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Author: CindyMcC
Surnames: Lynn, Norman, French, Haney, Cheshire
Classification: military
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.cheshire/348/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Virginia, Prince William County, to wit:
On this 1st day of August A.D. 1853, personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace in and for the county and state aforesaid, and duly authorized to administer oaths, Seymour Lynn, presiding Justice or Judge of Prince William County court, a disinterested witness and entitled to full faith and credit and being first duly sworn according to law, declares that Stephen French a highly respectable gentleman, who lived and died in Prince William County, Va informed him that he had known John Chesher the father of Cloe Chesher and Jane Haney well and that they were near neighbours in the time of the Revolutionary War and that he knew to his certain knowledge that said John Chesher never served a day in the Revolutionary War, Army or Navy and that said John Chesher was a shoe make or Cobbler, and said Lynn further declares that he was very well acquainted with Nancy Austin who made affidavit before Thomas Nelson a Justice of the peace in and for said county o!
f Prince William, Va, as to the services of said John Chesher in the year 1838 and that she was a near neighbour to him and that she said Nancy Austin was a very weak minded old woman in 1838 and might have been very easily imposed upon by a cunning and unscrupulous interrogator, and that the son of said Cloe Chesher married the daughter of said Ann Austin. And said Seymour Lynn further declares that from all he has heard and from all the facts and circumstances within his own knowledge he verily believes that the claim allowed by the U. S. Government to said Cloe Chesher and Jane Haney in or about the year 1838 as the heirs of Lieut John Cheshire of the Navy of VA was fraudulently and unjustly obtained because the said Cloe Chesher and Jane Haney were not the heirs of said Lieut. John Cheshire of the the Virginia Navy, and because he verily believes that said John Chesher, the father of said Cloe Chesher and Jane Haney never was in the Revolutionary War--Army or Navy. And !
said Seymour Lynn further declares that Thomas Nelson the Justice of t
he Peace who took the affidavits of Nancy Austin, as aforesaid, informed him about the year 1841 or 1842 that the true heirs of Lieut. John Cheshire of the Virginia Navy had been heard from and that said Cloe and Jane were not the true heirs.
S. Lynn
Subscribed and sworn to before me the day and year first before written.
C. E. Norman, J. P.
Source: Bounty Land Records of John Cheshire as found at the National Archives
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Author: CindyMcC
Surnames: Haney, Cheshire, Davis, Austin, Nelson, Harrison
Classification: military
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.cheshire/347/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Virginia, Prince William county, to wit.
On this 16th day of July A. D. 1853 personally appeared before me a justice of the peace in and for the county aforesaid and duly authorized to administer oaths John W. Davis who being entitled or credit and a disinterested witness and who being first duly sworn according as law declares: That he remembers some years ago about the time that Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher were prosecuting their claim against the Government for Revolutionary services of their father John Chesher decd. that an agent who was hunting up such causes came to his father, the late Thomas Davis' house in Prince William County, and devised his mother, wife of said Thos. Davis, to prove the Revolutionary Services of John Chesher aforesaid, that he distinctly remembers that his mother refused to do so, and declared to said agent that she did not believe the said Chesher was in the Revolution, and that she had known him before his death for some time, that the general opinion among the old people of the nei!
ghborhood where John Chesher aforesaid lived and died is that the case? so prosecuted as aforesaid by Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher for the Naval Services of one Lieut. John Cheshire of the Navy of the Revolution were fraudulent and unjust; that he knew Nancy Austin, who made as he understood affidavit of the Revolutionary Service of the said John Chesher in the year 1838 before on Thomas Nelson, Justice of the Peace; that she was a very feable minded, ignorant old woman and eaily to be informed upon by an artful designing man such as the said Thomas Nelson, Justice was by many people reputed to have been, that William Chesher, son of Cloe Chesher married the daughter of Nancy Austin, aforesaid, before the year 1838;And that he verily believes the said cause of Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher presecuted as aforesaid was unjust and fraudulent.
John W. Davis
Sworn and subscribed before me on this day and year just before written.
A. Harrison, J. P.
Source: File of Bounty Land Application for John Cheshire as found in the National Archives
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Author: CindyMcC
Surnames: Cheshire, Chesher, Chesser, Nelson, Haney, Nelson, Lynn
Classification: military
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.cheshire/346/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
John Cheshire
Lieut. In the Navy
Affidavit of Elizabeth Cornwell
Virginia, Prince William County, to wit
On this 15 day of July AD 1853 personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace in and for the county and state aforesaid and duly authorized to administer oaths Elizabeth Cornwell who being entitled to credit and a disinterested witness and having being first duly sworn according to law, declares that she knew John Chesher, who lived and died in Prince William County, and who was the father of Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher, for a number of years before his death, that she is a cousin to the said Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher, the said John Chesher having married her aunt, that she remembers the Revolutionary war, that she verily knows that the said John Chesher never was in it; that the said John Chesher was a cobbler in Prince William County when she knew him and about the time of his death that he was a very plain unlettered man and certainly never was in the Navy; that the Nancy Austin who gave evidence in the claim of said haney and Cloe Chesher for serv!
ices of their father in the Revolution, as she learns, she the affiant knew well, that she was a weak minded old woman, ignorant and easily imposed upon by an artful designing man such as she believes Thomas Nelson to have been reputed to have been who was as she learns the justice who took her testimony, that she has often told Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher that their father to her knowledge never was in the war, and that their cliam was unjust, that she verily believes and knows that the claim which the said Jane Haney and Cloe Chesher prosecuted was fraudulent and unjust, and that William Chesher married the daughter of Nancy Austin before the year 1838.
Elizabeth Cornwell (her mark)
Test: L. C. Lynn
Subscribed and sown to before me the day and year first and before written
L. C. Lynn, J. P.
Dec. 16th, 1853
The deposition of Elizabeth Cornwell taken at her home on the same subject as above (John Chesser) before Justice Levi C. Lynn.
Question: How old are you?
Ans: About 18 or 20 years when my first son William was born.
Question: Did you ever see John Chesser, the father of Jane Haney and Chloe Chesser?
Ans: I never did.
Question: Do you know what was the occupation of John Chessher.
Ans: I do not.
(Note: It seems that there may be more to this document, but I am unable to find it at this time.)
Source: Bounty Land Application of John Cheshire, as found at the Library of Congress
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Author: CindyMcC
Surnames: Pearson, Lynn, Chesser, Nelson, Haney, Chesher, Fitzhugh
Classification: military
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.cheshire/345/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Dec. 16th, 1853
The deposition of Northumberland Pearson taken at his own home in the County of Prince William before Levi C. Lynn, a justice of the peace in said county to be read before the Commissioner of the General land office in behalf of the assignes June ? by Choe Chesser devisees of John Chesser a Lt. in the Virginia State Navy--
Question--What will be your next birthday and how old will you then be?
Ans: I was born in March 27th 1775 and will be Seventy-nine years of age on the 27th day of march 1854.
Question: How old were you at the time of the death of John Chesser?
Ans: I was about five years old at that time certainly not more than six.
Question: Do you know whether John Chesser was or was not in the Revolutionary War?
Ans: I do not because I was too young to recollect. I have heard that he was and that he was not.
Question: Did you know Thomas Nelson who was formerly a magistrate in this county, and do you know any thing in derision of his character as a magistrate
Ans: I new him very well as a man and new nothing against his majesterial character. He seemed to be a man of good judgment.
Question: Would you have relied upon Thomas Nelson in any manner of transaction of your own?
Ans: I certainly would. He always acted cleverly with me.
Question: Were you ever at the home of John Chessher?
Ans: No, I never was. I have seen him once at my Father's and they were conversing about the Revolutionary War. He lived but a short distance from my Fathers.
Question: Was he the father of Jane Haney and Chloe Chesher?
Ans: I have always heard so.
Question: Did you give a deposition about John Chesher on the 12th of July 1883 before Mr. Justice Fitzhugh on this subject?
Ans: Yes I did, and if it should not correspond to this, I intended it should and further the deponent sayeth not.
North Pearson
The above deposition was taken fairly before me without any undue bias on the witness
L. C. Lynn, J. P.
Source: Bounty Land File of John Cheshire, Application No. 1262, found in the Library of Congress
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