For some reason, misinformation persists on Ancestry and other sites about William Holmes of Beaufort County, NC who removed with his family to Smyth County, Virginia (Saltville, also recorded at Washington Co., Virginia).
Some folks have him being from Iredell County, NC — which is on the western side of the state. Others have him being from Washington County, NC, which is further east, but still wrong.
In fact, he was from Chocowinity, Beaufort County, NC and he left for Virginia sometime before 1850, but likely in the 1830s.
His War of 1812 Pension Records plainly identify who he is, who his wife is, where they married, where he enlisted, and where he was living in his latter years.
Related posts:
- Heirs of John Holmes to James Creamer
- Deed naming the children of James Lewis of Beaufort County, 1824
- Holmes Family Migrations from NC to Smyth County, Virginia & Lee County, Alabama
William Holmes — War of 1812 pension file (key points)
Identity & residence
- Name: William Holmes
- Residence when filing: Washington County, Virginia (1853 and 1871) — Ed. note: The census has him living in Saltville, Smyth County, Virginia which straddles the border between Smyth and Washington Counties.
Service
- Rank/Unit: Private, Capt. John Cox’s Company, North Carolina Militia (brigade commander named as Thomas Blount/Blunt in the 1853 form).
- Enlistment: 28 Sept 1814, at Beaufort Courthouse, North Carolina (spelled “Buford C.H.” in the file).
- Discharge: 22 Mar 1815, at Newbern (New Bern), North Carolina.
- Term stated: Six months.
- Stations/notes: He performed “ordinary military duty,” was at Norfolk, Virginia, and reported no engagements while there.
- Travel/places mentioned: “Marched from Buford County, N.C.” (Beaufort County, NC); mileage notations include travel in relation to New Bern and Beaufort C.H.
Age (self-reported in file)
- 1853 declaration (bounty-land): age 68 → birth c. 1784–1785.
- 1871 survivor’s pension declaration: age 86 → consistent with c. 1784–1785 birth.
Wife & marriage
- Wife: Sallie (Sally) Lewis.
- Marriage place: Washington, North Carolina (date not supplied in these pages).
Benefits recorded
- Survivor’s pension: $8 per month, commencing 14 Feb 1871 (Act of Feb. 14, 1871).
- Bounty-land references appear in the file (warrant numbers noted on the coversheet/index).
Affidavits & loyalty clause
- Multiple sworn statements (1853 and 1871) identify him as the same William Holmes who served in Capt. Cox’s company.
- Standard 1871 loyalty language appears (he did not aid the “late rebellion”), as required for that pension act.
Selected images from William Holmes’s War of 1812 Pension Records
