Continuing with Revolutionary War Soldiers who may be buried in Mercer County, Ohio, I came across a couple sources that give information about Revolutionary War pensioners who lived in Mercer County.
The Pension Roll of 1835 lists everyone who had a pension from their Revolutionary War service. Several Revolutionary War pension acts came into play over several years and there were restrictions concerning who could receive pensions.
The first pension law in 1776 granted half-pay for life to soldiers disabled in the service and unable to earn a living. The first pension law based on service was the Pension Act of March 1818, which offered a lifetime pension to soldiers who had served at least nine months in the Continental Army and who were in reduced circumstances. They amended the 1818 Act in May 1820, to more precisely define what reduced circumstances were. As a result, the 1820 Act required that new applicants submit certified financial schedules to prove their assets were less than $100. All soldiers who were granted pensions based on the 1818 Pension Act were struck from the pension rolls and were required to reapply in 1820. Only about two-thirds of the original applicants reapplied under the new act by December of 1821.
Pension Roll of 1835, Mercer County, Ohio.
The U.S. Pension Roll of 1835 is divided by states, then by county. Below are the soldiers who received a pension while living in Mercer County, according to that record:
Ira L. Foster, Private, 19th Regular U.S. Infantry; commencement: 7 Jun 1815, placed on rolls 30 Jan 1816 & 24 Apr 1816; allowance: $30.00, received $26.41 and allowance: $48.00, received $857.31. [per 1816 Act]
James Shoonover, Private, New York Militia; pension enrollment date: 25 Aug 1820; residence: Mercer County, Ohio; allowance: $96.00; received $1298.83. [per 1816 & 1820 Acts]
William Berry, Pvt, Virginia Militia; commencement: 4 Mar 1831, age 81; placed on pension roll 25 Jun 1833; annual allowance: $24.66; received $73.98.
John Latimer, Pvt, New Jersey Militia; commencement: 4 Mar 1831, age 83; placed on pension roll 6 May 1833; allowance: $59.16; received $177.48.
Robert M’Lumsey [McCumsey?], Pvt, Pennsylvania Militia; commencement: 4 Mar 1831; placed on roll 6 May 1833; allowance: $40.00; received $120.00.
Amos Spencer, Pvt, Virginia Continental; commencement: 17 Jun 1823. age 75; placed on roll 10 Dec 1833; allotted: $96.00; received $1028.76. [1]
There are a few more names listed here than I mentioned last week.
Pension Roll of 1835, Mercer County, Ohio.
The 1835 list of pensioners includes the names all who received a pension, even though some of those listed may have died before 1835.
You can calculate some additional information from these records, such as estimated birth year, estimated the death date, and how many years they received a pension.
Using that reasoning, William Berry was born about 1750 and received a pension for about 3 years. John Latimer was born about 1748 and received a pension for about 3 years. Robert M’Lumsey [McCumsey?] received a pension for about 3 years. Amos Spencer was born about 1748 and received a pension a little over a year. It appears that James Shoonover received a pension for about 13 years, maybe more.
The following from another source, the 1838 Pension records:
Doc. No.1: [a pension certification]
…War Department, Invalid Pension, Mercer County, per Acts of 1816 and 1820, James Shoonover, No. 803, Private, Capt. Harding’s Company, NY Militia, commanded by Col. Dobbin…$8/per month, to commence 25 Aug 1820…resides in Mercer County, Ohio, and has resided there for five years… previously resided in Pike County, Ohio. Signed by James Shoonover, BF Schroeder, Oliver Ellis, and Caleb Major, JP. Dated 29 March 1838. [Note that James Shoonover’s name is crossed out on this document.]
James Shoonover, 1838 Pensions & Misc Records, Mercer Co, Ohio.
Doc. No.3: [authorizing Samuel P Worthington to receive James Shoonover’s pension]
…I, James Shoonover, of Mercer County, Ohio, an Invalid Pensioner of the US, do hereby appoint Samuel P Worthington my attorney…to receive from the Agent of the US for paying Pensions in Cincinnati…from 4 Mar 1837 to 4 Mar 1838. Signed James Shoonover, witnessed 29 Mar 1838, by BF Schroeder, Oliver Ellis, and appearing before Caleb Major, JP. [2]
James Shoonover, 1838 Pensions & Misc Records, Mercer Co, Ohio.
The 1840 Census: A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services gives pensioners’ names, ages, place of residence, and the name of the head of family with whom the pensioner resided on 1 June 1840. From Mercer County:
Dublin Twp: John Sutton, age 84, resided with Isaac H. Sutton
Wayne Twp: John Latimer, age 84, resided with William Latimer [Wayne Twp, Auglaize County, then part of Mercer County]
Washington Twp: James Shoonover, age 44, resided with James Shoonover [his age of 44 does not seem correct] [3]
That 1840 source gives another name, John Sutton. John Sutton was enumerated in Dublin Township, in 1840.
1840 Census, Rev. War Pensioners, Mercer Co. Ohio.
These pensioners had to prove they had reduced circumstances. If they did not have the means, they may not have left property to probate or sell. I found none of these men in Mercer County’s old Probate Records, except for the will of one John Sutton (1790-1852), who was born after the American Revolution.
Another thing to consider is that Mercer County was created on 1 April 1820 and organized on 2 January 1824. It was created from Non-County Area 6 attached to Darke County and Non-County Area 7 attached to Shelby County. The county was named after Revolutionary War officer Hugh Mercer. When Mercer County was fully organized in 1824, it detached from Darke County and was larger than it is today. Two counties were eventually formed from the original Mercer County: Van Wert County, in 1837, and part of Auglaize County, in 1848. In addition, Allen County was part of Mercer County from 1828-1831.
Revolutionary War Pensioners may have lived and received their pensions in what was Mercer County at the time but may have died in a county that was later formed from Mercer County. [4]
In conclusion, here is a summary of where these American Revolution soldiers resided in Mercer County, per the US Census and the 1827 and 1843 Mercer County Quadrennial Enumerations:
Ira L. Foster, Private, 19th Regular U.S. Infantry; 1840: Jefferson Twp; 1843: Quadrennial Enumeration, Jefferson Twp; 1850: not found.
James Shoonover, Private, New York Militia; c1833 moved to Mercer County from Pike County; 1843 Quad Enum, Washington; 1850: not found; reportedly buried in Macedon Cemetery, Mercer County. [One James “Icoonover” was enumerated in 1840, Washington Twp, but he was too young to have served in the American Revolution. Perhaps he was the son of patriot James Shoonover?]
William Berry, Pvt, Virginia Militia; born c1750; 1827 Quad Enum, St. Marys; 1830: St. Marys town; 1840 & 1850: not found.
John Latimer, Pvt, New Jersey Militia; born c1748 (maybe later); 1843 Quad Enum; 1830-1850: not found
Robert M’Lumsey/McCumsey, Pvt, Pennsylvania Militia; 1830: St. Marys Twp, listed as Sr; 1840-1850: not found.
Amos Spencer, Pvt, Virginia Continental; born c1748; not found in Mercer County in the censuses or Quadrennial Enumerations; reportedly buried in Macedon Cemetery, Mercer County.
John Sutton, born c1756; 1827 Quad Enum, Dublin Twp; 1830 & 1840: Dublin Twp; 1850: a John Sutton, age 59, in Dublin Twp, possibly a son?
One additional source indicates that Robert Kirkwood, Henry Leasor, William McMahon, and William McMeachen are buried in Mercer County. [5]
I found no additional information about Henry Leasor, Revolutionary War soldier, who is also reportedly buried in Murlin Cemetery, Mercer County.
This is still a work in progress, but we know the names of some Revolutionary War soldiers who lived in Mercer County late in their lives. The ones who had pensions.
These are the ones who once lived in Mercer County, but are they buried in Mercer County?
And there may have been even more living in the county because not every soldier took a pension.
[1] U.S., the Pension Roll of 1835, State 6, Ohio; Ancestry.com. [this source is also on FamilySearch.org]
[2] 1838 Pensions, Mercer, Ohio, Miscellaneous Records 1838-1911, James Shoonover; and
1838 Pensions, Mercer, Ohio, Miscellaneous Records 1838-1911, James Shoonover; FamilySearch.org.
[3] 1840 Census: A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, p.177; United States Census Bureau.
[4] Ohio Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, Ohio Individual County Chronologies, Newberry Library, 2007.
[5] The Official Roster of the Daughters of the American Revolution Buried in the Sate of Ohio, FJ Heer Printing, Columbus, Ohio, 1929.
