Col. John Evans

State of Va.; County of Monongalia: S.S.; S-8444.
On this 15th day of Feb. in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty Three, personally appeared before me George McNelly, a Justice of the peace in and for said county, Col. John Evans, a resident of said county, aged ninety four years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed 7 June, 1832.

That sometime in April or May, 1778, at the county aforesaid, he as Colonel Commandant of a regiment of Virginia Militia received orders from the Governor of Virginia to detail a certain number of men from his regiment to be joined by companies from other regiments and march to the west in an expedition for six months intended to act against the Indians under the command of General McIntosh. That a short time after he received orders from Genl. McIntosh to march his regiment to Montures bottom on the Ohio River below Pittsburgh, that as soon after as could be done, he gave the necessary notice and orders to all officers of the regiment at that day scattered over a district now forming a great many counties—that after the men were detailed, he rendevouzed them at the farm of Major Phillips now in Fayette County, Pa. and from thence soon after marched in the direction to Montures bottom, where his regiment arrived on the tenth or eleventh of June, 1778—that he left his regiment before the(y) reached the rendevouz and went to Fort Pitt in order to ascertain whether provisions had been sent to supply his men. He was there introduced to Genl. McIntosh by Col. John Gibson, who informed him that the day before supplies had been sent to Montures bottom by water that he then joined his regiment and soon received orders to proceed to Beaver creek about thirty miles below Fort Pitt near to which his troops assisted to build a large fort, named after the commanding officer that from Fort McIntosh, the army marched out to the Tuscarawa, a branch of the Muskingum River where we erected Fort Lawrence [Laurens], the men carrying the logs—that some after, the greater part of the army marched back to Fort McIntosh, here he discharged his regiment about the 20th or 21st of December, 1778. That his men suffered much in this campaign for provisions—that his own horse became so poor, that he had to walk the greater part of the way to his residence in this county—that companies of militia from the South Branch of Potomac, and from Ohio county were placed under his command, that his commission, orders, letters, payrolls, etc. were all destroyed by fire in the office of the county court of Monongalia in February, 1790, that he was a soldier under General Washington, whilst that great and good man was an officer and served under orders of Gov. Dunmore.

That he was born on the 7th of December, 1738 in Fairfax County, Virginia, that he does not know what has become of the record of his age—that he was removed from Fairfax to Loudon county at the age of thirteen and in October of the year 1770 removed to the farm on which he now and has ever since resided—that he was appointed a clerk of this county about the year 1780 and continued to hold that office until he resigned in 1807. That he recollects Col. Boyer, who commanded a regiment from Botetourt—that the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment he believes was commanded by Col. Gibson—that Major Springer was attached to his regiment that he was personally acquainted with most of the officers under the command of Genl. McIntosh, but has forgotten their names-that he believes there are yet living a number of persons in this part of the state by whom his services can be proved.

That he is now unable to read or write and is only able to distinguished day from night.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State. Sworn and subscribed on the day and year aforesaid. /s/ J. Evans

State of Virginia
County of Monongalia SS:

Major John NcFarland to me personally known aged eighty five years, as he represents to me, this day personally appeared before me, and made oath that in the year 1778 he furnished supplies to the army that built Forts McIntosh and Lawrence, that in the fall of that year upon his arrival at Fort McIntosh, he found Col. John Evans of said county, with whom he had previously been acquainted, in command of a regiment of militia, That Col. Evans regiment marched to Tuscarawa, where Fort Lawrence was erected—that he understood the said regiment was ordered to march or was discharged. /s/ John McFarland
(before George McNeely, a Justice of the peace for Monongalia County; March 3, 1833)

Col. James Scott, aged about sixty eight years, a resident of said county and to me personally known, after being duly sworn depose and say that in the 1778 he was a private soldier in the services of the United States at Fort McIntosh on the Ohio River, that during the fall of that year he saw a regiment of Virginia militia in the said service under the command of Col. John Evans, who is now alive and resident of said county, but he does not know how long they were in that service. /s/ Jas Scott
(before George McNeely, a Justice of the peace for Monongalia County; March 7, 1833)

Capt. John Dent, aged seventy eight years in May, next, a resident of said county and to me personally known, after being duly signed, doth depose and say that in the year 1778, he was a Lieutenant in the 13th Continental Regiment of Va. Troops, that during the fall of that year, he saw a regiment of Va. militia in the service under the command of Col. John Evans, who is now a resident of this county, that the said regiment marched to Beaver creek on the Ohio River and assisted to build Fort McIntosh near the mouth of said creek, and from thence marched to Tuscarawa a branch of the Muskingum, where they assisted to Build Fort Lawrence, that he does not know what time the said regiment entered the service, but believe they were discharged in December of that year.
/s/ John Dent (before Geo. McMeely, a Justice of the peace for Monongalia County; March 7, 1833)

Thomas P. Ray, clerk of the County Court of Monongalia-8 Mar, 1833
State of Va., County of Monongalia—25 day of March, 1833, appeared the Rev. Joseph A. Shackleford and Zackquil Morgan to state they were acquainted with Col. John Evans, believed him to be 94 years of age and he was the commander of a Reg. of Va. Militia in the Revolutionary War. /s/ Joseph A. Shackelford; Zackquil Morgan

Col. John Evans pension application is from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and transcribed by Fetzer, Richard L., Aurora, OH; Genealogist, Ohio Society Sons of the American Revolution and submitted to the Friends of Fort Laurens Foundation in July, 2001. Col. Evans married Ann MARTIN. He died May, 1834, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, WV.

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