took his furlough at some point after the muster at Charleston was taken in February 1780 and before the city was surrendered on May 12, 1780 thus avoiding capture. Another possibility is that he avoided capture by other means OR if captured he managed to escape.

My contention that Thomas was not captured makes even more sense when one considers other statements made by Jeremiah in his pension application. Jeremiah states that Thomas also served at some point during the War with Captain Caleb Mason.  Caleb Mason was another Revolutionary War soldier from Hyde County, North Carolina.  Caleb presents a most interesting study in that his original pension application was also rejected. It was rejected not because he did not serve in the Revolutionary War but because he did not serve in a Continental Line company. His service was exclusively in the North Carolina State Militia. Caleb made a second application for a pension which was approved[xx] because Congress had eased the requirements for pensions by making those soldiers who served in the State Militia also eligible for pensions. It follows that if Thomas served with Caleb Mason and Caleb only served in the North Carolina Militia that Thomas also served in the North Carolina militia.  According to statements in Caleb’s  application that was approved for a pension he states that he volunteered in 1781 and was at the Battle of Cowpens and at Guilford Court House. There is every likelihood then that our Thomas was with Captain Caleb Mason at these battles.

I would also point out that Caleb Mason’s second application for a pension was witnessed by THOMAS BROOKS, JOHN O’NEAL, Abner Spring and others.

After the fall of Charleston, the North Carolina Line was all but gone.  New Continental Line units were authorized by the North Carolina legislature  but I have been unable to find Thomas Brooks in any of the Continental Line units dated after May 12, 1780.  This gives more credence to the possibility that Thomas volunteered with Caleb Mason in the North Carolina Militia after the fall of Charleston and was probably with Caleb at the Battles of Cowpens and Guilford Court House.  During this time in the war the North Carolina militia served with General Greene throughout North and South Carolina. They participated not only in the Battles of Cowpens and Guilford Court House, but also in the battles of Kings Mountain, Brian’s Creek, Ninety Six, and Eutaw Springs[xxi]. Since they were with General Greene, they probably DID NOT participate in the siege of Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781.

Now it’s time to look at other sources of the life and time of Thomas Brooks. We know a lot about Thomas’s life in Hyde County, North Carolina. For instance we know that in February 1786 Thomas appears in the North Carolina census in Captain Cason Gibbs’s District. This census indicates there is another female in the household besides his wife. Could this be a daughter? If so, it would correspond with the information in the pension application which confirms that their first child was born before 1785 (the pension application does not say if this child is male or female). Thomas appears again in the 1790 Federal census, the 1792 Tax List (actually in the Southern District  of Mattamuskeet, Hyde Co., North Carolina), and again in the 1800 Federal census where he is listed as being over 45 years of age.  In July of 1802 Thomas Brooks proves his boundary line in Hyde County [xxii], North Carolina and in  February 1804 Thomas sells 100 acres in Hyde County, North Carolina to Christopher O’Neal[xxiii]  . Sometime between February 1804 and 1810 Thomas and his family migrated to Greene County, Tennessee because he is on the tax list in Captain Wilson’s Company in 1810, Green County, Tennessee. The Reverend Stephen Brooks, Christopher Brooks and Thomas Brooks, Jr. are also found on this list. Thomas is still in Greene County, Tennessee in 1812 as he again appears on the tax list. The same tax list of 1812 includes Christopher Brooks, Deacon Stephen Brooks and Thomas Brooks, Jr. In the 1820 Federal Census of Wilson County, Tennessee Thomas and Angelica can be found in the household of their son, Migget (Midget) Brooks.  Both Thomas and Angelica are listed as being over 45 years of age.  Of course you know by now that Thomas Brooks died June 13, 1822 in Wilson County, Tennessee. According to his son-in-law, Custis O’Neal, in his affidavit found in the pension application, Thomas and Angelica were living with he and his wife, Polly Brooks, the daughter of Thomas and Angelica Brooks, and had been living with them for about two years at the time of Thomas’ death. This means that Thomas and Angelica moved out of the household of Midget and Rebecca and moved in with their daughter and son-in-law.

SUMMARY

I know with some certainty that many of our gggg-grandparents participated in engagements and battles throughout the American Revolutionary War including  the Battle of Brandywine, Cowpens, Guilford Court House, Yorktown, Petersburg, and others.  Fifth great-grandfather Bryant was wounded at Brandywine[i].  Our 5th great-grandfather, Captain James Dillard was at Guilford Court House[ii] and at Yorktown.  I know of no relative who lost his life in action during the Revolution but much remains to be learned about our uncles and cousins who served in that war.

But why did Jeremiah and his three brothers apply for their mother’s pension in 1853? Angelica had been dead for six years by that time and the act under which they were applying was passed by Congress 21 years earlier (July 7, 1832). Thomas had been dead for some 31 years.  I do know one thing--if Jeremiah had NOT made application for a pension and if the application had NOT been rejected we would not have all the great family history on Thomas, Angelica, Midget and the O’Neal's which eventually found its way into the application.

This question and the other questions I have raised in this paper may never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction and I do not know that it is really all that important to account for every detail of  Thomas’s life and times. We know for sure that Thomas lived in North Carolina, help start a county, married, had children, and migrated to Tennessee where he died in 1822. His children prospered, married and led productive lives. They migrated further west where they settled in Missouri and other states and territories of the west.  In the process they played their part in developing what we know today as our home and country.

TIMELINE OF THOMAS BROOKS

  • 1726 –1760:  Approximate date of birth in Hyde County, North Carolina

  • July 1, 1777: Joined the Continental Army

  • Winter 1777 – 1778: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

  • June 28, 1778: Battle of Monmouth Court House, New Jersey

  • May 12, 1780: Surrender of Charleston, South Carolina to British

  • January 17, 1781: Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina

  • March 15, 1781: Battle of Guilford Court House, North Carolina

  • 1783: Mustered out of Army

  • About 1784 married Angelica Riordame

  • 1785: First child born

  • February 1786: in Capt. Cason Gibbs’s Dist. of Hyde Co., North Carolina

  • 1790: In Hyde County, North Carolina Federal census

  • 1792: In Southern District of Mattamuskeet, Hyde Co., North Carolina

  • 1800: In Hyde County, North Carolina Federal census

  • July 1802: Proves boundary line in Hyde County, North Carolina

  • February 1804: Sells 100 acres in Hyde Co., NC to Christopher O’Neal

  • 1804 – 1810: Moved to Greene County, Tennessee

  • 1810: In Tax List of Capt Wilson’s Company, Greene Co., Tennessee

  • 1812: On Tax List in Greene County, Tennessee

  • 1820: Thomas & Angelica in Miggit’s household, Wilson Co. TN census

  • June 13, 1822: Thomas dies in Wilson, County, Tennessee

  • September 19 OR October 5, 1847: Angelica dies in Henderson Co, TN

  • September 5, 1853: Jeremiah Brooks makes pension application

    SOURCES

    [i] Revolutionary War Pension Application of William Bryant # S39215, National Archives

    [ii] Virginia Magazine of History & Biography, Vol. 17, pg. 189 – 193. Orders to Captain James Dillard to march to Guilford Court House, North Carolina.

    [i] Death Certificate for Keturah Brooks, Mo. Dept. of Vital Statistics

    [ii] Goodspeed’s History of Southeast Missouri, pgs. 1184 & 1185

    [iii] Pemiscot County Marriage Records

    [iv] Goodspeed’s History of Southeast Missouri; pgs. 1184 & 1185

    [v] Chip Pate at wspate@earthlink.net and Helen Brooks Shaw at hbshaw78@yahoo.com

    [vi] Mitzi Brooks Bible, 202 Cardinal Lane, Greeneville, TN

    [vii] Revolutionary War Pension R 1243, National Archives

    [ix] The official record is “Copy of a Register showing the names alphabetically, rank, dates of Commissions and enlistments periods of service and occurrences taken from the original muster and pay rolls of the North Carolina Line of the late Army of the United States”

    [x] The official record is “Abstract of the Army Accounts of the North Carolina Line settled by the Commission at Halifax from the 1st of September 1784 to the 1st February 1785 and at Warrenton is the year 1786 designated by whom the claims were receipted for respectively.”

    [xi] The State Records of North Carolina, Edited by Walter Clark, Vol. XV; 1780-1781, p 723

    [xii] Revolutionary War Pension R.1243, National Archives

    [xiii] The Continental Army by Robert K. Wright, Jr. pg. 303 - The State Records of North Carolina, Edited by Walter Clark, Vol. XXII, pgs. 93 & 94 which is an extract from the “Declaration of Joshua Adcock, Pension Office, Washington,  D.C.  “Invalid – File No. 6467

    [xiv] Revolutionary War Pension R 1243 & North Carolina Archives as noted in No. 9

    [xv] Contact Valley Forge National Park Service: Mr. Jeff Oates at Jeffery_oates@nps.gov

    [xvi] Joshua Adcock Invalid File No 6467;  Robert K. Wright, Jr.; pgg 303 - The State Records of North Carolina, Edited by Walter Clark, Vol. XXII, pgs. 93 & 94.

    [xvii] The State Records of North Carolina, Edited by Walter Clark, Vol. XV; 1780 - 1781, pg. 723.

    [xviii] Pension Application of Thomas Brooks R1243

    [xix] Major John Nelson’s Rev. War Pension Application R20131

    [xx] Pension Application of Caleb Mason, #S1917

    [xxi] Rankin, Hugh F., The North Carolina Continental Line, pgs. 68, 69 & 70

    [xxii] Hyde County, NC Deed Book M; pg. 88

    [xxiii]Hyde County, NC Deed Book M; pg. 409

    Researched & contributed by Larry E. Reid
    Copyright 2003

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