Lucretia Therrell,
Widow of Moses Therrell
Contributed by William Therrell
The State of South Carolina }
Chesterfield District } SS.
On this fifteenth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine, personally appeared before Turner Bryan Esquire Judge of the Court of Ordinary for the District aforesaid, Lucretia Therrell a resident of the District of Chesterfield in the State aforesaid, aged eighty five years on the tenth day of April last, who being duly sworn according to law, doth, on her oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congress passed July 4th, 1836: That she is the widow of Moses Therrell who was a Private in the war of the Revolution; that the said Moses Therrell entered the service as an enlisted soldier in the second Regiment and served three years which she believes was the time for which he was enlisted, but at what time he entered the service or under what officers he served, this deponent does not know except that he (the said Moses Therrell) was enlisted by Calorie Spencer, afterwards Col. Spencer, but what rank the said Spencer then bore she does not know. This deponent believes that the said Moses Therrell marched directly to Charleston after he enlisted and that he remained near Charleston the whole three years; she believes the said Moses Therrell was in an engagement whilst stationed on Beaufort Island near Charleston, South Carolina: That the said Moses had two brothers, Abraham & David Therrell who were in the army at the same time and both of whom died at or near Charleston; That the said Moses Therrell, after the expiration of the three years service aforesaid returned home in the month of July but in what year this deponent does not know; That this deponent and the said Moses Therrell were married by Jeptha Vining a Baptist Preacher, in the District of Chesterfield, South Carolina, in the month of October after the return of the said Moses Therrell as above stated, but in what year she does not know but believes it was about two years before the defeat of Gen. Gates near Camden, South Carolina; That shortly after the marriage of the said Moses as above states, he was drafted for a term of two months, that he marched to Charleston and was there the Christmas after he was married; that he served the two months, but in what company or Regiment, or under what officers this deponent does not know – She does not know that he was in any engagement during the last mentioned term of service – at what time the said Moses Therrell was drafted she does not know, but he returned home in the month of February: That the said Moses Therrell then remained at home and raised one crop, but early in the next spring he was again drafted for five months, as this deponent believes; that he left home before the crop was planted and did not return until this deponent had gathered the little crop of corn which she had raised; that he was at or near Charleston the whole five months, but she does not know that the said Moses Therrell was in an engagement during the five months, nor does she know the Company or Regiment in which nor the officers under whom he served: That she is wholly illiterate and has no documentary proof either of her marriage, or of the service of her husband; nor does she know of any of the companions in arms of the said Modes Therrell who are now alive.
She further declares that she was married to the said Moses Therrell in the month of October as before stated but in what year she does not know, except that it was about two years before the defeat of Gen. Gates as aforesaid, that her husband, the aforesaid Moses Therrell, died on the tenth day of July about the year 1787, and that she has remained a widow ever since that period, as will more fully appear in the proofs hereto annexed.
Sworn to & subscribed on the day & year
Above written, before Lucretia (her X mark) Therrell
Turner Bryan, Judge
Of the Court of Ordinary
Millenton Huggins personally came before me Turner Bryan Esquire Judge of the Court of Ordinary for Chesterfield District and being duly sworn saith, that he is the brother of Lucretia Therrell who has made the foregoing declaration; that at the time the said Lucretia was married to Moses Therrell, this deponent was a boy; that at the time the said Lucretia was married she lived with her grandfather Edmond Kite; that this deponent was not present at the marriage but recollects that to have been at his grandfather’s when the said Lucretia and Moses Therrell returned from being married as it was then said; that the said Moses & Lucretia ever after, (until the death of the said Moses) lived together as husband and wife, and was always so regarded; this deponent always believed and still believes that the said Moses and Lucretia were married as set forth in the declaration of the said Lucretia: This deponent further saith that the said Moses served one tour in the war of the Revolution before he was married, and two tours after he was married; this deponent cannot say of his knowledge the length of time the said Moses served either time, but has always understood & believed & still believes that he served as stated in the foregoing declaration of the said Lucretia: This deponent further saith that he does not recollect the year in which the said Moses Therrell died, but knows that he died shortly after the War of the Revolution, and that the said Lucretia has remained a widow ever since.
Sworn to before me this fifteenth
Day of May A.D. 1839 Millenton (his X mark) Huggins
Turner Bryan Judge
of the Court of Ordinary
Rebecca S. Pour personally came before me Turner Bryan Esquire, Judge of the Court of Ordinary in & for the Chesterfield District, who being first duly sworn saith, that she has heard her husband Calorie Spencer deceased who was an officer in the War of the Revolution say that Moses Therrell the husband of Lucretia who has made the foregoing declaration was enlisted by him and that he served in the War of the Revolution; that the said Calorie Spencer after the war settled in the neighborhood of the said Moses Therrell and was always kind and attentive to the said Therrell, who was a very poor man, saying he was a good soldier in the War of the Revolution; She knows that the said Moses & Lucretia lived together until the death of the said Moses, as husband & wife & were so considered in the neighborhood & this deponent believes they were a legally married couple; she further saith that the said Lucretia has remained a widow ever since the death of the said Moses; and she believes the said Lucretia worthy of credit.
Sworn to & subscribed this (Signed) R.S. Pour
Day & year above written
Before Turner Bryan Judge
Of the Court of Ordinary
State of South Carolina }
Chesterfield District }
I, Turner Bryan, Judge of the Court of Ordinary in and for the District aforesaid, after investigating the matter, do hereby certify that I am fully of opinion that Moses Therrell was a Soldier of the Revolution, and that Lucretia Therrell who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration was legally married to the said Moses Therrell as she has set forth in her declaration. I further certify that Lewis Ganey who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing certificate is a respectable clergyman residing in the said District of Chesterfield and is entitled to credit. I also certify that the Court of Ordinary is a Court of record and that I have no seal of office.
Given under my hand and seal (there being no seal of office) this 4th day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine.
(Signed) Turner Bryan {seal}
Ordinary of Chesterfield District
I, J.C. Craig, Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions in the District of Chesterfield do certify that Turner Bryan is Judge of the Court of Ordinary in the said District and that the above signature purporting to be his is genuine.
Given under my hand and seal of Office at Chesterfield Court House this 4th day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine, and in the sixty third year of sovereignty and Independence of the United States of America.
(SEAL) (Signed) J.C. Craig, Clerk of the court for
(This line missing)
Power of Attorney – Revolutionary Pension Claims:
Know all men by these presents, that I, Mary Boan, daughter of Lucretia Therrell, applicant for pension late of Chesterfield District.
Hereby constitute and appoint Col. M. Thompson, my true and lawful Agent and Attorney, to prosecute the claim of my mother for any amount of Revolutionary pension, or increase of Pension, that may be due; and I hereby authorize my said Agent to examine all papers and documents in relation to said claim, on file in the Departments at Washington City, or elsewhere; to file additional evidence or arguments; and to receive the Certificate which may be issued for said claim, which Certificate I wish made payable to her surviving children: Welthy Brown Abegail Therrell and Mary Boan; to appoint one or more substitutes under him for the purposes herein expressed; and to do all things that I might or could do were I personally present. Hereby ratifying and confirming all that my said Attorney and Agent shall lawfully do in the premises.
Witness my hand and Seal this
15th day February, A.D., 1853 Mary (her X mark) Boan
Signed and Sealed in the presence of
(Signed) K.T. Morgan
(Signed) Effie Boan
State of South Carolina }
District of Chesterfield } S.S.
On this fifteenth day of February A.D. 1853 before me, the subscriber, a Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid, personally appeared Mary Boan and acknowledge the foregoing Power of Attorney to be her act and deed, for the purposes therein states.
In Testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand,
The day and year aforesaid.
(Signed) K.T. Morgan Magst.
South Carolina }
Chesterfield District }
Before me personally appeared Elizabeth Crowley aged upwards of ninety years who being first duly sworn according to law on oath says that she was well acquainted with Lucretia Therrell, widow of Moses Therrell late of Chesterfield District since her first recollection and well recollects the occurrence of her marriage to Moses Therrell, but was not present at the marriage which took place about three miles from where she, deponent, lived. The marriage took place at the house of Mr. John Norris and well recollects that it was some years before the fall of Charleston, South Carolina; That some time after his marriage the said Moses Therrell enlisted in the South Carolina Line but cannot recollect under what officers and was repeatedly at her house during the absence of her said husband Moses Therrell who was marched to guard the western frontier of South Carolina while in said service and was well acquainted with said Lucretia Therrell up to the time of her death.
Sworn to and subscribed this 17th day
of February 1853 Elizabeth (her X mark) Crowley
August 3, 1908
Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, D.C.
Dear Sir,
Please give me the services in the War of the Revolution of the following soldiers. The information is desired for the purpose of properly marking their graves.
Moses Therrell, who was a Virginia, but died in Pickens District S.C.
Benjamine Neighbors or Benj. Franklin neighbors of Pickens District, S.C.
He is on the list of Revolutionary pensioners of census of 1840. William Day of Pickens District, S.C. He is also one of the Pensioners in census of 1840.
This information will be gratefully welcomed.
Respectfully,
(Signed) Mrs. P.H. Mell
Chairman Committee for Marking Soldiers Graves
August 18, 1908
Clemson College, S.C.
Madam,
In reply to your letter dated the 3rd and received the 4th instant, you are advised that the Revolutionary War records of this Bureau show William Day, South Carolina troops, born August 1754, date of death not stated. Sur. File 16755.
Benjamin Neighbors, South Carolina troops, born August 15, 1768, date of death not stated. Sur. File 19,000/
Moses Terrell, South Carolina troops, date of birth not stated, died July 10, 1787. Rej. 10,489.
This last claim was not allowed as there was no proof of the duration of soldier’s service.
Respectfully,
(No signature) Commissioner