Revolutionary War Pension Claim: George Noakes

On October 28, 1833, George Noakes, aged 67, appeared in the Lincoln County Court to make a formal declaration under oath in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832:

He entered the service as a volunteer in the Virginia Militia, under command of Capt. Jno Snoddy, William Terril, Lieutenant, and Ben Logan, Col. commanding in the District, in what was called spy service in May 1781. Snoddy and Terril were officers regularly commissioned by the Governor of Virginia.

He volunteered at Crab Orchard in Lincoln County, then a part of Virginia, on its southern frontier and at all times exposed to the Indians—who were in the habit of making sudden invasions upon frontier settlements, murdering inhabitants, committing barbarous devastations upon their property, and then escaping into inaccessible retreats with scalps and barbarity.

It was the duty of the company of spies to which he belonged to be always on watch for Indians and give notice of their approach to the country, to guard the inhabitants and protect them from the enemy. His company made constant excursions from Crab Orchard, Lincoln County, and spied upon the southern frontier of the State of Virginia (now part of KY) on Dix River, and through that section of the country called The Wilderness, which were unbroken forest then.

He acted as an Indian Spy till the close of the Revolutionary War, for about 2 years, and was dismissed in the fall of the year 1783, by his Capt. Jno Snoddy.

He states that he was born in Tazewell County, North Carolina on March 17, 1766, where he resided till Jan. or Feb. 1781, when his father removed to Lincoln Co., KY, where he has since resided, except for 2 years in Mercer Co., KY. That he has recorded his age in his Family Bible now in his possession. He has no documentary evidence of his service, nor does he know of any individual now living by whom he can prove same.

He states that he is known in his present neighborhood to William Findley and Henry Owsley, who can testify to his general character for truth and veracity and their belief of his services. He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present.

On March 24, 1834, George Noakes re-appeared in Lincoln County Court to provide additional details and amend his original pension claim:

In the month of May 1781, he entered service as a volunteer in the Virginia Militia in Lincoln County in the Spy Service under Capt. Jno Snoddy; Wm Terrel was Lieutenant, Jno Logan was Lieutenant Colonel, and Benjamin Logan was Colonel and commander of the district.

Said Snoddy's company was stationed at Crab Orchard, Lincoln County, which was a Fort, a portion of which was always on duty in garrison, and the balance was out on spying tours. Capt. Snoddy's company constituted the regular garrison at said Fort. The officers under whom he served were commissioned by the Governor of Virginia and acted under authority of said state, receiving ammunition, etc.

He served as a guard at the Fort and acted as spy till March 20, 1782—eleven months in all—and was discharged. His company was ordered to march with other troops to Richmond Fort on the Southern Frontier of VA.

He knows he served from May 20, 1781 to March 1782 (11 months at Crab Orchard), and from March 20 to April 1783 when he was discharged by Jno Snoddy, having served for 23 months total. He was discharged at Fort Richardson when peace was announced in 1783.

He can prove service by Joseph Hall of Lincoln County, who knows that he was serving at Crab Orchard in the summer of 1781.