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On this the 10th day of December A.D. 1833 before the worshipful Session of the Court aforesaid to wit, Edward B. Dudley, Thomas H. Wright & William Corbett, Esquires, personally appeared Francis Pridgen Senr., a resident of New Hanover County in the State of North Carolina aged seventy three years the 15th inst. who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers & served as herein stated.
He was retained a soldier and entered the continental service in December 1781 under Captain James Mills, Hardy Holmes, Lieutenant, Curtis Ivey, Adjutant, in a regiment commanded by Colonel Lytle, Griffith McKee, Major, was attached to a brigade or division commanded by Genl. Green and served twelve months as a private, having been discharged in December 1782, that he resided in Bladen County N.C. when he entered this service that he marched from Wilmington N.C. to Ashley River in S.C. at which place he joined Gen. Green's army at Bacon's bridge, there to Ashley Hill, where he remained till discharged. The regular officers he knew were those above mentioned & also Capt. Wilkeson, who was broke of his commission, that he has no documentary evidence but can prove his service by James Lee of New Hanover County and Jeremiah Simmons & Saunders Simmons of Sampson County N.C. if alive. Answers of Francis Pridgen the aforesaid applicant to the questions propounded to him by the Court aforesaid as prescribed by the War Department.
Ans. to Ques.
1. I was born in Duplin now Samspon County N.C. 15th Decr. 1760.
2. I have a record of my age at home in a Bible.
3. When called into service I was living in Bladen County N.C.. Since the
Revolutionary War I've lived in Bladen & New Hanover Counties N.C. and I
now live in New Hanover County N.C.
4. I suppose I Enlisted.
5. For the names of the regular officers with the troops where I served I
refer to my declaration; The continental regiments I remember were those of
the Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania troops, & the North Carolina & the
South Carolina regiments who were in S.C.- and for further information I
refer to my declaration.
6. I recd. a discharge dated the 3rd Decr. 1782, by whom given I have
forgotten, which I've lost.
7. Simon Lewis, George Larkins, William Corbett Senr. Esq., Benjamin
Larkins, James L. Corbett, William Marshall Senr. & Junr., James Flinn,
William Scudder & many others I could mention.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity
except the present and declare that his name is not on the pension roll of the
agency of any State.
Sworn & Subscribed the day & Year aforesaid.
[signed by] Francis Pridgen
On this the 6th day of February A.D. 1846, personally appeared before me Thomas J. Corbett a Justice of the Peace in and for said County Mary Pridgeon or Pridgen a resident of Canetuck district in the County of New Hanover aged seventy two 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 provision made by the act of Congress passed July 7, 1838 entitled "an act granting half pay and pension to certain widows". That she is the widow of Francis Pridgeon who was a private in the army of the Revolution and for an account of his services begs leave to refer to his declaration for a pension under the act of Congress of June 7, 1832 on file in the Pension Office or War Department.
She further declares that she was married to the said Francis Pridgen on the (20th) twentieth day of October in the year seventeen hundred and ninety; that her husband the aforesaid Francis Pridgen died on the 30th day of August, 1 o'clock A.M., A.D. 1840; that she was not married to him prior to his leaving service, but the marriage took place previous to the 1st of January seventeen hundred and ninety four, vis: at the time above stated.
She further maketh oath that the family record hereto annexed taken out of the family Bible has been in her possession since the year 1788 - while at school; the said record is in the handwriting of her deceased husband Francis Pridgen; that the other family register or record hereunto appended is also in the handwriting of her said husband and that both are genuine, and that she remains a widow.
[signed by] Mary Pridgen
Sworn to and subscribed, on the day and year above written before me, and I hereby certify that said applicant is aged and cannot without great risque from bodily infirmity attend Court.
[signed by] Thos. J. Corbett J.P.
Francis Pridgen Bible Record
Copied from the file by Sandra Hiatt May 28, 1973...contained in the
Revoutionary War Record file of Francis Pridgen
l. Francis Pridgeon was born August 2....illegible
Francis Pridgen son of Francis Pridgen and Mary his wife was born August
28, 1791.
More illegible writing. It appears to be a description or verse.
2. .....Pridgen......illegible.....and Marey his wife was borne August the 28, 1791.
Dipter (?) Pridgen was born September the 2? 1793
John Pridgen was born October the 24 1795
Isaiah Pridgen was born November the 8, 1797
Francis Pridgen was born December the 16. 1798
Matthew Pridgen was born January the 5, 1801
Marey Pridgen was born February the 8, 1803
Anna Pridgen was born October the 10, 1805
Tomas or Jonas Pridgen b. 14 Jan 1808
bsp; Elisabeth Pridgen was born October the ? 1809
[Note from Rebecca: Under Elisabeth's entry there seems to be more writing, but it's illegible.]
3.... William Pridgen was born June the 9, 1811
nbsp; Hannah Pridgen was born December the 17, 1813
nbsp; Janet Pridgen was born August the 4, 1815
[End of Sandra Hiatt's version of Francis' Bible Record.]
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Francis' son William had a Family Bible (which has data on Francis Pridgen, Mary Sikes, and their children) which was passed down to Lillie Durant Pridgen [Lillie's mother was Mary Victoria Pridgen, daughter of William Stephen Pridgen, son of Francis Pridgen (Sr.)]. The Bible then went to Lillie's son, James Aaron Pridgen and his wife Lucy Pridgen. I've never seen an actual copy of William's Bible Record that Lucy Pridgen had. She used that Bible Record, along with other records to write a paper on "The Francis Pridgen Family", a version of which was later published in the New Hanover Co. Heritage book. Lucy sent a pre-publication version to William P. Appleberry (my grandfather) on 14 Nov 1984. This data from Lucy includes dates and names that were not included in the Rev. War Pension Record, so I'm including it here:
Francis born August 28, 1791
Dipter born September 2, 1793
John Frederick born October 24, 1795
Isaiah Peter born November 8, 1797
Francis Melvin born December 16, 1798
Matthew born January 5, 1801
Marey was born February 8, 1803
Anna born October 10, 1805
Thomas Jefferson born January 14, 1808
Elizabeth born October 14, 1809
William Stephen born June 9, 1811
Hannah born December 17, 1813
Jane was born April 8, 1815
Alfred born July 14, 1817
James Jackson born June 12, 1820
[Note from Rebecca: The last two children were not found in the Rev. War Pension Record, but were found in William Stephen's Bible Record. Also, in a New Hanover Co., NC, Land Record, Book Y, p. 25, dated 9 Sep 1839, it says that, "James J. Pridgen, son of Francis Pridgen" receives part of land patented by Francis Pridgen in 1808. As for Alfred, my grandfather remembered his grandmother, Cordelia Pridgen Croom (dau. of James Jackson Pridgen) talking about her Uncle Alfred Pridgen.]