Zachariah Cross is believed to have been the brother of my fourth great grandfather William Cross who was a Revolutionary War drummer boy. The following is not a transcription of Zachariah's pension file. I have a copy, but it's a very poor quality and I have not had time to try to transcribe it. Rather, the following is a partial transcription taken from a book called Descendents of Sir Robert Cross by Harold Z. Cross Ph. D. I will do my own transcription as soon as possible.
There is very little in the following account that bears on whether William and Zachariah were brothers, except that both of them were born in Baltimore County, Maryland and that both of them served in the Revolutionary War from Sullivan County, North Carolina (now Tennessee).
Zachariah's reference to fighting a battle at a fort in South Carolina is a reference to the Battle of Kings Mountain, one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War. It was the first major victory for the Americans in the South, and it turned the tide of the war, leading to Washington's victory at Yorktown. Zachariah was serving in the militia of Col. Isaac Shelby. Col. Shelby's militia was one of several militia companies in what came to be known as the Overmountain Men. The Overmountain Men marched from Virginia and what is now Tennessee, over the mountains first into North Carolina and then onto South Carolina where they defeated British militia (American Tories, really) under the command of Major Patrick Ferguson. Although Major Ferguson was in truth the only regular British soldier who took part in the battle, the American public relations machine of the time hailed the victory has having been an American defeat of the British.
It is sometimes said that William Cross took part in the Battle of Kings Mountain. I do not believe that he did. William did serve in the militia of Col. Shelby. However, William was not in service at the time of the battle, and his pension application did not mention the battle. I believe that had William fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain, he would have mentioned it in his pension application, just like Zachariah did.
Zacharias applied for a military pension in Logan Co., KY. 8 Feb 1833. CROSS, ZACHARIAH, poss. s. of William and Alice, stated he was b. 25 March 1761 in Balto. Co., Md.; d. 27 Feb. 1838 in Wayne Co., Ill.; served in the Rev. War from Sullivan Co.; applied for a pension on 8 Feb. 1833 in Logan Co., Ky.; m. Easter Johnson about 15 Aug, 1792, perhaps in Logan Co., Ky.; she d. 21 Dec. 1841; had iss.: RACHEL, m. (?) McDonald; WILLIAM, moved to Alabama; MARY, m. (?) Funkhouser; EDNEY, m. (1) Reeves; JAMES; OLIVER V., moved to Missouri Terr.; ROBERT F. (Rev. War Pension Application No. R-2519). No.5, Zachariah Cross R-2519 State of Missouri, County of St. Louis, in the County Court February Term 1833 On the Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord 1833 personally appeared in open Court before the County Court of the County of St. Louis, Zechariah Cross a resident of said County, and of the State aforesaid aged seventy two years? who being first duly sworn according' to law on his oath doth make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act 'of Congress passed June the 7th 1832. That he entered the services of the United States under the following named officers and served as hereinafter stated. That on the 25th day of March in the year 1777 he entered as a Volunteer in William Hicks'es Company in Sullivan County in the State of North Carolina that the troops along with which this declarant served were commanded by Col. Isaac Shelby and Major Anthony Bledsoe, that he so remained and served for the space of nine months, that during that period he was not in any general action, but on one occasion was engaged in a Skirmish with Indians on Clinch River. That in the month of September in the year 1779 he again volunteered and served in Capt. Maxwels company in Sullivan County aforesaid for two months. That in the month of September in the year 1781 he again entered service as a volunteer under Capt. Thos. Wallace and served in the company commanded by Said Wallace until the 24th day of September in the last year aforesaid during which time he was In the State of South Carolina, and while there was present and engaged in an attack on a British fort which was carried, and eighty prisoners made who were taken to Campden in South Carolina. In the month of October in the year 1782 again entered service as a Volunteer in the company of Capt. Hubbard; that the troops were commanded by Col. Anderson and Col. Sevier that he served in said Company of Capt. Hubbard under the command of Colonels Anderson and Sevier, from October in the last mentioned year until late in the month of November following during which period of service they were engaged in hostile operations against the Cherokee Indian with whom they had frequent skirmishes. That except in the expedition against the Cherokees the different companies in which he served were always under Col. Shelby as the commanding officer. That the whole of his military services were performed in that region of Country now comprehended within the limits of the States of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. That he has never received a certificate of discharge from any of the officers commanding the different companies for which he served, nor has ever received a certificate of discharge from any person, though he never left any company in which he served without the same being regularly discharged from further duty, by the proper officer. That in the year 1783 declarant removed from Sullivan County aforesaid to the District of Country now known by the name of West Tennessee where he resided for four years, or nearly that time, that in the month of May in the year 1787 declarant left West Tennessee, and went to Logan County in the State of Kentucky, within about three miles of the town of Russellville where he remained for forty years. That in the month of October in the year 1829 declarant came from Logan County aforesaid to the County of St. Louis in the State of Missouri at which place he now resides, and has resided since he left Kentucky. That this declarant knows of no person now living by whom he can prove the facts herein set forth, nor, has he any documentary evidence by which he can prove the services by him performed as above stated and is wholly unable to prove said services, or any of them, by either oral, or written testimony. And this declarant hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension role of the agency of any State. That declarant further states that he was born as he has been informed and believes on the 25th day of March in the year 1761 in Baltimore County in the State of Maryland. Sworn to and subscribed theday and year aforesaid in open Court his Zacariah X Cross mark And the said Court do hereby propound to the said Zacariah Cross and said declarant the following interrogatories, which with the answers thereto make part and parcel of the above declaration. Question 1. When and in what year were you born? A. On the 25th of March 1761 at Baltimore County, Maryland Ques. 2. Have you any record of your age and if so where is it? An. I have no record of my age in my possession there is a statement of my birth in a bible in the possession of my Sister in Tennessee. Ques. 3. Where were you living when called into service? Where have you lived since war, and where do you now live? An. I was living at the time I entered service at the place stated In the declaration above subscribed, and sworn to by me, and have lived at the different places therein set forth and now live in the county of St. Louis aforesaid. Ques. 4. How were you called into service; were you drafted did you volunteer or were you a substitute? and if a substitute, for whom? An. I served as a volunteer. Ques. 5. State the names of the Regular officers, who were with the troops when you served such continental or Militia Regiment as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your services. An. Genl. Green was the only regular officer whose name I recollect as in command over the troops while I was in service and this only during the time that I served in South Carolina as stated in my declaration. I do not recollect the names of any of the Continental Regiment with which the Regiment to which my company belonged Served. My company formed part of the Regiment of Col. Shelby the general nature of the service in which I was engaged in is truly stated in said declaration by me subscribed Sworn to and Subscribed before me his mark Zacariah X Cross in open court this 8th February 1833 Henry Chouteau Clerk 8 Feb. 1833, G. W. Call, Richd. B. Dallam, and Benjamin O'Fallon, citizens of St. Louis County, certify that they are well acquainted with Zachariah Cross and that they believe him to have been a soldier of the Revolution. 8 Feb. 1833, Henry Chouteau Clerk of the County Court of St. Louis County, certifies the proceedings of the Court declaring Zachariah Cross a Revolutionary Soldier. State of Illinois White County 3 March 1845, Robert F. Cross, makes declaration in order to ob-tain for the children of Ester Cross, the benefits made by the Act of Congress passed July 1838. "That he is the son of Zacheriah and Easter Cross, that his Father was a pensioner of the United States - and that he died 27 Feb. 1838 in Wayne County, Illinois, and that Easter Cross his Mother lived a widow until the 21st day of December 1841 at which time she departed this life leaving at the time of her death the following children: Rachel McDonold, William Cross, Mary Funkhouser, Edney Reeves, James Cross, Oliver V. Cross, Robert F. Cross . that William Cross resides in the State of Alabama. Oliver (if living) in Missouri Territory, the others in this State of Kentucky - - he has reason to believe that his parents were lawfully married to-gether in Logan County, Kentucky in the year 1792" 3 March 1845: William S. Hay de-poses that he was in the State of Kentucky last September that he had been requested by his Father to call at the Logan County Clerk's Office to locate marriage record of Zachariah Cross to Easter Johnson in 1792. An examination was made and no record of marriages earlier than 1805. |