Aaron Copeland:
The State of South Carolina
Chesterfield District
On this the 29th of Sept. AD 1835 appeared before the Court of Common Plea at Chesterfield Court House before his honor A. P. Butler the presiding Judge of the said Court, Aaron Copeland, aged seventy-three or seventy four years, who upon oath made the following declaration in order to obtain a pension under the Act of Congress drafted June 7th, 1832. That he was born in Chatham County in the state of North Carolina, that his age was recorded in a family Bible which was burned up in his father’s house when the deponent was quite small. Deponent states his age from a comparison of it with that of his brother who is yet alive and is two years & and a half older than himself That he was living in Chesterfield District at the time of his so entering the Service, not quite sixteen years of age & was drafted by Capt. Benjamin Hicks in thee militia.
Deponent’s Father applied to Col. Kolb to get deponent discharged on account of his son's age but was told by Col. Kolb that deponent was so near sixteen years old that he had as well serve, so that deponent continued in the service ten (?) months at Cheraw Hill in the District & State aforesaid guarding the public grannies deposited there for the army from the north which was expected there. This was in the spring of the year before Gates defeat at Camdem. Rec'd discharged from Capt. John Wilson who commanded the forces at Cheraw & returned home. In the fall of the same year or in the winter, was drafted a second time & served one-month under Capt. Thomas Ellerbe. Col. Murphy (?) marched to Marion’s camp on the Santee River- given option to returned home & did so. In the winter or first of the spring of the following year was drafted again & served one month under Capt. Claudius Pegues, in the militia service on [….] the Santee River in Marion’s Camp which were at that time below the High Hills of Santee. When the month passed, deponent returned home. In the fall of the same year deponent volunteered under Capt. Joseph Howell under the command of Col. Wade in a troop of Horses (?)-marched from Chesterfield to Hailey’s Ferry on Great Pee Dee River, thence to Bettis Bridge on Drowning Creek in N. Ca. when there was an engagement with the Tories under Col. Fanning & Col. Elrod & Col.. McNeill -American were defeated - deponent lost his horse, saddle & bridle & a suit of clothes after this defeat he returned home having served at this time, six weeks. He staid at home until he was [unreadable].
Sometime in the month of November in the same year went up to Anson County to rejoin service, camped again at Hailey’s Ferry & marched down toward Wilmington, No. Car.---Had no engagement - deponent served four weeks & returned home. In the winter of the same year or on the 1st of the succeeding year, deponent went down to Marlborough Dist. So. Car. & volunteered under Capt. Pledger of the Militia & served four weeks & marched down toward Wacamaw River & thereabout in pursuit of one Capt. Micajah Pouncey(?) who commanded a body of Tories - did not find him & returned home without having had any engagement. Deponent has no documentary evidence of his Services but knows of a James MacMillan and Ripley Copeland who served with him in Marion’s Camps & can testify to his service. He further swears that for the periods above mentioned he was either in the field or in garrison & was not employed in any Civil [unreadable]. He hereby relinquishes all claims to any pension except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.
Sworn & Signed before me} Aaron X Copeland
This 29th Sept. 1835}
John Craig CCP
South Carolina
Chesterfield District
James McMillian swears that Aaron Copeland was in the service of the U. States one-month in Marion’s Camps & that deponent served with him under Capt. Thomas Ellerbe-but does not re-collect the year.
Sworn & Signed before me}
in open court 29 Sept. 1835}
Hugh Craig.
The State of South Carolina
Chesterfield District
On this the fourteenth day of May AD one thousand eight hundred and fifty three personally appeared before me J. C. Craig Ordinary--duly authorized to administer oaths within and for the District and State aforesaid Archibald Copeland aged fifty years a resident of Chesterfield District in the State of South Carolina, who being duly sworn according to law declares that he is the son and only living heir of the identical Aaron Copeland who was a private in the Company commanded by Captain Thomas Ellerbe in the South Carolina Regiment and the Battalion commanded by Major Tristam Thomas in the Revolutionary War, that his father the said Aaron was honorably discharged at the termination of the war, but if in writing the said discharge was afterwards destroyed by fire when his dwelling and all his property with three or four valuable houses was so consumed, and this deponent has no means of ascertaining the exact time when he enlisted or drafted for which time he was so enlisted or drafted or how long he served, and this deponent further says that he has been informed and believes that his said Father intermarried with one Polly Melton deponent's Mother and the daughter of one Isham Melton of the District and State aforesaid about the year 1784, that Aaron Copeland died about the year 1839 having survived his wife about six or seven years leaving ten children whom deponent is the sole survivor. All which facts as to the service of the said Aaron will appear on the (?) rolls of his company.
And deponent further says that the said Aaron nor any one for him, has never received any pay whatever from the government for his services but died while make preparations to present his application therefore.
This deponent makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the pay, bounty lands, extra pay, pension and whatever else he may be entitled to in behalf of his said Father’s service under the Acts of Congress passed from time to time for that purpose.
Sworn to before me the} s/Archibald Copeland
Day and year above written and}
I hereby certify that I believe the}
Said Archibald Copeland to be the}
Son and sole of heir of the identical}
Aaron Copeland who served as aforesaid}
And that he is of the age above stated}
J. C. Craig, Ordinary CD
NOTE: There is more information on Aaron Copeland in "Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia" (Huxford), Vol. 7. This article names 9 of the 12 children of Aaron & Polly Melton Copeland and lists birth year and spouses for most of the 9 children. The article also states that Aaron Copeland died May 9th 1839.
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[1] https://www.fold3.com/image/1/13001416; Transcribed by Charles L. Purvis, 15 November 2000
[2] Another transcription by William Graves can be found here: http://revwarapps.org/r2308.pdf
[3] Additional Copeland information found here: http://assets.luginbuel.com/genealogy/documents/Copeland,%20William%20Family.pdf
[4] Use above references at your own risks; I make no claim as to the validity of the data contain within.
