Cluster Research in the Revolutionary War Pension Files

I've been digging in the Revolutionary Pension files at Fold3 lately and reading some of the files of the FAN club of my ancestors.  There is much information in those files about when the soldier and his family moved on to other areas.  Kimbrough Ogilvie's(my 4th great granduncle) file contains details of his move from Granville Co NC to Bedford Co TN and then on to Kentucky.

Source: https://www.fold3.com/file/25355335/kimbrough-ogilvie-page-1-revolutionary-war-pensions
Veteran: Ogilvie, Kimbrough  Service: N.C.  Pension Number: S. 14050
Record Group 15: NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files.

Blackwell researchers might be interested in the Revolutionary Pension file of John Blackwell. I'm interested in his file because Blackwells married into the Shem Cook(e) YDNA line and that line is the one our Cooke YDNA most closely matches. According to John Blackwell's statement he was born abt 1755 in Culpepper Co VA.  When he went into service during the Revolutionary War, he was living in Burk Co NC.  He moved from Burk Co NC to Abbeville Co SC in 1784 and from there in 1797 or 1798 to Franklin Co GA.  John's statement which was given in 1836 says that he removed from Franklin Co GA to Hickman Co TN about 18 years ago which would make the move about 1818.

Source:  https://www.fold3.com/image/12026579/john-blackwell-page-1-us-revolutionary-war-pensions-1800-1900

Veteran: Blackwell, John   Service: N.C.  Pension Number: S. 2083

Record Group 15: NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files.

Check out the Revolutionary War page of the FamilySearch wiki.  The time period prior to 1850 Census records can be difficult to research but finding where your family was in the early 1800s can help you to locate more records and further your research.  

Cooke family info in Rev War Pension of Harwood Pope's Widow

Sworn statement by Shemuel Cook of Franklin Co NC August 4th 1843 which was included in the Revolutionary Pension Application File of Elizabeth Bowers Pope(widow of Harwood Pope)

Source:  https://www.fold3.com/image/25885037/harwood-pope-page-25-us-revolutionary-war-pensions-1800-1900

This 1840 US Federal Census Entry for Franklin Co NC shows a Shemuel Cook who is likely the same one in the above affidavit.

From page 27 of the previously mentioned pension file at Fold3 is a letter from Wm H Strother to Mr. H. W. Brummell  (transcribed below)

Source:  https://www.fold3.com/image/25885063/harwood-page-27-us-revolutionary-war-pensions-1800-1900


Mr. H W Brummell Louisburg 12th Aug 1843

Sir

Annexed is the certificate
of Shemuel Cooke relative to the marriage of
Harwood Pope. Mr. Cooke was that the marriage
but is unable to state the precise time but is
confident it took place within the time specified
on the certificate. The marriage can be established
by three other persons one of them Claiborne
Cooke the brother of Shemuel who resides in Granville
County. The other two are Rhody Jones & Katherine
Hill both of the county. Should the certificate
of Shemuel Cooke be insufficient I will attend
to the taking of the others immediately after hearing
from you. I shall however be absent from home
about three weeks--neither of the three above
mentioned recollect the precise time when the marriage
took place but were all present and witnessed it.


Mr. Shemuel Cooke is a man of good
character and his statement on oath would not
be questioned where he is known. My Mother was present but of tender years she has no particular
recollection of the time further than she was told that she
was eight years old. I concluded not
to take her certificate. present me to my Aunt


Yours Respectfully
Wm H. Strother

Using DNAPainter for analysis of a Mystery DNA Group

Within my families DNA match results, my siblings and me have shared DNA with the descendants of John William Jones and his wife Lydia William Jones.  I've not yet been able to determine the exact connection but I have used the WATO tree tools at DNA Painter to get a visual of the matches and the amounts at which they match us.  I used my shared cM amounts in the image shown below and have edited out the names of the matches. We match thru 4 different children of John and Lydia(at least...these are all that I have found represented so far).  I should note that Leona(Oliver's sister) married the brother of Oliver's wife.  By looking at shared matches I can tell that the connection is somewhere in the ancestry of my paternal Great Grandfather, William Green Cook(1854-1944).  It looks likely that it is on his mother's side(the Putmans) likely two or more generations further back.  

Also if I look at the shared cM chart I can get an idea of what relationships that amount of shared DNA might represent.

Comparing my own tree and those of this group of matches I can rule out anything closer than 3rd Cousins and I feel like the most likely would be somewhere between 4th Cousin thru 7C1R.  

Using the chromosome painter tool at DNAPainter I can further see that the shared DNA is with the Putman & Tyler Descendants.  This is shown here in their comparison with the DNA they all share with me but holds true for their comparison with my other siblings as well.  The marked painted segments below contain Cook / Putman cousins, Putman / Tyler cousins and several of the Jones / Williams DNA matches who have uploaded their DNA to sites which have a chromosome browser.

I hope to do more research on the mystery matches Ancestral Couple(& their ancestors) to see where they cross paths.  I'm wondering if it might be a Quaker segment.

These are just some of the tools which I find very useful that are available at DNAPainter.  There are many great resources for DNA analysis located there. I am a subscriber and find it very useful to my research(especially since I manage multiple tests.)  I would recommend at least setting up a free account there and trying it out to see if it is helpful to your research. For more information on DNAPainter and the Shared cM Project please visit the site.  The site help tools are wonderful and there is also a Facebook group as well as a blog.

Revolutionary War Application Info: Nathan Frizel S3380

My 4th Great Grandfather Nathan Frizzell served in the Revolutionary War out of South Carolina.  I descend from him thru two lines-- one thru his daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Frizzell Manley and the other thru his son, James Marion Frizzell.  Below is just a small portion of the information contained in his Revolutionary War Pension application.  In addition to the usual service details it also gives a pretty good detail of the families residences. Some of them ended up in Calloway Co. Kentucky.

From Nathan Frizel's Pension Application No. 3380 Served in South Carolina

14 Aug 1832 Bedford Co TN Court of Pleas and Quarter Session

Appeared before John L Neill, Samuel Phillips, & John S Armstrong

Esquires & Gentleman Justices of the Peace

He entered the Service of United State as a volunteer under Captain William Deason in what is now called Chesterfield District in the state of South Carolina, some time in the month of October 1780 and was attached to a Regiment commanded by Colonel John Marshall of General Sumpter's Brigade. He states they were not marched from that county or district any distance but was engaged in reconnoitering and acted as Rangers and watching the movements of the Tories until the following may when he states Col. Marshall's Regiment was attached to General Green's Army. He states he was marched with General Green's Army from Camden S Carolina to the high hills of Santa by way of a little town called  Statesville from that and to the Eutaw Springs, where he states he was in an engagement against the British who were under the commander of Lord Roddick He states that Col William Washington was taken prisoner at that Engagement by the British, he states that he company he belonged to was permitted to return home after the battle of Eutaw Springs after serving about eight months. he states that the was attached to General Sumpter's Brigade again and continued with him until Cornwallis was taken, he states he was engaged in several small skirmishes with the Tories one at Rugeley's Mill an Granny's Quarter Creek one other at Rocky Mount an Catawba River and one other skirmish at Black Creek with the Tories in Chesterfield district South Carolina. And one small engagement, which should have been mentioned previously in this declaration at the High Hill two miles from Camden about the 1st of May 1781. Making in all a term of service of twelve months or there about. H e further states that he has no documentary evidence whatever and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can precure who can testify as to his service and hereby relinquishes all claims to a pension or annuity whatever except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any Agency in the United States.  

Where and in what year were you born?

I was born in Baltimore County in the state of Maryland agreeable to my father's record therein on the 7th day of August 1759 

I have a record of my age at my dwelling in this county, wrote in my Family Bible

which Record was taken from my Father's Bible

I was a citizen of Chesterfield district in the State of South Carolina when I volunteered under Capt. William Deason and after the Revolutionary War I moved to Anson County in the State of North Carolina from that to Robinson(Robertson) county in the state of Tennessee about 1802 and from that I moved to Rutherford County in the same state and from there I removed to the county of Bedford in same state some time in the year 1808 or 1809 where I have lived ever since and where I now live. 

I was a volunteer during the whole time I served

I do not recollect the names of any regular officer except Col Wm Washington tho I saw Col Lee and Col Washington's troops frequently

I did receive a discharge in writing signed by Col John Marshall but I have lost or mislaid it many years ago & cannot produce it at this time.

(Character references from present neighborhood)
Rev. John Rushing
Capt. John Deason
William Norvell Esq.
John C Caldwell
Charles Taylor Sr.
Nathan Chaffin Esq.

Sworn to in open court the day and year aforesaid
16th August 1832

Links of interest

Revollutionary War Battles & Skirmishes in South Carolina

Rugeley's Mill

Source: 

Deposition of Claimant, 14 August 1832, Nathan Frizzell, invalid's pension application no. 3380 "Revolutionary War Pensions," database with images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/file/21403156/nathan-frizel-revolutionary-war-pensions : accessed 1 October 2023); imaged from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives microfilm publication M804, roll 804

Bird's Eye View of Frizzell Families' Locations of Residence

Signature from Sworn Statement