Thomas Young, Virginia, Captain, Col. J. Crockett’s Regiment, Revolutionary War, 1751-1837.  Maysville Cemetery, Mason County, Kentucky.

Mason County has a very rich early history.  Many of the early pioneers came down the Ohio River and stopped there in their quest for rich lands – and many were Revolutionary War soldiers, holding land warrants received for their wartime service.  Some came before the war, including Captain Thomas Young who is buried in Maysville Cemetery.  In 1773 he and eight other men came down the Ohio from Pittsburg and landed at the mouth of Limestone Creek – where the present-day city of Maysville is located.   Another survey was made in 1775, of which Thomas Young was also a member, in addition to Samuel Wells, Haydon Wells, Thomas Tebbs, John Tebbs, John Rust, Matthew Rust, William Triplett, Richard Materson and Jonathan Higgs.

Thomas Young received 4,000 acres of land for his services for three years as a Captain in Crockett’s Regiment.  His warrant is dated February 4, 1788.

After the war Thomas Young must have moved almost immediately to Mason County.  His signature is on a petition dated August 25, 1786, sent by the inhabitants of city of Limestone, later Maysville, to the House of Delegates, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Then still a part of Bourbon County, this petition asks that a new county be formed composed of ‘all that part of the said County of Bourbon, which lies North of the said Licking, to begin at the mouth of the said Licking Creek, thence up the main branch thereof to the Head thence a direct line to the Junction of the Maddison and Russell County lines, thence along the Russell line to Bigg Sandy, thence down the same to the mouth, thence down the Ohio River to the Beginning, into a distinct county, and your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.’  152 men signed this petition.  The main reason for asking to be a separate county was because Paris, in Bourbon County, was about forty miles away, ‘a mountainous tract of Barren Land running down on each side of the main branch of the Licking Creek that cannot be inhabited, and exposes your petitioners to be surprised and murdered by the savages who frequently infest such places.  And the main branch of Licking being a considerable and Rapid Water course often obstructs a convenient communication with the other part of the County and renders it inconvenient and expensive to suitors and others to attend the present Courthouse.’  By suitors did they mean those who wished to marry?  I can see the reason for their petition.

In 1795 the city of Lewisburg was laid out on lands belonging to George Lewis, near the city of Limestone.  Among the first trustees were Thomas Young.  Even after coming to Kentucky, then Virginia, 22 years ago, he was still influential in public matters.

In 1832, at the age of 81, Thomas Young appeared before William L. Roper, Judge, to make declaration for a pension that was passed by Congress June 7, 1832, for Revolutionary War veterans.  In his war records is listed that in that year he had no wife or children.  In some records his wife is listed as Margaret Brent.  She and the children, if any, predeceased him, since it was stated at his death April 22, 1837, that he left neither widow or children.

State of Kentucky, County of Mason, August 1832.

On this 14^th day of August 1832 personally appeared in open court before William L. Roper, Judge of the Kentucky Court for the 1^st Judicial District in the county and state aforesaid, now sitting.  Thomas Young, a resident of Maysville, in the County of Mason and State of Kentucky, aged eighty-one years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated – that about the month of June 1779 he was directed to raise a company of men to serve in the western battalion of the Virginia State Line.  He did go on and raised or enlisted his company, and in the fall, in the months of September or October, received a commission as captain from the Governor of Virginia.  In the winter of the same year he was ordered to march his company to Albemarle Barracks in the state of Virginia, and report himself to Col. Crockett, to whose regiment he was attached, which he did, and remained on duty at the said barracks guarding the prisoners which were then there until the fall of the year 1780.  At which time some of the prisoners were

removed to Fredericktown, Maryland, and the regiment which he was attached were sent with the prisoners and remained guarding them at Fredericktown, Maryland, until March or April 1781, at which time Crockett’s Regiment was ordered to Pittsburgh and report themselves to General George Rogers Clark.  Where on arriving about the last of the month of May 1781, and from thence under the command of General George Rogers Clark, as commander of the expedition descended the River Ohio to the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, where they remained on duty until the 25^th day of December 1781, at which time, the time of enlistment of the men expired and they were discharged and the officers of Crockett’s Regiment returned home as ? and men not again called into service, during the whole of which time this affiant remained with his regiment and in command of his company.  In the spring of the year 1782, owing to a difference between of the officers of Crockett’s Regiment as to priority, this affiant surrendered up his commission and every commission was then declined to all the officers of one date.  He states that when he was first called into service and directed to raise his company of men, he resided in Prince William County in the State of Virginia

and removed to Kentucky in fall of the year1783 where he has resided ever since.  He further states that he has retained in his possession his commission until within the last 12 or 18 months when he has lost the same as placed it in the possession of his counsel who was trying his claim upon Virginia for 5 years full pay and pay for life, which by the laws of Virginia he was instructed he was entitled to for his services.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present and declared that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.  He does not intend the above relinquishment to include extend to his claim upon Virginia or upon the United States, provided she has or does assumed to pay the liability of Virginia to the Officers of the Virginia State Line for their services in the Revolutionary War.  He states that he is known to John Chambers, Walker Reed and Marshall Key and Adam Peatty who can testify as to his veracity.

Sworn to and subscribed the day and date above.

Thomas Young

Thomas Young received his pension at a rate of $480 per year, beginning on March 4, 1831.  Ending March 4, 1833, he received $960, which included back payments.