John Mebane Pension Application

1833 Chatham County

[A verbatim copy, including spelling errors, of a county court transcript written by a court clerk.]

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed 7th June AD 1832.

State of North Carolina
Chatham County

On this 30th day of March AD 1833 personally appeared before me Isaac Hendon an acting magistrate of said court, Col. John Mebane of the county and state aforesaid aged 76 years who being first duly sworn according to Law makes the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed 7th June AD 1832 that he entered the service of the United States and served as herein stated Tours.

That sometime in the year (he things 1779 or 1780 he volunteered his services as a private in the County of Orange in the State of North Carolina and joined a company of horse commanded by Captain Douglas and Lieut. James Mebane in the Regiment commanded by Col. Dudley and marched from Hillsborough into Randolph County and spent this time scanning the country in search of tories but the principal object of this pursuit was the notorious Col. Fanning who had lately robbed Col. Dudley when on his way from Charleston they failed in catching him but were fortunate enough on one occasion to capture his horse he thinks he was employed in this service about 3 months and has no distinct recollection how when or where he was discharged but is quite certain that he did not receive any written discharge. Sometime after his discharge as aforesaid he again volunteered his services as a private in orange County and joined a company of horse commanded by Captain Williams and marched under the command of General Butler to Fayetteville and through the Cape Fear to intercept the Tories in their retreat from the Battle of Moores bridge (where they had been defeated by General Moore and Col. Caswell) and we succeeded in making a large number of them Prisoner at Smiths Ferry and marched them to Fayetteville — He thinks he was engaged in this service about 2 months. he has no recollection how when or where he was discharged.

Sometime in the year 1781 he volunteered his services in a company of horse (in Orange County and was commanded by Gen Butler and was in the service in Chatham County but went to Hillsborough when that Town was taken by the Tories himself & all the troops and the Governor. Members were made prisoners — he was marched as a prisoner by the Enemy to Wilmington and thrown into a prison ship where he remained for several weeks when he was paroled to the town where he remained sometime when he was exchanged as he understood for a Lieutenant McChains who had been made Prisoner by his brother Robert Mebane a Continental officer (but of the certainty of this exchange he cannot positively speak his brother Robert having been killed shortly after and he never saw him after his discharge). he returned home after he had served about 2 months but he received no written discharge that he recollects — He further states that in all the above tours he found his own horse and lost one when he was taken at Hillsborough that he served a number of short tours the particulars of which he cannot recollect.

He further states that sometime in the year 1782 he thinks in the month of May he was appointed a Captain in a regiment of foot called the State Regiment which was commanded part of the time which he served by Major Crofton and Colonel Joseph Lewis — Captains Swain Trouten Saml Jones. Capt Tabb and Major Ferigood (a Frenchman) were in the same regiment he marched into South Carolina with the regiment to succor General Marion but their services were not needed. they scanned the Raft Swamp in search of Tories. were stationed sometimes in Moore County at Conner [illegible] where they erected a stockade fort. were stationed sometimes at Browns Mills in Chatham sometimes at Canes Mills in Randolph County — he is not certain as to the length of time he was in this service but thinks it was not less than 5 months. He has no recollection by whom his commission was signed or from whom he received it. That he entered the service and took a commission at the request of Major Crofton who at that time commanded the regiment. He think he surrendered his commission when his claims were liquidated by the state but of this he is not certain. He has no recollection in what manner he was discharged nor how when or where the Regiment was disbanded and he is unable to provide the commission under which he served the same having been lost by time or accident — In conclusion he stated that owing to the great lapse of time since the revolutionary war added to a memory impaired by age he is unable to recount his services with any tolerable degree of accuracy but he thinks he can safely say that he served his country faithfully for at least 7 months as a Private and 5 months as a Captain in the Revolutionary war — that he has no documentary evidence to substantiate his services — and hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the agency of any state or Territory in this Union.

[signed] John Mebane

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforsaid
I Hendon

James Turner Testimony

State of North Carolina
Orange County

This day personally appeared before me James A. Craig one of the acting Justices of the peace for the County of Orange in the state aforesaid James Turner Senr. a resident of the Hawfields in the County of Orange aforesaid being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath state as follows:

During the war of the revolution he lived near to and was well acquainted with John Mebane Senr. of Chatham County in the state aforesaid. That Sd Mebane was in the service of the United States as a militiaman and that he took a firm and active part in achieving the Independence of our country — And that Sd Mebane with this officant and others were made prisoners of war in Hillsboro in the above county of orange in or about the 6th day of September 1781 when that town was taken by the tories under Cols Fanning and McNeil, and that presently after being his prisoners they were all for a short time confined in the Hillsboro Jail for safe keeping till the tory party had plundered town and were ready to return and he well remembers when the Sd John Mebane Senr. was brought into the jail he danced across the floor - and that upon the tory party leaving Hillsboro all the prisoners they [illegible] and there made were placed under guard and speedily marched to Wilmington in this state, where they were all confined on board of a British brig and after being there retained for a week or two the Sd John Mebane was paroled and returned to Orange, while this officant and other prisoners were carried to Charleston in South Carolina and retained till some time in the following year (1782).

Sworn to and subscribed on this the 22nd October 1832.

Richard Christmas Testimony

State of North Carolina
Orange County

On this the 22nd day of October A.D. 1832 personally appeared at his own residence before me James A. Craig one of the Justices of the peace in and for the county of Orange aforesaid Captain Richard Christmas of the Hawfields in the aforesaid county of orange who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath make the following Statm.

That during the war of the revolution he lived near to and was well acquainted with John Mebane Senr. now a resident of the County of Chatham in the state aforesaid. That Sd Mebane was attached to the militia, was a zealous and an active whig and that when Hillsboro was taken by the Tories under Col. Fanning in September 1781 this officant was then made prisoner and well remembers and well remembers that Sd John Mebane Senr. was one of the prisoners then and there made and with the other prisoners was taken to Wilmington in this state and after they were there kept some ten or fifteen days as prisoners of war on board a British Brig. The Sd Mebane as this offiant understood was paroled through the influence of his brother Col. Robert Mebane and returned home — This offiant in conclusion states he does not now recollect how long the Sd John Mebane served in the militia nor how long he was prisoner of war and that to a memory somewhat impaired by age he finds it difficult to recount as minutely as he could wish incidents that happened upwards of half a century ago.

 [his mark] Richard X Christmas

Sworn to and subscribed this day and date above written
James A Craig JP

Samuel Nelson and Daniel Mebane Testimony

Orange County
North Carolina

This day Samuel Nelson of said county came before me James Mebane one of the Justices of the peace for said county and being first duly sworn Sayth that he lived near John Mebane during the whole of the revolutionary war, that he knows he was an active & zealous whig, & that he was frequently engaged in the service of his country as a militiaman, that he particularly recollects that he served with this deposant one tour of duty in an expedition called in this country the Scotch Camp [Campaign] from Hillsboro as low down the country a Fayetteville under Capt John Williams – who commanded a company of horse, that in this expedition we took something like three hundred prisoners near Smiths Ferry. This deponent also recollects that said Mebane was in service in pursuit of CornWallis when he passed through this country under Capt Thompson as the deposant believes. He also recollects that towards the last years of the war said Mebane was called Captain, but in what department he does not now remember.

[signed] Saml Nelson

Sworn to & subscribed this 2nd of November 1832 before me
[signed] James Mebane JPr

Daniel Mebane being sworn declares that sometime towards the last of the revolutionary war there was a regiment of troops raised called the State Regiment & that he very well recollects that John Mebane was an officer in said regiment but of what grade he does not recollect. This regiment was mostly employed in search of & keeping under the tories commanded by Colo Fanning & others in Randolph & other neighboring counties infested by tories

[signed] D Mebane

Sworn to & subscribed date aforesaid
[signed] James Mebane JPr