James Suddarth – Application for Bounty Land, Part 2

In this post, I continue transcribing the bounty land application files of James Suddarth.  James fought in the War of 1812 and sent in three letters of application for bounty land for his service.  This is a transcription of one of two which was completed on 6-November-1850.  This one is for service beginning 18-August-1813, for three months.

State of Indiana
Crawford County

On this Sixth day of November A.D. one thousand Eight hundred and and fifty personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace within and for the County and State aforesaid, James Suddarth, aged fifty five years a resident of Crawford County in the State of Indiana, who being duly sworn according to law, declares that he is the indentical James Suddarth, who was a Corporal in the Company commanded by Captain Jesse Coffee in the Sixth Regiment of Mounted men Commanded by Col. ______ Davenport in the war with Great Britain declared by the United States on the 18th day of June 1812 that he volunteered at Casey Court House in Casey County in the State of Kentucky on or about the eighteenth day of August A.D. One thousand Eight hundred and thirteen for the term of three months and continued in actual service in said war the term of about two months and a half and did not receive a written discharge. He declares that he remained in said company on their return from from the battle ground of the Thames in Upper Canada until said Company reached Nicholasville in the State of Kentucky (near Lexington) where he was compelled to remain by sickness for a time and that he was not present with his Company when the members received their discharges – that he subsequently called at the residence of said Captain in order to obtain his certificate of discharge at two different times but in consequence of the abscence at each time of said Captain he did did not obtain a certificate of discharge – he further declares that he knows of no val’d reason why he was not entitled to an honorable discharge – as will appear by the muster rolls of said Company.
He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land in which he may be entitled under the “Act granting bounty land to certain officers and soldiers who have been engaged in the military service of the United States” passed September 28th 1850

James Suddarth

Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year above written. And I hereby certify that I believe the said James Suddarth to be the identical man who served as aforesaid and that he is of the age above stated

John G Cooper (seal)
Justice of the Peace

State of Indiana
County of Crawford I Cassimer W Kindle Clerk of the Crawford Circuit Court do hereby Certify that John G Cooper before whom the within affidavit was made is and was on the sixth day of November 1850 an acting Justice of the Peace duly Commissioned and qualified and that all of his official acts as such is and ought to be full faith and Credit as such

In Witness of which I Cassimer W Kindle Clerk of the Crawford Circuit Court Subscribe my name and affix the seal of said court at Leavenworth this 13th day of November AD 1850

Cassimer W Kindle (signature)

From both parts of the application made on 6-November-1850, it appears that James originally volunteered at Lexington, Kentucky on 1-January-1813 and served for 2 months and 29 days as a pack horse driver in Captain James Higgins’ Company.  He received an honorable discharge on 29-March-1813 in Dayton, Ohio.  He then volunteered a second time in Casey County, Kentucky on 18-August-1813.  He served in Captain Jesse Coffee’s Company and participated in the Battle of the Themes, in Canada.  Upon returning to Kentucky with his Company, he fell ill at Nicholasville, where he had to remain.  He did not receive his discharge, even after attempting to contact his Captain at home.

A couple of things come to mind here for further research.  First, if he enlisted at Lexington on the first of January, was he living in or near Lexington at this time?  Second, he fell ill at Nicholasville, which is near Lexington.  There is no mention of him staying at a hospital.  While he may have stayed at a hospital, it is also possible that he stayed with family.

I have not found much to help lead me to my original research objective of finding my 3rd great grandfather’s parents yet.  However, I believe James to be a very important person in that search.  I believe he is closely related, and therefore may eventually lead me to where I wish to go.  Whenever research on a particular person dries up, researching collateral relatives, like James, can be of great help.