Monday, January 21, 2013

Amanuensis Monday - Martin Carringer's Revolutionary War Pension File: Post 7: Allen Morrison's Declaration

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme several years ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is a document from the Revolutionary War Pension File of Martin Carringer (1758-1835) of Mercer County, Pennsylvania (accessed on and digital image obtained from www.Fold3.com):




The transcription of this paper (image 18 on the Fold3 filmstrip) is:

State of Pennsylvania }
County of Mercer  } SS

On this 28th day of August 1851 personally appeared before me Thos Robinson Esquire a Justice of the Peace in and for said County Allen Morrison aged 47 years resident of Perry Township in said county who being first duly sworn according to law doth depose and say that he has lived near neighbor to Mary Carringer for several years last past who was the widow of Martin Carringer late a revolutionary pensioner of the United States at the rate of 96$ per annum.  This declarant also states that the aforesaid Mary Carringer was a pensioner of the United States at the rate of 80$ per annum and that She the said Mary Carringer died in the Township of Sandy Creek in the said county of Mercer on the thirty-first (31st) day of August in the year eighteen hundred and fifty (1850) and that he the said Allen Morrison assisted in digging the grave for the body of the said Mary Carringer in the evening of the thirty-first (31st) day of August 1850 and that he was present when the body of the said Mary was placed in the grave in which he helped to dig on the 1st day of Sept.

This declarant also states that the aforesaid Mary Carringer died leaving six children only surviving her whose names are as follows Jacob Carringer, Elizabeth McCartney deceased, Catherine Cazbe, George, Henry and Joseph Carringer.  

This declarant further states that he saw the body of Elizabeth McCartney on the day of her death which occured on the fourteenth (14th) day of November in the year eighteen hundred and fifty and that on the 14th day of November 1850 he the said Allen Morrison assisted in digging the grave for the body of the said Elizabeth McCartney.

Sworn and subscribed to on the day .................. Allen Morrison
and year first above written.

Before me I also certify that I am personally acquainted with said Allen Morrison and that he is a man of creability and his testimony is entitled to full credit and belief.
............................................................... Thomas Robinson J.P.

This declaration provides a second witness who attested to the deaths of Mary Carringer and Elizabeth McCartney, and the names of the six surviving children.

Did you notice the clear misspelling of "credibility" in the last paragraph?  I thought that was humorous!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/01/amanuensis-monday-martin-carringers_21.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

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