| Notes |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found at findagrave.com on 2/23/2026
James Ward VVeteran
Birth: 1759 Virginia, USA
Death: 17 Nov 1830 (aged 70-71) Pope County, Illinois, USA
Burial: Burial Details Unknown
Memorial #: 248978765
Bio:
On October 7, 1780, brother met brother, neighbor met neighbor, Patriot met Loyalist on a battlefield in rural South Carolina. The battle lasted an hour: the brevity belied the import. Thomas Jefferson proclaimed the Battle of King's Mountain turned "the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary War, with the seal of our independence."
Fewer than one thousand American Heroes, through skill, luck, and the leadership of cunning strategists, defeated Patrick Ferguson, a brilliant star of the British military might. James Ward was one of those Heroes.
His participation in the battle was documented by his Application for Revolutionary War Pension. Will Graves developed software to aid in transcribing the pensions.
Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & RostersPension application of James Ward R11116 Elizabeth HQ12fn54VA
Transcribed by Will Graves 8/4/11
[Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading fails to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call errors or omissions to my attention.]
State of KentuckyMcCracken County: SS
On this 5th day of January in the year 1841 personally appeared before the undersigned a Justice of the peace for the County and State aforesaid Elizabeth Ward a resident of said County and State - aged about eighty-four years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the Act of Congress passed July 4th 1836 -
That she is the widow of James Ward who was a Soldier of the war of the revolution and she states that her husband the said James Ward to the best of her recollection and belief served as herein after stated to wit: -
Her husband the said James Ward in the year 1777 or 1778 lived high up on Holston River near the mountains which was at that time a frontier - and thinly inhabited - he lived near the line dividing between the States of Virginia and North Carolina - She thinks he lived in Virginia & that it was then called Montgomery County. - The settlements were much exposed to the depredations of the Cherokee Indians and in the summer of 1778 her husband the said James Ward entered the service of the United States as a volunteer Indian spy for a tour of six months under Captain Cocke.
The head quarters or station of Captain Cocke's command was at Eaton's Station on or near the Holston River but the soldiers were employed almost constantly in ranging through the woods as spies for the protection of the settlements and in July or August 1778 her husband was in a battle with a party of Indians in the woods below the said station whom they repulsed - her said husband served out his engagement of six months under Captain Cocke - and having become expert as a woodsman and the settlements being much annoyed by the inroads of the Indians - a new station was built on Holston River below Eaton's called Island Fort to which place all the families in the surrounding settlements moved for protection - and a company of spies were enlisted to range the wilderness and protect the Fort and Inhabitants - This arrangement was made by authority of the Government upon the application of the principle inhabitants say Colonels Shelby - Campbell and Sevier -
It was in this company of Indian spies that your declarant's husband entered the second time in the spring of the year 1779 as a volunteer Indian spy - under Captain James Shelby his Lieutenant's name was George Hart and the whole establishment was principally under the direction of Colonel Isaac Shelby and Major Anthony Bledsoe - her husband's enlistment was at first for the time of three months but having served out that period and the Indians still continuing troublesome and your declarant's husband having become an expert spy - he was induced to continue in the service under the same officers (the old spies generally renewing their engagements) in this way he continued in the same service renewing his engagement about every three months for a period of about two years commencing in the spring of 1779 and ending sometime in the year 1781 and the fall of the latter year and expedition was made against the Cherokee Indians from the settlements on Holston under Colonel Sevier and your declarant's husband served in this expedition as a private soldier under Captain Ning Hoskins [probably Capt. Ninian Hoskins] and there was a Captain Looney in the same Corps.
They visited the Indian towns south of the French Broad River - Burnt several of them - defeated the Indians - destroyed their corn and other property and returned - near the close of the year 1781 and with this last expedition close to the military services of your declarant's husband he having served in all about three years -
Your declarant first became acquainted with her said husband whilst he was an Indian spy at the Island Fort on Holston River. She thinks it was then Montgomery County Virginia where he entered in each instance -
She further declares that she was married to the said James Ward according to the best of her knowledge and belief in the same County and State above named on the 11th of August 1779. She will however not be positive as to day or month - She is positive that it was whilst he was in the service as an Indian spy and long before he made the expedition under Colonel Sevier against the Cherokees, and consequently before the end of his last period of service - and she further declares that she lived with her said husband James Ward as his wife from the period of the marriage in 1779 down to the 17th day of November 1830 upon which latter day he the said James Ward departed this life in the County of Pope and State of Illinois and that she has remained a widow ever since that period as will more fully appear by reference to the proof hereto annexed.
She will further state that neither herself nor husband could read or write & that they kept no family record & she consequently has none nor does she think that there is any record of her marriage as it was a new country & scarcely any law in vogue on the frontiers but she states that she was married to James Ward by the Reverend Philip Milky a Baptist preacher. She has no documentary evidence.
S/ Elizabeth Ward, X her mark
Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year above written before the subscriber a Justice of the peace for the County and State aforesaid and I do certify that the above named Elizabeth Ward appears to me to be a very old person and that she is entitled to credit on her oath & that from age and bodily infirmity she is unable to attend court to make her declaration.
S/ James Ashley, JP
State of KentuckyCalloway County: SS
On this 13th day of January in the year 1841 personally appeared before the undersigned a Justice of the peace for the County and State aforesaid Jesse Henson1 a resident of said County and State aged about eighty-two years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following statement in relation to the military services of James Ward during the War of the revolution and of his the said James Ward's marriage with the same Elizabeth Ward who made her declaration before James Ashley Esquire of McCracken County Kentucky on the 5th day of January 1841 in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 4th 1832 -
This affiant states that the said Elizabeth Ward is his Sister and that she is about two years older than himself - her declaration above referred to was then read over to him in his hearing, and he states that the facts stated in the said declaration to the best of his recollection and belief are true -
This affiant states that he is an unlettered man and consequently has no records or written memoranda that would enable him to be strictly accurate in relation to days and dates - and length of terms of service - names of officers etc. etc. - But he has no hesitation in saying that the said James Ward did serve at least six months as an Indian spy in the year 1778 and he thinks that this service was as a private under Captain Cocke although part of the service may have been under other officers -
as to the locality or place where the services were performed the affiant states that it was chiefly in the woods having their station or headquarters at Amos Eaton's station on Holston River in Virginia and at Rye Cove another station in the same region of country - he knows that the spies had a skirmish with the Indians in the woods near the stations in July or August 1778 and that the said James Ward was in said skirmish - This affiant was himself there and participated in said skirmish in which they defeated the Indians -
This affiant makes the following statement in relation to the said James Ward's service as an Indian spy at the Island Fort on Holston River which was situated he thinks in the State of Virginia Montgomery County - it is his best belief & recollection that the said James Ward commenced his service there as a private Indian spy in the spring of the year 1779 under Captain James Shelby and Lieutenant George Hart - they were the principal officers who had command of the active corps of spies or Rangers - nevertheless there were other officers of the same rank who occasionally done duty - and there were others of a higher rank who seemed to have the chief direction but who scarcely ever went into the woods - amongst these were the Colonels Campbell - Shelby & Sevier and Major Bledsoe -
The said Ward continued in this service as an Indian spy at the above named Fort chiefly under Captain Shelby from the time he entered the spring of the year 1779 until sometime in the year 1781 say about September - This affiant does not think he said Ward served the whole year round in each instance for he recollects that in the winter season the Indians generally ceased their incursions and then the spies were discharged until next spring - and in this way the said James Ward he thinks served about eight months in each year during the year 1779, 1780 and 1781 at the Island Fort on Holston and in the fall of the latter year the said James Ward entered Captain Ning Hoskins' company as a private and with him joined Colonel Sevier's Corps of volunteers and with him made an expedition South of the French Broad River on to the Cherokee Nation - This affiant served in the same Corps with the said James Ward but under a different Captain - the said James Ward served three months under this engagement -
This affiant will also state that he occasionally served with said James Ward as a spy at the Island Fort above mentioned under Captain Shelby but not all the time - as he was occasionally absent on other expeditions - past of the mountains particularly in the year 1780 at the Battle of Kings Mountain in which Battle the affiant anticipated -
This affiant states that the said James Ward and Elizabeth Ward were married in the settlement near the Island Fort on the Holston River in Montgomery County Virginia in the year 1779 to the best of his recollection by a Reverend Philip Milky a Baptist preacher - This marriage took place long before the said James Ward's last period of service as a Indian spy and still longer before his tour of duty under Colonel Sevier and he states that they the said James & Elizabeth Ward lived together as husband & wife from the period of their marriage in 1779 until said James Ward's death which took place in the year 1830 and he states that the said Elizabeth Ward never intermarried with any other person since the death of said James Ward but half remained a widow ever since.
S/ Jesse Henson, X his mark
1 FPA W8921
[HQ p. 11: On January 14, 1841 in Calloway County Kentucky, Henry Darnall gave testimony that he was acquainted with James and Elizabeth Ward when they lived in Calloway County Kentucky; where he first became acquainted with them in 1789 there to eldest children were Edmond and Elizabeth who were fully grown; in addition to those 2 children, he also knew 5 other children of the veteran and his wife namely James, George, Demsey, William and Phebe.]
Elizabeth Henson Ward was the daughter of William Henson who fought at the Battle of King's Mountain as a Tory. The Jesse Henson who testified on behalf of James Ward was her brother. He was on the BKM Campaign but did not fight in the Battle of King's Mountain. (Reference Find a Grave Memorial #11307314.)
Family Members
Children
James L "Jim" Ward Jr 1786-1860
Created by: Vonnie L Cantrell (47192880)
Added: 2023-01-27T13:20:56.000Z
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/248978765/james-ward
Citation: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/248978765/james-ward: accessed February 23, 2026), memorial page for James Ward (1759-17 Nov 1830), Find a Grave Memorial ID 248978765; Maintained by Vonnie L Cantrell (contributor 47192880).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found at https://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A217556
WARD, JAMES Ancestor #: A217556
Service: VIRGINIA Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, PRIVATE
Birth: CIRCA 1755
Death: 11-17-1830 POPE CO ILLINOIS
Pension Number: R11116V
Service Source: R11116V; WI HIST SOC, DRAPER MSS, TN PAPERS, SER XX, VOL 1, P 24, REEL #116
Service Description:
1) CAPTS JOSEPH MARTIN, HOSKINS, MAJ BLEDSOE, COL SEVIER;
2) SPY FOR CAPT JAMES SHELBY, COL ISAAC SHELBY ********
Comments(Overview)
Created: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.803, Updated: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.803, By: ASPENCER
1) WIDOW’S PENSION CLAIM REJECTED AS PATRIOT WAS NOT A MEMBER OF AN ORGANIZED
Created: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.813, Updated: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.813, By: ASPENCER
2) CORPS.
Residence
Created: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.753, Updated: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.753, By: ASPENCER
1) County: MONTGOMERY CO - State: VIRGINIA
Spouse
Number Name
Created: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.733, Updated: 2024-07-18 11:24:38.733, By: ASPENCER
1) ELIZABETH HENSON
Hint: Click on the member number to see more.
Associated Applications and Supplementals
Nat’l Num Add
Vol. Docs Child [Spouse #] Spouse
1021123 1362 MARY [1] GEORGE MORRIS Purchase
= Supporting documentation available
= Descendants list available for this member and this ancestor
= Descendants list available for this member but not this ancestor
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
S Butler and S Hibbs Family History Our Family's Journey Through Time
1759 - 1830 (75 years)
[1, 2] 
