Sunday, January 07, 2024

Bounty Land for Elisha Luna's War of 1812 Service


The following is my transcription of a portion of the Bounty Land Application file of Mary Luna, Widow of Elisha Luna(Deceased a soldier of the War of 1812)  Mary did not file a pension claim but did file for bounty lands after the 1850 Act and the 1855 Act. Red Text is used to indicate the location of the transcribed information within the image files as most of the images contained multiple papers.



I've also included my notes and some images after the transcription

US, War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant
Mary Looney Widow of Soldier Elisha Looney
https://www.fold3.com/image/316048215/looney-elisha-page-1-us-war-of-1812-pension-files-1812-1815
National Archives
Records of the Dept of Veterans Affairs
Record Group 15 NARA Catalog ID 564415

Image 1 Index Card
War of 1812 Soldier Elisha Looney or Luney
Widow Mary
No Claim for Pension
Bounty Land Wt 8469-80-50
Bounty Land Wt 20086-80-55

Service Pvt under Capt Tubbs Tenn Mil

Image 8(Top  left portion)  

Mary Looney Widow
of Elisha Looney Dec'd
Private Capt Tubbs Co.
Tennessee militia commanded
by Lieut Hammonds
War of 1812

121.179

M & G G Dibrell
Sparta Ten

Image 8(Top  Right Portion)

State of Tennessee
White County

On this 23d day of April A D 1855
personally appeared before me a justice of
the peace within and for the county and state aforesaid
Mary Looney aged Sixty four years a resident of
White County Tennessee formerly a resident of Dekalb county
who being duly sworn according to law declares that she
is the widow of elisha Looney deceased who was a private
in the company commanded by Captain James Tubb in
the regiment of Tennessee Militia command by Col Hammond
in the war with Great Britain declared 05th June 1812
that her said husband volunteered or was drafted
in Smith County Tennessee about the 20th day of Sept 1814
for the term of six months and continued in actual service
for more than 14 days and was honorably discharged
at Wilson Springs Miss. Territory about the 10th day of April 1815
she further declares that she was married to the said
Elisha Looney in Sumner County Tennessee about the ___
day of ______1805 by one________
a justice of the Peace and that her name before her
marriage was Nary Ann P? Enix that her said husband
died in Dekalb County Tennessee about the year 1842 on
the 27th day of April and that she is now a widow, she
further declares hat she has heretofore made application
for bounty land under the act of 28 Sept 1850 and
obtained a land warrant for 80 acres No 8469
which she has legally disposed of and cannot now

(Continued on Image 8 Bottom Left Portion )

be returned she makes this declaration for the
purpose of obtaining the bounty land to which she
may be entitled under the act approved 3d March
1855 and has never applied for any other. 
 Mary X (her mark) Loonery

We William Adcock and Leonard Adcock residents
of Dekalb County Tennessee upon our oaths declare
that the foregoing declaration was signed and ack-
nowledged by Mary Looney in our presence and
that we believe from her appearance and the
statements of the applicant that she is the identical
person she represents herself to be, thus her
husband Elisha Looney is dead and she is still a
widow.

Leonard Adcock
William Adcock

The foregoing declaration and affidavit were sworn
to and subscribed before me on the day and year
above written and I certify that I know the affiants
to be credible persons that the claimant is
the person she represent herself to be and that
I have no interest in this claim

Elijah W Denton
Justice of the Peace

Image 8 Bottom Right Portion

State of Tennessee
White County


I George G Dibrell Clerk of White County Court
Hereby certify that Elijah W Denton Esq whose
genuine signature appears to the within affidavidts is now
and was th the time of signing the same an acting Justice of
the Peace in and for said county duly commissioned and
qualified that all of his official acts as such are entitled
to full faith and credit in Testimony whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the seal of said court
at office in Sparta the 28th day of April A
D 1855

G G Dibrell Clerk
of White County Court

Image 9 Left Portion

State of Tennessee Dekalb county
I W J Isbell clerk of the county court of
Dekalb County do certify that Isaac H Hayse, Esqr and
William H. Magness Esqr before whom the within declarations
and affidavits purport to have been made were both of
them acting Justices of the peace within and for the county
of Dekalb in the state aforesaid at the time the Same
purports to bear date and that they were duly commissioned
and sworn and that the signatures purporting to be theirs
is genuine and that I have attached or made fast the
certificate of the clerk of the county court of Sumner County
stating the loss of the records of Marriages in said county
and that the same is a attached with the seal of Dekalb County
In testimony where of I have hereunto set
my hand and affixed my seal of office
at office in Smithville this the 21st day
of November 1850 W J Isbell Clk
of Dekalb County Court

Image 9 Right Portion

Declaration of Mary Luna
Widow of Elisha Luna Deceased
State of Tennessee
Dekalb County

On this the the(sic) ninth day of November
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and fifty personally appeared before me Isaac H.
Hayse an acting justice of the peace within and for
the county of Dekalb in the state aforesaid Mary
Luna, aged about sixty two years a resident of Dekalb
County in the state aforesaid(Tennessee) who being
duly sworn according to law, declares that she is the
widow of Elisha Luna, deceased, who was a private
in the company commanded by Captain James Tubb
in the 2nd Regiment West Tennessee Militia commanded
by Col Laury and Lieutenant Col Hammonds
in the war with great Britain declared by the
United States on the 18th day of June A D 1812
and that her said Husband was drafted and
mustered in to the service of the United States at
Fayetteville Tennessee on the 20th day of September
1814, for the term of Six Months, and that her said
husband the said Elisha Luna continued in actual
service in said war for the term of upwards of
six months, and was honorable discharged at
Wilsons Springs, Madison County Mississippi Territory
on the 10th day of April A D 1815 as will
appear from the muster rolls, and the proof of
the said Captain James Tubb.

She further states that she was married to the
said Elisha Luna, the in the County of Sumner in the
state of Tennessee on the 18th day of January 1802
or 1803, by virtue of a marriage license, issued
from the proper authority and married by a justice
of the peace of said county, whose name is not recollected
at this time, and that her name before her said marriage


Image 10 left Portion

Was Mary Enox, and that her said husband died
at home in Dekalb County Tennessee on the 27th
Day of April 1841, and that she is still a widow
and have not been married since she was married to
the said Elisha Luna
She makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining
the bounty land to which she may be entitled under the
act passed 28th September 1850 and that she knows 
nothing of her said husbands discharge
                                                Mary (Her Mark) Luney
Attest B L Johnson

Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and Date
first above written
Isaac H Hayes J P
for Dekalb County

State of Tennessee Dekalb County.
Personally appeared before me Wm H
Magness an acting justice of the peace within and
for the county of Dekalb in the State aforesaid James
Tubb, former Captain in the Second Regiment
West Tennessee Militia Commanded by Lieutenant
Col Leroy Hammons, and who being duly sworn
according to law declares that the within named
Elisha Luna was a private in his company in
the second regiment as above stated, and that
the said Elisha Luna was mustered in to the
service of the United States at Fayetteville, Tennessee
on or about the 20th day of September A D 1814
for the term of six months and that he the said
Luna was in actual service for upwards of
six months in my company, and was honorable
discharged on the 10th day of April 1814 as appears
from the muster rolls now in my possession
sworn to and subscribed before me this the
14th day of November 1850

James Tubb Former Capt.
former Captain
in 2 Regiment W T M

Wm H Magness J P
for Dekalb County

Image 10 Right Portion

State of Tennessee Dekalb County

Personally appeared before me William H
Magness an acting justice of the peace within and for
Dekalb County in the sate aforesaid Joseph Atnip
who is entitled to full credit and who being duly
sworn according to law declares that he was personally
acquainted witht he within named Elisha Luna and
that him and the within named Mary Luna
lived together as husband and wife in the holy state
of wedlock all the time that I was acquainted with
them which was many years before the death of the
said Elisha Luna and that they raised a large family
which are all of lawful age and that the said Mary
Luna, widow as aforesaid is yet a widow and the lawful
Widow of the said Elisha Luna, deceased, and has not
been married since she was married to the said Elisha
Luna deceased and that she is at this time and has
been a member of the Baptist Church, for long before the
death of her said husband, in good standing and that
I the witness am in no wise interested in this matter,
Joseph Atnip (Seal)
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 21st day of November A D 1850
Wm H Magness J P
For Dekalb County

State of Tennessee
Sumner County

I John L Bugg Clk of the
County Court of Sumner County Certify
that I have made diligent research in my
office for the marriage license of Elisha
Luna and Mary Enix said to have been married
in this county in 1803 or 1804 and the
same cannot be found. The records of
marriage of this date having been lost
or destroyed than being now on file in
my office witness my hand and seal
of office at Gallatin this
the 13th day of November 1850

John T Bugg Clk
By H W Bugg D C


Notes:  
The documents are somewhat intermixed in the file and within how they were digitized.   The notation from the index card summary notes that no pension was filed for Elisha's service.  Mary filed for bounty land under the 1850 act and the 1855 act and received warrants both times for a total of 160 acres.

There is some discrepancy in the marriage date and the date of Elisha's death but that is not unusual as there is also a number of spellings differences for Mary's maiden name and also for her married surname.  She got the month right for her marriage but missed the year and maybe the date by a few days.  Also she gives a conflicing answer on the year of Elisha's death but gives 27th of April as the day and month consistently.   Elisha and mary lived in the area of Dekalb Co TN near the county line adjacent to White County.  The Adcocks and the Lunas lived close.  My maternal grandfather who is my Luna descendant also is a descendant of the Adcocks of that area.




In her 1855 Bounty Land Application. Mary mentions that she has disposed of the land she received in 1850.   The GLO website site shows her as the original land owner.  Interestingly it's in Lawrence County Arkansas, the same county where I am also researching a Cook land entry.  Mary Luney is listed in the Registered Land Sale Book for Lawrence Co AR(see source below) I have not yet found out what became of the land from this 1850 warrant.

Lawrence County, Arkansas, Register of Land Purchase and Sale Record, page 175; filmed by Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980; digitized by FamilySearch, [URL: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTJ-6SX8-L?i=599&cat=147338]; catalog listing at FamilySearch, "Register of Land Entries, Lawrence Co AR," DGS #8340198, item 5, image 600 of 611.

Christopher Warner ended up with the 1855 Warrant(20086) and used it on land in Richardson Co. Nebraska.

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