Depositions of William Price, Thomas Gist, and Abel Pearson

State of Tennessee

White County

On this 8th day of June 1836 personally / appeared in Open Court before the Judge of the Circuit / Court now sitting for said County and State at the / Court house in the town of Sparta, William Price a / resident of the County and State aforesaid, Who being / first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath / make the following statement of facts touching / the services of William Robertson (now of the / Chickasaw Nation in the State of Mississippi as / a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who he understands / is applying for a pension under the provision made / by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.–

Affiant states that in the year of 1780 he living there a / Citizen of the County of Burk in the State of North / Carolina, Volunteered under his father Captain / Thomas Price, and marched from thence to what / is now as he believes Carter County Tennessee. From / Carter County he marched in pursuit of Col. Ferguson / and came up with him at Kings Mountain where / he was encamped. Affiant was in the Battle of / Kings Mountain, and knows that said William / Robertson was also in said Battle.– Said Robert / =son at the time of which he speaks lived on / Watauga River at or near the mouth of Buffalo / Creek in what was then North Carolina.– Affiant / was well acquainted with said Robertson and / believes he belonged to the company commanded / by Capt Robert Sevier who was his Robertsons / Brother in Law.– The troops with whom himself / and Robertson served were under the command / of Colo Sevier, Robertson, Shelby and Campbell

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Affiant is unable to state how long said Robertson / Served during said engagement.– He saw him / no more after the Battle spoken of until the close / of the War and believes that he returned home after the Battle.–

Sworn to and subscribed in
Wm Price

open Court June 8th 1836

William G. Sims Clerk

of the Circuit Court for White County

Thomas Gist a resident of the County of White and / State aforesaid, also appeared before the Court and / being first duly sworn, states that he was well acqu / =ainted with William Robertson in relation to whose / services as a soldier of the Revolution William / Price has just deposed. Affiant and said Robert / =son lived within twenty miles of each other in / what is now Washington County Tennessee.– The / affiant volunteered in said County for three / months under Captain James Stinson, but as to / the precise period at which he volunteered he / cannot now remember. During said engagement / he was in the Battle of Boyds Creek, and states / that said William Robertson was also in said / Battle.– Affiant does not recollect whether said / Roberson was under Capt Stinson or not.– The / principal officers with the troops with whom / himself and Robertson served under were, Colo John / Sevier, Jesse Walton and John Tipton.– Affiant from what he has always understood from / the neighbors of said Robertson, has no doubt / but that he Robertson was in the Battle of / Kings Mountain and in the Chickamauga / expeditions.– The affiant and Robertson lived

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neighbors in the County of Washington, Knox / and White in Tennessee, until he Robertson moved / from the latter county to the Western District / of Tennessee, and frequently heard his neigh= / =bors speak of said Robertson's Services aforesaid.

Sworn and subscribed before me in open Thomas [his mark] Gist

Court this 8th day of June 1836

William G. Sims Clerk of the Circuit Court

for White County

Abel Pearson of said County being also duly sworn / and examined states that he, then, living on Nolichucky / river, in what was then North Carolina but now Tennessee / volunteered for a tour of three months under Capt James / Stinson.– that during ~~which~~ said enlistment he was in the / battle of Boyds Creek. Affiant knows that William / Robertson the individual spoken of in the affadavits of / William Price and Thomas Gist was also in said / battle.– He was well acquainted with said Robertson.– / lived in the same neighborhood with him in what is / now East Tennessee in the first setting of that part of / the country.– He William Robertson was the son of / Col. Charles Robertson, who with Cols. Sevier and Tipton / and Walton had the command of the troops.– He / does not remember who was said William Robertson's / Captain.– Robertson served his tour, which was for / three months.– The affiants next engagement was / for three months in an expedition against the / Chickamauga Indians, said Robertson was / along in said campaign.– He does not know who / was Robertsons captain.– The field Officers were / Cols. Sevier, Hubbard and Robertson and Majs. / Tipton and Walton.– The next tour of duty perform / ed by affiant was against the British and Tories.– / It was a tour of three months.– said William Robertson / was along and both were in the company commanded / by Capt Robert Sevier.– Affiant and Robertson

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were during this tour in the battle at Kings Mountain. / The commanding officers were Campbell, Sevier, Tipton, / Walton, Shelby, Williamson, Robertson and Cleveland. / Capt. Robert Sevier was wounded in said Battle and / some short time thereafter died of the wound.– / Capt. Sevier was the Brother in law of said William / Robertson & affiants recollection is that he Robertson / stayed with and attended on said Sevier until his / death.– The next campaign, this affiant was / under Capt. George Dougherty.– He marched to and / found Genl. Marion at Nelson's ferry on Santee River. / Robertson was also along, but he cannot state who was his captain. Cols. Sevier and Robertson Maj. / Tipton and he thinks Walton had the command / of the troops under Genl. Marion.– The battle at / Eutau Springs was fought about eight days prior / to his joining Genl. Marion as above stated.– / Said William Robertson his three months and / was mustered out of service, shortly after which / peace was made.– Affiant cannot state of his / own knowledge that a.said William Robertson was / in the first Chickamauga campaign – but frequently / heard his Robertsons officers and neighbors say that / he was.– He affiant has no doubt he was.– Robertson's Capt. in said campaign was John Sevier. / When affiant speaks of the campaign against the / Chickamauga Indians, he means a part of the / Cherokee Indians.–

Sworn and subscribed
Abel Person

before me in open

Court this 8th day

of June AD 1836

W.G. Sims Clerk of the

Circuit Court of White County

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State of Tennessee

White County

I Abraham Carruthers Judge / of the Circuit Courts of Tenn / in and for the state of Tennessee presiding in the fourth / Judicial Court in said state which is composed [---] / of the County of White.– Do hereby certify that / the foregoing and annexed affidavits of William / Price, Thomas Gist, and Abel Pearson were sworn / to and subscribed before me in open Court by / the said Price, Gist and Pearson on the 8th / day of June A.D. 1836 and that said Price / Gist and Pearson were then entitled to full credit / as witnesses upon their oaths.

Given under my hand and seal / the 2nd day of October A.D. 1837.

Ab. Carruthers {Seal}

Judge of the 4th Ind. Circuit Tens.

State of Tennessee

White County

I William G. Sims clerk of / the Circuit Court of Law in and / for the County of White and state aforesaid hereby / certify that Abraham Carruthers Esquire where / names subscribed to the above certificate is / now and was on the 8th day of October A.D. 1836 / the acting Presiding Judge of the fourth Judic

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ial circuit of said state as set forth in said certificate / and that his signature is Genuine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto / subscribed my name and affixed the / seal of said Court at office in Sparta / the 4 day of October AD 1837 / and of the Independence of the United / States of America the sixty second year.

William G. Sims

Clerk of White Circuit Court

Source: National Archives of the United States, Revolutionary Pension File S4790. Also available at United States Veterans Administration, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files, Robertson, Joseph – Robertson, Zachariah, FHL microfilm 972062. Document images courtesy of Pat Schmitz.