Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit
of John Wright
(c 1755 - 1836)

State of North Carolina
Stokes County

Personally appeared before us, William A. Mitchell and John Vaughn, Justices of the
aforesaid County, JOHN WRIGHT SR aged seventy eight years who being 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 7th June 1832. That he was born in Ireland. That his Father came from Ireland to Philadelphia when he was a very small boy and settled in Lancaster County in the State of Pennsylvania, that after he had grown up to the age of manhood the Revolutionary War took place, in this place? against Great Britain.

That in the year 1776 he entered the service of the United States as a wagoner under William Smith, wagon Master for a term of two months. at the expiration of said term I received my pay and discharge & returned home. I was at this time a little over twenty years old. In a short time after this I went Back to Philadelphia and engaged with a Wm. Helsimer as a wagoner for a term of six months, & whilst on this engagement which was in the first part of the year seventy seven, several wagons of us were sent after some corn & provisions for the Army & as we were driving along the road near Somer- set Court House, we were taken by a party of men, & prest by sailors. our wagons & teams & clothes all taken from us. the sailors did not wish to have anything to do with us but the British was not far off & the tories were going over to them daily, he durst not refuse to obey their orders. a man[?] came to the boat and expressed his sorrow on account of our situation, we told him that we would give him all the money that we had if he would inform General Mifflin where we were. We did not stay there more than eighteen hours & my sufferings were very great indeed for we expected every moment to be taken & carried to New York to the British Army. After we were taken out of [the] boat we went to Col Thornbury & told him of our misfortunes. our teams, clothes & money were all gone. We begged to be discharged to go home, but he said that he could not let us go and gave us an order to the clothier General to get more clothing and an order also to receive two months pay. He then directed an officer to go with us to the wagon yard

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to give us other wagons & teams & direct the soldiers who were drawing them to return to their respective companies. about this time was the Battle of Princeton which occurred in January or February of Seventy seven. after this I was engaged for hawling corn & Hay from Suckasony [sic] plains to Morristown & sometimes to the troops at Baubfook[?] about the time the British left New York we marched through a mountanous country almost to New Winston at which place we heard that the British had landed at the head of Elk. we were compelled to turn Back, I remember that I broke one of my axeltrees & applied to the artificers to mend it But they would not. at length General Washington & his life guard rode up. he asked what was the matter. I told him that I had broke an axeltree. He said there was a company of artificers behind. Tell them that I say that they must mend it. I told them, but they refused. I then said that I would take out my horses & go with them to the General & inform him of their conduct. They then set to work & soon mended my wagon & went on. We went next to Germantown and there I got my discharge having served under that engagement about twelve months.

I was but a few days at home when an officer came and drafted me to go in the service, in the militia, I went with him & was inrolled in Captain Watson's Company under Col Porter. was in the Battle of Brandywine and also most days of the Battle of Germantown. We took thirty seven head of cattle from the British about that time, after this battle we went to the Valey forge [sic] at which place I received my discharge Having served a term of three months, and in a short time thereafter I went into the service again as a wagoner, and hawling corn from Lancaster & Chester counties to the valley forge and also the snow. I hawled corn from the head of the Elk to downstream until the British evacuated Philadelphia which was in June Seventy eight about this time I received my discharge. I went no more in the service. I do not now recollect how long I served in this engagement. But do solemnly swear that I served at least three years, [that is] two years & nine months in the wagoning service and three months in the Militia. He further states that he has no documentary evidence of his service, nor does he know of any person who can testify to the same.

--- pg 3.
He states that he was born in Ireland. That his Father died when he was young. That sometime after the Revolutionary War he removed to the County of Stokes, State of North Carolina, & has continued to live at the same place up to the present time.

He hereby relinquishes any claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension role of the agency of any State whatever.

Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid, 15th day of January 1833.

W.A. Mitchell J.P. {Seal}
          John Wright
John Vaughn J.P. {Seal}

I John L. Wilson Clergyman residing in the County of Stokes & State of N. Carolina do hereby certify that I am well acquainted with John Wright Sr. who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration. that I believe him to be of the age he states that he is reported & believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution & that I concur in that oppinion.
Sworn & subscribed to the day & year aforesaid.

John L. Wilson

And the 2 Justices do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter & after putting the interogatories sub- scribed by the war department that the above named applicant was a revolutionary Soldier & served as he states. and the Said Justice further certifies that John L. Wilson who has signed the preceeding Certificate is a Clergyman resident in the County of Stokes & is a Credable person & that his statement is intitled to credit

W.A. Mitchell J.P. {Seal}

John Vaughn J.P. {Seal}

And the said John Wright has doth further sworn that by reason of old age and bodily infirmity he is unable to attend the Court at the Court House, without subjecting himself to great inconvenience and perhaps endangering his life.

Sworn & Subscribed to          John Wright
And the undersigned Justices do further certify as to the correctness of his oath that he cannot without great bodily inconvenience attend Court

W.A. Mitchell J.P. {Seal}

John Vaughn J.P. {Seal}

Transcribed by J.L. McKenzie. Words/comments in [brackets] were inserted by me for clarification.