http://revwarapps.org
This is a wonderful resource for information about the Revolutionary war. Here is the document that she shared:
Pension Application of William Harris S6956Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris. Revised 8 Sep 2011.At a Court of Monthly Session held for Nelson County at the Courthouse on the 22nd day ofOctober 1832.State of Virginia }County of Nelson } SS.On this 22nd day of October in the year 1832 personally appeared in open Court before theJustices of the Court of Nelson County now sitting William Harris a resident of the County of Nelson inthe State of Virginia, aged eighty four years who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oathmake 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 named officers and served as hereinstated. He entered the service some time in the month of September in the year as well as he recollects1776 and served four months as a volunteer under the command of Coln’l Joseph Cabell, CaptainNicholas Cabell [pension application R1577] and Lieutenant Nathan Crawford he was first marched toRichmond and from thence to Williamsburg where he was discharged. he was not in any battle duringthat tour. That he was drafted some time in the month of April 1777 and served a tour of three monthsunder the command of a Colon’l Lindsey [sic: Reuben Lindsay], Captain Christian [possibly JohnChristian] and Lieutenant James Higginbotham, was stationed at the Mobbin Hills [sic: Malvern Hill 15mi SE of Richmond] where he was discharged, was in no battle during that tour. He was again draftedsome time in the year 1780 and served a tour of three months under the command of a Coln’l Richerson[sic: Holt Richardson], Captain James Pamplin, Lieutenant Joseph Staples and Ensign Thomas Smith hewas stationed near the same Morbin Hills and was there discharged. he was drafted a third time andserved a fourth tour of three months under the command of Capt. John Loving and Lieutenant AbrahamSeay in the year 1781 and was discharged at Yorktown shortly after the seige. he was present at the siege,but the Corpse to which he was attached was not actually engaged. he received regular and honorabledischarges at the end of each tower, but has lost them. he resided during the time aforesaid in the thenCounty of Amherst, now Nelson, where he has ever since and still resides. he marched direct from thesaid County to Richmond during each tour and from thence to the place where he was discharged. herecollects the number of only one regiment to which he was attached and that was the second Regimentof Virginia Militia. He has no particular acquaintance with any of the Officers of the regular army, butfrequently saw Generals Washington, Lafayette, [Anthony] Wayne and [Daniel] Morgan. he saw LordCornwallis surrender his sword after the surrender of Yorktown [sic: see endnote]. That he has nodocumentary evidence and knows of no person who can testify to the whole service herein stated, butthat a certain Joseph Matthews [S7179] can testify to his services of one tour.He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his namein not on the pension roll of the agency of any State. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaidWilliam HarrisThe following Interrogatories were propounded by the Court to the said William Harris the applicant towhich the answers thereto annexed were given.1 Where and in what year were you born?Answer. I was born in the County of Goochland in Virginia on the 13th day of July 1748.2 Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?Answer. I have an old Bible which is at home3 Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionarywar, and where do you now live?Answer. I lived in the County of Amherst which is now the County of Nelson and have lived there eversince.4 How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you asubstitute; and if a substitute, for whom?Answer. The first tour I volunteered. the three last I was drafted.5 State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops where you served;such Continental and militia regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances ofyour service?Answer. General Washington, General Lafayette, General Morgan and General Wayne were incommand of the troops where I served. I have no recollection of the number of any regimentexcept the 2nd Regiment of Virginia Militia. There are no particular circumstances that Irecollect attending my service except my being within hearing of the firing when GeneralWayne made an unsuccessful attack upon the British army near James River, with greatdisparity of force.6 Did you ever receive a discharge from the service; and if so by whom was it given and what hasbecome of it?Answer. I received a discharge at the end of each tour, first from Captain Nicholas Cabell 2d fromCaptain Christian. 3d from Captain James Pamplin & 4th from Captain John Loving all ofwhich I have lost.7 State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighbourhood, and whocan testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier.Answer. William Allen & Joseph Matthews and many others.State of Virginia & }County of Nelson } towit:On this the fourth day of October one thousand eight hundred & thirty two Nathan Crawfordpersonally appeared before me James Woods Jr a Justice of the Peace for the aforesaid County and afterbeing first duly sworn sayes that himself and William Harris marched together from the County ofAmherst in the State of Virginia in the time of the revolutionary war and went below Richmond to theTown of Williamsburg where they served a short tower of duty as volunteers two companies of Militiahaving been regularly ordered out from the said County of Amherst the place which companies we filledand farther this affiant saith not. Sworn and subscribed to the day and year above affixed.Nathan CrawfordNOTE: Cornwallis, being indisposed, was not present at the surrender at Yorktown on 19 Oct 1781. Hedelegated the task to his second-in-command, Gen. Charles O’Hara
Fran suggested that this William Harris might have been our William who married Lurita Harris and was the father of Fran's William C. Harris and my children's Samuel W. Harris. And my gut feeling is that she is right. Why?
First of all Fran had told me before that:
* Information that I have on the parents of William C. Harris came from an interview with Monroe Anderson Harris when he visited his grandson in Missouri in the summer of 1898. He gave the following information:
----- said the early Harris home was on a high bluff overlooking James River called Stony Point
Does the James River run through Nelson County?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 474 square miles (1,230 km2), of which 471 square miles (1,220 km2) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) (0.7%) is water.[9] The Blue Ridge Mountains form the northwest boundary of the county; the James River forms the boundary to the southeast. Internally, Nelson consists of the Rockfish, Tye and Piney rivers, along with many known creeks.
So yes that entire boundary between Nelson county and Buckingham County is the James River.
Have we looked for William Harris and wife Lurita Harris in Amherst County? Nelson County wasn't carved out of Amherst County until about 1809 (doing that from memory now)
And in my blog post
I explain that Samuel Sterling Harris married his second wife Louisa Frances Woodson at Allen's Creek in 1882 and where Allen's Creek would have been located. Of course, Allen's Creek could have been where the Woodson family lived. But also it could have been located close to where the old Harris home was located.
And it does look as if there are a few hills around this area overlooking the James. What do you think?
So that theory is proven to be only wistful......
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