But, fortunately this Smith line has been one that has fallen into place a lot easier than I expected.
Randal Smith was born in Amelia County, Virginia...we think. At least, that's what was in his pension file.
He died sometime after the 1840 census was taken, and fell in the 80-90 age range, as did his wife Sarah.
But, it was his pension file from the Revolutionary War that touched my heartstrings.
Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Service - Kentucky
Smith, Randal - Carter - For deficient proof of service
Claims of Kentucky Residents, 1850
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, he would have been about 27 years old. And, living in Virginia, there is a high likelihood he would have served.
But, it was a statement made by a neighbor that gave us a glimpse of his life as an old man:
from www.footnote.com - Pension Application
Service: NC Smith, Randol #R9834
Statement from Tho. T. Horn
"Enclosed you will find the Decleration of Mr. Randol Smith an old Revolutioner, who request of you to try and obtain for him a pension. he hos that you will use your influance in his behalf I have been acquainted with the old man for near Thirty years, and from every information from him self & neighbours I have no doubt that he served his Country during the Revolutionary war to the full extent of the time that he aleges, he is now very old as you will see from his statement, holy dependant upon his neighbours for a support for him self and wife who is but a few years younger than himself. they live a lone by them two selves in a small cabin in the woods not evin inclosed by a fence & not nearer than a mile of a neighbour. the old people hopes that you will befriend them in this as necessity has caused him to make the request. I was at there cabin a week or two ago the old man is not able to get up when he is down without help. - The old man a few years ago gave alll he had for a Negro Boy for the purpos of working & supporting him self & wife and in the cours of Three or Four months the Negro was proven & taken away from him. it appears that the negro had bin stolen by the man that sold it to Smith. That is one cause of there dependant situation at the present. - A few weeks ago I sent to your care the Declaration of Jas Horsly which I have not as yet go any answer be so good as to write me on the subject immediately & your prompt complyance to the above will be duly acknowledge by your friend Truly Tho. T. Horn
PS All Communications on the subju Direct to me at Grayson Carter County K.Y. Thos. T. Horn"
Pension was eventually rejected, as the only witness was another man about 115 years old. He was not found on the pension roll of 1832. He served from NC under Colonel Yarborough (aka Yarber).
It goes on to say:
"Rev. War Pension File #R9834. States that in 1843 he was a resident of Carter Co., Ky. Goes on to say Burliegh Grayson has known SMITH for 30 years and that SMITH is very old and must rely on neighbors to support himself and his Wife, who is just a few years younger than her Husband. They live alone in a cabin in the woods and had a negro boy until a few years ago having been stolen by the man who sold him to SMITH. The file goes on: On 13 Jan 1843 in Carter Co., Ky Randaol states that he moved as a small boy from Amelia Co., Va to Wilks Co., NC. He enlisted at Wilkes Co., in 1778 and was the battle of Hanging Rock and served a total of 5 to 6 years. He then moved from NC to Greenup Co. (now Carter Co.) Ky 30 Years ago and is now 95 Years old."
So, according to Randal, he served a total of 5-6 years, and was at the Battle of Hanging Rock. I looked up some of the details on this battle:
The Battle of Hanging Rock (August 6, 1780) was a battle in the Revolutionary War that occurred between the American Colonies and the British.
Contents
1 Precursor
1.1 Location
2 Preparations
2.1 British strength
2.2 American strength
3 The battle
4 Aftermath
5 Notes
Precursor
Charleston fell into British hands in May 1780. Within weeks, Cornwallis' army had spread over South Carolina, setting up stations at major towns, such as Camden. Each station had outposts whose role was to intimidate the locals and disrupt any attempts of the Patriots to organize. [1]
Location
The battle was in present-day Lancaster county south of Heath Springs, South Carolina, about a mile and a half from a place known as Hanging Rock. [2]
Preparations
British strength
A British garrison was located just south of Heath Springs. It was well fortified with more than 1400 British troops, including the 500-man Prince of Wales Regiment of the regular army, led by Major Carden of the British Army.
American strength
General Thomas Sumter.The Americans were under Gen. Thomas Sumter, commanding troops made up of Maj. Richard Winn's Fairfield regiment, Col. Edward Lacey's Chester regiment, Col. William Hill's York regiment and Maj. William Richardson Davie of the Waxhaws of Lancaster county with Col. Robert Irwin's cavalry of Mecklenburg county, North Carolina. [3]
The battle
Sumter decided on a plan of attack of assaulting the camp in three mounted detachments. The initial assault was made early in the morning where Winn's and Davie's men completely routed Bryan's corps. Capt. McCulloch’s company of the British Legion, after presenting a volley, was also routed by Sumter’s riflemen. The Prince of Wales Regt. also came under heavy fire and suffered very severe losses, including Carden who was badly wounded. The King’s Carolina Rangers then came up, and having cleverly deployed themselves in some woods, checked the rebel assault with a surprise crossfire. This allowed the British to drew up on a hollow square in the center of the cleared ground, and to further protect themselves with a three-pounder which had been left by some of Rugeley’s Camden militia. [4]
Then, in the heat of the battle, Major Carden of the British Command lost his nerve and surrendered his command to one of his junior officers. This was a major turning point for the Americans. At one point, Capt. Rousselet of the Legion infantry, led a charge and forced many Sumter’s men back. Lack of ammunition made it impossible for Sumter to completely knock out the British. The battled raged for 3 hours without pause, causing many men to faint from the heat and thirst.
A marker at the scene of the battle.At the end, the British had lost 192 soldiers; the Americans lost 12 killed and 41 wounded. It should have been a total American victory but the American militia was untrained and suffered from extreme thirst. A small group of Americans came across a storage of rum in the British camp and became so drunk that it became necessary to prematurely start the march back to the base camp at Waxhaw. Thus, the intoxicated Americans were in no condition to take prisoners and let the remainder of the British army retreat to Camden. [5]
Granted, some of our ancestors didn't hang onto their paperwork like we are so wont to do today. I have other grandfathers who were also engaged at that same battle. They also didn't have their paperwork. It's sad that the one witness who could vouch for Randal being on the battlefront claimed to be 115 years himself.
Randal and his wife Sarah suffered poverty in their later years, along with a lot of others. Their neighbors were kindly enough to look in on them to see to their care as best as they could.
Randal would die sometime after the 1840 census was taken. Wife Sarah/Sally would go on to be listed in the 1850 as being age 100. She died two years later.
"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6RM-BNJ : 12 April 2016), Sally Smith in household of William Smith, Carter county, Carter, Kentucky, United States; citing family 197, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
(Note: Her place of birth is listed as Virginia.)
(Note: Her place of birth is listed as North Carolina.)
Source Information
Ancestry.com. Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1964 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
Original data:
- Kentucky. Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records – Microfilm (1852-1910). Microfilm rolls #994027-994058. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.
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