The reprint of the Pension Roll of 1835(available on Ancestry.com) contains an error in the entry for Lt. William Harrison, a Bedford County, Tennessee pensioner. The same mistake appears in the original 1835 publication, which can be viewed on Google Books. Both sources incorrectly state that William Harrison died on 22 June 1833. However, in his widow Elvira’s pension application, she provides a sworn statement that William died on 22 January 1833. This date is supported by additional statements in the pension file.
It's unclear what caused the original error. Perhaps someone compiling information for the 1835 publication abbreviated the month of January, and it was later misread as June. We may never know for sure.
To further complicate matters, the summaries prepared by the pension office in response to requests for copies of William Harrison’s pension file also reflect this mistake. Several of these summaries, sent to different researchers over the years, repeat the incorrect date of 22 June 1833. In at least one response, the summary includes both dates, several paragraphs apart.
Another valuable detail found in Elvira’s sworn statement is her mention of a family record. She explains that the list of family births was copied from an original list kept in an old dictionary that had contained the family's records. That dictionary was later purchased by Stephen Lynch and ultimately destroyed. 😢
Sources:
Revolutionary War Pension Application File W463, Elvira Harrison, widow of William Harrison (NC service); imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9XY-YY8Q : accessed 20 April 2025), IGN 7584164, image 404 of 1123.
Ancestry.com, U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60514/images/pensionroll1835iii-004091 : accessed 20 April 2025), image 37 of 118; citing The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. 3, p. 557, entry for William Harrison, Lieutenant; reprint of U.S. Senate publication (1835), 1968 reprint with index (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company).
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