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Pension application of Elizabeth Gillam, widow of Robert Gillam, W8848.
Elizabeth Caldwell married Robert Gillam, Jr. They had two sons and four daughters.
Will of Elizabeth Caldwell Gillam in South Carolina, Newberry District, May 2, 1836.
In the name of God amen, I, Elizabeth Gillam, of the District and State aforesaid being of sound and disposing mind and memory but aged and infirm do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following to wit:
First, I give and bequeath unto my great, granddaughter Sarah Schoppert my bed, bedstead and furniture.
Secondly, I give and bequeath unto Mary B. Schoppert, my...
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Pension application of Elizabeth Gillam, widow of Robert Gillam, W8848.
Elizabeth Caldwell married Robert Gillam, Jr. They had two sons and four daughters.
Will of Elizabeth Caldwell Gillam in South Carolina, Newberry District, May 2, 1836.
In the name of God amen, I, Elizabeth Gillam, of the District and State aforesaid being of sound and disposing mind and memory but aged and infirm do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following to wit:
First, I give and bequeath unto my great, granddaughter Sarah Schoppert my bed, bedstead and furniture.
Secondly, I give and bequeath unto Mary B. Schoppert, my granddaughter, my chest now at the house of F. B. Higgins
Thirdly, I give and bequeath unto Elizabeth Gillam the daughter of William Gillam, my trunk now at the house of F. B. Higgins.
Fourthly, It is my will and desire that all my wearing apparel be divided into two equal parts, the one part to be delivered to P. Schoppert for the use of his children and the other part to be delivered to William Gillam for the use of his children.
Fifthly, It is also my desire that all my notes, bonds, and choses [sic] in action then be collected and that all the rest residue and remainder of my estate should be sold and after the payments of my just debts that the proceeds of the whole should be divided into tow equal parts, the one part to be paid over to P. Schoppert for the use & benefit of his children and the other part be paid over to William Gillam for the use & benefit of his children.
Sixthly, I do hereby nominate constitute & appoint my friends F. B. Higgins and P. C. Caldwell executors to this my last will & testament.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this the second day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty six.
Sig: E. Gillam
Signed, sealed and published in the presence of us, as and for the last Will & testament of the testatrix who, at her request and in her presence & the presence of each other signed our names & witnesses:
M. W. Gracey
L. L. Swindler
William O Conner
State of South Carolina, Newberry District.
On this __ [blank in original] day of October 1845 personally appeared before me John Belton O'Neall one of the Judges of the Court of law of the said State, Elizabeth Gillam a resident of the District of Abbeville and State aforesaid aged eighty seven years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on her oath, make the following Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed on the seventh day of July 1838, entitled "An Act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows" That she is the widow of Robert Gillam, who was a soldier of the Revolution, from the commencement of hostilities, until the end of the War, on the side of Liberty and the Independence of his Country, against British influence, tyranny and oppression, she cannot from defect of memory, at this advanced period of her life, recollect the many incidents of her husband's service, or the periods of it, or time, and can only detail the most prominent acts of his service as follows, her husband volunteered as a private, in an expedition against the Cherokee Indians, commanded by Colonel Williamson [Andrew Williamson] in which expedition her husband's father was an officer in Command, and in which expedition the Indian Towns were burned and their crops of corn destroyed, and which checked the future inroads and depredations of the Indians. Her husband was also a volunteer and private at the Battle of Stone [sic, Stono] in South Carolina, he was also at the Battle of Musgrove's Mills and at the Battle of Blackstocks in South Carolina, and he was also at the Battle of the Cowpens in South Carolina, in these several Battles, her husband served as a private, but cannot state the names of the Captains, or Colonels, under whom he served in these several Battles, or during his service in the Revolutionary War, she is certain however, that from the particular character of the warfare carried on in South Carolina in the Revolutionary War, her husband's services in this trying period, was continuous from the commencement of hostilities, until the close of the War, her husband was in active daring Whig and very obnoxious to the enemies of his country, and his safest position was in the actual service of his country, and cooperating with the friends of Liberty and contending and battling against British power and influence, and their more dangerous and deadly allies, the Indians and Tories, who were united and confederated together, for the subjugation, and entire overthrow of Freedom, and success of the American Cause. She further states, that her husband was a resident of Ninety Six District were under the command of Col. Williamson, and Colonel Pickens [Andrew Pickens] but has no documentary evidence, other than the annexed affidavits of Hugh O'Neall and Lach L. Brooks, to produce in support of her claim. She further declares, that she was married to the said Robert GILLAM, on the __ [blank in original] day of __ [blank in original] 1784, and that her husband the said Robert Gillam, died on the seventh day of November 1813, that she was not married to the said Robert Gillam prior to his leaving the the service, but the marriage took place previous to the first of January 1794, Viz. at the time above stated, and that she has remained a widow since the death of her husband Robert Gillam, and further, she says, that she believes her husband's services in the Revolutionary War was continuous for three years & upwards but relies with confidence upon the accompanying affidavits, and the particular character of the War in South Carolina against a triple enemy to prove the Justice of her claim, one thing she can assert with truth and confidence, that there is no fraud directly or indirectly in this her application for a pension, and desires to be admitted, to the full benefit, to which her husband would have been entitled had he lived of those acts of Congress passed for the relief of Revolutionary Soldiers as well as of this and other subsequent acts of Congress passed for the relief of the widows of Revolutionary Soldiers.
Sworn to, and subscribed, on the day and year above written.
Before John Belton O'Neall
Elisabeth Gilam [sic]
The State of South Carolina, Newberry District
I John Belton O'Neall one of the Law Judges of the said State and in turn a presiding Judge of the Courts of General Sessions of the Peace and Common Pleas of the said State, and the several districts thereof, do hereby certify that Elizabeth Gillam, widow of Robert Gillam (Deceased), who is an applicant for the benefit of the act of Congress granting half pay, and pensions to certain widows passed on the 7 July 1838, cannot from bodily infirmity attend the court of General Sessions of the Peace and Common Pleas in any of the districts of the State to make oath to her depositions, that she is came in person before me, at my residence in Newberry District, to swear to this her deposition and declaration made before me. That I am personally acquainted with Elizabeth Gillam the applicant, and know her to be an old lady of the array proved to be done character, credibility and veracity: and that I am personally acquainted with CM Zachariah J. Brooks, and Hugh O'Neall (this last being my father): at know them to be highly respectable persons of the great credibility and veracity and whose affidavit and affirmation accompany this application; Hugh O'Neall is a member of the Society of Friends and by law permitted to affirm instead of being sworn: his affirmation made and subscribed before me. The signature of Colonel Brooks, I believe to be and that of my father, I know him to be genuine. That I have satisfactory evidence from the declaration made by this is Gillam, the affidavit of Colonel Brooks and the affirmation of Hugh O'Neall, that Robert Gillam and Elizabeth Gillam the applicant lived together as husband and wife since the year 1784 until his death. That the said Robert Gillam was reputed to be a Revolutionary Soldier, and true friend of his Country: that I knew him personally,
and have often heard his Revolutionary Services spoke of by those who have a part in the Revolutionary War. That the evidence before me is, according to the law of South Carolina, ample to establish the marriage of Robert and Elizabeth Gillam for marriage is regarded as a civil contract, and is here proved by evidence showing that persons have lived and cohabited together, and have been commonly understood and reputed to be man and wife. The affidavit of Colonel Brooks & the affirmation of Hugh O'Neall prove these facts: and in addition, I will say that I well remember Robert Gillam for several years before his death, and that he and the applicant—Elizabeth—were living together as man & wife, were highly respectable people, and that I knew their children who were also highly respectable. There is no public record of marriage in South Carolina. I can safely certify that there is no fraud in the application, but on the contrary I believe it to be highly meritorious.
In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name and caused the seal of this Court of Newberry District to be hereto affixed this third day of October A.D. 1845.
John Belton O'Neall
Note: William Burgess, a citizen of Abbeville District, on April 27, 1854, gave an affidavit in which he states, that he is 80 years old, that he lived close neighbor to Robert Gillam, that Robert GILLIAM, Sr. and Robert GIillam, Jr. both served in the Revolution; that Burgess served as a deputy constable under Robert Gillam, Sr.; that Robert Gillam was also a Justice of the Peace; that Robert Gillam, Sr. died in 1795; that Robert Gillam, Jr. died in 1813; Elizabeth died 'a few years since at her son's the present General James Gillam, who together with William Gillam are now the only surviving children of said Robert Gillam, Jr.'
State of South Carolina, Edgefield District
Personally appeared before me Colonel Zak S. Brooks, who being first qualified saith upon oath that he was personally acquainted with Robert Gillam during the revolutionary war. That the said Robert Gillam was a zealous and active Whig. That he was attached to the same company with himself for the space of six months under the command of Captain John Wallace of Newberry District who was under the command of Colonel Andrew Pickens. That the said Robert Gillam was generally present in all the active service performed by the said Corps, although they were not in the general engagement in the same company together.
This deponent is [sic] further states that the said Gillam performed other services in the revolution, which from the great lapse of time and from his own age and infirmities he cannot accurately date. But from the commencement of the difficulties in the year 1776 to the close of the war in 1783 this section of Country was in a perpetual state of warfare first from the Cherokee Indians then from the Tories and the British in which a
great body of the citizens were engaged. That the said Robert Gillam was more than a year in continuous active service a private in the Militia—He further states that the said Robert Gillam was married to Elizabeth Caldwell previous to the year 1794. That although this deponent was not present at the marriage, he was intimate with the parties and knows from the date of his own marriage & the age of his own children and that of the said parties at their marriage must have taken place previous to the time stated, and that the said marriage was the common repute of the Country—and that the said parties were always highly respectable in character—and that they raised their children who arrived at a mature age who were also respectable. That the families of the Gillams and Caldwells were all active Whigs in the revolution & great sufferers for the depredations of the Tories, and especially from the rapacity of Captain William Cunningham and the party under his command. This deponent further states that the said Robert Gillam has been dead for many
years, that his said a widow still survives without ever having been married to another husband.
He further states that in the application of the said widow Elizabeth Gillam for a pension that he believes that there is no fraud directly or indirectly but that on the contrary her claim is just & meritorious.
This deponent further states that he believes that the said Elizabeth Gillam was attached to the Presbyterian Church at Little River.
Sworn to and subscribed or me September 15, 1845
Zak. S. Brooks
A. L. Nicholson, Magst.
State of South Carolina, Newberry District
Hugh O'Neill personally came before me and solemnly and [illegible word] affirmed, That he was personally acquainted with Robert Gillam and Elizabeth his wife, in the Revolution—both before & after their marriage. That he believes that they were married in the year 1784, which circumstance he connects in his mind with other incidents of his own family. That they lived in wedlock till the death of the said Robert Gillam. He further states that he has examined the annexed affidavit of Col. Zak S. Brooks and dated the 15th of September 1845 and believes that the facts and allegations therein contained are true.
Affirmed and subscribed before me, one of the Judges of the State of South
Carolina September 16, 1845.
Hugh O'Neall
John Belton O'Neall
Comptroller General's Office, Columbia South Carolina March 4, 1854
No. 470
Lib. W
Issued the 22nd of August 1785 to Robert Gillam for 16 pounds eight shillings & seven pence for duty as Major & for property lost in 1779, '80 & '81 per account passed by the Commissioners Principal £16:8:7
Annual Interest £1:3:0.
No. 47
W470
22 August 85 Mr. Robert Gillam his account of militia duty as Major before the reduction of Charleston, also of the property lost & provisions supplied the continentals and militia in 1779, 1780 & 1781 the whole amounting to Currency
£ 683:11:7
Stg. £ 97.13.1
State of South Carolina to Robert Gillam Dr. Duty as performed provisions supplied &
property lost per Col. Anderson's return Curry:
£ 683:11: 7
£ 97:13: 1
Ninety Six District a pay bill for Services done the public by Major Robert Gillam from the ninth of February to the 30th of April 1780 both days included on an expedition to Georgia 55 days at £4:10 per day 247: 10.
Attested the 21st May 1783 before me Robert Anderson, JP I do certify that the within mentioned Duty of Fifty five days was performed by Major Robert Gillam 11 June 1786.
Levi Casey, Col.
South Carolina, Ninety Six District: The Public of South Carolina to Robt. Gillam, Dr. to Seventy five Dollars paid for Pork on our March to Headquarters at Augusta February 12th 1780 £121:17:6.
Sworn to the 11th July 1783 before me.
Robt. Gillam [Received]
Robert Anderson, JP . . .
[There are more records of disbursements made by the State of SC to Robert Gillam during the Revolution as certified by the Comptroller's office in SC.]
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