"Our Heritage"
Mt. Olive Tribune
By Claude Hunter Moore

Last week I wrote about the Duplin County pensioners of the American Revolution & this week it will be the pensioners of Wayne County. Four volumes have recently been reprinted of the "Pension Roll of 1835." Under an act of Congress in 1825, a private was paid $120 a year, a lieutenant $320 a year, a captain $480 a year, a major $600 a year & a colonel $600 per year.

Wayne County was created out of old Dobbs County in 1779. The records of Dobbs County were largely destroyed by fire including the militia records. A veteran who did not have a discharge certificate had to get witnesses to sign an affidavit to the affect that they knew personally & that the applicant had served in the Revolution. The applicant had to sign a sworn statement before the clerk of the court giving his service record from memory.

The pension records in 1835 showed the following men from Wayne County: the following were listed as having served in the Continental Line (National Army).

David Edwards, placed on roll in 1832, age 71
Absalom Ellis, died April 13, 1828, age 63
William Farrell, placed on roll in 1833, age 79, N.C. Militia
Charles Gibson, no age
Elisha Grant, died January 23, 1830, age 76
John Howell, placed on roll in 1833, age 80
George Jernigan, placed on roll in 1833, age 73
George Mitchell, placed on roll in 1830, age 72
Jethro Odom, placed on roll in 1834, age 87
Michael Revill, placed on roll in 1833, age 74
Ezekiel Slocumb, (husband of Mary Slocumb), placed on roll in 1833, age 74
Benjamin Smith, placed on roll in 1833, age 75
Jesse Spencer, (Virginia Militia), placed on roll in 1833, age 73
Nehemia Tolar, placed on roll in 1833, age 95
Jesse Vick, placed on roll in 1830, age 83
Wait Warwick, died in 1830, age 74
John Wiggs, placed on roll in 1833, age 76
John Wise, placed on roll in 1823
James Woodland, placed on roll in 1819

No roster of Wayne County Troops who served in the American Revolution has ever been compiled. This would be an execellent project for some of the high school teachers in Wayne County or for the D.A.R Chapter.